The Daily News MONDAY, OCTOBER 25. DAYLIGHT SAVING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 222, 25 October 1909, Page 2

The Daily News MONDAY, OCTOBER 25. DAYLIGHT SAVING.

It is not so long ago since such a proposal as that made in the Local Time Bill introduced in the House of Representatives bv Mr. T. K. Sidey 011 Thursday was looked upon as' an insane omc, but the mere fact that daylighl-sav.iig

proposals are now being seriously uiseussed by various countries seems U» point to the realisation of the desired reform at no very distant date. Air. Sidey proposes that on the last Simula} ill September each year the clocks snail be put forward one hour, and remain so uutil the morning of tiie last Sunday ill March, when they should be put back again. Many advantages are claimed lor the proposal, which is certainl) worthy ol cuiimucruliou. it is clainieu that the audiuoii.il daylight and ires" air that would be enjoyed by lauiiig an hour oil' the morning and putting it on tu i...e evening during the Miiiunei mi.:.in., would be of great bciiolit, es-

pcc.i.y to those engaged iu indoor pursuns, -a mo case of the workers in Taianaki's chief industry, however, there

innovation wuiod not lie ul pnysu-ai d.s advantage, fusing an hour earner m..n at, present wuuiu entail on workers n. the dairying industry 10 iiui ww.., daylight \ct leigned. important evi deuce was recently taken in hngmud 1.. a Select Committee of the liotisc oi Commons oil the Daylight-saving Bin. A number of scientists supported tin project to start the day's business earlier in the morning and iv.ip inc advantage of more daylight lor work ami for recreative: purposes in the afternoons, but were strongly opposed to setting the clocks ahead. Amongst those who opposed it were Sir \\. 11. M. Christie (the Astronomer Itoyal) and Sir David Hill (the Cape Astronomer), while Sir Robert Ball ' (another famous astronomer) gave strong evidence in favor of the Bill. The latter pointed out that the regulation of the change must lie based on the existing habits of the people. One of these, whether sensible or desirable, or not, is that tinhorns of such functions as rising, meals, business, etc., as a rule, are constant during the year. Another is that .a winter, when the waking hours are necessarily longer than daylight, Hie artificial light period, as we may term it is placed wholly at the end of that portion of the diiv when we are awake. The proposed change in the clock, it b agreed, can only be effectively carried out by legislation, ami a measure recommending it was referred to the House of Commons Soled Comiuillee in March. BIOS. After examining fnrtyfour witnesses, the Committee reported in favor of the Bill being allowed to progress, bill other business precluded ils consideration. During Ihe present session of the Commons the Bill was again introduced and referred In nother Select Committee, which obtained the others,: views above referred 10, Although some of the scientist- opposed the proposal on scientific ground*., LiuCommittee reported that there did not exist any serious practical objection to the bi-annual -alteration of clocks, and the railway managers examined showed that there' would be no difficulty in the arrangements for train movements on the two mornings of the change, and that the companies would save enormously in artificial light. Tramway companies looked to largely increased profits from afternoon excursions. Mr. Willett testified before the second Committee that 112 resolutions in favor of the Bill had been received from Chambers of Commerce and other public bodies, representing about l.'),OII(),000 people. The chief opposition came from theatre and music-hall proprietors, who considered that the greater opportunities given lo open-air recreation would bo detrimental to their interests. This is doubtful, but/even if so with regard to then), and the producers of artificial light, and oculists, who will certainly suffer, it can be said that no reform was l ever instituted without hurting somebody. The evidence given recently before the Daylight-saving Bill Committee of the Victorian House of Representatives in Melbourne is also interesting as bearing on Mr. Sidey's proposal. The inspector of Factories stated that he bail collected the opinions of 343 employers, of whom 303' favored the proposal, 20 were neutral, and 20 were against it. The secretary of the Shopkeepers' Association, representing 1.100 shopkeepers, declared that his society its a whole favored the proposal. Tht daylight-saving schemes recognise the impossibility of changing the habits of n whole people., which are generally more powerful factors than any good reason for changing them. Our wiser ancestors utilised daylight much better thai we do. and the idea is to force us. insensibly, to their healthier and less wasteful' lives. As no advantage, but rather possible inconvenience, would arise by keeping forward Hie clocks ill winter, the scheme necessitates the puttin" hack of the time ill autumn. On the" whole, however, if we are to judge by the opinion of a large body of ev.- [ ports and practical men, greater health and pleasure and longer life will follow the inauguration of daylight-saving, and in our case at least no harm can come from the collecting of evidence on the probable dlVd of the innovation. The time is scnrcelv vet ripe for its adoption, but Mr. Sidey's Bill will be studied with considerable interest notwilh•standiß"?-