CAPRICIOUS EASTER

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 755, 30 August 1929, Page 8

CAPRICIOUS EASTER

PROPOSAL FOR FIXED CALENDAR ADOPTION URGED “The capricious way in which Easter jumps over a period of 35 days in oar present calendar, coming early in one year and weeks later in the next, has been the cause of much trouble," states the National Committee o a Calendar Reform in a pamphlet jnst issue. Considerable progress has already been made by this organisation in the direction of having this question discussed by the various nations. By request of the International Chamber of Commerce, the League of Nations took up the question in 1923, and in 1926 requested all countries to form their national committees to study and report on the subject. Various countries have taken action accordingly. The committee, in drawing attention to its campaign, states that all human activities. and particularly those of business and industry, that have to be planned according to a fixed programme, are seriously hampered by the ever-varying number of days preceding Easter. YEAR OF 13 MONTHS The present Gregorian calendar adopted in most European countries in 1552 was an onward step in the right direction, but it now requires improvement to fill the needs of modern business methods, says the committee. The British Trades Union Congress in 1928 adopted the following resolution : “That this congress. recognising that many industrial and social dif. Acuities and inconveniences arise from the operations of the present archaic calendar, with its months of unequal length and changes of day names or dates for recognised public holidays, such as Christmas. Easter. Whitsuntide and August bank holiday, is of opinion that the time is now ripe for the adoption of calendar reform. It commends, therefore, the proposals of the Fixed Calendar League for a year of 13 months of 2S days each (the odd day to be an additional public holiday), and for the establishment of fixed dates for Easter and other holidays, with the avoidance of the complications arising from the present variable system.”

As regards the religious aspects, i special committee of inquiry set tip by the Assembly of the League of Nations found that “none of the religious authorities upon whom the settlement of this question depends has formulated any objection concerning the principles of the proposed measure, and that the majority of them have declared themselves in favour of such a measure, while no objection has been raised in civilian circles. On the contrary, the inquiry carried out in the economic and educational circles in every country has revealed a strong feeling in favour of the proposed res form.” •