Stoney — How to simplify British Weights and Measures. 23 



2. That they shall be so unlike in sound, as not to be easily 



mistaken for one another. [One valid objection to the 

 existing practice of mispronouncing the word litre, is that 

 when mispronounced it sounds too much like metre. This 

 liability to error does not occur in France, since in French 

 metre and litre have different vowel sounds : it was by 

 frenchifying English that the confusion was introduced.] 



3. That they shall be so related to the longer names as naturally to 



suggest them. 

 Keeping these ends in view the following alternative names are 

 proposed, in which the letter i in the syllables ki and li is meant to be 

 pronounced as in mile. 



Kilem or kilometre. 

 Hektome or hektometre. 

 Dekam or dekametre. 



Kilo or kilogram. 

 Hekto or hektogram. 

 Dek or dekagram. 



Kilolite or kilolitre. 

 Hektolite or hektolitre, 

 Dekalite or dekalitre. 



Millite or Millilitre. 



These names are recommended ; but if not approved, a pen may 

 be drawn through them where they occur in the Draft Bill. 



Note 4. 



Convenient Identity of Relationship. 



If metric measures are established in England under the proposed 



legislation, the following identity of relationship will in future years 



be found in an unusual degree convenient to persons reading books 



written before the change : — 



The imperial yard = nine-tenths of the metre. 



The imperial gallon, = nine-tenths of the metric-gallon, or half-dekalitre. 



The avoirdupois pound, = nine-tenths of the metric-pound, or half -kilogram. 

 A bushel per acre, = nine-tenths of a litre per are, or of a hektolitre per 



hektare. 



These are the yard, gallon, pound, bushel, and acre of the 'new' 

 system, and differ by inconspicuous amounts from the yard gallon 

 pound bushel and acre referred to by the books in question. 



30, Ledbury-road, London, "W. 

 Februan/, 1903. 



D2 



