FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 1976
HONG KONG TO ADOPT INTERNATIONAL METRIC SYSTEM
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A BILL IS PUBLISHED TODAY WHICH LAYS DOWN THE PARTICULAR METRIC SYSTEM TO BE USED IN HONG KONG, AND TO PROVIDE AUTHORITY FOR CHANGING NON-METRIC UNITS IN ANY EXISTING LEGISLATION TO METRIC TERMS,
THE METRICATION BILL 1976 PROPOSES THAT HONG KONG USE THE METRIC INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF UNITS (SI) AND EMPOWERS THE GOVERNOR, THROUGH AN ORDER IN THE GAZETTE, TO AMEND ANY ORDINANCE TO REPLACE REFERENCES TO NON-METRIC UNITS BY METRIC UNITS OR ANY APPROPRIATE CONVENIENT METRIC TERMS.
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE BILL GIVE THE GOVERNOR POWERS TO PROHIBIT THE USE OF NON-METRIC UNITS AFTER A DATE SPECIFIED
IN THE ORDER= TO DECLARE A PERIOD DURING WHICH NON-METRIC UNITS MAY BE USED, AND, TO PROVIDE EXEMPTIONS FROM THE USE OF METRIC UNITS.
COMMENTING ON THE BILL, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID SINCE 1971 THERE HAS BEEN A CONTINUING WORLD-WIDE TREND TOWARDS THE ADOPTION OF THE METRIC SYSTEM AND THAT, BY NOW, VERY FEW COUNTRIES REMAIN UNCOMMITTED TO ADOPTION OF THE METRIC SYSTEM EITHER IN PRINCIPLE OR IN PRACTICE.
+THE MEASURES PROPOSED IN THE BILL WILL, THEREFORE, HELP TO BRING HONG KONG MORE INTO LINE WITH THE MAJORITY OF COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD, HE SAID. ALSO, OF PARTICULAR RELEVANCE TO HONG KONG IS THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY DIRECTIVE REQUIRING EXCLUSIVE ADOPTION OF THE SI METRIC SYSTEM BY ALL MEMBER STATES OF THE COMMUNITY BY THE END OF DECEMBER 1977, ALTHOUGH FOR THE U.K. AND THE IRISH REPUBLIC THIS DATE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO THE END OF 1979.
THE SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT PROGRESS TOWARDS METRICATION IN HONG KONG HAD ALREADY BEEN MADE IN SOME AREAS, PARTICULARLY IN THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, WHERE, FOLLOWING THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE SECOND INTERIM REPORT OF THE METRICATION COMMITTEE IN 1971, A FULL-TIME METRICATION UNIT WAS ESTABLISHED.
+NOW THAT THE WORK ON METRICATION IN THE PWD HAS BEEN LARGELY COMPLETED+, HE SAID, +IT IS INTENDED TO TRANSFER THIS UNIT TO FORM THE NUCLEUS OF A WIDER METRICATION UNIT WITHIN THE ECONOMIC SERVICES BRANCH OF THE COLONIAL SECRETARIAT+,
+THE NEW UNIT'S RESPONSIBILITY WILL BE TO HELP PLAN, GUIDE, FACILITATE AND EXPEDITE THE ADOPTION OF THE SI SYSTEM WHERE REQUIRED IN HONG KONG, ALTHOUGH INITIALLY, IT WILL CONCENTRATE ON CO-ORDINATING THE ADOPTION OF THE SYSTEM THROUGHOUT THE GOVERNMENT+.
THE SPOKESMAN EMPHASISED THAT, AS FAR AS THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS CONCERNED, FOR THE TIME BEING AT LEAST, THERE WILL BE NO COMPULSORY MEASURES TO FORCE THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO USE METRIC UNITS. IT MAY BE NECESSARY AT A LATER DATE TO MAKE SOME LIMITED COMPULSORY CHANGES, BUT THESE WILL BE KEPT TO A MINIMUM AND WILL BE WELL PUBLICISED BEFOREHAND. IN ANY CASE, IMPERIAL OR CHINESE UNITS WILL CONTINUE TO BE USED WHERE THEY ARE TRADITIONAL AND WHERE THE PARTIES TO THE TRANSACTION FIND THEM CONVENIENT, SUCH AS IN THE RETAIL TRADE.
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