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HISTORY OF THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 



the use of metric on patent applications. The automobile industry, 

 computer, and farm equipment manufacturers were in the forefront of 

 massive changeovers to the new system. Early in September 1977, all 

 speed limits and distances in Canada were switched to metric symbols. 

 Instead of tiptoeing in through use of the dual system, Canada's 

 coordinator of metric conversion explained. "If you go dual, all you do 

 is prolong the agony." But when the U.S. Highway Administration 

 tried to do it the same way, all they got was raspberries. 



For what it was worth, a Gallup poll late in 1977 indicated that 

 only 24 percent of Americans interviewed knew and approved of the 

 metric system, while 45 percent knew of it and opposed its adoption, 5 

 percent knew and had no opinion, and 26 percent were unaware of 

 the system. 



METRIC BOARD FINALLY GETS UNDERWAY 1978 



The activation of the U.S. Metric Board continued to move only a 

 millimeter at a time in 1978. When the President finally submitted his 

 list of nominees, and the Senate Commerce Committee held confirma- 

 tion hearings on March 17, 1978, Thomas A. Hannigan told the com- 

 mittee: "I feel it's important to avoid a national commitment to the 

 metric system." Chairman of the Board Louis F. Polk, expressed some 

 caution on the question of pushing people metrically: "I don't know 

 why we should put any citizen into unnecessary hardship in this 

 situation." It may or may not be coincidental that when the members 

 of the Metric Board were sworn in at the White House, both the 

 President and Vice President were out of town. 



Representative Philip M. Crane (Republican of Illinois) made two 

 unsuccessful attempts to throw monkey wrenches into the metric 

 machinery. On July 13, Crane offered an amendment to the Elementary 

 and Secondary Education Act to eliminate funding a metric education 

 program in the schools at an annual cost of $2 million. The amendment 

 was defeated on a division vote, 48-13, with Representative Eldon 

 Rudd (Republican of Arizona) speaking for it and McCormack against 

 it. Rudd argued: 



If there is one thing that most Americans do not want or need, it is another ex- 

 panded Federal effort to promote U.S. conversion to the metric system — especially by 

 using school children as the instruments for social and economic change. 



McCormack countered: 



Clearly, Mr. Chairman, we are in the metric age. We should recognize it, and 

 should not be trying to deprive our children of a thorough, working understanding 

 of the metric system. 



