Dear Jerry,
Note the release date — April 1st — and then know that this
organisation only ever existed for that one day. Here is the headline:
"Australian consumers are yards behind in the move afoot to think
metric". - The Age, (Melbourne) April 1st.
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin
Geelong, Australia
P.S. I was once involved in a 'debate' where some people suggested
that the '90 mile beach' should be renamed. This was another story
that was released on April 1st.
On 2009/04/18, at 9:29 AM, Jeremiah MacGregor wrote:
Pat,
Can you tell us what ever happened to this organization and also can
you tell us what happened to the diehards? Did they eventually give
up or are they still fighting against the metric system?
Are they like Stephen Humphreies who look for remnant imperial uses
and have developed a fantasy world where everything is still imperial?
Jerry
Here is a blast from the past that should sound very familiar to
Yanks today. Published April 1976 in a right wing paper it echoes
not only American right wing sentiments, but British ones as well.
One has to take his anti metric diatribe as a revolt against the
left wing government that introduced it.
The irony is had Britain metricated like Australia, everybody,
except a few diehard and misguided super patriots would happily talk
in metric terms now and glad to do so.
"METRIC MUDDLES
"Australian consumers are yards behind in the move afoot to think
metric". - The Age, (Melbourne) April 1st.
Mr. Robert Parry, President of the Australian anti-Metric
Association says that people are not thinking Metric, and that
advertisers are now swinging back to the "old" imperial measures.
Fruiterers are selling fruit and vegetables in pounds and ounces.
Home and property buyers are hopelessly confused by metres and
centimeters, and hectares etc. Mr., Parry is not against progress;
he is a smart, modern man; a highly successful public accountant..
Mr. Parry states that the adoption of the metric system is
definitely not progress - just an expensive change. Expensive for
the consumer; he can give many examples of increased costs to the
individual consumer from metrication.
We have always "felt in our bones" that there was something phony
about metrication. No one was asked about it. There was no
referendum. It wasn't even discussed in Parliament. It just appeared
from nowhere, and grew - like Topsy. The same with decimalisation.
Who was asked about decimal currency? Were you? Was your Member of
Parliament? Who was then?! It just "appeared". Some one wants
decimal currency and metric weights and measures for us, and not
only us. Even the U.S.A. is being pushed metric now. We say,
"pushed" advisedly, for that's the real state of affairs.
Decimalisation and metrication are being pushed onto Western
countries where they have not been accepted before. What do we
think? It's pretty obvious; the One World advocates in the Halls of
Power at the United Nations, and elsewhere, have done deals all over
the world to have standardisation of currency, weights and measures
enforced as a necessary step along the road to World Government.
But there is more to it than that. Mr. Parry puts his finger on the
pulse; he says that the old systems grew up because the measures
were convenient for those that used them. They naturally were, at
least in part, a reflection of the character of the people from
which they sprang, and which they served. Our currency, weights and
measures are part of the tradition of our race, and what ordinary
decent people feel when these "new fangled" changes are rudely
introduced is the confusion induced by an attack upon our
traditions. The same confusion is generated when the political
subversives attack our Anthem and our Flag.
Mr. Parry believes that the metric system will prove to be outdated
- there are better systems. He says that advanced computers use a 16
base system; the computers that control guided missiles cannot do
decimal calculations; decimal calculations are too slow! Mr. Robert
Parry is doing a first class job. He should be given support.
Mr. Bob Parry, President of the Australian Anti-Metric Association,
is an inspiring example of what a dedicated individual can achieve.
Mr. Parry has gathered others around him in his campaign to halt the
metric madness. A petition asking the Federal Government to repeal
the Metric Conversion Act has been signed by thousands.. Mr. Parry's
commonsense approach must appeal to all those who have had enough of
the metric madness. Let's go back to pre-1970 when any section of
the community who wanted to go metric could do so. Those wishing to
help the Anti-Metric Association can write to 50 Cardigan Street,
Carlton, Victoria."
An explanation of Australia's pre decimal currency and why only
ardent royalists wanted to hang on to it. That simple lot came in
three penny bits, florins, and half crowns which were 2 shillings &
sixpence. A crown was 5 bob & the smallest paper note was 10 bob,
two of which made a pound. There was only one peculiar exception,
that of a guinea, this was 21 shillings allowing the auctioneer to
make his 5 % commission by paying the customer in pounds.
1 penny = two ½ pennies of which 480 made one pound’
6 pennies = 12 half pennies =sixpence
12 pennies = 1 shilling
20 shilling one pound
21 shilling 1 guinea
Pat Naughtin
PO Box 305 Belmont 3216,
Geelong, Australia
Phone: 61 3 5241 2008
Metric system consultant, writer, and speaker, Pat Naughtin, has
helped thousands of people and hundreds of companies upgrade to the
modern metric system smoothly, quickly, and so economically that they
now save thousands each year when buying, processing, or selling for
their businesses. Pat provides services and resources for many
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and government metrication leaders in Asia, Europe, and in the USA.
Pat's clients include the Australian Government, Google, NASA, NIST,
and the metric associations of Canada, the UK, and the USA. See http://www.metricationmatters.com
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