The Forrest City times., 1901-06-14
STANDARDS OF MEASUREMENT
Variations in Different Americas
states and in Various Coun-
tries of the World

"The establishment of the bureau
of standards authorized by the recent
session of congress means ultimately.
though not Immediately, the adop.
| ton of standard United States
bushel, ton and every other weight
| and measure" explained gentleman
who has taken great interest in the
legislation. says the New Orleans
Times-Demoerat. At present some
states have what is called short
ton and a long ton the former 1000
pounds and the latter 2,240 pounds,
though nearly all the states which
have legislated on the subject in re-
cent years have adopted ton Of
2,240 pounds as the standard. The
United States government has no
standard ton, though in all contracts
when made there is a provision stat
ing that the ton shall be 2,240 pounds,
even in states which have standard
of 1000 pounds for ton. The same
is true in regard 10 the bushel.
There are a lot of instances in which
in the same state the various coun-
ties have a different weight stated as
bushel. 1t is to remedy all these
conditions and seeming contradic-
tons that a national standard is
found to be necessary OF course the
federal government has no power to
provide a standard of anything fcf q
state without the consent OF the
state, but il is understood that, as
the federal government is to provide
standard, there will be little or no
objection to the adoption of that
standard by the various states IL
means a work of some years, how
ever, for each state will have to ac-
cept the federal standard by an eN-
pressed statute. 1t viii be a good
thing for all concerned.
when the standard weights ana
measures have been adopted copies OF
the same will have to be distributed
to each of the state capitals, so that
the pound, pint and yard will have 10
be absolutely identical in each ana
every state and all portions thereon
The fact that the United States mas
influence in securing the acceptance
OF the same in all the states, Dut IL
cannot be legalized in the states I'M
less the states themselves legisiate
on the subject. Strange as it may APP
pear, the British government, though
1T has n standard yard, pound ana
gallon, has no standard acre. ana an
acre in many parts of the British en-
pire means considerably different
from what it means in other parts.
THE term foot has but htlie
meaning, though as a rule there arc
il inches in every foot. The men,
however, is not always the same. Inc
American inch, by common consent
for there is no law on the subjects
identical with the English inch. onc
hundred German feet make lu9'o
American or English feet. nc
French foot varies from ours aiso'
though it is the same practieaiiy-
Though the gas companies charge 50
much for every hundred feet, ana inc
electric light companies so much for
every hundred watts used. there is no
standard gas foot or electric watt ia
this country, that is, legaiizeo
standard The gas company foot IS
an arbitrary thing settled to suit the
gas companies in this country, the
foot of hardly any two gas companies
in this country being absolutely lden-
teal. To standardize such things u
the eventual work of the bureau Oh
standards. There is no standard
whatever in connection with eieclrf
cal measurement, every electric conn
pany working out its own salvation
and nroft