25. Mr. Gresham Cookeasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will arrange for the Organisation and Methods Department of the Treasury to make an estimate of the savings which would be effected if the metric system were introduced for all Government work; and whether he will arrange for this to be done before a final decision is taken about the recommendations of the Hodgson Committee on weights and measures.
Mr. Gresham CookeWould not it give a lead to the nation if the Government could give a practical demonstration of the financial saving that would accrue by the adoption of the metric system, particularly in weights and measures, based on the Hodgson Report, which is now five or more years old? Will my hon. and learned Friend bear in mind that all the mechanical computers which are now coming into use in Government offices as well as in private industry work only to their fullest advantage on the metric and decimal system?
§ Mr. SimonThe British Association for the Advancement of Science last month set up a committee to examine this problem under the chairmanship of Sir Hugh Beaver. Probably it would be wise to await the result of that examination.