INCHING TOWARD THF MFTRK SYSTEM, 1959-79 



455 



proponents of the metric system before he brought it up again on the 

 House floor. In the 1963-64 88th Congress, Miller and Roosevelt were 

 joined by Representative Robert McClory (Republican of Illinois) in 

 sponsoring similar bills, but in that period none advanced beyond 

 receiving favorable reports from the Department of Commerce. 



In 1965, with the opening of the 89th Congress, Miller decided 

 to start a new drive to ^ct the study legislation enacted. He reintro- 

 duced his study bill, and Fulton dropped a duplicate of his concurrent 

 resolution into the hopper. This time the interest of non-committee 

 members rose slightly as three Congressmen introduced metric study 

 bills: McClory, Roosevelt, and Representative Albert H. Quie (Repub- 

 lican of Minnesota.) Miller used a new ploy in 1965. He asked the 

 Legislative Reference Service of the Library of Congress on May 19 

 to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the metric system, the 

 extent of its current use in the United States, and the cost factors in 

 those countries which had recently converted to the metric system. 

 The analysis was forwarded to the committee on July 19 and published 

 as a committee print entitled "Notes on Conversion to the Metric 

 System." The questions were adequately answered, with the exception 

 of the cost factors, on which data were simply not available. 



Strong supporters of the metric system. At many meetings of the committee's Panel on 

 Science and Technology, support for the metric system was voiced. From left, Lady Jackson 

 (Barbara Ward), Chairman Miller, Representative Daddario, Dr. H. Guyford Stever, Director 

 of the National Science Foundation, Representative Fulton, Dr. O. M. Solandt, chairman of 

 the Science Council of Canada, and Representative Mosher. 



