Commonwealth Engineering Standards Association (1922 - 1929)

Summary

The Commonwealth Engineering Standards Association was established by the Minister for Trade and Customs, on 7th October 1922, to work in co-operation with the Commonwealth Institute of Science and Industry, under the Science and Industry Act 1920.

In 1929 its became the Standards Association of Australia.

Details

Its Main Committee comprised representatives nominated by the:
- Commonwealth Institute of Science and Industry;
- six State Governments;
- Institution of Engineers Australia;
- Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy; and
- Australian Chemical Institute.

When established, the functions of the Main Committee were:-
(a) To decide what standardization work shall be undertaken;
(b) To appoint members of the sectional committees or panels to which the work of preparing specifications will be intrusted;
(c) To arrange for the carrying out of research work on the recommendations of the sectional committees;
(d) To receive and deal with the reports and recommendations of sectional committees;
(e) To arrange for the publication of the specifications through a standing committee;
(f) To keep in touch with 'Engineering Standards' organizations in other countries;
(g) To control finance through a standing committee.

It took over responsibility for many previously established standards, such as the Electrical Wiring standards initially developed by the Electrical Association of Australia, and later by the Institution of Engineers Australia.

Related entries

Timeline

 1922 - 1929 Commonwealth Engineering Standards Association
       1929 - 1988 Standards Association of Australia
             1988 - Standards Australia

Published resources

Books

• Higgins, Winton, Engine of Change: Standards Australia since 1922 (Blackheath, N.S.W.: Brandl & Schlesinger, 2005), 390 pp. Details

Journal Articles

• Hebblewhite, W. Rayner, 'Standardisation in Australia - A review of the work of the Australian Commonwealth Engineering Standards Association', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 1 (1) (1929), 31-33. Details
• Institution of Engineers Australia, 'Third Annual General Meeting [March 1923] and Third Annual Report [1922]', Transactions of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 3 (1924), xiv-xxxix, https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.632839845047257. 'Engineering Standardisation - The Institution's representatives are: Messrs J J C Bradfield, O W Brain, A J Gibson, G A Julius, Senator J D Millen, Professor W H Warren', pp.xxiii-xxiv. Details
• Institution of Engineers Australia, 'Seventh Annual General Meeting [March 1927] and Seventh Annual Report [1926]', Transactions of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 7 (1927), xvi-xli, https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.864993719677643. 'Australian Commonwealth Engineering Standards Association', p.xxxviii. Details

Newspaper Articles

• Rodgers, Arthur S, 'Commonwealth Engineering Standards Association', Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 1922 (82) (1922), 1755, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232527398. Details

Resources

• Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1471446. Details

See also

• Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Technology in Australia 1788-1988, Online edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, 3 May 2000, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/index_a.html. Details