Measures for Progress: A History of the National Bureau of Standards

APPENDIX C
For construction and verification of standard weights and measures, including
metric standards, for the custom-houses, and other offices of the United States, and for
the several States.
For the purchase of materials and apparatus . . .: Provided, That hereafter such
necessary repairs and adjustments shall be made to the standards furnished to the
several States and Territories as may be requested by the governors thereof, and also
to standard weights and measures that have been, or may hereafter be, supplied to
United States custom-houses and other offices of the United States, under act of
Congress, when requested by the Secretary of the Treasury.
For the construction of standard gallons and their subdivisions for the use of States
and Territories which have not received the same.
For purchase of a balance of precision and its mounting.
[Subsequently, the Sundry Civil Appropriation Act of 18 August 1894 (28 Stat.
383) directed the Secretary of the Treasury to furnish precise copies of standard
weights and measures when lost or destroyed, upon defrayment of the expense of their
construction.]
Joint Resolution of 12 April 1892 (27 Stat. 395) —Joint resolution to
encourage the establishment and endowment of institutions of learning at the
National Capital by defining the policy of the Government with reference
to the use of its literary and scientific collections by students. [Basis for
the admission of Research Associates to the use of the research facilities of
the National Bureau of Standards and for providing educational courses for
undergraduate members of the staff towards higher degrees.]
Whereas, large collections illustrative of the various arts and sciences and facilitat-
ing literary and scientific research have been accumulated by the action of Congress
through a series of years at the National Capital; and
Whereas it was the original purpose of the Government thereby to promote research
and the diffusion of knowledge, and is now the settled policy and present practice of
those charged with the care of these collections specially to encourage students who
devote their time to the investigation and study of any branch of knowledge by allowing
to them all proper use thereof; and
Whereas it is represented that the enumeration of these facilities and the formal
statement of this policy will encourage the establishment and endowment of iñstitu-
tions of learning at the seat of Government, and promote the work of education of
attracting students to avail themselves of the advantages aforesaid under the direction
of competent instructors: Therefore,
Resolved: That the facilities for research and illustration in the following and any
other Governmental collections now existing or hereafter to be established in the city
of Washington for the promotion of knowledge shall be accessible, under such rules
and restrictions as the officers in charge of each collection may prescribe, subject to such
authority as is now or may hereafter be permitted by law, to the scientific investigators
and to students of any institution of higher education now incorporated or hereafter to
be incorporated under the laws of Congress or of the District of Columbia, to wit:
1. Of the Library of Congress. 2. Of the National Museum. 3. Of the Patent Office.
4. Of the Bureau of Education. 5. Of the Bureau of Ethnology. 6. Of the Army
Medical Museum. 7. Of the Department of Agriculture. 8. Of the Fish Commission.
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