WEIGHTS AND MEASURES FOR SOUTH AFRICA. 



By R. T. A. Innes, F.R.A.S. 



The customary measures of length, weight, capacity, area 

 and volume in use in South Africa number about 20 in all; 

 many measures used in the United Kingdom are unknown here, 

 such as the " line," " perch," " stone," " fathom," " bushel," 

 •etc., etc. In point of simplicity the customary measures of 

 South Africa are admirable — their connection with the measures 

 of the United Kingdom and North America is easy. Never- 

 theless, there is a wide-spread desire that South Africa should 

 adopt the Metric System. If the proposal to do so is for all 

 metric designations, it would be a most ill-advised step. 



The metric denominations are 27 in number, or 30 per cent, 

 more than we use at present. But metric-using nations soon 

 found out the redundancy of the system and have off-loaded 

 a whole class of unused or useless measures w^hich correspond 

 to the superfluous line, fathom, perch, league, etc., of England. 

 Ihus simplified, the metric measures reduce to 11 in all, or 55 

 per cent, of our customary measures, or 40 per cent, of the old 

 metric designations. 



I have drawn up a list of measures based on the metric 

 system which I advise for use here, and alongside I give our 

 ■customary measures, together with simple notes and conver- 

 sions. 



I would like to see these simple tables incorporated into the 

 Arithmetic-books of South Africa. There is no reason what- 

 ever why the young mind should have to worry over ells, nails, 

 perches, bushels, lines, stones, quarters, fathoms, poles, 

 barleycorns, leagues and the other exuberances of the present 

 school-manuals; on the contrary, it is wrong and stupid to 

 force it to do so. 



Weights and Measures for South Africa. 



Length. 



Customary. 

 12 inches = I foot. 

 3 feet =1 yard. 



Metric. 

 1,000 microns =1 milhmetre (mm.). 

 1,000 miUimetres =1 metre (m.). 

 1,000 metres =1 kilometre. 1,760 yards =1 mile. 



Conversion :— I metre — 39*37 inches. 



I inch = 25'40 millimetres. 



N.B. — I centimetre = 10 millimetres is commonly used in 

 English and American scientific books. Its use is not 

 recommended. 



JV eight. 



Metric. 

 1,000 milligrams = I gram. 

 1,000 grams =1 kilogram 



(kg.) 

 ijOoo kilograms =1 (metric) ton. 



Lustomary. 

 16 ounces =1 pound (lb.). 

 100 pounds = I cental (hundred 

 weight; cwt.). 

 20 centals =1 (short) ton. 



