HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1977-09-07, Page 7st arrived
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go Metric THE BRUSSELS POST;: SEPTEMBER 7? 1977-1
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(Continued from Page 3)
ate to that! And what about all
se other things?" he sags, his
Ice r ising. "A millimeter, a
ogram, a kilopascal of all
ngs. You tell me what that is in
man terms! !"
Not Human.
There's no point in arguing of
se, because he's right. The
tric system has no human
uivalents.
The Old system, the British.
tem, developed little by little
er the course of many
odes, A mile, for example, is
unit that goes back more than
()years. It was invented by the
Ins, and it's the d,istattc,e a
rching legion would Cover' in
°double steps. An inch is. the
ance covered by three barley
ns laid end to end. A cubit,, 300
which were said to be the
gth of Noah's arc, is about the
gth of a man's forearm. The
'd was the distance from Henry'
nose to his fingertip. And the
er measurements in the old
tern are equally colorful in
gin and equally imprecise.
The Stone
There were pecks and bushels,
Ions and pints and fluid ounces
didn't relate to weight
ices and pounds. Them were
s and acres, fathoms and
goes and something the
glish still use in talking of
ple's weight, the stone, equal
about 14 pounds.
As civilization developed, and
ustrialisin grew, confusion set
Sudday it became important
standardize measurements' and
ights and:volumes. There had
be a way to determine how long
.foot really was. '
In France, Louis the XV1
cided the answer' Was t6 start
llover again. He called on, the
ench Academy to come uP with
better system,
The Metre
Scientists, the Academy
mbers looked to unchanging
enomena for their inspiration.
e careful surveys and• exten-
e calculations, they came up
th the metre. It was about 39
es long. By taking one tenth
that length and cubing it, they
ie up with a volume called a
e, and it was decided that the
ght of one litre of distilled
er, (or about 2.2 pounds)
uld be called the kilogram.
The system was beautiful in its
Mlicity, and it meant that for
first time there was a direct
ationship between length,
ight and volume.
hough perfect in its logic, the
tern still takes time to master,.
Canadians have found out in
last couple of years. When •
citts replaced Farenheit,
ple complained they didn't
w how hot or cold theyvvere,
d most of us still don't know
at 12 C, feels like.
No Protest
Yet surprisingly, there has
almost no protest among
nadians about the metric
version. In the IL S. however,
hich is also committed to 'going
ric, the resistance has bee-ii
d and strong, and it will be
•E LONGSTAFF
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SEAPORTH 527.1240
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
9:00 - 5:30
Wednesday, Saturday
9:00 - 12:00
CumoN 402.7010
Monday 9;00 - 5:30
By ApPointment
.t0 Canada in metrication,. as a the country won't long be
sympathetic witlIthose who plead
ignorance of the new system as an The only organized and ,
excuse_for speedin& effective protest in Canada has
come from the West. A group of
disgruntled farrner.s, speaking
through their Conservative MP's,
managed to persuade the
government that the acre should
not be replaced, by the metric
hectare, at least on wheat farms,
They argued that the acre, and
the 640 acres in a vsquare mile
section, were part of the culture
of the West. The Government
bowed to the pressure, and the
acre, at least for the . wheat
farmer, will remain in.the prairie
provinces. For the resf of us, the
hectare and other metric
measumment4, are here to stay.
px, -the. end of September,
speed limits in 30 mph zones will
have become 50 km/h. 50 miles
an hour will become 80 km/h and
60 mph • signs will be replaced
with ones saying 100 km/h. The
change is bound to create
problems for sotne drivers, at
least for the first few days, but it
•many years before they catch up is certain that police forces across ,
result, •
Long with us
Though it is -fading fast, some
aspe cts of the old system of
measurement will bp with us long
after 1980,
• Football, most fans were
relieved to hear, isn't going
tnetric. If the yard was replaced
by the metre, it would be
jmpossible to cover ten of them in
three :downs, It would mean
changing the size of the field and
going to the American, four down
rule. But, like the acre in the
West, football, with our rules, is
part of Canadian culture, and it
will 'stay ' untouched by
metrication.
And though they may not mean
much to fut'ure generations of
Canadians brought up in a metric
world, the old sayings will
probably endure. Somehow "A
grarn of_ prevention is Worth a kilo
of cure" just wouldn't sound
right.
DOOR DAMAGED This is one of three doors .
daaaged during a break in at the Brussels Medical
Centre over the weekend. Wingham OPP said
nothing was stolen and estimated damages at $300.
- (Photo by Lang lois)
MVCA names field superintendant
nioney based on project merit 'and :The. Experience ;77, Program `employment needs' in ;the area.. has cOnie to' a doge at Maitland . -
Valley. The Authority employed Two technical staff positions
20 :local students in field and have also been identified under
technical positions through the the program, One technician
wonld be responsible for analysis Ontario , Youth Secretariat 's
of experimental infra red and heat summer emplorrient program.
sensitive film for ground water
studies in; the' Lucknow River 'Seasonal highwater and almost
Basin, obtaining public in for-' $5 000 in landscaping are turning
mation . concerning the Gorrie • COnservation Area to - a
Authority's Erosion Control " picturesque day use area.' Several
'Assistance, Program, and loads of topsoil have' been levelled '
developing. and monitoring .of a atid reformed by the Experietice
precipitation recording ,netvvork. '77 summer staff with' the aid ofl
The second teahnician WOUld be the Authority's newly' acquired
primarily involved in preparation crawler-loader. The • recently
of conceptual' plans and display- graded and seeded 'slopes and ,
materials for the maple syrup contoured island have survived a
demonstration; 1978 International minor summer flood, but may be
Ploughing Match, and other more heavily tested if the I'vlait-
‘..mkristir woommo...
LET. VS MAKE YOUR OLD FURNITURE:
-
1
Raymond \Gowdy of Gorrie has
recently assumed the duties of
general Stiperintendent in charge
of field operations for the Mait
land • Valley Conset•vatiOn
Authority, Mr. GOwdy, a member
of the Authority's field staff for
the past five years, was :chosen
for the po,sition from 'among more
than 20 ,applicants. He replaceS
former Superintendent, Graham
Jackson of Blyth..
Brussels
— CALL
COOK UPHOLSTERY ' .#7,41 •
Ph. 523-4272 R. Cook, Prop. '.'Put Your Upholstering
..Needs in Our HandS" Blyth, Ont.
WE, HAVE FREE P1CK-UP AND D'ELIVERY SERVICE
Andre*
fjetteliery . arid dianto.netSets
BETTER THAN NEW!
ewellery Gifts
Where Personal Serviee 1819fill - Member 13/3A
important 887-9000
Mayek'o.
and.' friendship. rings
For a free estimate and a look at
our newest samples of materials
land Riyer swells again this
spring.
The Authority has subthitted a
program proposal to employ six
local people through the
Federally funded Canada Works
Program,. FollOwing receipt of
several applications by-- late
August, officials from . the' 'Job
Creation Branch of the Depart-
ment of Manpower and
imMigration will assign grant
1.1loyd
joined :the Authority technical
— staff orf a ;temporary :basis. He,
will be responsible for' site
public education functins.
Preliminary discussions have
been completed between the
Authority , sLff and several
persons involved with prepar 7
ations for the 1978 International
Ploughing Match. AS the 1978
event will be held in Huron
6unty, the Authority has
proposed construction of an on
site outdoor exhibit area.
'Craig Piper of EXeter has
Member B.B.A.
Located in Old Legion Building
PULL COVERAGE
Form,ond Orbon Properties
Fire, Windstorm, Liability, Theft
VariOus Floater Coverages
Homeowner's, Tenant's PaCkage,CoMpotite DtiVelling
j K Shoes 'N Jeans
Jarman shoes for men
White Cross and Softies
-for women
McKILLOP MUTUAL
FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY
HEAD OFFICE: 10 MAIN ST.; SEAFORTH, ONT
Mrs., Margaret Sharp, Sed. Treas., Ph, 527-0400.
bitectots and Adjtittert
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Cortiodino„, Seaforth
it.110it, *Atilt
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Idiot ket*ing, it.t.t, 'Myth
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W16.1‘000eij .
.1.14.4613Willifilitipitii 661,
3tiiniee Key.tf getdOrtk..
wine Letii-eil RattAilLOndesbOte
Steve 1,Marriky,IitACSi'Seoforth
CALL OPFICt
Established 1876
inspections and comments on
, drainage petitions, severance and
subdivision plans, along with
other special water related
programs.
He has coMpleted his Bachelor
of Environmental Studies _degree
at the University of Waterloo,
while broadening his background
in the resource field throngh two
summer jobs with the Ausable-
Bayfield Conservation Authority.
:Hp will reside in Wingharn while
'working for the 'Maitland
Authority.
521-1817
527-1545
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345-1234
5234390
524-7051
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482-1534
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Friday 9 - 9
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