XN000022-1976-07-07 — Page 2

WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 1976

METRICATION ADVISORY BOARD TO BE APPOINTED

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THE SENIOR UNOFFICIAL MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL DR. THE HON. S.Y. CHUNG, TODAY (WEDNESDAY) URGED THE GOVERNMENT TO RECONSIDER ITS DECISION ON METRICATION AND PUBLISH THE FOUR REPORTS PREPARED BY THE METRICATION COMMITTEE.

SPEAKING DURING THE RESUMED DEBATE ON THE METRICATION BILL 1976, DR. CHUNG SAID IT WAS +REGRETTABLE AND INDEED UNDESIRABLE+ THAT THE GOVERNMENT DID NOT ACCEPT THE PROPOSAL OF THE METRICATION COMMITTEE TO SET UP AN AUTONOMOUS METRICATION BOARD, AND INSTEAD DECIDED TO EXPAND ITS OWN METRICATION UNIT +TO HELP PLAN, GUIDE, FACILITATE AND EXPEDITE METRICATION, INITIALLY AND PRIMARILY, IN VARIOUS GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS,+

+THIS IS BECAUSE IT IMPLIES THAT METRICATION IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS OF SECONDARY IMPORTANCE AND THAT THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS LEFT OUT IN THE COLD IN MATTERS CONCERNING METRICATION,+ HE SAID.

+ IF THE METRICATION MOVEMENT IN HONG KONG IS TO BE SUCCESSFUL, THE METRICATION UNIT SHOULD NOT AND MUST NOT OPERATE IN ISLOATION WITHIN GOVERNMENT, HE STRESSED. +IT MUST NOT ONLY INVOLVE BUT INVOLVE HEAVILY WITH VARIOUS SEGMENTS OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR.+

TO MINIMISE THE PERIOD OF TRANSITION, THE COST OF CHANGE AND THE AMOUNT OF DISRUPTION, HE SAID, THE METRICATION UNIT, THOUGH ATTACHED TO THE ECONOMIC SERVICES BRANCH OF THE COLONIAL SECRETARIAT, SHOULD CARRY OUT ITS WORK UNDER THE GENERAL GUIDANCE AND DIRECTION OF A METRICATION BOARD CONSISTING OF REPRESENTATIVES BOTH OF THE GOVERNMENT AND OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR.

TURNING TO THE WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ORDINANCE, DR. CHUNG SAID IT SHOULD BE REPLACED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE IT WAS OUT OF DATE AND HAD A NUMBER OF DEFICIENCIES.

+FIRST, THE WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ARE IN IMPERIAL AND TRADITIONAL CHINESE UNITS. SECONDLY, ONLY UNITS OF MASS, LENGTH AND VOLUME ARE INCLUDED IN THE SCHEDULE. THIRDLY, IT SEEMS RATHER ODD IN MODERN DAY HONG KONG THAT THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE IS THE AUTHORITY TO CERTIFY WEIGHTS AND MEASURES,+ HE SAID.

HE CALLED ON THE GOVERNMENT TO ESTABLISH ITS OWN STANDARDS BUREAU WHERE STANDARDS OF ALL THE METRIC UNITS, INCLUDING SI UNITS AND NON-SI UNITS, ARE KEPT AND THE ACCURACY OF MEASURING INSTRUMENTS CAN BE VERIFIED AND CERTIFIED.

ACY

/IN REPLY,