The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-04-24
Committee Proposes 1t Be
First introduced Into
the Departments.
A REVIEW OF ADVANTAGES.
Present System of Weights and Meas
ures Characterized as Confusing, Illog-
ical, and Irrational-Bene6ts More
Than Balance Inconvenience of Change.

The House Committee on Coinage.
Weights. and Measures has ordered a IA
vorable report upon the bill to establish
the metric system. .f.+s ,+....is4y
The report at great length reviews the
advantages of this system and points to
the recommendations it has, received
In conclusion IL says:
The countless transactions involving
the use of weights and measures makes
any proposition involving change. a
most important one. The decentralization of
| our own system of weights and measures
has been proposed by few who have
failed to consider the importance OF an
| international system and the utter i'm
possibility OF the rest Of the world adopt
ing such a system as our own. however it
may be improved in form. A change OF
this sort would be incomparabfy more
radical than the adoption OF the metric
system.
Other Propositions.
at has also been proposed to modify
the existing system to one having a base
Of eight or twelve on account Of the pos
sibility OF continued binary subdivision,
but here again not only Is the Importance
of an International system overlooked. but
the impracticable idea Is proposed. OF
combining such system with decimal
system Of numbers. When the base of our
system Of numbers is changed to some
other than ten it will be sufficient time to
talk about system of weights and meas
ures having the same base.
1T should also be kept in mind that
the metric system Is just as capable OF
binary subdivision as any other, al
though the advantages of such division
are only apparent in the most ordinary
business transactions. and for the first
few subdivisions. After the adoption OF
the metric system. the use of the half
and quarter meter and half and quarter
kiiogram would be as common as our half
and quarter dollar-smaller quantities
would be expressed in decimals precisely
the same as in the case of our money
Used in Two Thirds of the World.
in 1866 Congress legalized the metric
system. From that time on II has been
growing in favor and in practical use
1t is here to stay. not only in scientific
work. but in commerce and manufactur-
ing. 1t is now used by about two-thrds
of the people of the world. Russia. Great
Britain and the United States are the
only nonmetric countries. Russia has
gone so far in the direction of its adop-
ton that 1t may well be excluded fron
the list. leaving Great Britain and the
United States.
"In both of these 1t has been legal for
some fine, Indications are that. Great
Britain will soon join the list of metric
countries. Over 800 members of Parlia-
ment have already signified their willing
ness to vote to make the use Of the metric
system compulsory.
Your committee believe the time has
come for the gradual retirement of our
confusing. illogical. irrational system and
the substitution of something better. The
first step in this direction should be the
of the metric weights and
measures into the departments of the Gov
The use of these weights and
measures will simplify their work 1t
will familiarize the people with them
and encourage their application to the
common affairs OF life
Your committee have no doubt that
the benefits to be derived will far more
than compensate for such Inconvenience
and expense as may be involved in the
change"