Evening star., 1927-05-10
METRIC SYSTEM
I. ST|RS CONFERENCE
Advocates Protest Exclusion
From Pan-American Session
on Standardization.

Protests from two rival camps de
scended upon the Second Pan-Ameri
can standardization Conference today
because of failure to get the metric
system before the conference for dis
cusson. The conference is in it's sec
ond day of a threeday session.
Declaring that adoption Of a stand
ard scale of weights and measures is
essential to the development of trade
between the United States and South
America and that the subject should
be threshed out by the conference
John B. Bergman, vice president OF
the Crane Co.. of New York, in let
ter to the organizing committee, pro
tested against exclusion of the metric
system from the agenda OF the con
ference.
AT the same time Henry G. Lank
Washington representative of the All
American Standards Council strongly
criticized the local section OF the In
terAmerican High Commission, under
whose auspices the conference is be
ing held. FOR failing to appoint com
mittee to study the question of unfit,
cation of weights and measures. The
first conference at Lima, Peru. two
years ago, he declared, instructed the
commission to name such q committee
and to have it report it's findings to
the present conference.
Says Requests Are Ignored.
Groups advocating adoption of the
metric system, Mr. Lank said, have
repeatedly urged that the metric svs-
tenn be included in the discussions of
the conference. but their requests
have been ignored
Samuel S. Dale OF Boston, technical
adviser for the American Institute of
Weights and Measures, an opponent
or the metric system, also criticized
the commission for failing to name a
committee to study the problem. Any
investigation of the metric system,
he declared. would convince the com.
mission and the public of the disas.
trous results that would accompany
its adoption by this country.
Mr.. Dale said today he would ask
proponents OF the metric system to
agree to submit Il brief to the con.
terence to avoid the dissension that
might follow introduction of the sub
Ject on the floor. He said he had al.
ready prepared a brief in support of
the present system
The resolutions committee TODAY
adopted a resolution requesting the
nigh commission to get together with
manufacturers and exporters in the
United States and urge them grad.
ually to adopt the metric system in
their exports to Latin America.
Regarded as Compromise.
The resolution is regarded as a sort
OF compromise. since it fails TO make
such use of the metric system COM
pulsory. All of the countries repre-
sented In the conference use the
metric system except the United
States.
The resolution will be presented for
adoption by the conference tomorrow.
and at that time the advocates of COM
pulsory use Of the metric system are
expected to make their fight.
Another resolution framed today
provides for an educational campaign
throughout North and South America
to bring before producers and export
classification and packing The reso.
luton provides for "a conference in a
Latin American city within three
years to receive reports and push the
campaign.
Fruit Limitations Urged.
Advantages of limiting commercial
varieties of fruits to selected num-
Der, uniform description of grades and
sizes and uniform packing We're urged
at today's session. Uniformity in
oleaginous seeds and coffee also was
advocated. The conference considered
wool. hides and cocoa at. yesterdays S
session.
This afternoon the delegates We're
to inspect standardization work at the
Standardization laboratories Of the
Bureau Of Agricultural Economics,
Department of Agriculture. Tomor-
row the conference will meet at the
Bureau of Standards. The final ses-
sion will be held tomorrow afternoon
at the Pan-American Building.