Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-07-17
THE METRIC SYSTEM.
The Foothold 1t Has Secured In This
Country.


Scientific American.-The most re-
cent agitation in favor of a more ra-
tional system of measurement takes
the form of bill now before congress,
the purpose of which is to authorize
the adoption of the meter by the diff
ferent departments of the United
States government. Most scientists
are in favor of the bill. Indignant
protests, however, have not been want
ing. The American society of mechan-
ical engineers, for example, believe
that the metric system twill lncon-
venience and hinder trade and manu-
featuring, and require an expenditure
of time and money that cannot be ex-
pressed in figures. sweeping away as
it does the advantages accruing from
the numerous established standards
now recognized and universally adopt
ed throughout the country
Keeping that very strong condemna-
ton in mind, it is rather interesting
to learn what manufacturers them
selves think of the metric system. The
director of the new national bureau of
standards recently sent out some 300
letters to the leading machine tool
makers in the country, asking for an
expression of opinion. The replies re-
ceived, SO far from indicating any op-
position, show an overwhelming con-
fidence in the mechanical possibilities
of the metric system. Indeed, many Of
the manufacturers were making ma
chine tools to metric dimensions.
The American society of mechanical
engineers opposes the adoption of the
metric system on the ground that the
standard inch is better adapted to the
calculations of the machine shop than
the millimeter. 1t is true that by con-
tinual dissection of the inch wonderfully
yet the constant tendency in machine
shop practice to use the tenth, hun
dreth and other decimal parts of an
inch, would seem to show a desire to
adopt more scientific system OF meas
urement.
In a half-hearted way the metric
system is even now partially used by
the government. Foreign mail matter
is weighed by grammes, and yet, most
reference books and postal guides give
the equivalent, for the most part mac
curately, in ounces. The revised stat
utes of the United States, section 3515,
read: "The weight of the piece of five
cents shall be seventy-seven and six
teen-hundredths grains troy" Why
this needless circumlocution fer five
grams? Surely the business interests
of the country cannot profit by so com
pick an expression of weight.
The present movement in favor of
the metric system is partially due to
the use Of metric units in electrical
engineering, the standards of which
were fixed upon a metric basis by the
law of July II, 1894 The unit of
power is watt, which is equal to TO-
100000 units Of power of the centime-
tergram-secOnd system, and which is
practically equivalent to work done at
the rate Of one joule per second. By
reason of the enormously rapid deveI-
opment of the applications of electrici-
ty, most of us are familiar with the
more important electrical units. Espe-
cially is this the case with the kilo-
watt. which is fast taking the place of
the old horse power"
For years the United States mint
has employed the metric system in
matters of assay and coinage. Our
small silver money weighs one gram
per four cents We uSo tho r,otr;o
weight in everyday life without know