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There have
been three
major
Weights and
Measures
Acts in
recent times
(1963, 1976
and 1985)
all
gradually
abolishing
various
units, as
well
re-defining
the
standards.
All the
Apothecaries'
measures are
now gone,
and of the
Troy
measures,
only the
ounce
remains. The
legislation
decreed that
-
From the 1st
October
1995, for
economic,
public
health,
public
safety and
administrative
purposes,
only metric
units were
to be
allowed
EXCEPT that
-
-
pounds
and
ounces
for
weighing
of goods
sold
from
bulk
-
pints
and
fluid
ounces
for
beer,
cider,
waters,
lemonades
and
fruit
juices
in
RETURNABLE
containers
-
therms
for gas
supply
-
fathoms
for
marine
navigation
could be
used until
31st
December
1999.
The
following
could
continue to
be used
WITHOUT time
limit -
-
miles,
yards,
feet and
inches
for road
traffic
signs
and
related
measurements
of speed
and
distance
-
pints
for
dispensing
draught
beer and
cider,
and for
milk in
RETURNABLE
containers
-
acres
for land
registration
purposes
-
troy
ounces
for
transactions
in
precious
metals.
Sports were
exempt from
all of this,
but most of
them have
(voluntarily)
changed
their
relevant
regulations
into
statements
of
equivalent
metric
measures.
That was how
the
legislation
was framed.
In common
usage the
'old' units
are still
very
apparent.
Some other
dates of
note
1950 The
Hodgson
Report
was
published
which, after
arguing all
the points
for and
against,
favoured a
change to
metric.
1963
Weights and
Measures Act
defined the
basic
measures of
the 'yard'
and the
'pound' in
terms of the
'metre' and
the
'kilogram'.
Many of the
old imperial
measures
were
abolished (drachm,
scruple,
minim,
chaldron,
quarter,
rod, pole,
perch, and a
few more)
1971
Currency was
Decimalised
1985
Weights and
Measures Act
abolished
several more
imperial
measures for
purposes of
trade, and
defined the
'gallon' in
terms of the
'litre'.
Thus, all
the measures
had been
metricated
even if the
public
hadn't! |
