Commerce Backs Metric System Study But industry wants a voice in outlining problems involved in converting to the metric system On Bastille Day, appropriately enough, Congress took the first step toward deciding whether the United States should convert to the metric system. On that day last week, the Senate Commerce Committee opened hearings on S. 774. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Claiborne Pell (D.-R.L), would authorize the Commerce Department to undertake a three-year study costing $2.5 million to determine the feasibility of converting to the metric system. Similar bills have been before Congress in recent years but no action has resulted. However, this year the pressure of international activities may
and Technology, told the committee. Commerce would like to see the study get under way as soon as possible, he says. In Dr. Hollomon's opinion the information now available is insufficient for a clear and complete evaluation of the situation. The purpose of the study would be to assess the consequences of these and other alternative courses of action: • General adoption of the metric system by law. • Voluntary extension of usage industry by industry.
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be consulted. Industry spokesmen want S. 774 amended to give industry an official voice in the study and its evaluation. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce puts it this way: "The amendment is necessary to provide for appropriate involvement of American business in the study. We think it is reasonable, considering that a major cost burden of conversion would fall on our business enterprises." The committee will probably agree to the amendment and the bill seems likely to clear the Senate without much opposition. However, it could run into a stone wall in the House—Rep. H. R. Gross (R.-Iowa). In previous Congresses, Rep. Gross has blocked consideration of similar bills. He believes that the National Bureau of Standards already has the pertinent information on file. Previous bills have authorized studies to cost a mere $500,000. Confronted by the $2.5 million study in S. 774, Rep. Gross, the self-appointed watchdog of the Treasury, would probably go into orbit.
Cal Certifies Exhaust Control Systems
Commerce's Hollomon says department backs metric system study
prod Congress into making a move. The big push comes from Great Britain's decision to convert to the metric system over a 10-year period (C&EN, May 31, page 21). Canada is evidently preparing to follow suit. If Canada converts, the United States would be the only major power wedded to the English system of weights and measures. Many organizations take no position on conversion to the metric system, are neither for nor against. However, almost everybody agrees, although some reluctantly, that the study proposed by S.774 should be made. "A study of the metric system's impact and what we might do about it is long overdue," Dr. J. Herbert Hollomon, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Science 22
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• Financial incentives to those who convert voluntarily. • Regulated partial conversion with plans for handling coexistence of mixed systems. • Solutions other than adoption of the metric system to mitigate the crucial problems without forced conversion by law. If the study is authorized, Dr. Hollomon proposes to seek the best possible advice from representatives of commerce, industry, engineering, science, labor, consumers, and Government. This would be done through a system of advisory committees. However, industry wants more than a promise from the Commerce Department that its representatives will
With barely a month to go before 1966 automobiles start rolling off the assembly lines, California's Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Board last week certified four exhaust control systems that five manufacturers will build into their vehicles. Given the formal go-ahead by the MVPCB were the air injection systems designed by General Motors, Ford, American Motors, and International Harvester (for light trucks). The fifth manufacturer, Kaiser Jeep, will use the American Motors system. All four systems reduce hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide levels by burning these pollutants in the exhaust manifold. Chrysler's Cleaner Air Package, approved last year, depends instead on changes in the carburetor and distributor timing to burn the fuel more efficiently in the engine. All manufacturers except Chrysler say that their systems will cost the consumer not more than $50. Chrysler estimates the cost of its system at $13 to $25. Although expected, last week's action assures that about 10% of 1966 model automobiles—those sold in California—will have exhaust control systems built into them. With federal
legislation pending to make exhaust controls mandatory nationwide, California thus becomes a vast proving ground for the controls. The systems described by the automobile companies are virtually the same, although each had to be tailored to the specific engine it is a part of. An engine-driven air pump injects filtered air into the manifold at each exhaust port. The systems required not only a redesign of the manifold, but also changes in the carburetor and distributor. All incorporate a backfire suppressor valve. Three of the manufacturers report over-all average emissions adjusted to an expected car life of 100,000 miles and weighted by the percentage sales of their various models in California. On this basis, emissions for Ford's Thermactor are 254 p.p.m. hydrocarbons and 1.35% CO; for American Motors' Air Guard, 274 p.p.m. and 1.17%; and for the International Harvester system, 237 p.p.m. and 1.43%. GM, which prefers to list the results for each size engine separately, reports 192 to 270 p.p.m. hydrocarbons and 0.90 to 1.47% CO for its Air Injection Reactor. Current California standards call for maximums of 275 p.p.m. hydrocarbons and 1.5% CO. But the California department of public health has already adopted lower limits for 1970-180 p.p.m. hydrocarbons and 1% CO. All the companies are doing research trying to meet that goal. Ford has an experimental expanded Thermactor, but says it may have to explore other areas, such as engine geometry itself. At present, Ford and GM admit that they have no solution. All signs are that California will also have an emission standard for nitrogen oxides, which may be an even bigger problem. The manufacturers told the MVPCB that they are undertaking major programs to educate dealer mechanics, and others as well, on the new systems. Although they require only routine tune-up, plus checking of valves and fan belt, the assurance was important because of major bungling uncovered by the board in the installation and servicing of crankcase controls on used cars. This situation has already resulted in a tighter law regulating licensed installers. GM, Ford, and AMC (and Chrysler, too) are setting up labs in California to spot-check cars that come off the assembly lines and some in customers' hands on a regular basis.
Bechtel Foresees 30-Cent Potable Water Potable water can be produced for 22 to 30 cents per 1000 gallons by a dual-purpose nuclear power sea water desalting plant, according to a preliminary report that Bechtel Corp. presented last week to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The report covers an engineering and economic study made by the San Francisco engineering and construction company. Bechtel prepared the estimate under a contract between M W D and the Federal Government represented by the U.S. Department of the Interior (Office of Saline Water) and the Atomic Energy Commission. By comparison, cost of potable water at single-purpose Office of Saline Water demonstration plants at Freeport, Tex., and the first Point Loma, Calif., unit is about $1.00 per 1000 gallons. According to MWD, the dual-purpose plant would produce 150 million gallons of potable water per day and 1800 mw(e.) in the two-reactor power plant. Light-water-cooled reactors fueled entirely with fissionable uranium-235 would be used. The water would be distributed through the district's 4500-square-mile area. Electricity would be distributed by the Electrical Utilities Task Force consisting of Southern California Edison, the Department of Water and Power of the City of Los Angeles, and the San Diego Gas and Electric Co. Although Bechtel has prepared economic and engineering studies of dualpurpose plants before, this study is the first to include definite sites for the proposed plant. Three locations, two on land and one on an artificial offshore island, are feasible. However, the board of directors of MWD asked that emphasis be given to a land site near Irvine Ranch at Corona del Mar, with the island site as a secondary choice. Total cost of the dual-purpose plant would be about $300 million, the report says. M W D believes that the cheapest water and minimum capital investment for the district would result if the Electrical Utilities Task Force built, owned, and operated the nuclear power facilities. Southern California now gets its water from the Colorado River for about 10 cents per 1000 gallons. However, California's rights are disputed by the state of Colorado and could be terminated by court action.
Physicist Harold Brown
Physicist Named Air Force Secretary Senate confirmation of physicist Harold Brown as Secretary of the Air Force is largely a formality, and the 38-yearold scientist will doubtless assume the post Sept. 30 as scheduled. Dr. Brown will thus become, or rather remain, one of the few men with scientific credentials (Ph.D. Columbia, 1949) to hold a government post at the policy level. Other scientists at that level include Chairman Glenn Seaborg at the Atomic Energy Commission and Assistant Secretary J. Herbert Hollomon at the Department of Commerce. (Chemist Donald F. Hornig, science adviser to President Johnson, holds an advisory job on paper. But in fact he takes perhaps the strongest hand of all in shaping federal policy in matters of science and technology.) Since May 1961 Dr. Brown has been Director of Defense Research and Engineering. In that post he controlled, in effect, the massive research and development program of the Department of Defense. That program will come to $6.4 billion in fiscal 1966. That's more than one third of the total to be spent on R&D by the entire nation, including both government and nongovernment work. Dr. Brown is succeeding Secretary Eugene Zuckert, whose resignation has been accepted by President Johnson. The new secretary has been associated with the Department of Defense since 1956, at first in a variety of advisory capacities. Dr. Brown's successor as Director of Defense Research and Engineering had not been named at press time. It's doubtful, in fact, that a successor will be named until the Senate has confirmed Dr. Brown. JULY
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