The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1904-12-02
G)hy manufacturers
Oppose the
~ Metric Jystsm

That the scientific men who advocate
the general adoption OF the metric hys-
TEN are chiefly students OF abstract Hcl-
ence. while the practical men, nanuia.C
turers. and engineers oppose II, - .t'
opinion Of II. A. Halsey, writing the SCI
ence Sept f6l. The advocates of the
system ne thinks usually fail 10 recok-
nlze the ground on which II Is opposed
namely. "the diffculty OF changing en-
tabllshed manufacturing standards sueh
a. textile screw-thread and pipe stand
ards" The reason why scientific men
favor the system while manufacturer
oppose II Is, according 70 MT haisey'
because 1.-THE scientific use Of measure
ments consists In measuring existing
things: the Industrial use Of measure
.ments consists In making things 70 re-
quired sizes" He goes on 70 say;
I'm scientific work the change Involves
a change IN measuring Instruments only,
while IN Industrial work II involves
complete change In standardizlng manu-
factured gO0ds-a change whlch manu-
facturers know TO be impossible
AS scientific men have. rightly. no re-
spect for the opinions Of the nOn-scien-
tifc upon scientific questions, 50 we nave
no respect for the opinions OF those VINO
have no expert knowledge ot manuIac-
turing upon the effect OF this change
upon manufacturing Industry. we ac-
knowledge that our language Is harsh
but II Is in no way more 50 than tne
stock dismissal OF all objections 70 TINS
change as due 10 ignorant prejudice,
and II is not for those who have always
treated our views with contempt 10 OBJ
ject when they find their own non-eN-
pert views treated In the same man
what scientific men need to learn
more than all else in connection with this
subject is that their experience. their
knowledge, and their horizon DO not In
clude manufacturing. They have uni
fOrmly failed to recognize the difference
or. indeed that there is difference be-
tween measuring things and making
things They are measurers. not max
ers, and their opinions have no value
and no application as related 10 manu-
"The proposition IL that we make this
change In industry and commerce. IL Is,
therefore. an Industrial and commercial.
and not a scientific. question. II Is the
province Of scientific men 10 determine
the weights and measures which they
shall use, but when they endeavor 70
foist this thing upon others who must
pay the cost. while they pay nothin.
as they have succeeded in doing wherever
the system has been adopted, ana as
they have tried to do here through the
age. weights and measures, they simply
meddle with other peoples affairs, and
exhibit an assurance which furnishes
the occasion. and believe the JUSTIN
able occasion, for vigorous language
Mr.. Halsey asserts 1t to be common
experience that the people Of metric
countries resort to the old units when
no penalty Is involved, and he believes
it clearly Impossible to bring the system
into common use in this country. where
there is no possibility OF general COM
pulsion. He goes on to say:
Furthermore. II this system Is so SUI
Derior how can this admission be true
Why should 1t be necessary TO compel
people TO use such a wonderfully SUI
perior thing at the metric system Is rep
resented to be? 1t is certainly the only
case Of the kind on earth
Just as the prometric case has been
based upon the belief that the change
will be short and easy. so the antimetric
case has been based upon the belief that,
as shown by the experience OF other
countries 1t would be long. difficult ana
costly, and that the long transition
period would be one of great confu-
sion
Contrast the enormous development Of
organized manufacturing to-day with its
comparatively trifiing development at he
introduction of the metric system an
France a century ago. Even with that
tritiing development Prof. Stevens ad-
mits that Conservatism has been too
strong and vested interests too great TO
fering laws Is it not obvious that the
change In France unGer the conditions
of a century ago was easy compared with
what II now Is here? II, starting with
the conditions of 1898 and after a CEN
tury of compulsory laws. resort 10 the
old units Is in France still usual when
no penalty Is involved how many CEN
turtles must elapse before that resort be-
comes unusual under existing manufac-
turing development here where general
compulsion is not to be contemplatedE
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