Sir, – There are many points in Mr Colm Ó hAnluain’s letter that merit a response (September 28th).
First, the metric system is not a European one, but a global system; almost every country in the world uses it.
Far from not having any practical applications, the metric system is immensely easier and more efficient than the cumbersome hodge-podge of units that it is replacing: it is equivalent to replacing pounds, shillings and pence by a decimal currency.
The most serious error is the claim that it “has not held back the world leader . . . the United States”. IBM wouldn’t agree – it went metric in 1972, as did its automotive industry and most high-tech companies. The cost of maintaining two incompatible systems of measurement is difficult to quantify, but is agreed to be significant.
A recent spectacular example was the 1998 loss of the $94 million Mars Orbiterthat crashed because the contractors supplied data in inches rather than millimetres.
The threat to public health and safety of this sort of mess is obvious, in everything from bridge heights to medical care.
The cost to Ireland of maintaining both systems wouldn’t be as high, as our metrication process is largely complete, but in the current climate this overhead is not something we can afford.
Imagine the lunacy and cost of trying to accommodate two different calendars, or two different sets of currency simultaneously. Since the 1970s, people have been leaving school having been taught only metric. We should have the hang of it by now.
Let’s complete the transition; 40 years is long enough. – Yours, etc,