Evening star., 1924-07-13

Pleading that the United States in
time of war will be put at great dis
advantage by failure to use the metric
system of measurment. the World Metric
Standardization Council has inaugurat-
ed a strong movement to enlist the sup
port of administration leaders in support
of plan for adoption of the metric sys-
tenn by this nation. Secretary of Com
merce Hoover. who recently declared
himself in favor of the introduction Of
standards to be agreed upon by all conn.,
mercial nations, has been asked to as
sumo the leading role in the effort to put
the United States on a metric measure
ment basis
Delegates from all the countries of
the western hemisphere will meet in
Lima. Peru, in November in a great
pan-American commercial conference, to
which the United States will be a party
officially represented At this meeting it
IS understood an effort will be made to
induce the United States to follow the
lead of European nations in adoption of
the metric system Such an attempt
was made several years ago, and so
strong was the backing of a measure
designed to place the United States on
metric basis that it failed of passage by
Congress by single vote.
Organizations Backing Move.
Recently officials of the Pan-American
Onion have placed themselves behind
the movement to bring the United States
INTO line. The Inter-American High Com.
mission, the Pan-American Federation
Of Labor, the Customs Congress of
American Republics, the International
Conference of American States and other
organizations to which the United States
sends delegates, have all declared them
selves in favor of placing this nation on
a metric basis. The overwhelming Senti-
ment of pan-America, according to the
metric standardization council, is for
international American standards of
quality on a world metric basis
These standards, say officials of
the council, can readily be recon-
ciled with existing American stand
ards so as to accord with the world
metric units of weights and measures,
now adopted for commercial use by
a great part of the population of the
earth. They require only that the
United States shall advance the pres
ent yard 10 per cent to. the meter,
or world yard of approximately
thirty-nine inches; advance the pres
sent United States liquid quart
per cent to the liter or world quart;
and advance the present pound
avoirdupois to the 500-gram weight,
or world pound Such changes. while
complicated with respect to changes
in present standards of American
units of weights and measurement,
would means more in the long run
even by destruction of the present
scales, according to proponents of the
plan than would perpetuation of the
present scales.
100000 Petitions to Congress-.
More than 200 member organiza-
tions of the Chamber of Commerce
of the United States are on record
in favor of the metric measurements.
More than 100000 metric petitions
are pending before Congress, de-
manding metric legislation. Many of
these are from organizations having
thousands of members, representing
in the sum total millions of voters
The states of Illinois, California,
North Dakota, Tennessee and Utah,
with a combined population OF fifteen
million persons, have gone on record
and officially memorialized Congress
through their state legislatures TO
adopt the metric system.
Practically the only opposition to
the adoption of the metric system. ac-
cording to the Standardization coun-
Gil, comes from a group who rear 10
establish the meter as the unit OF ex-
tension. To the, world quart tthe
liter) and the world pound 600
grams) there have been practically
no objections. These objectors, the
council contends, overlook the fact
that the meter is urged for com
merce- for business only. Although II
is wen known that the meter and its
decimal divisions are werr adapted to
industry and are used to advantage
therein throughout the world, the
specific proposal is that the meter be
used in merchandising, with manu-
facturers continuing to use whatever
units they desire in production. The
use of the meter in merchandising,
the council declares. is an advance to
uniform terms of description and does
not alter the size of anything.
Makes Plen for Change.
TN the face of the keenest trade
competition the world has ever
known" says Aubrey Drury, execu-