El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-12-03
The Metric System.

Progress toward reform IN weights
and measures by the two great Eng
disappearing nations of the world cen
tinues. In the United States general
law providing for the use of the metric
system throughout the country was
near enactment by the last COZ ress,
and the English parliament has, only 8
few weeks ago, passed an act lei aliZin9
the system in Great Bri ain, STEP
toward its early exclu-ive adoption.
The congress of the United States
has never exercised the power granted
it in the constitute n by esta blisbing a
definite system of weights and meas
ures for the whole country, and al
standards in customary use are legal
only by authority of state legislation.
Sensible uniformity IN the funda-
mental units, the yard and the pound.
exists on account of distribution
among the several states about fifty
years ago of copies of the stand srds
adopted by the secretary of the treas
ury for regulating weights and meas
ures used in the collection of customs,
land surveys and other operations in
which the government is engaged.
These copies gener ally became state
standards by Legislative action. Thus
yard in Massachusetts is a length
equal to that marked upon brass bar
Kept at the siae nous e in Boston, and
in New York it is that of similar bar
kept at Albany, and so on.
Contrary to the general Opir ion, there
is no United States standard yard or
pound to which one might appeal from
the state standards. The general gov
eminent has standards for it's own use,
but it has not made them legal for
any transaction except those to which
it is party.
In 1866 the use of the metric system
was legaljzed for the whole county by
act of congress. The metre a1d kilO-
gramme have thus enjoyed b tier
standing than the yard ard the pound,
aud in 1893 the secretary of the treas
ury announced that the La ter would no
longer be considered as Independent
standards, but would be defined by re-
ferring them to the metric standards of
the International bureau at Paris.
The great merits of the metric sys-
tenn are: First, it is rational or
scientific system, the units in length,
mass or volume being, in pra ctice,
simp' y related to each other, thus enor-
mously facilitating all calculations re-
lating to volume mass, weight, etc.
Second, it is a decimal system, the
advantages of which all Americans can
easily carried in the mind and the
labor of all calculations relating to
weights and measures vastly lessened,
as is also the probability of error.
Third, it is now a we'll nigh univer-
sal system, and both English and Amer
lean merchants and manufacturers are
tinding themselves handicapped by
their adherence to clumsy and IRA ton
al weights and measures inherited from
b alf-civiliZa ancestors.
The only serious objections to it are
that its adoption will cause some temp
orary Inconvenience and apparent los $
to some man ufacturers. To this the
answer is that many other nations have
accomplished it with little difficulty
and most gratifying results. " hen
such immense aud lasting advantages
will accrue to the whole people tempo
-ary Inconvenience and minor losses
should have little weight.-Youth' IS
Companion.