The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1879-01-02

Present Co00ltlo0 q We19ht0 0D4
From the American Miller.
For the past few months the nillers and
grain dealers of Great Britain have been
excited over discussion of the 'Weights
and Measures Act" There seems to be a
very noticeable degree ofaubiguity about
some of the clauses in this act, and appar-
emily the intention of the measure is to
abolish all local weights and measures
and to secure a uniformity throughout the
kingdom. The National Association of
British and Irish Millers and the Secre-
tary of that body, Mr. Chatteton, are en-
titled to the credit of arouslng public
discussion Of the evils arising from the use
of multitude of weights and measures,
many of which are purely local, and most
Of which mean one thing when applied to
one article, and another when a different
thing is to be measured In Great Britain
the evil is greater than in this country.
because long use has made the same
measures signify different quantities in
different parts of the country. Our British
friends have taken hold of the matter in
earnest, and we may soon expect to hear
of all the old ''coombs," quarters, :"
hundred weights tll2 lbs J, etc, which
are the present standards in Great Britain,
abolished and the Genital of 100 pounds
substituted in its place.
That this would be move in the right
direction, none will doubt. But it rather
strikes us that our weights and measures
would bear little oyerhanling. 1t is true
that We have not 50 many local measures
as are current in England. and that We
have true hundred weight. which can
always be used as standard. But what
is bushel, anyway? How many pounds
does it contain, and how many of them
make unit of that other common stand
ard Of ours, the barrel? Not even the
cublcal contents of tie bushel are definite
ly settled. The United States has estab-
lished the Winchester bushel of 2l50.4 Gu
bic inches as the standard, but there are
at least three other standards in use. As
to the Specification of our bushel it does
not mean the same thing in weight when
applied to any two different articles, and
often when applied to the same article.
Sixty pounds ordinarily makes a bushel of
wheat, but how many pounds are there In
2l2O.4 inches of this years spring wheat !
The fact ofthe matter is that measure
based upon cubical contents is a false guide
except in the case of liquids, which have,
Individually, a very nearly uniform weight.
The bushel has outlived its usefulness. 1t
served very well in the times when things
were done in primitive and inaccurate
manner. The present generation has no
need OF the commercial relics Of the past.
This year some farmers In the Northwest
have made very serious complaints because
there is so great difference in the price
established between the different grades
of wheat. This was wholly due to the
fact that the difference i'll the weight of
the various grades of wheat was overlooked.
So long as we have cubical standard
there will always be complaint Of this
kind. Practically. the wheat is paid for
by the miller in weight now, for
difference in weight makes difference in
grade, but why retain so useless an incum-
brance, which means anything and moth
ing. In, California they have already
adopted the GENITAL for measuring grain,
and people know what they are buying or
selling when they buy or sell GENITAL of
wheat We should not be slow to follow
the example set by our enterpiising cit-
zcns in California. The Millers National
Association in Great Britain though scarce
the question of reform in weights and
measures in such an e!fectual way that
whatever the act passed by the last session
of Parliament may mean, there is pros
pect that the GENITAL will soon be the recog-
nized standard among British grain deal
ers and millers. There is certainly need
ofsome such reform measure in this coun-
try, and we would su ggest to the Millers'
National Association the propriety ofmak-
ing a move in that direction
One of the tine-honored relics Of the
past that deserves to perish is the barrel of
Hour OF the usual weighs. 1856 pounds.
Why it should be this weight rather than
any other is one Of the thir IS that is past
finding oct. A weight of about 200 pounds
is certainly n convenient one for many
purposes. but why not make it full 200
pounds, or two centals? The tendency of
the present time is toward decimals, and
so Ordinary article as barrel of -four
should, for the sake of uniformity az least,
he measured 10y the multiple of a decimal.