—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 12, 1977
42
Pehna. gearing up for metric system
HARRISBURG - The actually takes many
people who regulate stan- thousands of man - hours by
dard weights and measures our department personnel
make up the oldest consumer each year to inspect, test and
advocate operation in checkweigh items offered for
existence, according to Kent the consumer, to insure that
D. Shelhamer, Penn- accuracy.”
sylvania’s Secretary of Shelhamer said that the
Agriculture. “Most people Bureau of Standard Weights
take accuracy of weights and Measures made over
measures for granted, but it 28>M0 inspections during the
Turkey conference set
GETTYSBURG, Pa. -
Turkey producers and
processors will meet here'
next Wednesday for the
annual NEPPCO Turkey
Conference. Scene of the
activities will be the
Sheration Inn, starting time
is 9:15 a.m.
Following is a schedule of
the program.
9:15 a.m.
Conference
Registration - Lobby
10:00 a.m. Health Clinic -
Practical tips for the
prevention, control or
cure of puilorum, MG,
MS, and other turkey
diseases - Dr. L.D. Sch
wartz, Penn State.
10:45 a.m. “New Products
Showcase” - Manufac
turers Representatives
will “show ‘n tell” a half
dozen or more new
products for turkey
producers.
12:00 noon Showcase
Reception - Provides
attendees the opportunity
to ask questions, obtain
prices in the convivial
atmosphere of a pre -
luncheon reception.
12:30 p.m. Luncheon - An
nual Business Meting -
NEPPCO Turkey
Division.
2:00 p.m. Update on the
Outlook for ‘77 - Lew
Walts, Executive V.P.,
National Turkey
Federation.
;45 p.m. Coping with
Double-Digit Inflation -
H.C. Jordan, Penn State.
1:15 p.m. Open Forun - A
different kind of panel
presentation where the
panelists may ask more
questions than they
answer and the audience
may provide more an
swers than questions.
Everyone will have an
- opportunity to par
ticipate...and all may
learn something in the
process.
4:15 p.m. Conference Ad
journs
Rishels on
top again
YORK, Pa. - Rishels Edlyn
Farm of York exhibibited a
first prize Angus bull at the
National Western Stock
Show in Denver, Colo. The
bull, Hedgerows New
Criterion, is co-owned with
Bill Rishel and family of
North Platte, Neb. In his
only previous outing, New
Criterion was selected grand
champion at the 1976
Nebraska State Fair.
Following his exhibition at
the National Western he was
sold in the Angus bull sale
and was one of the high
selling bulls when he went
under the gavel at $13,000 to
Comega Cia of Buenos Aires,
Argentina for two-thirds
interest and full possession.
A maternal brother to New
Criterion exhibited by
Rishels Edlyn Farm was
reserve bull calf champion
at the 1977 Pennsylvania
Farm Show.
TRY A
CLASSIFIED
fiscal year 1975-76, which The conversion to metric
resulted in outright savings provides a number of op
of over $200,000 for the portunities for the careless
Commonwealth’s con- consumer to go astray, with
sumers. In addition, the some confusion coming from
bureau’s inspectors checked suspicions that producers
thousands of large and small are using the change to
scales, tank and LP6 metric sizes to conceal price
meters, gasoline pumps and increases. Shelhamer says
bulk milk tanker that it’s not a matter of
calibrations during the same producers knowing all about
period, resulting in even the metric system and-using
more savings for producers it as an entry into the con
and consumers. sumer’s pocketbook.
The theme for this eyar’s Manufacturers are in a
Weights and Measures learning process, too, and a
Week, held earlier this wrong decision involving a
month, reflected the national cent or two per unit could
Metric Conversion Act of spell economic disaster for
1975, which provides that them.
each sector of the economy Many familiar measures
will convert to the metric will be affected by the
system at its own speed, change to metric. Weather
based on its needs and reporters are already giving
limitations. Some signs of temperature readings in
this changeover are already both Fahrenheit and Celsius,
evident. Manufacturers are marking
the weight of their products
in both grains and ounces.
Road signs in some parts of
the country are giving
distances in both kilometers
and miles.
Mail rates will soon be
based on grams rather than
ounces. Clothing sizes will be
measured in centimeters.
Carpeting will be sold by the
square meter and television
sets will be measured in
centimeters. Speed limits
will be expressed in
kilometers per hour and
gasoline will be sold by the
liter. A 220-pound man will
be weighed in at 100
kilograms.
With all these changes,
Shelfaamer says that once
people get used to the metric
system, measures will be
much simpler. “The system
that we’ve been using is so
complicated that it’s a
wonder we have been able to
cope with it. Our system for
measuring length has six
basic units, none of them
related in any reasonable
mamer. In fact, most people
couldn’t tell you what the six
are: inch, foot, yard, fathom
rod and mile.
“Our - system f or
measuring mass is alomst ari
bad with five basic units or
measure: grain, dram,
ounce, pound and ton. And
worst of all is our system for
measuring volume with nine
basic units: fluid ounce,
teaspoon, cup, pint, quart,
gallon, barrel, peck and
bushel.”
The metric system has
only one basic unit for each
type of measure: the meter
for length, the gram for
weight, and the liter for
volume. “The fact that the
metric measures are related
to each other in multiples of
ten is the key to the system’s
simplicity,” Shelhamer
says.
The conversion to metric i"i
a challenge to the Bureau or
Standard Weights and
Measures, according to
Shelhamer. “Our job is to
protect consumer and
producer alike. The benefits
of the metric system will
greatly outweigh the rough
spots in conversion,”