European Union abolishes the British acre

The Telegraph ^ | 7/21/2008 | Andrew Porter

[bruinbirdman]

The acre, one of Britain's historic imperial measurements, is to be banned from use under a new European directive.

The measurement, which will officially be replaced by the hectare, will no longer be allowed when land is being registered.

After being agreed last week, the new ruling will come into force in January 2010.

The Tories are angry that unlike some other EU countries, who sent Cabinet-level ministers to the meeting on 15 July, the Government only sent Jonathan Shaw, a junior minister at the Department for Environment Farming and Rural Affairs, to represent Britain's interests.

Mark Francois, the Shadow Europe Minister said: "It is this kind of pointless interference into the nooks and crannies of our national life that frustrates people about the EU. Whether we use hectares or acres should be a matter for Britain to decide, not the EU.

"Once again this weak Labour Government has meekly given up yet another of Britain's rights to Brussels. They need to think again and insist that we must keep our right to use our ancient traditional measure of land if we wish."

A hectare is the equivalent of 2.471 acres; the acre, one of Britain's most ancient units, measures 4,840 square yards.

The first law setting out the exact statutory size for the acre was passed in the early 14th century under Edward I. It is derived from an even older English word, related to the Latin "ager", from which words such as agriculture are derived.

Britain had, until now, an opt-out from the European Union's use of metric measurements which allowed the use of acres to continue.

[AnAmericanMother]

Having never even sawed a piece of wood in France or Germany, I can't say.

But according to an article in Van Nostrand's Scientific Magazine, "A Comparison of British and Metric Measurements for Engineering Purposes," a report of the proceedings of the British Society of Civil Engineers, by Arthur Hamilton-Smythe, BA, (you can google it - it's highly amusing) the writer was in France and dealing with some railway matter or other, and the French engineer pulled a two-foot rule out of his pocket!

"Here's a health to every learned man who goes by common-sense,
And would not plague the workingman on any vain pretense.
But as for those philanthropists who'd send us back to school,
Oh, bless their eyes if they ever tries to put down the three-foot rule!"

[Morologist]

Even the most stupid eurodummy should be aware that an anagram of hectare is “The Acre!”

Of course, I’m not allowed to sneer at the the sacred altar of the europhile. I’ll probably be clapped in irons just as if I’d had the temerity to sell a pound of bananas.

I just wish these people would go away and leave us alone.

[WVKayaker]

Concrete, with a pond liner for water security! Then, if you don't have a mountain beside you, berm enough dirt to just leave you high windows exposed on three sides, cover the roof 3 ft deep for your garden, and open on the south side, for solar gain. A 10x60 ft concrete "bridge beam" can be bought in Winchester, VA and delivered to site (100miles +/-) for around $6000 (roughly $10 sq ft). An 1800 sq ft structure can be built for around $100-150k (your mileage may vary). The outside exposure can be stone, concrete, brick or ???

It is weather proof, superbly energy efficient, and quiet. You can heat it with your cook stove, and it cools without AC. Add some water panels on the roof for hot water, and you are ready for the challenge.

As to your original question about mfg lumber. some is good, and some is not... and sometimes you don't know which you are buying. Boards rot too! Any home requires maintenance, and that involves looking into the attic, and behind the stove!

[bmwcyle]

There is no problems with the metric system. We all could have been buying one set of tools since 1978. The metric system does not open boarders. Congress and the President make that mistake.

[WVKayaker]

We all could have been buying one set of tools since 1978...

[bmwcyle]

I was taking about wrenches not screw drivers.

[Pylon]

So a 10 gallon hat would become

A 37.854 117 84 liter hat. Gotcha.

[AnAmericanMother]

Sounds pretty tornado-proof, too!

A lot will depend on the land we wind up buying (we're only in the figuring-out-location stage now) and whether it's suitable for an earth-berm house.

The first house we built was not completely earth-bermed, but it was backed into the hill for insulation purposes (we used tar paper, rubber membrane, and Bentonite on the uphill side, plus a deep gravel trench with silt fabric and large drain pipes). It was passive solar and very efficient -- when I look at our gas and electric bills in our current conventional subdivision house, it makes me want to cry!

[WVKayaker]

I read your post. But, to suggest one single standard is nice, in theory. But, you can find dozens of screw heads now, for all types of purposes. You buy the set you need! Some for security, some for ease of use.

I own 8 cars and a motor home. My recent purchase is a 1990 Mecedes 300TE station wagon. Straight six, with 4matic, it requires 93 octane, but gives 17-21 mpg. It runs like a sewing machine and goes wherever. It replaces my 1990 Towncar as the Spotmobile (nothing but luxury, for my dawg!). I have wrenches and sockets for both... but only one torque wrench. I can only think in ft/lbs!

[bmwcyle]

I sorry to hear your disability on dividing and multiplying by 10.