New-York tribune., 1900-12-22
THE METRIC SYSTEM.

The fresh effort being made to secure the
enactment of bill establishing the metric sys-
tenn of weights and measures in the United
States invites a renewed statement of the OBJ
jections thereto and the arguments in it's favor
Neither Of them differ greatly in character from
those that have been advanced in the past but
their relative value has been modified with
time Many OF the considerations that recon-
mend the proposed policy gain in cogency from
year to year, whereas there appears to be no
corresponding strengthening of the opposite side
Of the case. And If. as seems probable, this
shifting of the balance shall continue steadily
the eventual adoption of the system in America
is only question of time
One drawback to the change is the mental in
convenience to which it Will subject the public
for a time. Still. the 'Iitre" so closely ap-
proaches the quart. the metre" the yard. and
the "kilogram" two pounds, that the popular
mind will find the readjustment comparativelv
easy. 1t is mainly in the matter of land meas
urement that trouble will be experienced Tn
the second place, there must be recasting of
prices in many classes of merchandise. But this
is operation with which merchants are all
ready familiar, owing to frequent fluctuations in
values. Ihlroly, the innovation will involve
more or less expense The retail grocer will be
obhged 10 purchase new scales and measures
and manufacturers of certain kinds of ma
chinery and hardware will find 1t necessary to
equip their shops afresh. This, perhaps is the
| most serious objection to the change. Yet II is
only temporary, while the benefits to be derived
are permanent.
| The practical advantages of the metric svs
| tenn, II not numerous. would certainly be great
| 1t would simplify the countless computations of
business In two ways. decimal system Of
/ weights and measures, like the decimal svstero
or coinage, facilitates all calculations in which
| fractions are involved. And the use of the same
| standard which prevails in countries from which
we import largely would render 1t unnecessar,,
TO convert metres into yards and Itres into
bushels or gallons. IT must be remembered tbat
at the present time an immense quantity of
merchandise imported from Europe is bought
by one standard and sold by another.
An even more important consideration ia +bat
nearly all parts of Europe where America saus
her surplus products the metric svstar,
| This is particularly true of the Continent Pc
sla mas long been almost the only execution 20
the general rule, but she has recently taken
preliminary steps toward falling into line Eng-
iahd is practically the only large buyer from this
country which mas not yet done so. Even the
South American countries and the Philinn,nos
are up 10 date In this respect. Now. while the
dlHerence in standards is of little CONSEQUENCE
IN certain kinds OF merchandise u 90 oxooos
| lhgy important in others Many foreign huvers
| Oh machinery, for instance frame their snac,ao.
lions Ior bidders according to the metric svstar,
| anu II Is useless for any to compete for the
oii1idct unless he has adapted his shop eouin
'en' anu methods thereto. Indeed few enter
p'iSiis establishments in this country have al
| ieady awakened to this fact and have acted ac-
! coroingly. Thus it will be seen that the extan-
A VI american trade Is in some degree de-