Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1889-05-11
The METRIC SYSTEM.
A Plea In Favor Of its Adoption In All
Commercial Transac tions.

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experience with the metric system it
needs little argument to show its i'm
merfse advantages over the barbaric
system of weights and measures in
use in this country. but the great ma
jority Of our people dislike to make a
change that for short time would
give some additional trouble, though
forever after it would be an immense
gaio. 1t is indeed strange that a
people SO intelligent and SO progress
sive should be willing to continue the
use of such hodge podge of weights
and measures as we designate BY the
name of the American, or, rather, the
English system.
In a certain copper works we visit
ed some time ago, the ore was mined
by the "Cornish ton" of 1852 pounds;
at the dressing works and furnaces
the long ton of 2240 pounds was used,
and after the copper left the furna ces
it was counted by the net ton of 1000
pounds. In the coal and coke trade
We have tons of 224O and 1000
pounds, and bushels of so, of 76, and
40 pounds, to say nothing of the re-
tailers' bushels and tons, which are
what they make them. There are
'hundredweights" of 100 pounds, and
Of liz pounds. We have pounds of
II ounces and of 16 ounces, and the
ounces themselves differ, the avolr.
dupois and the troy weights being
applied, the former to ordinary metals
and things, the latter to gold, silver,
platinum, and few other things.
We have grains and drains and
scruples, we have rods and poles and
perches of many different sizes, and
about 20 different "bushels," us ap.
piled to grain and other things.
So we might 90 on through that
whsle bewildering relic of baroarsrn,
our ''s,andards" of weights and meas.
ures-through list that our children
spend many a weary hour at school
to learn, and which when learned are
found to apply only locally, in one a
measure prevails, l. few miles from
there different one.
Nevertheless, though the metric
system, SO admirable in its simplicity.
is legal in this country and in Great
Britain, and in many of the English
colonies, and has been legal for many
years, it seems to make but l.ltle
progress in general US.
This is sometimes used as an ar.
gumrnt against the metric system.
but it is no more so than the fact that
natural gas was known, its qualities
fully described, its advantages in &C.
tua use at a few points fully shown,
aud its general use advocated in a
few technical papers for about 30
years before its utilization at any but
the few places where originally tested
is an argument against its use.
The plain people do not know,
and therefore cannot appreciate, the
advantages that the sole use of the
metric system would bring them and
the mere legalization of the system
simply adds another to the already
formidable array Of standards" now
in use. The government of the
United States, and of Great Britain
could, by joint or concordant action.
secure the universal adoption of this
great blessing.
Even if our government were to
require all transactions with it to be
in the metric standards. it would
greatly promote their general use. If,
for example, the public lands were
measured and all documents con-
nected with them used the metric
measures only: and all customs and
other transactions with the govern
ment used metric weights aud meas
ures, it would tend greatly to popu-
larize the use of the system. The
Coast Survey already uses the metric
measures, and it would be very easy
for the government to conduct I'll its
business in the same system; then the
public would soon adopt it. We are
holding back while all the rest of the
wor. is going on, as is shown in the
following paragraph:
AT meeting of the French Acad-
emie des Sciences, held on the 4th
February last, M. de Malaroc, speak.
ing on the subject of the extension of
the metric system of weights and
measures, SAID:
ain 1887, the countries where the
decimal metric system is obligatory.
have an aggregate population Of 3o2
millions of people (302, 539, 2a0, an
increase OF IS millions over 1877.
"The countries where the metric
system is authorized by law as OPP
.ional England, usual British Colon
les. Canada, United States) include
SO, 100000 souls (96,996,49s), an in
crease of 10 millions over 1877: and