Hi, everyone,
Three weeks ago there was an article in the Antigua Daily Observer about the
stalled metrication programme in the Republic of Antigua and Barbados.
<https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fantiguaobserver.com%2Ffinances-stalling-abs-transition-to-metric-measurement-system%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cusma%40lists.colostate.edu%7C80a8d26a732444aa9f1808d92ed93da3%7Cafb58802ff7a4bb1ab21367ff2ecfc8b%7C0%7C0%7C637592332856337389%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=ZzIBuLN98OUpRgg8MuYN2oCzTE%2Fm%2BdK3xyP0cmIW6n4%3D&reserved=0>
(Antigua Daily Observer 2021-050-21)
The article shows that it takes more than just passing a law to make a country
metric: It needs education and enforcement which in turn require money, and
ultimately, political support.
Neither the news article or the Wikipedia article on Metrication
<https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FMetrication&data=04%7C01%7Cusma%40lists.colostate.edu%7C80a8d26a732444aa9f1808d92ed93da3%7Cafb58802ff7a4bb1ab21367ff2ecfc8b%7C0%7C0%7C637592332856337389%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=A%2BhKIJz0P6smgGM1UEaV6UiN3RfsrHBLS8vNqUgMytw%3D&reserved=0>
give a date for Antigua and Barbados's metrication, so we don't know how long
this has been a problem although we are told metrication started "some years
ago."
The article quotes the Director of the Antigua and Barbados Bureau of
Standards, Dianne Lalla Rodrigues, who summarises the problems faced by small
nations in their metrication programmes:
Dianne Lalla Rodrigues explained that the project, which started some years
ago, has slowed down significantly due to difficulties her department is
encountering.
“It now requires a bit more resources, financial and political intervention, to
say when we are going to change out. Assistance would also have to be provided
to people who have measuring equipment to change that out and that is a cost
that somebody has to bear,” she said.
“We are using for the most part metric units in most of the agencies because we
have to communicate with the outside world. However, the basic measurements in
the marketplace and so on where the average persons interact, that is still
being done in imperial measurements.”
Rodrigues also explained that the challenges in Antigua and Barbuda are similar
to those in other territories that are also seeking to make the transition.
She added that the regulations that are on the books would have to be updated
before the twin island state can complete the process.
This seems to be at odds with the USMA’s position that metrication will occur
organically when there is enough support for it in the US. ( I can’t actually
find the USMA policy on US metrication on your web pages. Please correct me if
I’m wrong.)
What do you think?
(Posted to Reddit
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on 2021-05-22)
Best wishes,
Peter,
Melbourne, Australia
e-mail: [email protected]
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