4ss HISTORY OF THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 



Baruch then went on to state that on September 15, 1976, the Inter- 

 agency Committee on Standards Policy had adopted a resolution endors- 

 ing the spelling of meter and liter with "er", "with the provision that 

 agencies have the option of using 're' when appropriate in interna- 

 tional relationships.'' He also noted that the Commerce Department 

 in a December 10, 1976 notice in the Federal Register had favored this 

 spelling: meter. Baruch clinched the case with the following 

 conclusion: 



Accordingly, it is the view of the Department of Commerce that all Government 

 agencies should follow the rule of using the "meter" spelling. It is our expectation 

 that any exceptions to the rule of using the "meter" spelling will be limited to those 

 situations where it is appropriate in international relationships. 



Teague made sure that the world knew about this earth-shaking 

 decision by officially inserting Baruch's letter in the Congressional 

 Record of June 9, 1977. Teague informed the Congress: 



Mr. Speaker, since the passage of the Metric Conversion Act of 1975, there has 

 been some discussion of one comparatively small question in the metric field. * * * 

 I am glad to be able to report that Dr. Baruch has settled the question, and that a 

 reasonable position had been arrived at. 



Although Dr. Baruch also advised in his letter that "it is also our 

 view that the private sector should be encouraged to adopt the same 

 rule", the unreconstructed rebels against the "er" spelling were not at 

 all pleased. Do you think they appreciated Teague's efforts? Not on 

 your tintype. Teague continued to receive correspondence from those 

 who felt deeply aggrieved. "Obdurate" was the way the U.S. Metric 

 Association characterized the Department of Commerce; "Arbitrary 

 and unilateral" said a writer from Tulsa, Okla.; "uneducated" wrote 

 a Californian, who also pointed out that, after all, "metre" would 

 tell you how a measurement could be differentiated from a parking 

 meter or electrical meter. 



THE HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION GAFFE 



There were other disturbing occurrences in 1977 and 1978 which 

 marred the steady progress toward metric conversion. In April 1977, 

 William M. Cox, Federal Highway Administrator, decided to imple- 

 ment the policy to convert to metric at a rate far exceeding the posted 

 speed limits. It was quietly announced in the Federal Register that 

 highway signs, distances, and speed limits would soon be posted 

 in metric terms. The hitch was that there was no provision for dual 

 postings during an interim period, no coordination with State High- 

 way departments, and everybody was taken completely by surprise. 

 The whole exercise gave the metric system a black eye, and infuriated 



