H—44A

Hearing Aids Sectional Committee The Hearing Aids Technical Committee has examined a revision of the American standard for hearing aid batteries and the corresponding draft Australian standard. The Dominion Physical Laboratory has been asked to carry out tests to determine the. service capacity of different classes of batteries. Chemical Seetional Committee Besides reviewing the work carried out under its direction by the Electroplating .and Protective Metal Finishes Committee and the Laundry Starch Committee, the parent committee considered 38 draft British standards, 34 British standards, 1 draft. South African standard, and 3 amendments to British standards which had been considered previously. Thirteen of the British standards examined were found suitable to New Zealand conditions and were recommended for adoption. The three amendment slips to British standards were also endorsed for incorporation in the corresponding New Zealand standard specifications. It has been decided to issue separate specifications for electro-deposited metal coatings : (1) Copper, tin, and lead coatings ; (2) nickel and chromium coatings ; (3) zinc and cadmium coatings ; (4) brass (speculum) and bright metal finishes : (5) silverplating. The first two were completed and recommended for issue, the third was well advanced but is delayed pending comment on the corresponding draft British standard, and the last two have been deferred until corresponding British standards are available. COMMERCIAL STANDARDIZATION Packaging Divisional Committee The Container Marking Sectional Committee considered and endorsed reports from its Dangerous Goods Marking Committee and Commodity Marking Committee, and, as a result, recommended the issue of a code of practice for marking and identification of packages, with special reference to those containing dangerous goods. It is proposed to issue this standard code as part of a comprehensive standard code of practice in respect of packaging generally. Cost Accounting Terminology Committee This committee met to consider comments received upon the standard code of cost accounting terminology issued last year. Comments received, particularly those from other countries, endorsed the need for a standard code of terminology and commended the progress which had been made in New Zealand. Typical of these comments is the following extract from a letter received from the Chairman of the Cost Accounting Sub-committee, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales : There is at present no common language used in the world of costing, so that accountants, all too often, are unable to understand each other. Progress under these conditions is very difficult indeed. This New Zealand code of cost accounting terminology is therefore a valuable and timely contribution which will help to establish a common language. At the present, progress in this field is, without doubt, hindered' by the many different tongues which cost accountants use. Every effort therefore, should be made to establish an agreed terminology. The code under review is excellent and is obviously the result of careful and skilled research and it will be of great value to all cost accountants and especially to those concerned with the building-up of a common language through the world of costing. Government Purchasing Standards Committee A review of the standard specification for paint for use on Service vehicles, originally issued in the emergency series during the war, satisfied the committee that this specification should be retained. Subject to minor amendments, it was recommended for reissue in the Government purchasing series of standard specifications.

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