DAYLIGHT SAVING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 482, 15 April 1909, Page 5

DAYLIGHT SAVING.

6 BRITISH BILL OBJECTION BY THE LABOUR PARTY. FEAR OF LONGER HOURS. (»T TttLEGUAi'n —I'll ESS ASSOCI ATHI.N—CorYWCHT.) London, April 13. Tho Independent Labour Party negatived a motion in favour of tho principle of the Daylight' Saving Bill. The chief objection was. that tho Bill would be used as an excuso to lengthen tho hours of labour. THE ALTERED BILL. Mr. -Dobson's Bill "to promote the earljer use of daylight in ccrtain months yearly pro1. From 2 a.m. on the third Sunday of April to 2 a.m. on tho third Sunday ol September in each year local time shall bo one hour ahead of Greenwich timo in Orcat Britain and of Dublin time in Ireland, l'or the rest of the year local timo and Greenwich timo shall bo tho same. ' . . . „ 2. A refercnco to summer tm *V!n a^ y ii £ deeds (unless othenv.se stated) shall be to tho "summer season time established 3. Greenwich time for astronomy and navigation shall remain unaltered. The difference between the above Bill ana Mr Penrce's, which passed its second reading in the House of Commons last year, is that in tho latter tho proposal was to advance the clock between 2 and 3 a.m.,. on the hrst four Snndavs of April by forty minutes, and retard it by the same time on the first four Sundays of September. The change has been made in keeoin" with the recommendations of the Select Committee of the House of Commons; and, assured of Board of Trade approval, the noiel measure has now a chance ot passing into law. ADVANTAGES TO "WORKERS. Tlio objection reported to have been raised bv the Labour Conference was replied to bj Air. Willett, one of the original promoters of the refm'in, in. an article in the Daily Mail, in which ho said: . , , "Some workmen have expressed a fear lest smplovers should take advantage of extended daylight in the evening to exact overtime. For this fear the grounds seem slight. Public opinion would be opposed to it, and the trade unions might be expected successfully to organise resistance to. any such unfair attempt to take advantage of workers. Some shop assistants have expressed a doutt whether shops may not be keot open later, but the National Amalgamated Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen,. and Clerks have passed & resolution in favour of the Bill. _ . "Women and girls engaged in factories and shops would particularly benefit by the Bill. It must bo a great misfortune for tliem that, after working tho whole day in a factory or shop, they now have such ft short period of leisure before sunset. Of the advantage to syosieht generally thore can be no doubt. Sir William Ramsay said in his evidence before the Select Committee that the advantage to syesiglit' of more daylight and less artificial light can hardly bo over-estimated. "The objection offered by a few of Hie railway companies on account of the difficilfr Sontine'ntnl trains cannot carry much weight, because the proportion of (Joiuiiieiuai to ,\he total number of passengers carried h Yi;-r$ the railways is very small. The numbers were in 1907 as H millions to 1259 millions. Every railway difficulty, however, would ranish, and no alteration in time-tables would be needed, if Continental nations should adopt i similarreasonable movement of clocks simultaneously • with ourselves."