IIW History 1948-1958

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The second was similar, though it also contained U.S. and Canadian delegates, and it toured various European countries. Having inspected scientific and technical work, the very existence of which, in some cases, they hardly suspected, the national delegations were able to bring back the most valuable information from these visits. It is naturally the hope of the founders of the IIW that the individual organisations comprising its membership will grow stronger and that they will become better knovvn in their own countries. The activities of the II"W must eventually result in better welding, broader applications of the processes, more efficient operations and lower costs. It is for the national organisations to adopt the best means of informing their compatriots of the problems raised and the work carried out by the II\V. One means is the publication in national reviews of documents recommended for publication (r). The liaisons between delegates and experts on the IIW commissions and their compatriots serving on the corresponding national com– mittees which have been set up in many countries provide a further and indis– pensable solution to this problem of information. In addition, in countries like the United States_wi th its W elding R esearch A broad and Germany with its Nht– te1:lungsblatt des T echnischen A1,tssch11sses des DVS, the national organisations circulate to some of their members, by means of private publications, a certain amount of information and IIvV working documents. Similar arrangements have been made in Belgium. However highly developed and strong a national organisation may be, it can only be helpful for it to know what others think, and what others a re doing and how they have solved their problems. \Vise men have often said « The closed door keeps out more than it keeps in ».

(1) In this connexion, see Part III, Appendix III.