74 2 
Our Measures and Our Standards. [December, 
We notice that direct construction has been avoided as 
much as possible in these Five Basic Standards ; the only 
remedy is to have them made again, without this painful 
scamping of work, and the sooner it is commmenced the 
sooner we shall have a calculable system to deal with. 
There are two points that require further comment. First, 
that of the comparison of weight and capacity and cubic 
measure by distilled water at its maximum density. In the 
abstract it is perhaps not the best means; it is however an 
admitted mode with which the public are perfectly familiar ; 
it is also supported by the prescribed custom of denoting 
specific gravities of solids and liquids by comparison with 
that of distilled water at its utmost density. These two ad- 
vantages tell heavily in favour of its retention for the present. 
Secondly, as to standard temperature ; there’s no doubt that 
two temperatures, one for the vessel or units of material, and 
another for the water used, constitute a complication. One 
single temperature should be used throughout for everything. 
Every possible source of derangement in construction should 
be avoided, as well as that of falling back on computation ; 
and as air-displacement is to be avoided, a vacuum becomes 
necessary during some of the work. 
Imagining now that our Five Basic Standards shall be 
correctly reconstructed, we shall then not have altered any 
of our measures. This is generally admitted for the reason 
that the changes effected will be small, perhaps £ per cent, 
and the trading communities and the masses do not object 
to this — they do not call it an alteration but a re-adjustment 
which they would quite ignore, although it would be a boon 
to scientific men. 
The ratios of all our commercial units with regard to these 
Five Basic Standards can then be accurately determined in 
their five several classes. However incongruous they may 
be, we shall no longer be kept in the dark about their true 
relations to each other throughout ; the result will be a 
system instead of a collection. 
Are we to end there ? Not quite. First, we now have, it 
is true, an Act permitting decimalisation on any unit of 
English measures, but this Act is rendered nugatory by other 
Acts that make non-decimalised units compulsory, as, for 
instance, compelling distances to be mentioned in miles, 
furlongs, and yards ; three units in each distance ; similarly 
with other things. We require full effect to be given to the 
Permissive Act ; our calculations can then be simple and com- 
paratively easy, even when the compound units of modern 
invention are dealt with. While the Measures of Trade thus 
