THE JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY. ,185 



been in use for twenty-five years by the American Library Association, 

 whose headquarters are at Albany. In the State Library and other depart- 

 ments of the University of the State of New York, it is used for all blanks 

 and other measurements. 



It is the concurrent testimony of the concerns that have reported on its 

 use, that the system is perfectly simple and easy of application, and that 

 it has great advantages over the English. 



In the annual reports of the Curator of Classical Antiquities of the Bos- 

 ton Museum of Fine Arts, the measurements of statuary and all other ob- 

 jects and specimens are expressed in meters and decimals, and have been 

 since the first issue in 1876. It is so much simpler to write 1.32 M., than 

 4 ft- 3fl i'^-) i^^i all museums will be likely sooner or later to adopt this 

 plan. 



The large steel and iron companies use the English measures except for 

 export trade. But exports seem likely soon to have an important bearing 

 on this use, since for the thirty days of April, 1900, more than $40,000,000 

 worth of manufactured goods were exported from the United States. The 

 opinion of large iron and steel manufacturers is shown by the adoption, in 

 1896, by the Association of American Steel Manufacturers of resolutions 

 strongly indorsing the bill then before Congress. Here were twelve of the 

 great steel and iron manufacturers urging their members individually to 

 ask their Representatives in Congress to support the Metric Bill. 



Opinions of many persons qualified to judge — not only in this country 

 and England, but in Germany — are to the effect that the exports of Great 

 Britain and the United States have suffered, and those of Germany have 

 increased by reason of the non-use of this system in the two former coun- 

 tries. "Made in Germany " is the trade- mark of that country. A few 

 years ago, the Dfy Goods Economist of New York asked an opinion of 

 leading houses all over the country as to the merits of the International 

 system. There were 187 favorable replies received from 28 States and not 

 one adverse reply. Trade organizations and scientific societies of all sorts 

 have time and again expressed themselves in favor of the meter. 



The 1866 law is supposed to allow the Government to use Metric meas- 

 urements in its contracts, if it so chooses. It has done so in the following 

 departments and cases : 



(i) In the Department of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, the meter 

 was adopted as the standard in the beginning and has been so used ever 

 since. 



(2) In the Agricultural Department, in all scientific work in chemistry, 

 etc.; and in the Natural History work Metric measurements are exclu- 

 sively used. 



(3) The Post OfiBce Department uses it for foreign mails to metric coun- 

 tries, but not for domestic. Postal cards are of metric dimensions, and, 

 certain coins have been made to Metric weights and measures. 



