Jim Elwell wrote in USMA 13099:
>One last thought on the Constitution: if, ten years ago (before I metricated
>my company), Congress had passed a law mandating metric-only products within
>a short time (say, two or three years), I would have filed a lawsuit based
>on the "takings" clause (5th amendment), because it would have destroyed the
>value of several injection molds worth over $200,000.
I think here Jim ignores the distinction between "soft" and "hard"
conversion. The Canadian metric laws and regulations required only soft
conversions, even of canned and prepackaged food. The products of Jim's
old molds would have been quite acceptable if labelled in millimetres.
Even now, paint is frequently sold in 3,78 L cans.
Joseph B. Reid
17 Glebe Road West
Toronto M5P 1C8 Tel. 416 486-6071
