A riveting account of the Marine Corps' worst known war crime in Vietnam and of its legal aftermath. Gary Solis throws valuable light on may little-known aspects of the Vietnam War and on the way the system of military justice operated there. vietnam war, 1961-1975, son thang incident, vietnam, 1970

One of the struggles between East and West is taking place in South Vietnam, an area whose culture has been virtually unknown to scholars. The author has used the small village of Khanh Hau, in the Mekong River delta southwest of Saigon, as a microcosm for the study of the rural physical setting, the beliefs and customs of the several religions that exist here side by side, the kinship and family pattern, the crops and agricultural methods, the economic, administrative, the legal systems, and the socioeconomic structure and mobility.ethnology -- vietnam, anthropology, cultural, mekong river, khanh hau

The overall objective of this report is to collate information about Aboriginal English in order to inform future staff training and resources for people working in the courts, including solicitors and magistrates. Features Radio National transcript from Lingua Franca program, and content by Diane Eades.tables, sample legal letters, pamphlets, information cardaustralia -- trials, litigation, etc. english language -- dialects -- australia. aboriginal australians -- social life and customs. law -- australia -- language -- handbooks, manuals, etc. aboriginal australians -- criminal justice system.

Introduction: The significance of international law /? Sarah Pritchard.-- Linking international standards with contemporary concerns of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples /? Mick Dodson.-- The UN Charter-based human rights system: The UN Charter-based human rights system: an overview /? Garth Nettheim.-- Working Group on Indigenous Populations: mandate, standard-setting activities and future perspectives /? Sarah Pritchard.-- The UN treaty-based human rights system and individual complaints: The UN treaty-based human rights system: an overview /? Hilary Charlesworth.-- Individual complaints: an overview and admissibility requirements /? Hilary Charlesworth.-- Individual complaints: historical perspectives and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights /? Philip Alston.-- Individual communications under the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Elizabeth Evatt.-- Individual communications: the Convention against Torture and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination /? Michael O'Flaherty.-- The UN treaty-based human rights system and periodic reporting: Periodic reporting: the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child /? Philip Alston.-- Periodic reporting: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women /? Elizabeth Evatt .-- The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination: non-governmental input and the early warning and urgent procedure /? Michael O'Flaherty.-- Indigenous peoples and some relevant human rights standards: Substantive provisions of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination /? Michael O'Flaherty.-- The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Indigenous peoples /? Sarah Pritchard.united nations -- history. indigenous peoples -- legal status, laws, etc. aboriginal australians -- civil rights. aboriginal australians -- legal status, laws, etc. human rights.

Contents: 1: Introduction 2: Data on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander over-representation in the criminal justice system 3: Explanations for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander over-representation in the criminal justice system PART TWO : CASE STUDIES 4 : Poor Practice Case Studies - 5 : Best Practice Case Studies PART THREE: ANALYSIS OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND THEIR IMPLEMENTATION 6: Adequacy of Information -7: Aboriginal and Police Community Relations 8: Responding to Public Drunkenness 9: Police Practices and Procedures 10: Imprisonment as a Last Resort 11: Court Processes, Legislation and Aboriginal Legal Representation 12: Aboriginal Young People and the Juvenile Justice System PART FOUR 13: Conclusion APPENDIXES Appendix 1: The recommendations of the Royal Commission most proximate to reducing the over-representation of Aboriginal people in custody Appendix 2: Methodological issues in determining over-representation Appendix 3: Details of Federal funding related to State agencies for the implementation of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody recommendations.b&w illustrations, tablesaboriginal deaths in custody, criminal justice system

Response by Governments to the Royal Commission into Deaths in Custody. Looks at likely causes, bail, Legal Services, links with family and community, language and heritage.criminal justice system, australian law enforcement, police, aboriginal prisoners, race relations, racism, racial stereotyping

Victoria became a separate colony of the United Kingdom on 1 July 1851; however it took until 1864 for a workable system of weights and measures administration to be introduced. Standard of weights and measures were obtained and issued to local authorities to administer in their local areas. These standards were numbered, as were the Crown stamps used by inspectors to indicate that trade weights and measures had been checked and found to be legal to use in the day-to-day businesses of local traders. By the 1870's each local council had a set of standards that were used to test the scales, weights and measures of local merchants and businesses.Standard 28lb brass measure. Ball shaped weight with single handle on top. Front; Standard / lb / 28 AV / Potter / London / 25.8.1864 / 24.3.90 / 9.6.95 / 17.10.00 / 5.10.05 / 20.3.11 / 25.8.16 / 27.9.21 / 10.11.26 / 17.11.31 / 16.11.35 / 4.12.41 / 24.11.52city of greater bendigo commerce

Owned by long-time Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (Victorian Branch) Professional Officer Catherine Hutchings.1998 federal election campaign material by Victorian Trades Hall. Full colour bi-fold brochure, using images depicting 1998 Australian waterfront dispute. Text on front: 'Welcome to John Howard's Australia. In 1996, John Howard promised that under his industrial relations laws, 'no worker would be worse off'. In 1998, his government cheered on the illegal sacking of 2000 workers. His laws have changed our system from one of fairness and decency to a system that encourages conflict and division. John Howard's laws are undermining Australian wages and working conditions by attacking unions, encouraging individual contracts and dismantling the award system and the Industrial Relations Commission. On October 3rd [1998], use your vote wisely Your job may depend on it.' Text on rear: 'Five Facts About Industrial Relations Under John Howard Workers have lost award conditions and legal protections. Australian wages are being undermined by individual contracts and non-union agreements. Companies can use corporate law to sack workforces and not pay wages owed. Workers have been sacked because they belong to a Union. Conflict and Division in the workforce has increased. On October 3rd [1998], use your vote wisely. Your job may depend on it.'victoria, australia, john howard, liberal party, 1998 federal election, protest, industrial relations, unions, trade unions, trades hall, carlton, politics, political history, waterfront dispute, events, labour history, solidarity

In the first years after European settlement of Australia, a varied collection of international coins, tradesmen's tokens and promissory notes were used by European settlers, while soldiers participated in the notorious rum trade. In 1825, the British government made the English Pound the only form of legal currency in Australian colonies. With Federation in 1901 the Commonwealth government became the only body with the constitutional power to issue currency. In 1910, nine years after Australia federated as a nation, a national Australian currency was formed, based on the British money system of pounds, shillings and pence. The Australian penny was first minted in England from 1911 to 1915, then in India from 1916 to 1918. Australia started minting most of its own pennies from 1919 until the introduction of decimal currency in 1966. This collection was donated by Mr. Heinz Kaupert of Wodonga. He was an active member of the German-Austrian club of Wodonga. He died in Wodonga in 2014.These coins reflect developments in Australian currency and were donated by a member of the Wodonga Community.A collection of 20 penny and half penny coins mounted in a frame behind glass. They are divided into 3 sections - English currency used as Australian Currency before 1939, Australian coins used 1901 - 1939 and currency used from 1939 - 1966.australian coins pre-decimal, australian penny, australian halfpenny

Report - 170 pages approx., spiral wire bound, plastic front cover, card back cover with a c1925 photograph of Flinders St Station on the front cover, titled "Passenger Rail Franchising in Victoria an Overview", prepared by the Department of Treasury and Finance for the State Government, April 2000. Has a table of contents. Provides an introduction into the public transport system, reform, auditor general's recommendations, policy framework regarding privatisations and franchising, commercial issues and processes, employment restructuring, legal framework, outcomes, investments, costs, leases, risk transfer. Has annexures on payments to franchisees, rolling stock leases and final bid template.trams, tramways, public transport, franchising, ptc, privatisation, passengers, minister for transport

Newspaper - The City Weekly, issue 14, April 25 to May 1, 2002, containing an article titled "Tram Etiquette" and "Commuter fare blitz". Printed in full colour on gloss paper with a front cover in cartoon form of the things you should not do on a tram - Cartoon by Golding. Was a free newspaper. Magazine of Newspaper Covers City Real Estate, out on the town, Health and Beauty, entertainment, classifieds and careers. Page 6 - article titled "Commuter fare blitz" - about proposed checking of Metcards, but there were many complaints and issues with machines not working and legal challenges. Pages 8 and 9 - article "Tram Etiquette", with the sub-headings "in the absence of conductors, have we become confused about public behaviour on privatised trams". Looks at issues at how people use the tram system with photos of people using trams. Also has a side item with people's photographs titled "What's getting up people's noses on Melbourne trams?" Written by Bridget McManus, Pictures by Peter Weaving and Robert Hudson. Two copies held.trams, tramways, passengers, behaviour, trams, public transport, tickets, metcard, cartoons

Set of three printed foolscap documents, secured in the top left hand corner by a staple, giving standard "General Conditions of Contract" for the construction or provision of mechanical equipment to the Melbourne Tramways Trust, cable tram system. .1 - four page document - "General Construction" .2 - three page document - "Mechanical" .3 - two page document - has clause title on the left hand side.trams, tramways, mtt, cable trams, melbourne tramways trust, construction, mto co, contracts, specification, legal agreements

Set of 7 typed, some bound foolscap documents associated with the agreement with the promoter for the construction of the Essendon Tramway system during 1904. Only the top page has been imaged. .1 - 21 page (top page loose), "The Town of Essendon and The Borough of Flemington and Kensington with A. E. Morgans Esq Agreement" dated 26/9/1904, sets out routes, gauge, motive power, maximum speed, safety, tolls and charges, use, power house, default and various responsibilities. Last page has signature details. .2 - 8 pages bound with a clip, marked "A", dated 26/9/1904, Agreement of Delegation of Morgan's rights to the North Melbourne Electric Tramways and Lighting Co. Ltd. .3 - 15 page bound with a clip, marked "B" dated 26/9/1906, (1904?) agreement of Delegation of Morgan's rights for the transfer of order under Electric Light and Power Act 1896. Dated by the Governor Arthur Talbot 24/10/1904. .4 - 22 pages, bound with a clip, marked "C" copy of agreement annexed to the Deed of Covenant for the purposes of identification. .5 - 7 pages secured with a pin - "Extraction the Government Gazette May 11 1904 - Tramways in the Town of Essendon and Borough of Flemington and Kensington" .6 - approx. 30 pages cotton bound - copies of various Indentures and Covenants between the parties and approved by the Governor in Council. .7 - 9 pages, Deed of Covenant marked "D" between NMETL, A E Morgans, the City of Essendon and the City of Melbourne dated 21/6/1906, refers to the Tramway Act of 1890. Would have been needed following the absorption of the Borough by the City of Melbourne.trams, tramways, nmetl, new tramway, essendon, power station, safety, flemington, kensington

Vintage legal documents for land division in Victoria, especially those predating the Torrens system (October 1862), are often found in the Public Record Office Victoria (PROV). These documents, like deeds and Crown grants, can help trace the history of land ownership and division. A letter from K.H. Scott, Shire Engineer of the Shire of Lillydale Victoria to M. H. Proctor Re: Planning Application P.S./833. It is typed on the blue elaborately printed Shire letterhead and dated 12th September, 1974. The application from Mr Proctor to subdivide land situated and described as C.C. 12 Sec B Queens Road., Wandin was granted. Conditions apply.Signed 'Yours faithfully K H Scott K.H. Scott Shire Engineer' 'In reply please quote 1832:74 MGE:DW'legal documents, contracts, documents, indentures

Vintage legal documents for land division in Victoria, especially those predating the Torrens system (October 1862), are often found in the Public Record Office Victoria (PROV). These documents, like deeds and Crown grants, can help trace the history of land ownership and division. A letter from the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works stating the application by Mr M. H. Proctor of Wandin dated 23rd April, 1974 for a permit to subdivide land in Wandin Yallock has been approved by the Board on 23 April, 1974. There are conditions required. The letter is signed: 'Yours faithfully, (O.T. W. Cosgriff) Assistant Secretary' for 'Mr. M. H. Proctor, Queens Road, Wandin, 3139. 'Board's Reference: Appln No, TP 76484'legal documents, contracts, documents, indentures

The photo depicts men dressed in formal suits and in bowler hats walking out the front of the Beechworth Court House. Beechworth became known as the legal headquarters of north-east Victoria after the establishment of the Circuit Court in 1857. This was later known as the Court of Assize and dealt with cases surpassing the reach of the General Sessions and County Courts. The Court House was built a year after for these proceedings and was extended in 1865. As the image is undated the year is not known, however it can be assumed it was taken after 1857 as the Court House is pictured.The photograph holds historic significance as it contributes to an understanding of the legal systems in Beechworth at that time. Specifically, the popularity of the Court House as a large number of people are pictured in the photo, which may represent the frequent use or interest in a signifiant trial that may have occurred at the place.Black and white landscape photograph printed on paper.beechworth courthouse, court house, beechworth, bowler hats, trial, legal, law, court, proceedings, circuit court, court of assize, assize, county courts, general sessions

Before metric measurement was introduced land was measured by a tool of chains and links called a surveyor's chain. The first surveyor's chain was designed by the English clergyman and mathematician Edmund Gunter (1581-1626) and introduced in 1620. It comprised of a metal chain made up of 100 links measuring a precise overall length of 66 ft or 22 yards, with each link measuring 7.92 inches (201.168 mm). The Gunter's chain was originally intended to be used in the accurate laying out and measurement of plots of land, for legal and commercial purposes, but was subsequently widely used by surveyors throughout the British Empire and Europe, with an Imperial mile being 80 times the Gunter's chain length. A tool used to survey the land before the introduction of the metric system.Surveyor chain Gunter type, 100 links measuring 66 feet in length. Hand grips at each end of chain. Wire links are approximately eight inches long. Incised tags or markers are attached to each tenth link of chain to assist with the more accurate recording of intermediate distances.surveying tool

Provides the basis for segregating road traffic from tram lines at intersections and along roadways and road markings applied.Yields information about the introduction of Fairways into Melbourne tramway streets during 1983, the first legal segregation of trams from road traffic.Set of two pamphlets regarding Tram Fairways. .1 - Three-section vertical fold-out pamphlet titled "How to drive the Fairway" printed on gloss paper showing the fairway system and how its works with the various signs in a cartoon manner. Notes the Fairway system was set up in 1983 and the basis of it. Has the VicRoads logos, name, and "Victoria Growing together? logos. .2 - Three-section, horizontal format pamphlet on plain paper, titled "Now there's a better way", giving details of the system, showing drawings and how they work at intersections. Issued by the Road Traffic Authority, has the RTA logo. .3 - Newspaper cutting, titled "The old way, the Fairway" giving advanced notice of the introduction of the Fairway system and the roads impacted. Has an AEC election advertisement on the rear for the March 1983 Federal Election. .4 - pamphlets - What you should know about the fairway in your area. - two fold A5.fairways, cartoons, rta, vicroads, traffic control, trams, tramways

This container is a pre-Decimal, Imperial Standard Bushel, part of a three-piece set of Standard measures used in Victoria from around 1900 to 1940. The measures were made in Melbourne by J. McEwan & Co. These three measures were likely used by the local Melbourne authority that monitored weights and measures in the mid to late 19th century. . An Imperial Bushel was equal to 8 gallons, or 36.36872 litres . An Imperial Peck equals a quarter of a Bushel, or 9.09 litres Standards for weights and measures began in Victoria when the Melbourne Observatory received primary sets of Imperial Standard Weights and Measures from Britain. These were tested against the then British Imperial Standards to measure length, weight and currency. Administrative bodies in the Colony of Australia could then compare their weights and measures against these British Primary Standards and adjust their Measures accordingly, to maintain the Standards. The Weights and Measures Act of 1862 was passed in Victoria, and local inspectors were established throughout the colony. By the 1870s, local councils and shires in Victoria held a set of Standards used to test scales, weights, and measures used by manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers. Every ten years, the councils’ Standards needed to be rechecked against the Victorian Standards. In the 19th Century, the Victorian Customs Department inspected and maintained the Standards. In 1901, the Customs Department was transferred to the Federal Government, but the Weights and Measures authority remained with the Victorian Government and relocated to the Melbourne Observatory. In 1904, the Standard weights and measures, and testing equipment, were installed in the room of a new building erected at the south end of the Great Melbourne Telescope House. The room became known as the Whirling Room, due to its large whirling apparatus that tested air meters. When the Melbourne Observatory closed in 1944, the Weights and Measures Branch was formed to continue maintaining the Standards. On February 14th, 1966, Australia began its conversion to metric measures and currency, and a new set of Standard Measures was introduced; the conversion took place in stages. The Weights and Measures Branch remained at the Observatory site until 1995. James McEwan & Co.: - The maker of this set of Standard Measures was James McEwan. His Melbourne business was established in 1852 and sold retail furniture and wholesale ironmongery. The firm’s warehouses were situated at the intersection of 81-83 Elizabeth and Little Collins Streets. Shortly afterwards, the firm partnered with William Kerr Thomson and Samuel Renwick. When McEwan died in 1868, his partners carried on and expanded the business under his name, J McEwan. The business was expanded to provide a retail shop, counting-house and private offices. Wholesale warehouses adjoined these premises at 4, 6 and 10 Little Collins Street, West. This company provided and sold a large and varied amount of imported goods into the colony; agricultural equipment, building materials, mining items, steam engines, tools of all types and marble fireplaces. The company grew to employ over 150 people in Melbourne and opened offices at 27 Lombard St, London, as well as in New Zealand and Fiji. It also serviced the Mauritius islands and the Pacific area with its steamship, the Suva, and a brig, the ShannonThe set of Imperial Standard Measures is an example of a bronze measure container made specifically for J. McEwan & Co. Today, it helps us to understand how imperial weights and measures were used, and how a standard of measurement for merchants was developed in the Australian colonies based on the Imperial British measurement system. The container has social significance as an item retailed by J McEwan, and used by Victoria’s authorities legally responsible for ensuring that dry goods sold in Victoria by wholesalers and retailers are correct.Imperial Standard Measure: a container to measure the volume of a Busel. It is part of a set of three precision measures - a Peck, a Half Bushel and a Bushel – used by government authorities in Victoria. The cast brass cylinder has straight sides and a flat base, and two handles are attached near the base by two posts on each handle. The wall inside is straight, and outside has grooves and horizontal bands. Inscriptions are engraved on the outside. The Measures were made for the retailer, J. McEwan & Co., London and Melbourne.Engraved on side: "IMPERIAL STANDARD BUSHEL. / VICTORIA ./ J. MCEWAN & CO. LONDON AND MELBOURNE."flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, weights and measurements, science, james mcewan & co., precision instrument, technology, melbourne observatory, british imperial standards, standard weights & measures, volume measure, dry measure, customs, commerce, victorian standard measure, pre-decimal measure, imperial standard, imperial bushel, peck measure, bronze container, brass container, cast container

This container is a pre-Decimal, Imperial Standard Peck, part of a three-piece set of Standard measures used in Victoria from around 1900 to 1940. The measures were made in Melbourne by J. McEwan & Co. These three measures were likely used by the local Melbourne authority that monitored weights and measures in the mid to late 19th century. . An Imperial Bushel was equal to 8 gallons, or 36.36872 litres . An Imperial Peck equals a quarter of a Bushel, or 9.09 litres Standards for weights and measures began in Victoria when the Melbourne Observatory received primary sets of Imperial Standard Weights and Measures from Britain. These were tested against the then British Imperial Standards to measure length, weight and currency. Administrative bodies in the Colony of Australia could then compare their weights and measures against these British Primary Standards and adjust their Measures accordingly, to maintain the Standards. The Weights and Measures Act of 1862 was passed in Victoria, and local inspectors were established throughout the colony. By the 1870s, local councils and shires in Victoria held a set of Standards used to test scales, weights, and measures used by manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers. Every ten years, the councils’ Standards needed to be rechecked against the Victorian Standards. In the 19th Century, the Victorian Customs Department inspected and maintained the Standards. In 1901, the Customs Department was transferred to the Federal Government, but the Weights and Measures authority remained with the Victorian Government and relocated to the Melbourne Observatory. In 1904, the Standard weights and measures, and testing equipment, were installed in the room of a new building erected at the south end of the Great Melbourne Telescope House. The room became known as the Whirling Room, due to its large whirling apparatus that tested air meters. When the Melbourne Observatory closed in 1944, the Weights and Measures Branch was formed to continue maintaining the Standards. On February 14th, 1966, Australia began its conversion to metric measures and currency, and a new set of Standard Measures was introduced; the conversion took place in stages. The Weights and Measures Branch remained at the Observatory site until 1995. James McEwan & Co.: - The maker of this set of Standard Measures was James McEwan. His Melbourne business was established in 1852 and sold retail furniture and wholesale ironmongery. The firm’s warehouses were situated at the intersection of 81-83 Elizabeth and Little Collins Streets. Shortly afterwards, the firm partnered with William Kerr Thomson and Samuel Renwick. When McEwan died in 1868, his partners carried on and expanded the business under his name, J McEwan. The business was expanded to provide a retail shop, counting-house and private offices. Wholesale warehouses adjoined these premises at 4, 6 and 10 Little Collins Street, West. This company provided and sold a large and varied amount of imported goods into the colony; agricultural equipment, building materials, mining items, steam engines, tools of all types and marble fireplaces. The company grew to employ over 150 people in Melbourne and opened offices at 27 Lombard St, London, as well as in New Zealand and Fiji. It also serviced the Mauritius islands and the Pacific area with its steamship, the Suva, and a brig, the Shannon. The set of Imperial Standard Measures is an example of a bronze measure container made specifically for J. McEwan & Co. Today, it helps us to understand how imperial weights and measures were used, and how a standard of measurement for merchants was developed in the Australian colonies based on the Imperial British measurement system. The container has social significance as an item retailed by J McEwan, and used by Victoria’s authorities legally responsible for ensuring that dry goods sold in Victoria by wholesalers and retailers are correct. Imperial Standard Measure: a container to measure the volume of a Peck. It is part of a set of three precision measures - a Peck, a Half Bushel and a Bushel – used by government authorities in Victoria. The cast brass cylinder has straight sides and a flat base, and two handles are attached near the base by two posts on each handle. The wall inside is straight, and outside has grooves and horizontal bands. Inscriptions are engraved on the outside. The Measures were made for the retailer, J. McEwan & Co., London and Melbourne. Engraved on side: "IMPERIAL STANDARD PECK. / VICTORIA."flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, weights and measurements, science, james mcewan & co., precision instrument, technology, melbourne observatory, british imperial standards, standard weights & measures, volume measure, dry measure, customs, commerce, victorian standard measure, pre-decimal measure, imperial standard, imperial bushel, imperial half bushel, imperial peck, peck measure, bronze container, brass container, cast container

This container is a pre-Decimal, Imperial Standard Half Bushel, part of a three-piece set of Standard measures used in Victoria from around 1900 to 1940. The measures were made in Melbourne by J. McEwan & Co. These three measures were likely used by the local Melbourne authority that monitored weights and measures in the mid to late 19th century. . An Imperial Bushel was equal to 8 gallons, or 36.36872 litres . An Imperial Peck equals a quarter of a Bushel, or 9.09 litres Standards for weights and measures began in Victoria when the Melbourne Observatory received primary sets of Imperial Standard Weights and Measures from Britain. These were tested against the then British Imperial Standards to measure length, weight and currency. Administrative bodies in the Colony of Australia could then compare their weights and measures against these British Primary Standards and adjust their Measures accordingly, to maintain the Standards. The Weights and Measures Act of 1862 was passed in Victoria, and local inspectors were established throughout the colony. By the 1870s, local councils and shires in Victoria held a set of Standards used to test scales, weights, and measures used by manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers. Every ten years, the councils’ Standards needed to be rechecked against the Victorian Standards. In the 19th Century, the Victorian Customs Department inspected and maintained the Standards. In 1901, the Customs Department was transferred to the Federal Government, but the Weights and Measures authority remained with the Victorian Government and relocated to the Melbourne Observatory. In 1904, the Standard weights and measures, and testing equipment, were installed in the room of a new building erected at the south end of the Great Melbourne Telescope House. The room became known as the Whirling Room, due to its large whirling apparatus that tested air meters. When the Melbourne Observatory closed in 1944, the Weights and Measures Branch was formed to continue maintaining the Standards. On February 14th, 1966, Australia began its conversion to metric measures and currency, and a new set of Standard Measures was introduced; the conversion took place in stages. The Weights and Measures Branch remained at the Observatory site until 1995. James McEwan & Co.: - The maker of this set of Standard Measures was James McEwan. His Melbourne business was established in 1852 and sold retail furniture and wholesale ironmongery. The firm’s warehouses were situated at the intersection of 81-83 Elizabeth and Little Collins Streets. Shortly afterwards, the firm partnered with William Kerr Thomson and Samuel Renwick. When McEwan died in 1868, his partners carried on and expanded the business under his name, J McEwan. The business was expanded to provide a retail shop, counting-house and private offices. Wholesale warehouses adjoined these premises at 4, 6 and 10 Little Collins Street, West. This company provided and sold a large and varied amount of imported goods into the colony; agricultural equipment, building materials, mining items, steam engines, tools of all types and marble fireplaces. The company grew to employ over 150 people in Melbourne and opened offices at 27 Lombard St, London, as well as in New Zealand and Fiji. It also serviced the Mauritius islands and the Pacific area with its steamship, the Suva, and a brig, the Shannon.The set of Imperial Standard Measures is an example of a bronze measure container made specifically for J. McEwan & Co. Today, it helps us to understand how imperial weights and measures were used, and how a standard of measurement for merchants was developed in the Australian colonies based on the Imperial British measurement system. The container has social significance as an item retailed by J McEwan, and used by Victoria’s authorities legally responsible for ensuring that dry goods sold in Victoria by wholesalers and retailers are correct.Imperial Standard Measure: a container to measure the volume of a Half Bushel. It is part of a set of three precision measures - a Peck, a Half Bushel and a Bushel – used by government authorities in Victoria. The cast brass cylinder has straight sides and a flat base, and two handles are attached near the base by two posts on each handle. The wall inside is straight, and outside has grooves and horizontal bands. Inscriptions are engraved on the outside. The Measures were made for the retailer, J. McEwan & Co., London and Melbourne. Engraved test: "IMPERIAL STANDARD HALF BUSHEL. / VICTORIA / J. MCEWAN & O. LONDON AND MELBOURNE."flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, weights and measurements, science, james mcewan & co., precision instrument, technology, melbourne observatory, british imperial standards, standard weights & measures, volume measure, dry measure, customs, commerce, victorian standard measure, pre-decimal measure, imperial standard, imperial half bushel, bronze container, brass container, cast container

The peck has been in use since the early 14th century when it was introduced as a measure for flour. The term referred to varying quantities until the modern units of measurement were defined in the 19th century. Cities in England used to have official standard weights and measures for that city or area. These containers were marked with the city's name and emblem, merchant’s weights and measures would then be checked against this to make sure they weren't trying to cheat their customers. The item in the collection is a standard measure approved by Bristol City and used by that City’s grocers to measure dry goods such as peas, beans, sugar, flour, meal etc., and its metal banding ensures that the measure cannot be reduced in size to cheat customers. Additional Information: The British Imperial System evolved from the thousands of Roman, Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and customary local units employed in the middle Ages. Traditional names such as pound, foot, and gallon were widely used, but the values so designated varied with time, place, trade, product specifications, and dozens of other requirements. Early royal standards were established to enforce uniformity took the name Winchester, after the ancient tenth century capital of Britain. King Henry VII reaffirmed the customary Winchester standards for capacity and length and distributed royal standards throughout the realm. This process was repeated about a century later in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. In the 16th century, the rod (5.5 yards, or 16.5 feet) was defined (once again as a learning device and not as a standard) defined by the length of the left feet of 16 men lined up heel to toe as they emerged from the church. By the 17th century usage and legal statute had established the acre, rod, and furlong at their present values together with other historic units such as the peck. Establishment of the System: The Weights and Measures Act of 1824 and the Act of 1878 established the British Imperial System based on precise definitions of selected existing units. The 1824 act sanctioned a single imperial gallon to replace the wine, ale, and corn (wheat) gallons that were in general use. The new gallon was defined as equal in volume to 10 pounds avoirdupois of distilled water weighed at 62°F with the barometer at 30 inches, or 277.274 cubic inches (later corrected to 277.421 cubic inches). The two new basic standard units were the imperial standard yard and the troy pound, which was later restricted to weighing drugs, precious metals, and jewels. In 1963 an act of parliament abolished archaic measures as the rod and chaldron and a metric system was adopted. An early example of a dry measuring container giving a snapshot of how imperial weights and measures developed in England to evolve the British measurement system into the metric arrangement that most countries have adopted today including Australia. It has social significance as an item that was in everyday use by grocers and other merchants to measure dry goods in the late 18th to early 19th centuries and used specifically in the Bristol region of England as an officially recognised measurement.Standard Measure; Half Peck dry measure. Wooden measurement container with iron banding and hand made rivets container is a Quarter Peck official measurement container. Inscriptions are impressed into the sides of the wooden body. The container has the official crown and emblem of the City of Bristol, indicating this item was the Bristol City standard quarter peck measurement.Impressed into the timber on the front, a crown emblem over "C B G / CITY OF BRISTOL / QUARTER", on one side "HALF" , another side "PECK". Handwritten in white chalk on the base is "1458"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, weights and measures, quarter peck, measurement container, dry grocery measure, bristol city measurement standard, city of bristol, british weights and measures, 18th and 19th centure standard measures