The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-06-27
THE METRIC SYSTEM.

From time 10 time there arises q con-
tention In favor OF the metric system,
OF weights and measures. The adVo-
Gates OF this system are ordinarily So
cock-sure of their ground, so utterly
intolerapt OF any opposition or of any
reasons that may be urged against
their fad. that argument with them Is
practically out of the question. 1t is
the French metric system with them
or nothing. and anybody who does not
see through their particular microscope
Is behind the times, stupid and incom-
petent to understand the question at
all.
The advocacy OF the metric system Is
very largely a theory. In weights and
measures there are two elements that
have nothing in particular in common,
but which are quite commonly con-
fused. One element Is the weighing or
measuring OF unknown quantities or
dimensions. This is largely laboratory
work and mathematical work outside
Of the bounds OF practical life. In de-
termIning with nicely unknown guam
titles or dimensions, especially In chem
ical or minute mathematical oomputa-
tions that are sometimes required In
theoretical work, that are common In
chemical work, the metric system Is
undoubtedly more convenient than the
ordinary English system. For that
kind of work. In fact, the metric sys-
tenn is very commonly used now. Its
use Is permissible in any computation
OF transaction at the pleasure of the
person who Is making the computation
or the deal, but that kind of work has
little relation to the practical affairs
Of daily life.
In dealing with known quantities. as
In the transactions with the grocer,
the butcher, or the merchant generally,
the buyer does not ask for unknown
quantities; he knows what he wants.
how much it Will cost and can deter
mine easily the weight and the price.
There Is no unknown quantity In It;
the weight is simply put on one side OF
the balance and the article purchased
on the other, or the known measure Is
applied, and that is all there Is about It.
There Ia another feature, however, OF
this matter that is of overwhelming
Importance, and that Is. that the man
ufacturing plants OF the country are
generally standardized to certain sizes
of bolts. nuts, pipes, tubing and in
general OF all engineering work that Is
turned out. These are to standards en-
bracing units or fractions Of the Inch
and foot. They are standard all over
the world, even In France and Ger
many. The manufacturing cloth lines
are all on the foot and inch fractions,
even In France. 1t has been found i'm
possible In France, even with manda-
tory legislation Of hundred years, to
eliminate the old standard in textile
Industries. In land measurement, also.
We have our surveys all on the old
basis OF townships, sections. acres and
their subdivisions, and 1t would be alb
solutely impossible to change these
Into the metric standards.
On the general manufacturing phase
of the subject Mr.. II. H. Suplee con-
tributes a paper to the Engineering
Magazine. in which he puts the case
In this way:
Every steel section rolled, every plate
turned out, and every wire drawn.
every engine and dynamo and machine
tool. every pipe and shaft and bolt and
nut, Is based upon the inch and the
foot-units wholly incommensurable