Thematerialsandmovingforcesofindustryareundergoingalikereductiontostaplekinds，styles，grades，andgauge。5*
Evensuchforcesaswouldseematfirstsightnottolendthemselvestostandardization，eitherintheirproductionortheiruse，aresubjectedtouniformscalesofmeasurement；as，e。g。，water-power，steam，electricity，andhumanlabor。Thelatterisperhapstheleastamenabletostandardization，but，forallthat，itisbargainedfor，delivered，andturnedtoaccountonschedulesoftime，speed，andintensitywhicharecontinuallysoughttobereducedtoamoreprecisemeasurementandamoresweepinguniformity。
Thelikeistrueofthefinishedproducts。Modernconsumersingreatpartsupplytheirwantswithcommoditiesthatconformtocertainstaplespecificationsofsize，weight，andgrade。Theconsumerthatistosaythevulgarconsumerfurnisheshishose，histable，andhispersonwithsuppliesofstandardweightandmeasure，andhecantoanappreciabledegreespecifyhisneedsandhisconsumptioninthenotationofthestandardgauge。Asregardsthemassofcivilizedmankind，theidiosyncrasiesoftheindividualconsumersarerequiredtoconformtotheuniformgradationsimposeduponconsumablegoodsbythecomprehensivemechanicalprocessesofindustry。“Localcolor“itissaid，isfallingintoabeyanceinmodernlife，andwhereitisstillfoundittendstoassertitselfinunitsofthestandardgauge。
Fromthismechanicalstandardizationofconsumablegoodsitfollows，ontheonehand，thatthedemandforgoodssettlesuponcertaindefinedlinesofproductionwhichhandlecertainmaterialsofdefinitegrade，incertain，somewhatinvariableformsandproportions；whichleadstowell-definedmethodsandmeasurementsintheprocessesofproduction，shorteningtheaverageperiodof“ripening“thatintervenesbetweenthefirstrawstageoftheproductanditsfinishedshape，andreducingtheaggregatestockofgoodsnecessarytobecarriedforthesupplyofcurrentwants，whetherintheraworinthefinishedform。6*
Standardizationmeanseconomyatnearlyallpointsoftheprocessofsupplyinggoods，andatthesametimeitmeanscertaintyandexpeditionatneatlyallpointsinthebusinessoperationsinvolvedinmeetingcurrentwants。Besidesthis，thestandardizationofgoodsmeansthattheinterdependenceofindustrialprocessesisreducedtomoredefinitetermsthanbeforethemechanicalstandardizationcametoitspresentdegreeofelaboratenessandrigor。Themarginofadmissiblevariation，intime，place，form，andamount，isnarrowed。Materials，toanswertheneedsofstandardizedindustry，mustbedrawnfromcertainstandardsourcesatadefiniterateofsupply。Henceanygivendetailindustrydependscloselyonreceivingitssuppliesfromcertain，relativelyfew，industrialestablishmentswhoseworkbelongsearlierintheprocessofelaboration。Anditmasimilarlydependoncertainother，closelydefined，industrialestablishmentsforaventofitsownspecializationandstandardizationproduct。7*Itmaylikewisedependinastrictmanneronspecialmeansoftransportation。