The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-12-03
Failure Of Congress TO Fix Standards Has
Led Many States 10 Do So.
THEIR DIVERSITY is VERY GREAT.
Advantages Of the Metric and Decimal Systems.
Interesting Discussion Followed the Reading
Of the Papsr--C Committee Of Speakers.

The regular monthly meeting of the
Rhode Island Business Mems Associa-
tion was held in the headquarters of
the association I'm the Industrial Trust
building, last evening. with fair at
tendance, and President Leander e.
Belcher In the chair.
Secretary Littlefleld read a communi-
cation from Hon. John Addison Porter,
secretary to President Mckinley. in re-
lation to a copy OF resolutions sent to
the president. and he also read letters
from congressman Bull and Capron,the
interstate Commerce commission and
the Antl-Ticket Scalping league.
ON motion OF n. A. Briggs a commit
tee OF one was appointed To confer with
the president of the New York, New
Haven x Hartford Railroad Company
To see IL arrangements could be made
by which trains on the Consolidated
road should connect with the Boston &
Albany express at Worcester. and Mr..
Briggs was appointed as the commit
tee by President Belcher.
City Sealer of Weights and Measures
George R. sherman was then introduce
ed, and read paperso Weights and
Measures" i'm which he referred TO the
action of Congress upon the subject of
weights and measures and the alloy
and value OF coin, quoting largely from
the reports of Congressional commit
tees and Smithsonian reports. He also
spoke of the steps taken in European
countries in order TO bring about "a
uniformity OF weights and measures.
He then said that the failure of Con-
gress to establish standards had nat
urally led many states TO do so, ac-
cording 10 their OWN -Mhim- caprice,
and the diversity was nearly as great
as prevailed in feudal times I'm Europe.
IL we undertake TO determine the
bushel by weight, instead of cubic
inches the difficulty Is not avoided nor
the confusion lessened 1000 bushels OF
barley bought i'm Providence at As
pounds TO the bushel would become 1900
bushels delivered in New Orleans at the
legal rate of 80 pounds TO the bushel in
the case of rye 1000 bushels would by
the same transfer become 1850 bushels.
Potatoes weisn 80 pounds To the bush
el in Washington, 90 in Pennsylvania
and 60 i'm Rhode Island.
In speaking OF the metric and decimal
system and their manifest advantages,
Mr.. Sherman said that while the law now
legaliZes and permits the metric sys-
TEN to be adopted in'all cases with the
consent of the parties, and although
the decimal system mas fully asserted
and maintained itself, and where once
adopted has i'm no instance been aban-
doned. and is undoubtedly the moro
perfect in theory, still the old system
is SO ingrafted upon the business hab-
its of our fellow citizens that the new
system seems TO meet but little favor
among the masses. but he believed that
the time was not far distant when it
would be adopted as a measure to Sc
cure the commerce of the world.
After a brief but interesting discus
sion on the subject the meeting wa1
declared adjourned.
President Belcher has appointed the
following committees TO secure speakers
and subjects for the successive monthly
meetings: January 6. 1899 Charles $,
Bush. Daniel III. Arnold. Walter w
Whipple February g. 1899. Louis X
Potter. Frederick Alexander. y. !. Nc
Carthy; March 3. 1899, Charles s. Sisson,
Charles II. Child. Zephaniah Williams:
April T. 1899, George w Williams. James
:. Kenyon. Dewitt e. White: May +.
1899. William T.. knight, David NJ
Thompson. Eugene NJ. Sawin: June ..
1899, James l.. Tourtellott, q. G.. Dever-
eux. Arthur w. Clafin; October 6, 1899,
Charles c. Nichols, Henry c. Bangs, S.
w. G.. Jones.