metric system (was Re: [thechat] Jan 18 peace march)

[Martin Burns]

On 23 Jan 2003, John Handelaar wrote:

> On Thu, 2003-01-23 at 02:58, Sean wrote:
> > Howdy,
> >
> > Actually I was only half-joking.  Isn't part of membership in the E.U.
> > standardisation of units for commerce?  Wasn't there a case recently of a
> > merchant facing fines due to selling produce in units like pounds and 'one
> > melon'?
>
> Only for refusing to co-label in kg.
>
> The worst that's ever likely to happen in the UK and
> Ireland (where short measures stopped being portions
> of a gill a few years ago and reverted to 40/50ml -
> nobody noticed)

25/35ml for the UK, and you can't sell 1/6gill and label it in ml; you
can *only* sell non-prepacked gin, rum, vodka and whisky in multiples of
25ml/35ml..

Previously, the standard measure in England was 1/6gill, and in Scotland
1/5 or 1/4.

For people used to English measures, 25ml was close enough to a single to
be non-noticeable. For people used to Scottish measures, 25ml is a bit
wee, but 35ml is a *good* measure.

Several spirits manufacturers are trying to get pubs to standardise on
35ml. Apparently consumers view this as better value even if the price/vol
is *exactly* the same.

> is a similar co-labelling a la £2.20 per pint (570ml).

I have a feeling that there's an explicit exemption for pints in pubs
(milk is already sold metrically).

> Entirely possible that Germany sells half-litres.

1984 (quoted from memory):
"An 'alf litre ain't enough - don't satisfy. But an *'ole* litre's too
much"

And of course, Guinness only comes in measures of "A Guinness" and "A
glass of Guinness"

Cheers
Martin
--
"Names, once they are in common use, quickly
 become mere sounds, their etymology being
 buried, like so many of the earth's marvels,
 beneath the dust of habit." - Salman Rushdie