INCHING TOWARD THE METRIC SYSTEM, 1959-79 4gl 



THE HOUSE FINALLY DEBATES METRIC 1968 



Representative B. F. Sisk (Democrat of California), who had 

 served on the Science Committee during its first two years and also on 

 the select committee which preceded it, handled the resolution on 

 the metric bill. He ran into flak from two Republican members of 

 the Committee on Rules —John B. Anderson of Illinois and Dave 

 Martin of Nebraska. Both men had opposed granting the rule, and 

 fought it, joining Gross in their criticism of both the rule and 

 the bill. Anderson observed that "from a budgetary standpoint" it 

 was "a peculiar time for this Congress to launch a program which 

 has literally been kicking around since the time of George Wash- 

 ington." Anderson said that the cost of converting the fastener in- 

 dustry in his district would amount to $600 million, and that machine 

 tool conversion might reach $15 billion. Martin expressed this fear: 



Just as surely as night follows day if this legislation is approved by the Congress 

 to set up this 3-year study of the program we are going to have a report from the 

 Department of Commerce that it be mandatory, perhaps over a period of 10 years, 

 such as England is doing. 



Gross sniped at the resolution as useless, since he contended there 

 was nothing more the Commerce Department or Bureau of Standards 

 could supply: 



I suspect that the Bureau of Standards has forgotten more about this than most 

 people know. * * * I cannot think of any way by which the House of Representatives 

 could waste its time by even going into the Committee of the Whole House on the 

 State of the Union to debate this bill. It ought to be turned down out of hand. 



Gross kept pecking away at the bill, until Fulton smilingly told 

 him: 



I congratulate the gentleman because when he is speaking, he is using the metric 

 system of currency, which our forefathers were smart enough to adopt. 



Stopped in his tracks, Gross responded: 



Then God help us, because nobody else will. 



During the debate on the rule, several Republican Members 

 spoke out strongly in support of both the rule and the bill, including 

 Representatives McClory, Jerry L. Pettis of California (a member of 

 the Science Committee), Edward J. Derwinski of Illinois, and Craig 

 Hosmer of California. Pettis told his colleagues: 



We seem to be living with a strange paradox in our society. We cling to an 

 archaic set of measuring standards, almost as a child would cling to a security blanket. 

 * * * There are very powerful interests in our country which stubbornly resist 

 the change to the metric system. In their shortsightedness they foresee the need for 

 tremendous expenditures and loss of income as a result. I am sure that as time goes 

 on, as the years go by, the private interests are going to find that they will pay for 



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