The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-03-24

PRESIDENTS have made similar recon-
mendations, but the national Legis-
iature has never followed them. The
result is that at the Philadelphia usIat
they use the apothecary,s weight to-
dupois weight for their coarse material
and the troy weight for their precious
metals, while they manufacture sub
sidiary silver in grains. Former As.
sistant Secretary OF the Treasury
Armstrong is authority for the state
ment that three-fourths of the tina
of the liquidators in the custom house
is taken in the transposition of the
metric system units to the equivaentt
of the American system. and vice
versa.
National uniformity is desirable. in
the opinion OF many people, but Ia
some persons international uniformity
would be even more desirable. 1t has
been calculated that there are sixty
varieties of inches, and their foreign
equivalents In this and other Countries,
nine sorts OF pints. For the pound and
its equivalent there are no less than
some sort caused many odd standards
to be set. A yard was originally the
distance between the tip OF the nose
and the end of the thumb OF a certain
Saxon King. and an inch was the
length of three barley corns. Shoes
are still measured according to the
shoe is 10 plus 10 barley corns. or 72t
inches long. 4 mans No. 2 Is Z plus
10. plus 10, or 80 barley corns, or II
inches long.
In the early days of the republic the
different States adopted the British
standards of weights and measures
which varied cor bly, among mons,
yard was brought to this country from
! England by f. r. Hassler, first super
intendent of the coast ahd geodetic
survey. and an American pioneer In the
campaign for uniform weights and
| measures. In 1927 Albert Gallatin i'm
ported from France standard brass
troy pound for the use OF the United
States mint. From this Hassler de-
rived a standard avoirdupois pound.
| In 1856 the standard brass yard was
replaced by a bronze one sent from
During the French revolution, French
| scientists worked out the metric
| system after nearly a decade of study
and investigation. the chosen unit, =
meter, being nearly the ten-miiionth
part of the distance from equator 70
meters we're made of iron by the
French, one of which. was sent to this
| country in 1905. In 1921 the standard
| platinum Arago kilogram was sent
| here. Tho international Bureau OF
| Weights and Measures was established
lat Paris under an international con-
countries, including the United States.
| This bureau prepared new meter and
| kilogram standards of an alloy COM
posed of 80 per cent. platinum and
/ of these standards were awarded 70 the
United United States; George ,9,, Davidson
1890. and o. II. Tttman. the presen,
| chief of the coast and geodetic surrey,
| brought another set the following
year. Both sets of standards were
| presence of President Harrison and
| Secretary Of State Blaine.
| All of these historic standards ar,
now preserved in vault at the uniteH
Z <, fy,,rn of la Fft
them are sealed in air-tight cases SO
/ that the air cannot affect their con
sistency or change their weight; The
Bureau of Standards was establlshed
| in 1901 to perform the work formerly
\ allotted to the office OF weights and
measures in the, Treasury Department nj
/ The home of the bureau is on high
/ ground near Washington, where 1t Is
1 as far removed from disturbing in
fluences as practica,bles, There f s4r-
Il meter standard bench. weights and
measures are compared to, the metric
| standards, watches and chronometers
:. vacuum, and set automati cally every
day BY wireless telegraph from the
naval observatory
4 The bureau has apparatus which Is
Weighing the one-hundredth part Of I.
4 miligram or the millionth part OF
gram. The milionth of q degree, % Of
4 mometer which employs pure hydrogen
gas instead Of m 'ys "A div dyidi ihs.
ten millionth parts of millimeter.
Barean Of ta1a ID Isigh I a end
4 measures by calling annual confer
ences Of the state officials who have
i charge of weights and measures in
4 their respective communities: Already
) three of these conferences have been
4 held and fourth will take place this
!, spring. Much of the work of the
! scientific measurers seems superfluous
! to the layman, but it is important from
! a commercial and humanitarian point
OF view. For instance, IT Is conser. .
:. vatively estimatedSthat 10.0o0o00 short
milk bottles are used in New sDs York York
j tigt i d' that by this means the public
is defrauded OF 100000 a IMaR HINTS 10
+ it is urged that each State create. a
separate and distnct od fo b fo l,nd TINS
as the State sealer, and that the en-.
a ployes Of sealers' forces be selected
!, after civil service examinations.
Tomorrow Humane AS