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DOCUMENT RESUME BD 090 028 SE 017 598 TITLE Metric DOCUMENT RESUME BD 090 028 SE 017 598 TITLE Metric Conversion Act of 1973. Hearing Before the Committee on Commerce, United States Senate, 93rd Congress, First Session on S. 100. INSTITUTION Congress of the U.S., Washington, D.C. Senate Committee on Commerce. PUB DATE 2 Nov 73 NOTE 94p. EDRS PRICE MF-$0.75 HC-$4.20 PLUS POSTAGE DESCRIPTCRS *Economic Factors; *Federal Legislation; Government Publications; Mathematics Education; *Measurement; *Metric System; Reference Materials; Standards ABSTRACT The complete text of the Senate till to make the metric system the predominate system of measurement in the U.S. is given. Next follows testimony of witnesses: Senators, governmental agencies, representatives of labor unions and industries and the director of the National Bureau of Standards. Also included are some letters from other interested sources, including several educators. (LS) METRIC CONVERSION ACT OF 1973 U S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, CC) EDUCATION A WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF C\I EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN NEPRO CD DUCED E.H'TLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSONONORGANIZATION ORIGIN C:::) ATiNG IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NFCESSARILY REPRE a- HEARING SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CD BEFORE THE EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE UNITED STATES SENATE NINETY-THIRD CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON S. 100 TO PROVIDE A NATIONAL PROGRAM IN ORDER TO MAKE THE INTERNATIONAL METRIC SYSTEM THE PREDOMI- NANT BUT NOT EXCLUSIVE SYSTEM OF MEASUREMENT IN THE UNITED STATES AND TO PROVIDE FOR CONVERT- ING TO THE GENERAL USE OF SUCH SYSTEM WITHIN TEN YEARS NOVEMBER 2, 1973 Serial No. 93-50 Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 27-0825 WASHINGTON :1574 COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE WARREN G. MAGNUSON, Washington, Chairman JOHN 0. PASTORE, Rhode Island NORRIS COTTON, New Hampshire VANCE HARTKE, Indiana JAMES B. PEARSON, Kansas PHILIP A. HART, Michigan ROBERT P. GRIFFIN, Michigan HOWARD W. CANNON, Nevada HOWARD H. BAKER, Ja., Tennessee RUSSELL B. LONG, Louisiana MARLOW W. COOK, Kentucky FRANK E. MOSS, Utah TED STEVENS, Alaska ERNEST F. HOLLINGS, South Carolina J. GLENN BEALL, Ja., Maryland DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii JOHN V. TUNNEY, California ADLAI E. STEVENSON III, Illinois FREDERICK J. LORDAN, Staff Direotor MICHAEL PERTHCHUK, Chief Counsel Eats H. M. LEE, Staff Counsel ARTHUR PANKOPF, Jr., Minority Staff Director DAVID A. CLANTON, Minority Staff Counsel CONTENTS Pop Text of S. 100 2 Agency comments: General Services Administration____. 23 Comptroller General 23 Department of the Air Force 25 Department of State 26 Department of Commerce 20 LIST OF WITNESSES Curtis, Hon. Carl T., U.S. Senator from Nebraska 27 Pell, Hon. Claiborne, U.S. Senator from Rhode Island 28 Peterson, Ken, legislative representative, AFL -CIO; accompanied by Markley Roberts, economists ; Tom Hannigan, assistant to the interna- tional secretary of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers ; and Albert Epstein, director of research, International Association of Ma- chinists 42 Prepared statement 47 Questions of the committee and Mr. Hannigan's answers 63 Questions of the committee and Mr. Peterson's answers 65 Questions of the committee and Mr. Epstein's answers 68 Roberts, Richard NV., Director, National Bureau of Standards, Department of Commerce ; accompanied by Jeffrey V. Odom, Metric Information Office 34 Questions of the committee and the answers thereto 38 Willford, Frederick, director, government affairs, National Federation of Independent Business ; accompanied by John Motley 70 Prepared statement 72 ADDITIONAL ARTLICLES, LETTERS, AND STATEMENTS Kroeze, Henry, P. E., chairman, University of Wisconsin Center, letter of November 20, 1973 83 McIntire, Clifford G., legislative director, American Farm Bureau Federa- tion, letter of November 1, 1973 79 National Association of Manufacturers, statement 88 Sellers, Robert C., president, Robert C. Sellers & Associates, Inc., letter of November 12, 1973 79 (M) METRIC CONVERSION ACT OF 1973 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1973 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, Washington, D.C. The committee met at 9:35 a.m. in room 5110 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. John 0. Pastore, presiding. Senator PASTORE. It is now 9 :30. With two very busy Senators here, we shah get this thing started, and thou Senatol: Stevens will take it over. Gentlemen, you Senators may either sit here or there, depending on how you would. like it. We shall hear Senator Curtis first. [The bill and agency comments follow :] Staff member assigned to this hearing : Eric Lee. (1) 2 93o CONGRESS lsr SUWON' S. 100 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JANVARY 4, 1973 Mr. Put, (for himself and Mr. IxotrE) introduced the following Lill; which was rend twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce A BILL TO provide a national program in order to make the interna- tional metric system the predominant but not exclusive system of measurement in the United States and to provide for converting to the general use of such system within ten years. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 2 lives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 3 SHORT TITLE 4 SECTION 1. This Act may he cited as the "Metric Con- 5 version Act of 1973". 6 FINDINGS 7 SEC. 2. The Congress finds that- 8 (1) the United Statesisthe only industrially 3 2 developed nation which has not established a national 2 policy committing itself to and facilitating 'conversion 3 to the metric system; and 4 (2) as a result of the study to determine the 5 advantages and disadvantages of increased use of the 6 metric system in the United States authorized by Pub- 7 lie Law 90-472(82 Stat. 693),the Secretary of 8 Commerce has found that increased use of the metric 9 system in the United States is inevitable, and has con- 10 eluded that a national program to achieve a metric 11 changeover is desirable; that maximum efficiency will 12 result and minimum costs to effect the conversion will 13 be incurred if the conversion is carried out pursuant 14 to a national plan; that the changeover pelod be ten 15 years,at the end of which the Nation would be 16 predominantly, although not exclusively, metric; that a 17 central planning and coordinating body be established 18 and assigned to plan and coordinate the changeover in 19 cooperation with all sectors of our society; and that 20 immediate attention be given to education of the pub- 21 lieand toeffectiveUnited Statesparticipationin 22 international standards making; 23 (3) the adoption of the metric system would result 24 in new jobs in the United States; 25 (4) the adoption of such system would enhance our 26 position in world trade markets; 4 3 3 (5) the benefits of conversion would offset the 2 costs of conversion; 3 (6) conversion to such system would be a stimulus 4 tothe economy andto new investmentinplant 5 equipment; 6 (7) the language and tools of our scientific com- 7 munity arc already using such system; 8 (8)a common systemof measurement would 9 improve international communication; 10 (9)the Nation is already heading toward such 11 system slowly and haphazardly; 12 (10) such system is based on fundamental relation- 13 ships and is easily understood and would be an aid to 14 our educational system; .15 (11)small businesses and self-employed crafts- 16 men wouldbenefitfromacoordinatedconversion 17 program; 18 (12)new international standards arecurrently 19 being developed into such system and the United States 20 is not fully participating in such development; 21 (13) the use of the metric system of weights and 22 measures in the United States was authorized by the 23 Act of July 28, 1866 (14 Stat. 339) ; 24 (14)the United States was one of the original 25 signatories to the Convention of the Meter (20 Stat. 26 709)which establishedthe General Conference of 5 4 1 Weights and Measures, the International Committee of 2 Weights and Measures, and the International Bureau of 3 Weights and Measures; and 4 (15) the metric measurement standards recognized 5 and develoi,ed by the International Bureau of Weights 6 and Measures have been adopted as the fundamental 7 measurement standards of the United States and the ens- 8 tomary units of weights and measures used in the United States have been since 1893 based upon awn metric 10 measurement standards. 11 SEC. 3. (a) It is therefore declare(' that the policy of the 12United States shall be- 13 (1) to establish the metric system of measurement 14 as the sole language of measurement in the United 15 States within ten years from the date of the enactm. nt of this Act except for exemptions granted pursuant to 17 the provisions of this Act; 18 (2)as part of the plan establishing such system, 19 to provide a m3thod of appeal under which exemptions 20 may be granted to persons and businesses upon proof of 21 excessive costs substantially outweighing benefits to the 22 Nation, custom .and tradition as a member of a class 23 outweighing such benefits, or other factors determined 94 as part of such plan; 25 (3)to facilitate and encourage the substitution of 27-065 0 - 74 - 2 li 5 1 metric uteastirentent units for custottatry measurement 2 unitsineducation,trade, commerce, and allother :3 sectors of the economy of the United States with a view 4 to making metric units the predominant, although not 5 exclusive, language of measurement with respectto 6 transactions occurring after ten years from the date of 7 the enactment of this Act; 8 (4) to facilitate and encourage the development as 9 rapidly as practicable of new or revised engineering lU
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