Stoney — How to simplify British Weights and Measures. 13 



men are less prepared for a sudden change from one set of 

 measures to another, than were the populations of continental 

 countries, of whom a large proportion live sufficiently near 

 frontiers that are mere imaginary lines, to grow up in familiarity 

 both with their own way of measuring, and that employed by their 

 neighbours over the border. On the other hand, our people know 

 no other system than one, and at present cannot think in any other. 

 This, I submit, ought to be fully recognised by Parliament in 

 framing any legislation that is to be imposed upon the United 

 Kingdom. The same want of preparedness for any abrupt 

 change prevails throughout our British Colonies, and among the 

 people of the United States, whose interests, in addition to those 

 of our colonies, I think we are bound to try and promote, since 

 they have hitherto used British measures. None of these nations 

 — neither our daughter nations, nor the people of the United 

 States, nor ourselves — are as prepared for acquiescing in change, 

 as were the peoples of the continent of Europe. And to this may 

 be added the fact, that, in many continental countries, it was 

 found expedient to make such modifications of local measures as 

 made it possible to allow them to continue in use along with the 

 metric measures. All these considerations, and many others, point 

 to that way of dealing with the task before Parliament, which I 

 have endeavoured to work out in the proposed Draft Bill, which 

 will be found in the appendix. The legislation which is there 

 suggested is not any half-way house. It will accomplish the 

 whole of what is required, and no further intervention by Parlia- 

 ment will be necessary. 



The proposal aims at establishing sufficiently simple relations 

 in place of the present needlessly complex relations between 

 imperial and metric measures ; and, at the same time, it leaves 

 undisturbed the mutual relations between the different parts of the 

 imperial system, to which the people of this country are accus- 

 tomed. It thus seeks to make the change as little obtrusive as it 

 can possibly be made, and as little likely to be felt as change by 

 the bulk of the people ; while at the same time it is effectual, 

 inasmuch as it puts it within the power of any member of the 

 community, without incurring loss, to use either metric or 

 imperial measures whichever he finds most convenient : and under 

 these circumstances the spread of metric measures is assured. 



