The tins were used by the Colonial Sugar Refining Co. to store and sell treacle which is a by-product of cane sugar and molasses. The tin is labelled with the imperial pound measurement so it preceded metric weights and measures.A green, red and gold tin used to sell and store treacle. Two stick of sugar cane decorate the front and the back of the round tin. The tin lid on the top of the tin needs to be levered open. The tin's capacity is 2 pounds. The word 'treacle' is written in bold red capital letters.THE COLONIAL SUGAR REFINING CO. LTD / TREACLE / 2 LB NET / MADE FROM CANE SUGAR ONLYcolonial sugar refining co., treacle, sugar cane, food, canning, sugar mills, george evans collection, commercial packaging

The green holder for the weights was hand made by cutting recesses out of a single piece of wood. The wood was painted green. Between 1960 and 1988 Australia gradually adopted the SI units (Standard International) or metric units. In 1970 the Australian parliament passed the metric conversion act, and the Australian building trades made it the standard in 1974. This information helps to date the set of weights to C. 1970s.These weights have local and social significance to indicate the weights used in many homes or small businesses in the 1970s.Set of 5 small metric weights in wooden holder. Measurements are difficult to decipher but "Gram" can be identified around the edge of some weights. Holder has been created by cutting round recesses into a block of wood.metric system, weights and measures australia

Decimal currency was spectacularly introduced in an overnight overthrow on 14 February 1966, but it took another 8 years before metrication finally arrived in the forest and timber industry. Eventually, the measurement of logs and sawn timber changed from imperial, and excruciating, measures such as super feet of sawn timber, billets and cunits (100 cubic feet) of stacked pulpwood and hoppus log volumes to simpler cubic metres. Measuring firewood was a particular nightmare. For example, there were standard chords, stove cords, kitchen cords, running cords, face cords, thrown chords, fencing cords, country cords, long cords, raummeter or steres (1m x 1m x 1m). A standard cord of firewood had a volume of 128 cubic feet, measured as a pile 8 feet long, 4 feet high and 4 feet wide (3.624 m3). And how about this for confusing…. in Victoria, an imperial or long ton (by measure) of green firewood was a stack 5 feet long billets (2 axelengths at 2′ 6″ each), one axelength high (2′ 6″) and two axelengths long (5 feet) equalling 62.5 cubic feet. For added befuddlement, there were three different sorts of tons: Imperial tons or long tons, American short tons and metric tonnes (spelled with two n’s). Not forgetting that a cubic imperial ton of firewood (40 cubic feet) which equalled 1.133 cubic metre. The metrication process began in 1974 and was completed by 1976 but the transition was not without its challenges along the supply chain for foresters, overseers, logging contractors, sawmillers, hardware stores and builders alike. Timber lengths changed from feet to metres but were still sold in multiples of one foot or 0.3 m (1.8, 2.1, 2.4, 2.7 etc) whereas a menacing lump of 4-Bee-2 transformed into a rather less colourful 100mm by 50mm. Measurement and calculations of area also became so much easier in hectares rather than complicated acres, roods and perches. The Forest Metriverter slide-rule was issued by the Forestry and Timber Bureau to make metric conversions easier.Forest MetriverterRoss Pennyforest measurement, surveying, forests commission victoria (fcv)