What is 4 3/8 inch in real measurements?

**Yanis** · 10th January 2018, 03:12 PM

When I was working at McPhersons in about 1980 Australia was in the process of moving to metric and the government wanted to speed things up a bit so they decided to make metric metrology (tape measures, rulers etc...) mandatory. Up until then we sold all three of imperial, metric and where appropriate combination (a bit hard getting a combo vernier caliper for instance). To this end they banned the importation of imperial metrology.

However according the the legislation any metrology with any imperial markings was banned thus combo tapes and rulers etc could not be imported for sale.

What one large import agent did was to include in a shipment a large "sample pack" including combo rulers and tape measures which were given out as "samples".

Shortly after that the legislation was amended to allow combo metrology to be imported. I well remember the ire of customers who were forced to buy metric only measuring tools. It was good to be able to lay the blame on the wise men in Canberra.

**DaveVman** · 11th January 2018, 02:09 PM

Originally Posted by Yanis

...the wise men in Canberra.

One hell of an exclusive club that one.

**doug3030** · 11th January 2018, 02:14 PM

Originally Posted by DaveVman

Originally Posted by Yanis

the wise men in Canberra.

One hell of an exclusive club that one.

There are actually some wise men in Canberra but you do not find them at Parliament house

**Bohdan** · 11th January 2018, 02:19 PM

Originally Posted by doug3030

There are actually some wise men in Canberra but you do not find them at Parliament house

Much too smart to lower themselves to the level of our pollies.

**ian** · 11th January 2018, 05:03 PM

the really sad part is that in 1980, there really were a few really wise people in Canberra (outside the Universities). Sadly, now there are nearly none.

**BobL** · 11th January 2018, 05:17 PM

I seriously doubt that any pollies had a substantial involvement in australian metrification - most of them don't seem to know basic maths let alone stats - look at how they constantly bungle the economy.
The pollies would have been told, "we need metrification to make trade easier and on a firmer legal basis.
I would have been the task of public servants task to draw up the legislation and the pollies would have had to just stamp it through parliament.
It would not surprise me if the public service were the ones to build the ban on imperial markings to speed up metrification and it was the pollies that bowed to electoral whingers to allow for combo markings.

**ian** · 11th January 2018, 06:19 PM

Originally Posted by BobL

I seriously doubt that any pollies had a substantial involvement in australian metrification - most of them don't seem to know basic maths let alone stats - look at how they constantly bungle the economy.
The pollies would have been told, "we need metrification to make trade easier and on a firmer legal basis.
It would have been the task of public servants task to draw up the legislation and the pollies would have had to just stamp it through parliament.
It would not surprise me if the public service were the ones to build the ban on imperial markings to speed up metrification and it was the pollies that bowed to electoral whingers to allow for combo markings.

You are almost certainly correct.

The real concern for me is how many of today's public servants are numerate, compared to the 70s.
Today's senior and aspiring public servants seem to be mostly law graduates, some of whom sort of studied commerce or economics as well.

**Beemer10** · 12th January 2018, 02:58 PM

Twice the number? You need metric, which is relatively straight forward. Then the AF range for SAE, and don't forget your Whitworth series, and the BA series as well.

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