I would like to add some information that the webinar?ÿ by NGS on the "fate of the US foot"?ÿ?ÿ?ÿshould have listed so interested people can
find and read more about the history. I went through my papers over the weekend and found most of what I wanted.
1. The FEDERAL REGISTER that was mentioned in the webinar is Vol. 24, Number 128, page 5348?ÿ "REFINEMENT OF Values for
the YARD AND THE POUND. I checked yesterday and you can find this on the internet.
The next 2 papers are very interesting and can be found at a University Library.
#1. The Development of TWO Standards by J.R. Smith.?ÿ This is in Survey Review Vol. XX No. 153, July 1969, pp133 to 146
#2. Eighteen Yards and Nine Metres ?ÿby Ludvik?ÿ Pfeifer, Commander NOAA (Retired) that paper is also in Survey Review
Vol. 36 No. 281, July 2001 (this paper has 43 references in it).
The next paper that is very interesting is "Calibration of Meter Line Standards of Length at the National Bureau of Standards"
by Benjamin ?ÿL . Page, Journal of Research of the National Bureau of Standards, Vol. 54, No. 1, Jan. 1955 (Research Paper
2559). This can be found by internet search.
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For the interested reader I hope this helps.
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JOHN NOLTON
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I was unable to attend, but a few secondhand snippets have been floating around. One is the Constitutional clause that Congress establishes weights and measures. I am curious if the rest of the story was included.
The last act related to distances and federsl agencies instructed them to use meters. NGS has no statutory authority to mess with feet, international or otherwise.
The bigger issue is what's going to happen when the feds impose a new unit of measure on some of the more independent states, after telling us all US Survey Feet was the ticket.
I'll hold judgment until I see the webinar, but I'll be grabbing some jiffy pop on my next store run...