METRICATION (Progress)

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Mr Teong Eng Siong asked the Minister for Science and Technology what progress has been made in the implementation of the metric system, and which Government departments and businesses in the private sector have converted to metric.

The Minister for Science and Technology (Dr Toh Chin Chye): Mr Speaker, Sir, since the White Paper entitled "Report on a Study of the Proposed Conversion to the Metric System in Singapore" was submitted to Parliament in November, 1970, we have achieved as much progress as we could. On the whole, the measures we have recommended in the White Paper have been adopted. The Metrication Board has concentrated its initial efforts in introducing metrication to Government departments and statutory bodies. It has more or less been completed, and the Metrication Board is now directing its attention to the private sector, including the industries and the retail trade.

Among the measures which have been adopted for metrication is documentation by the Trade Division, the Department of Customs and Excise, and the Statistics Department, which requires traders to declare the goods and have their excise duties assessed in metric units. The Post Office too is currently operating in metric units.

Another programme implemented and which has great impact upon the general public is the introduction of metric units to the various aspects of road transport. The Public Works Department, the Registry of Vehicles, the Police Department and private organisations, such as the Automobile Association of Singapore and the National Safety First Council, were all involved in the planning of a programme for the smooth introduction of speed limits and distance markers in metric units.

Recently, motorists came into contact with metrication when they began to buy petrol in litres. A campaign is currently being planned in August to make motorists accustomed to reading speed limits in kilometres per hour. For this campaign we are seeking the co-operation of petrol pump stations.

In many government departments, fees and charges for the various services rendered are now based on metric units. The Public Utilities Board, for example, now charges for water in cubic metres. Care has been taken to ensure that these changes do not result in any increase at the expense of the general public.

In departments where technical matters are involved, the change to metric is a little slower. But the Public Works Department, the Housing and Development Board, and the Public Utilities Board have all finalised their programmes with a target date of 1975, by which time they hope to he completely metricated.

The bulk of the metrication programme is still in the planning stage. Nevertheless, packaging of paints in metric units was introduced in July, 1972, and the Metrication Board is likewise looking into similar conversions for other packaged goods.

In the construction industry, which is affected to a great extent by the building activities in the private sector, metric conversion programmes for bricks, various types of tiles, pre-cast hollow blocks, reinforced steel bars and sawn timber, were completed. In all cases it is the policy of the Government to give whatever support it could provide, such as restricting the purchase of materials for use by the public sector to those designed in metric.

The introduction of the metric units to the retail trade, however, will be gradual so as not to cause the lay public any undue hardship. Moreover, it will need time to educate the lay public on the metric system. Nevertheless, the sale of textiles by the metre was introduced in March 1972, on the initiative of the Chambers of Commerce themselves. This has now become the widespread practice among the larger departmental stores.

Mr Teong Eng Siong (Sembawang): (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, firstly, I would like to express my congratulations to the Minister for the success he has achieved through his department in the implementation of the metric system. The Minister just now mentioned the adoption and completion of metrication programmes by various departments. I would like to ask the Minister whether he is prepared in the coming weeks to introduce metrication to the taxi services.

The second question is, whether the Minister is aware that certain retailers have not yet adopted the metric system. Can the Minister see to it that retailers do not try to cheat the public when measuring out the goods to the public? If such cases are found out, what measures will the Minister adopt to deal with such retailers?

Dr Toh Chin Chye: Mr Speaker, I think I made it very clear that the general public in Singapore is not accustomed yet to comprehending the metric units used either for distances, or weights, or for other measures. Therefore, it will require time to reinterpret how long is a mile in terms of kilometres; how heavy is a kilogram in terms of a kati, and so on. For this reason, we have no specific programme to involve the conversion of taximeters into the metric system. However, sometime in the future, by 1975 or a little later we hope that the passenger as well as taxi driver will have been used to the metric system, and therefore it will then be possible to change the taxi-meter to the metric system.

On the retail trade, I do not think it is possible to abandon customary measures so soon. Amahs and housewives who go to market are more accustomed to buying goods in terms of katis and tahils. It will be very foolish of us if we were to insist on an immediate change of their purchases to the kilogram when they do not know how many kilograms are equal to a kati. It is in this transitional period that we have to exercise extreme caution; otherwise we will find that retailers will make use of this opportunity to exploit housewives and consumers. Hence, we have deliberately said in the White Paper that as far as the private sector is concerned, particularly in the retail trade area, we will go slow on metrication until the people of Singapore are more educated in the metric system.