Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-15


interruption OF industry and with con-
fusion that was negligible. No machines.
tools. implements or machinery of any
kind had TO be scrapped. all were worn
out just as they were unchanged. ex-
cept weighing and measuring devices
Mention of adoption of the metric sys-
tenn by Germany recalls the curious
fact that the present British system of
weights and measures. employed also in
was forced on the British by the old
German Osterling Hanseatic League,
which for hundreds of years controlled
the trade of England. When the Hanse
league finally was ousted from England
by Queen Elizabeth its cumbersome sys-
TEN of weights and measures was re-
tanned. Yet the Germany of today has
the English engineer. and enjoys the
advantages of the metric system.
Handicap to Foreign Trade.
e There is keenest realization of the
handicap of the British sys-
tenn of weights and measures among
those in the two countries engaged in
foreign trade. With practically all the
rest of the world using the metric sys-
tenn. British and American traders have
an artificial burden to carry by reason
of inability of other peoples to under
stand their weights and measures.
Repeated attempts have been made to
prevail upon the American Congress to.
adopt the metric system. but none has
to Congress President Washington said:
"A uniformity Of weights and measures
is among the important objects sub
mitted to you by the Constitution, and
If it can be derived from standard at
once invariable and universal, it must
be no less honorable to the public coun-
Gil than conducive to the public con-
venience.'
President Jefferson appreciated the
and practicability of the
metric system and urged its adoption.
In 1916 James Madison brought the mat
ter of standards to the attention Of Con-
gress and committee reported in favor
of the decimal plan, but it was not
adopted. In 1921 John Q. Adams. then
Secretary of State, reported in favor of
the metric system, and Charles Sumner
in 1866 did the same. The Adams rec
had no result. The only
result of the Sumner recommendation
was that the~us of the metric system
was legalized-in other words. it was
not forbidden. The country went about
using the old system. Adoption will
have to be made mandatory. to become
general Ia
Recommended to House.
Representative Southland. in report
from the House committee on coinage,
weights and measures, submitted to
Congress in 1904, made this urgent rec
your committee believes
that the time has come for the retire.
ment of our present confusing. illogical.
irrational weights and measures. 1t is
that the units of the
metric system shall be the exclusive
legal standard weights and measures Of
the United States of America"
The British house of commons once
voted to adopt the metric system ex-
clusively, both for coinage and for
weights and measures, but the house
of lords rejected it,
William c. Redfield, Secretary of Com
merce, in an address couple years
ago said: THE fact, of course, is that
the metric system is simpler, easier,
more effective and more widely used
than any other 1t has made its way by
It's merits. There is no argument for
the retention of our present weights and
measures that is not an argument
against our decimal metric dollar sys-
tenn. No reason supports our decimal
dollar system of currency that does not
support decimal system of measure
This handicap we must throw Off, get
put of the darkness-out of the foolish
ness toward reason"
A year later, speaking before the
American Association for the Advance
nent of Science, Mr.. Redfield voiced the
belief that meter-liter-dram should and
would be adopted soon by the United
States.
Andrew Carnegie has said: Our
weights and measures are discredit to
iter-gram if for no other reason than
IN aid to peace; but they would
aid our world trade"
Would Have Shortened War.
Army officers have expressed the be-
ief that had England and America been
on the metric system,
making instant cooperation with
france and the other allies possible,
he war would have been shortened by
wo years. In England and France,
where the handicap of differing systems
vas so keenly realized in the early days
# the war, there are many in high au-
hority who hold to the opinion that
lad England been on a metric-system
,asis Germany never would have gone
o war at all. They insist that the
,aiser counted on crushing France be-
ore England had so made over her
tandards as to render effective as
istance.
Yet, despite all this overwhelming
estimony as to the desirability Of
making the change, the ancient and
German system Of weights
nd measures stiil handicaps the two
,eoples in the world who like to look
lpon themselves as most up to date and
onward looking.
Foreign Educators Are Coming