{"resolved":true,"match_type":"uuid","source_type":"original_book","book_id":"10f0f318-a2eb-4ea9-8798-d4fb0304f8c3","title":"Time for Things Labor, Leisure, and the Rise of Mass Consumption","author":null,"edition":null,"publisher":null,"year":null,"isbn":"9780674250529","requested_by":"printed_page","book":{"source_type":"original_book","book_id":"10f0f318-a2eb-4ea9-8798-d4fb0304f8c3","id":"10f0f318-a2eb-4ea9-8798-d4fb0304f8c3","uuid":"10f0f318-a2eb-4ea9-8798-d4fb0304f8c3","title":"Time for Things Labor, Leisure, and the Rise of Mass Consumption","normalized_title":"timeforthingslaborleisureandtheriseofmassconsumption","author":null,"edition":null,"publisher":null,"year":null,"isbn":"9780674250529","isbns":["9780674250529","9780674250536","9780674979512"],"parsed":true,"ai_readable":true,"document_type":"book","page_count":355,"navigation_url":"https://workshop.closeclaw.top/ai/book/10f0f318-a2eb-4ea9-8798-d4fb0304f8c3","title_url":"https://workshop.closeclaw.top/ai/title/Time%20for%20Things%20Labor%2C%20Leisure%2C%20and%20the%20Rise%20of%20Mass%20Consumption","fixed_page_url_template":"https://workshop.closeclaw.top/ai/book/10f0f318-a2eb-4ea9-8798-d4fb0304f8c3/page/{printed_page}","path_api_url_template":"https://workshop.closeclaw.top/api/ai/book/10f0f318-a2eb-4ea9-8798-d4fb0304f8c3/page/{printed_page}","read_url":"https://workshop.closeclaw.top/api/ai/read/10f0f318-a2eb-4ea9-8798-d4fb0304f8c3","page_url":"https://workshop.closeclaw.top/api/ai/books/10f0f318-a2eb-4ea9-8798-d4fb0304f8c3/page","search_url":"https://workshop.closeclaw.top/api/ai/books/10f0f318-a2eb-4ea9-8798-d4fb0304f8c3/search"},"page":{"printed_page":169,"pdf_page":177,"physical_index":177,"physical_index_base":0,"printed_page_status":"recognized","page_sha256":"f5dcbc6db2e01cbd0a48284270363330c43b3e86242f93f2e3b1b067ffa0d5bd"},"chapter":"FOR","content":"Much of the work in standardizing product measurements was carried out by the National Bureau of Standards. The bureau introduced a wide range of standardized measures, from the creation in 1909 of an international standard for candlepower as a measure of luminosity to the development of “color meters” to established “objective” standards for colors.66 Although arguably some of the activities of the bureau simply expressed a technocratic fetish for precision (which was sometimes ridiculed), standardization of measurement was justified primarily in terms of the protection of the interests of the consumer.67 Indeed, standardizing weights and measures was seen as merely the first step toward standardization of product quality. T. N. Carver, marketing expert, giving voice to this view, saw the two forms of standardization, of quantity and of quality, as being of a piece. According to him, in both cases “economy of efort” is achieved by reducing transaction costs incurred by consumers having to carefully inspect goods prior to purchasing them. Standardization would eliminate that efort by institutionalizing quality assessment for the consumer. Time saved in shopping would then be time made available for increasing production and for increasing the “velocity of trade” (Carver 1917).\n\nThe idea that standardization of measurements had the benefit of making things clear and explicit for consumers was also embraced by engineers working in the manufacturing sector. Coker F. Clarkson, secretary and general manager of the Society for Automotive Engineers, wrote in 1908 of the benefits to the buying public of the standardization project pursued by the Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers. In particular, he drew attention to the development of horsepower as a measurement of car engines: “The primary purpose of the formula is to give light to the public as to the motors rated high, as ofering big value, and those rated modestly.”68 Likewise industry observers argued that truck payload capacity measurements should be standardized so as to make comparison across diferent models as easy as possible for consumers.69\n\nIn the 1920s the Bureau of Standards joined forces with the Department of Agriculture to bring greater transparency and consistency to the marketplace by standardizing scales used to weigh produce.70 In its eforts to standardize measures the bureau often worked in close consultation with business and professional associations.71 But business figures were often independent advocates for the development of standardized product measures. Samuel W. Reyburn, president of the department store chain Lord and Taylor, addressing the eleventh annual meeting of the Textile Color Association, gave a speech in 1926 entitled ${ } ^ { \\mathfrak { c } } \\mathrm { O n }$ the Importance of Color and Color Standardization to Retail,” in which he argued that regularizing color categories would benefit both merchants and the general public.72 Similarly Michael Schaap, president of Bloomingdale’s, at a 1935 meeting of the Housewares Club of New York, called for greater standardization of household products and advocated the use of standardized color cards for products.73 In 1927, Macy’s, the department store chain, went as far as to establish its own bureau of standards, complete with laboratory testing facilities, in order to provide precise product information for its customers. The idea was that “responsible retailers” should ensure that their customers are furnished with as much information as possible about how products would behave in use.74 Macy’s example was followed by other big department stores, including Hearn Inc., which created an in-house bureau of standards in 1937. The Hearn bureau introduced a “quality assurance” tag indicating the fabric content of garments—an innovation that mirrored the National Bureau of Standards’ certification labels. The new tag was applauded by consumer groups.75 The value of commercial product testing, measuring, and certification was in part seen in its deterring fraud on the part of manufacturers, but it also served the goal of maximizing product transparency for the consumer. Consumers were not, however, just passive bystanders to moves by business and government to make knowledge about products easier to obtain. Ephraim Freedman, head of Macy’s standardization bureau noted in 1937 that customers were becoming increasingly insistent about having their goods described in terms of “reliable standards.” Given the pressure from consumers, according to Freedman, “the retailer for his own protection must continue to refuse to buy blind, as he refuses to sell blind.”76\n\nStandardization of Consumption, Work, and Wages\n\n169","previous_page":168,"next_page":170}