SATURDAY, JANUARY 15, 1983
2
SEMINAR BACKS METRIC SYSTEM
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THE FACT THAT THE METRIC SYSTEM WILL BENEFIT BOTH CONSUMERS AND TRADERS IN HONG KONG, BECAUSE IT MAKES CALCULATION EASY AND IS ADOPTED BY MOST COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD, WAS POINTED OUT AT A SEMINAR HELD TODAY (SATURDAY), AT THE DUKE OF WINDSOR BUILDING IN WAN CHAI.
THE SEMINAR, ON THE SUBJECT +METRICATION AND THE CONSUMER+ WAS ORGANISED BY THE METRICATION COMMITTEE AS PART OF ITS +METRÍC 10 DAYS+ PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN.
SPEAKERS AT THE SEMINAR WERE PROFESSOR S.Y. KING, FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE METRICATION COMMITTEE, MR WARNER S.Y. YEH OF SONCA INDUSTRIES LTD., MR S.S. TAM OF JARDINE ENGINEERING CO. LTD. AND MR PETER Y.F. LO OF THE ECONOMIC SERVICES BRANCH OF THE GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT.
PROFESSOR KING SAID THAT THE METRIC SYSTEM'S LOGICAL SEQUENCE OF DENOTING DECIMAL UNITS MADE THE SYSTEM EASY TO LEARN AND TO REMEMBER.
HE ALSO EXPLAINED THAT IN THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF UNITS (SI), BY ADDING A DECIMAL SYSTEM OF PREFIXES TO THE NAMES OF BASE UNITS ONE COULD FORM A SERIES OF UNIT NAMES THAT DESCRIBED THE SIZE OF THE UNITS IN TERMS OF MULTIPLES OF TEN.
HE CITED THE EXAMPLE OF +METRE+, WHICH IS THE BASE UNIT NAME FOR LENGTH. BY ADDING PREFIXES THAT DESCRIBE THE MAGNITUDE OF THE UNITS, MULTIPLE NAMES SUCH AS +KILOMETRE+ (A THOUSAND METRES) AND +CENTÍMETRE (ONE-HUNDREDTH OF A METRE) ARE FORMED.
HOWEVER, THERE ARE IN USE TWO CHINESE TERMS FOR EACH OF SOME OF THE METRIC UNITS.
PROFESSOR KING STRESSED THAT ANY CHINESE UNIT TERM MUST CONFORM TO THE +PREFIX PLUS BASE UNIT+ PRINCIPLE, ADDING THAT THERE WAS ALREADY A TRADITIONAL SERIES OF CHINESE DECIMAL PREFIXES.
+CHIN
THE CHINESE UNIT TERMS THAT THE METRICATION COMMITTEE RECOMMEND TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, +MEI+ FOR +METRE+ HAK+ FOR +KILOGRAM+ AND +CHIN MEI+ FÖR +KILOMETRE+, CONFORM TO THE SI PRINCIPLE, WHILE OTHER TERMS VIOLATE IT.
COMMENTING ON THE METRIC CONVERSION OF THE ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES INDUSTRY, MR YEH SAID THE CHANGE WOULD SAVE MONEY AND EFFORT FOR THE INDUSTRY. HE EXPLAINED THAT THE MOVE WOULD PREVENT SIMULTANEOUS USE OF TWO DIFFERENT SYSTEMS, REDUCE THE GOODS IN STOCK AND THEREBY FACILITATE CASH FLOW,
HE SAID THAT PUBLICITY AND EDUCATION WERE IMPORTANT FOR THE CONVERSION.
MR YEH RECALLED THAT THE SALE OF REFRIGERATORS AND TELEVISION SETS HAD GONE METRIC LAST NOVEMBER. HE ADDED THAT THE METRICATION COMMITTEE WOULD CONDUCT A SURVEY IN MARCH, 1983, TO TEST THE TRADE'S RESPONSE TO THE MOVE AND PREPARE PLANS FOR THE CONVERSION OF WASHING MACHINES, ELECTRIC HEATERS AND STOVES.
/MR TER