REFORM OF THE CALENDAR

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 119, 5 June 1937, Page 4

REFORM OF THE CALENDAR

The latest attempt at calendar reform has been made hy the Chilian Government, which lald a model calendar bofore the Oouncil of the Leagiie, proposing that this be suhstituted for the Gregorian Calendar, This is now being studied hy the League's Advisory and Technical Committee for Communications and Tfansit, the body which has been dealing with this problem for some years. On Maroh 12 the Seoretary-General sent a oopy of the proposed new calendar to the Govemments of States Members of the League asking them to forward their observations to him in order that the question may be discussed at the next seSsion of the Assembly, In the model which the Chilian Government suggesfs should be adopted, the lengths of the months are rearranged so that the year may be divided into equal halves and quarters. Every quarter is equal and every year identical; the calendar thus becomes "perpetual." Eaeh quarter contains exactly 3 months, 13 weeks, and 91 days; each begins on a Sunday and ends on a Saturday. The first nxonth in each quarter has 31 days and the pther two 30 days each. Every month has 26 week days. In order to make the calendar perpetual (that is to say, to make the form of every year identical) while at the same time retaining astronomical accuracy, the 365th day of the year, called "Year-End Day," is made an interealary day, placed between December 30 and January 1, and considered to be an extra Saturday. In leap years", the 366th day, ealled " LeapYear Day," is intercalated between June 30th and July 1st as another extra Saturday. These interealary or stahilising days would probahly he observed as international holidays. January 1 (New Yeax's Day), wogld §lw§.ys» fall og SnndaY. -