New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-09-09

;.6ad ~ tbese can bs attained. and are con-
tented wi h the round rs the unit OF weight
And there are radical or advanced people
who would have beer pleased to sec the
pouud abandoned With the bushel, ana the
unit ~ we'll ~ the methods OF the meflle
system adopted. These last have pot been
vociferous ia The recent trade DISCUSSIONS; thty
have probably seen that the adoption oil the
GENITAL system is as long step toward the
metric AS the grain trade can Tins year be lea
to take, and hope for further progress IN time
to come The party Of moderate progress pre-
walls, and The Produce Exchanges oil thc lead
ing cities will sOon-Octobcr 1880, Is the
date most recently suggested-adapt ther
dealings 70 the Genital rules and methods
Two important changes are implied; deal
ing by wright and reckoning deelmally. Inc
familiar Old-fashIoncd syst III of ceiling the
grains by bulk has steadily fallen INTO us
favor, in recent years, under the influence Oh
the important fact that weight Is much Irnef
Indication of the value Of grain. "A Dushei
OF first quality wheat will weigh several pounds
more than one of inferior grade, o"ih@
10 the superior compacineas or denSnS
OF the kernels. The same principle applies 10
many other kinds of produce. If they are TO
he graded and sold according to value, this
must he done by some system OF selling ny
weight So long ~ the sales are by measure
the bnyer can have little assurance as TO the
quality hc receives, but must depend upon war
ranties or inspection of samples Moreover
carriers prefer 10 charge by weight; treights
arc usually computed by pounds or tons. lie
friends OF n change have therefore success
fully urged that sales shall he made by The
hundred pounds, instead of by the bushel.
The a,toytion of decimal reckoning is nat
ural ana easy consequence; pound, ten
pounds. hundred pounds or GENITAL, a thou
sand pounds will be the quantities in which
sales will usually be made.
The latent defect of the system, In the view
OF advanced scientific reformers, will be that n
adheres to the pound avOrdHpQls as tie
unit. A pound is an idea wholly arbitrary
1t has no correspondence with anything hxed
in nature. nor can it be traced to any rational
or philosOphic origin. This will not trouble
the grain trade much, for the actual
weight of pound avoirdupois is well
enough determined by standards III all
parts Of the country and 10 one cares
for the slight confusion between avOirdupois
and troy pounds. Taking the commerce of
the world into view, however, the pound Il
seen to be an uncertain and unsatisfactory
basis. According to President Barnard no less
than three hundred and ninety-cne pound
weights have been in use ut different places,
ia past times. Three hundred and sew
enty OF these have been abandoned
upon acceptance Of the metric system.
The metric system seeks to abolish confusion
mess of mankind upon one common system
of weights and measures. Whether TINS sys-
tenn will ever be fully adopted in this country
or not is at least doubtful, but the Use OF the
Genital is certainly a step IN that direction,
and will probably be hailed by the advocates
OF the French system an important victory