CONVERSION TO METRIC SYSTEM IN SINGAPORE (Statement by the Minister for Science and Technology)

3.04 p.m.

Dr Toh Chin Chye: Mr Speaker, Sir, may I take this opportunity to clarify a little the Report on Metrication lest rumours spread around of the intentions of the Government with regard to adopting a new system of weights and measures. The metric system is currently used in more than 120 countries in which 90 per cent of the population live and which account for 60 per cent of the Gross National Product of the world. Furthermore, the major non-metric countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, with the exception of the United States of America, are either metricating or contemplating to go metric. The United States can afford to be less hasty in metricating as more than 90 per cent of her industrial products are internally consumed. Nevertheless, a congressional committee has been formed to study the measures to be taken for metrication in the United States.

In Asia, almost all countries other than Hong Kong, Burma and Brunei, are either already using the metric system or are metricating. Japan and India have recently completed the conversion. Among Southeast Asian countries, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam are already using the metric system. Ceylon has announced her intention to metricate.

In 1969, Singapore's trade with countries using the metric system and those committed to the changeover constituted about 90 per cent (by value) of our total external trade. Although Singapore's trade with the United States has expanded from 4.7 per cent of total trade in 1965 to 9.1 per cent in 1969, the items likely to be affected by metrication form only about 12.7 per cent.

There are obvious advantages of adopting the metric system. Because it is decimally based, the conversion from one unit to another requires only the shifting of the decimal place. Its inherent simplicity in use will benefit all sectors of economic activities and the time saved in learning other systems of weights and measures in schools could be more profitably spent for other purposes.

The overall cost of conversion in a country depends on the degree of industrialisation, but if conversion is necessary, it should commence as soon as possible, as it has been estimated in the United Kingdom that the costs of conversion increase at a rate of 8 per cent for every year of delay. It is difficult to quantify the overall costs of conversion, which should include not only direct costs, but also costs due to wastage and initial loss in efficiency arising from lack of familiarity with the new system. In any case, any meaningful estimate of the total capital expenditure required to convert is difficult, but with careful planning, expenditure could be reduced to the minimum. For example, in India, the cost of converting petrol pump dials to measure in litres turned out to be only one per cent of the original estimate. A very rough estimate of expenditure to be incurred by Government departments and statutory bodies for metrication is $5.6 million.

As Singapore's economy is very much dependent on developments outside the country, we must move in step with the metricating world. The rubber trade in Singapore and Malaysia, for example, has decided to metricate with effect from 11th February, 1971, following its acceptance of the recommendations of the Metrication Joint Working Committee set up recently by the Rubber Association of Singapore and the Malaysian Rubber Exchange. The Singapore Telephone Board has been informed by a telephone cable supplier in the United Kingdom that new cable specifications in metric units would be adopted in August 1970.

It is apparent that as time goes on, the market for goods with specifications in imperial units will get progressively smaller and those for goods in metric units will, ipso facto, get larger.

Metrication will be introduced by administrative action first in the Government departments and statutory bodies. The Ministry of Science and Technology has made a study of the technical problems involved in conversion to the metric system and the political and economic consequences. A report of the study has been tabled in the House. Chapter 4 summarises the findings concerning Government departments and statutory bodies, excluding the Singapore Armed Forces. It has been found that conversion can commence as soon as possible in most of the Government departments and statutory bodies without incurring excessive costs, which fall mainly in the purchase of equipment. Some Government departments and statutory bodies, in fact, need to metricate irrespective of the Singapore Government's decision, because of international requirements.

One cannot introduce metrication in Government departments without affecting the private sector, as members of the public have dealings with Government departments. The problems of metrication in the private sector are more complex and it is therefore intended that a Metrication Board, which will consist of representatives of various industries, will liaise with Government departments to ensure that metrication is introduced gradually and smoothly without dislocation of production and trade.

It is impossible to expect housewives, amahs or hawkers to change overnight their familiarity with customary units of measures. There must be a long period of propaganda and education to orientate the public towards the new system. For example, those who are accustomed to taking a pint of beer may find that half a litre is too little while a litre is too much. Market stall-holders used to charging prices of meat, chicken and vegetables by the kati will find that charging by the kilogram will create an impression of rising prices, although a kilogram is 1.6 katis. The neater way is to use prices per half kilogram, but as this is only 82 per cent of a kati, prices should be proportionately lowered. The motorist will find that a gallon of petrol can take him 30 miles, but if he buys a litre, it will give him only one fifth the distance. Then again, dua belas batu Bukit Timah in miles is further than dua belas batu in kilometres. This can confuse the postman or someone who is trying to find his way. It is felt, therefore, that the retail trade sector should be left to metricate voluntarily and gradually since this sector involves a change of ingrained and accumulated habits of the majority of the population.

However, no compensation will be paid to the private sector for costs arising out of metrication. The costs of conversion will lie where they fall. Conversion to the metric system should not be used as a pretext for price increases or profiteering. Neither should metrication cause the private sector undue or harsh financial hardships. For these reasons, the process of conversion to the metric system should cover a period of several years, although it is our hope that by 1975 all Government departments and three-quarters of private industries with external trade dealings will have converted to the metric system.

As there is a large number of statutes in Singapore which use imperial units, it is cumbersome to take each statute through Parliament for amendment. A Metrication Bill will therefore be introduced to enable necessary legal changes to be made by Gazette notification without taking each statute through Parliament. Furthermore, the present Weights and Measures Ordinance (Cap. 230), which only legalises the local (i.e., gantang, chupak, kati, tahil) and imperial systems, has to be amended to include the metric system. Units based on the kilogram, metre and second are being used in many of the metric countries and accepted by nearly all the metricating countries. They are referred to as the International System of Units and will initially exist side by side with the local and imperial systems currently in use. There is, however, provision in the proposed Bill to empower the Minister to declare by notification, not less than five years after this Bill becomes law, any unit to be invalid for use in Singapore, with a proviso that the Minister can exempt any person or department from the operation of such notification.