The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1929. CALENDER REFORM.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 November 1929, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1929. CALENDER REFORM.

I'hio notification that tin; Pope docs not favour the reform, of the* Gregorum Calender, and the establishment )l a fixed Master is, considers a nortli‘rn paper, in accordance with the Holy M.*e s previous statement to the League d Nations Committee on Calendar teform, that it does not think it posiiile, except for the most weighty ■easoiis, to interfere with the roligon.s .rad i Lion of centuries. At the time he Vatican indicated that if it could •e shown that the fixing of the festival could he of universal benefit it would uhmif the (piestion to the next Moninnit al Council. Since the second ecnury the desira billy of a fixed Master ias been the subject of debate, hut Iter the adoption of the Gregorian alendar in loß‘2 the question received *ss attention, and only in recent years as it been placed prominently before the public once again. A fixed date

for Easter lias' been proposed in various plans for the reform of the calendar, and last year the British Parliament enacted li Bill providing for me Stabilisation of Idas ter, subject ' to a condition that regard should be had to any opinion expressed by any f church or other Christian body. The concurrence of the churches is necessary if the Easter festival is to be / fixed on a new basis, and therefore the 1 pronouncement 1 whi-li has now been issued by the' '’Vatican i seems to ex- . elude the possibility of an agreement i being reached. This does not, however, necessarily prevent a simplification of the calendar, The League of Nations has interested itself in a project with this • end in view, and many of the nations of the world are • at present giving .consideration to it. Tne American National Committee on - Calendar Reform lias forwarded to tne Secretary of State the findings at ■ which, after a year's investigation, it lias arrived. Extensive inquiries have . disclosed to' the committee the prevalence of a demand for calendar im- , provement on the part of a large and representative body of American- opinion and a growing perception by the general public of the existence of grave defects in the present calendar. Two plans were submitted to organisations representing different divisions of civil life in the ..nited States as being most likely of acceptance. One plan provided for a year of 13 months of 28 clays each, and the other for a year of 12 months of equal quarters (the successive months in each quarter

containing- 30, 30 and 31 days respectively). Of the replies to the committees questionnaire over 80 per cent, were in favour of calendar simplification, and as many as 98 per cent, of these perferred the year of thirteen months. Under this plan each month would have the same number of whole weeks, the shifting of week-day names to different dhtes in every succeeding year and month would he avoided, and holidays would always occur on the same week-end. The committee considers that very material advantages

to business, scientific investigation, education, agriculture, labour, government and legislative affair*;, and personal affairs would follow the adoption of this calendar, and urges that the I n.ifed States should indicate its willingness to participate in an international conference to be held prior to HIM. when the new calendar would be put into effect. At present there are many different calendars in use, including the Chinese, .Mohammedan, African, and seventeen calendars used in India, which arc not tally defective in themselves hut lead to difficulty and coni usion in international intercourse. The International Chamber of Commerce has expressed itself in favour of calendar, reform at four annual congresses, and The Times recently stated that the case for making the solar calendar universal is, from the point of view of the convenience of the human race, overwhelming, so that the advocated of calendar reform shouid have solid support- for their contentions when the proposed conference is held.