INCHING TOWARD THE METRIC SYS1 «-79 475 



in metric conversion. Among the committee members who voted 

 against the bill were Parris, Conlan, Camp, Roe, and Brown of Cali- 

 fornia. 



Teague's uncompromising stand against tool subsidies won him 

 a laudatory editorial in the Wall Street Journal of May 10, 1974, head- 

 lined: "Refusing To Give a Centimeter." The editorial stated in part: 



•essman Olin Teaguc of Texas deserves this week's heroism in defeat award 

 for letting his own metric conversion bill sink without a trace rather than become 

 another vessel for federal subsidies. * * * Mr. Teague's sacrifice was to a higher cause, 

 the integrity of the Federal Treasury. 



Teague appreciated the editorial and had it reprinted in his June 

 19~4 newsletter. He told his constituents that he was not giving up: 



Although it was definitely defeated in the form I brought it to the floor of the 

 House of Representatives, there are a few alternatives that may bring the bill up again 

 before the year is out. 



The metric conversion is certainly too important to let it slip by without some 

 action by Congress. I am definitely going to try to pass this legislation in a way that 

 will be most beneficial to the public and in a way that does not require any great 

 expenditure of the taxpayer's dollars. 



On June 10, a little over a month after the stunning defeat on the 

 House floor, Teague assembled a bipartisan strategy group to mull over 

 alternative courses of action. Getting together in room 2317 Rayburn, 

 the small anteroom to the main committee room were Davis, Syming- 

 ton, Mosher, and Bell. They discussed whether to try and bring the 

 bill up under the existing rule, which would make the tool and small 

 business subsidy amendments in order; or to attempt to get a new 

 rule; or to redraft the bill. The consensus was that it would be better 

 to "let the metric bill lie for a while." In September, Teague asked 

 the staff to rethink the issue. There was some sentiment favoring a 

 possible move in a postelection session, but Teague finally concluded 

 to cool it until the new Congress met in January. 



THE METRIC CONVERSION ACT OF 1975 



Farewell, Oh fragile Fahrenheit 



Who kept us warm each winter night 

 The next to go may well be us 



So treat us kindly, Celsius 



In 1975, the Science Committee finally succeeded in getting its 

 metric conversion bill through the Congress. In the process, the com- 

 mittee had to buy support by throwing overboard some of its key pro- 

 visions. A question remained whether the final legislation had many 

 teeth left, or whether it was so watered down as to make coordinated 

 movement toward the metric system much more than a millimeter at a 

 time. 



