Jim Thompson

Email Jim at jim.thompson@ipulpmedia.com

We've talked about policy and regulations for three weeks, let's finish out the month with two columns on standards. Standards are so ubiquitous; we don't even notice them.

President Herbert Hoover is the father of modern standards in the United States. This did not happen while he was president but immediately before that. President Harding appointed Mr. Hoover to the role of Secretary of the Department of Commerce in 1921. He held this position until he became president in 1929.

Hoover had some conditions for taking on this role. As reported at the time by the Los Angeles Herald, Hoover said, "If I take the post it will be only because I have the support of Mr. Harding in making it a real department of commerce. Ever since it came into existence the bureau has been the department of commerce in name only--a collection of scientific bureaus with little real power."

Harding agreed and Hoover did.

Hoover instituted many things we take for granted today. He standardized window and door sizes used throughout construction today. He standardized threads for nuts and bolts.

Standardizing the categorization of radio waves (and all electronic waves since then) started with Hoover.

In aviation, Hoover worked to triple the number of lighted runways in the country and furnishing them with reliable weather and navigational equipment.

Many, many of the mundane appurtenances in our lives today were standardized under Hoover's direction one hundred years ago.

Imagine if you had to buy screws and bolts from each particular manufacturer of equipment? What would your storeroom look like? There was a company in the machine tool industry that tried to do this--Brown & Sharpe. They had their own thread pitch and spacing that matched no other.

If you are in the process piping end of your mill, you are no doubt familiar with "ANSI" pumps--pumps made to the same dimensions in each size by all the manufacturers (I'll let you in on a little secret--the manufacturers hate these because these standards have turned pumps in certain applications into a commodity).

Imagine if windows and doors did not come in standard sizes. What a nightmare this would be.

President Hoover is remembered for the dismal job he did during the depression.

However, the job he did as Secretary of Commerce has saved the economy in the past and continues to result in savings today that are nearly incalculable.

Be safe and we will talk next week.

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