ENG-1987 — Page 377

320

Appendix 1

Units of Measurement

The Legislative Council enacted a new Weights and Measures Ordinance on July 8, 1987 to replace the legislation made in 1885.

The new Ordinance, which will come into operation in 1988, provides comprehensively for a modern system of units of measurement and defines the weights and measures that are lawful for use for trade in Hong Kong.

The government's long-term policy aim is that ultimately only metric units will be used in Hong Kong. However, given Hong Kong's long usage of traditional Chinese and British Imperial units, it is accepted that it will take many years before this policy aim is achieved. Furthermore, Hong Kong's heavy reliance on international trade requires that its industrialists and manufacturers must supply goods to their customers' specifications. Some of Hong Kong's major overseas markets have yet to adopt fully the metric system.

The definitions of units of measurement, and the units of measurement and permitted symbols or abbreviations of units of measurement lawful for use for trade in Hong Kong are contained in the first and second schedules to the Weights and Measures Ordinance. These are reproduced below.

FIRST SCHEDULE

DEFINITIONS OF UNITS OF MEASUREMENT

PART I

Measurement of Length

11

(a) Metric Units

(b) Imperial Units

1 kilometre

1 metre

= 1000 metres

1 mile

the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of

1 furlong

=

1 760 yards

=

220 yards

1

1 chain

of a second

299 792 458

1 yard

=

22 yards

0.914 4 metre exactly

1 decimetre

1 centimetre

0.1 metre

= 0.01 metre

1 millimetre

0.001 metre

1 foot

1

yard

1

1 inch

yard

36

(c) Chinese Units

1 chek

-

0.371 475 metre

1 tsun

=

0.1 chek

1 fan

= 0.1 tsun

PART II

Measurement of Area

(a) Metric Units

1 hectare

1 are

1 square metre

1 square decimetre

1 square centimetre

1 square millimetre

= 100 ares

= 100 square metres

an area equal to that of a square each

side of which measures one metre

= 0.01 square metre

--

0.01 square decimetre

= 0.01 square centimetre

(b) Imperial Units

1 square mile

=

640 acres

1 acre

1 rood

1 square yard

-

1 square foot

1 square inch

=

=

4 840 square yards

1 210 square yards

an area equal to that of a square each

side of which measures one yard

1

square yard

1

144

square foot