1.—15.

8

[a. V. HUDSON.

21. The Chairman.] I assume that the watch a master of a vessel carried in his pocket would show the time under this Bill. If he wanted to know the state of the tide he might look at his watch and say, " The tide is so-and-so." Well, in that case he would be an hour wrong, would he not?— Yes, unless he made the allowance of an hour. 22. So that an element of error might creep in there? —Yes, as regards the tides. 23. If the nautical time is kept at mean time, and a man forgets this and does not allow for the difference of an hour, in connection with tides he may go all astray?— There is that risk. 24. Mr. Sidey.] You have considered all the possible objections that can be raised to this proposal, have you not?— Yes. 2f). And you have not been able to find any other than those you have mentioned, roughly speaking ?—No. 26. You have mentioned the lighting companies and the milkman? —Yes; and I should have mentioned the places of amusement. I think that the theatres and places of indoor amusement would suffer to a certain extent in the summer-time; also billiards and the drink traffic. I do not think there would be so much drinking done in the summer under the scheme, but, of course, that is a matter of opinion. 27. The C/iairman.] Do you think people would go to bed earlier because the clock were put on ? —I think they would go at ths same time by the clock as at present. 28. The nearer you get to the Equator the greater the advantages of this proposal would be, I suppose?—No, because the day is always twelve hours in length within the tropics, and in the tropics it would therefore cease to have application. 29. If a man knocks off work an hour sooner it means that he has an hour more of an evening? —Yes; he would start all his operations an hour earlier under the changed time. 30. So that really the north of this Dominion would benefit under this scheme more than the southern part?— Yes, because in the north they have not so much daylight in the evening now. Thursday, 18th November, 1909. (Mr. Poole, Acting-Chairman.) Geohge N. Goldie examined. (No. 3.) 1. The Chairman.] You represent the Lawn Tennis Association of the whole of New Zealand? —Yes. We have under our control nine thousand players —nine thousand affiliated players. That is not reckoning, of course, the school-children, and I suppose they would average about five hundred for each of the large cities. 2. Would you be good enough to make a statement in connection with the Bill?— Very well, sir. I was instructed by the delegates at the annual meeting to give evidence in support of the Bill. The motion that was carried you have before you. It reads as follows : " That in the opinion of this association the passing of legislation to enable the hours of daylight to be more fully utilised in New Zealand during the summer months will conduce to the better welfare of the community, and this association records its appreciation of and entire sympathy with the provisions of the Bill entitled ' The New Zealand Local Time Act, 1909,' now before the House of Parliament." We feel that our sport would be considerably benefited if the clock were put on an hour from the end of September to the end of March. We feel that young people especially —though of course we cater for both old and young —who arc occupied in offices during the day cannot afford time in the evening—sufficient time, at any rate —to get the necessary practice to become champions, or, in fact, to do them any bodily good. The courts generally throughout New Zealand are at some distance from the centre of the city, and the players find that they have to go without their evening meal if they are to get a few shots on the courts at night. We came to the conclusion that an hour more of daylight given to our sport would be not only a tremendous advantage to the sport, but a great benefit to the individuals who take part in it. Although our sport is one in which we like to see champions developed, our real reason for fostering it is that it is for the benefit of mankind generally—the physical benefit of both male and female. I may gay that our delegates contended that if by some act unknown to New-Zealanders generally their watches were all put on one hour, nobody would know any difference. To business people generally it would be no hindrance whatsoever if the clock were put on an hour —in fact, many of the delegates considered that it should I>> put on two hours. I may say that I have had practical experience of the clock being put on two hours. As far back as 1884 I was engaged on the survey of the Main Trunk line, and I had fiv<> years there from Otorohanga to Tβ Koura, and down through the Ohura Valley, and we found that by starting work two hours earlier in the morning in the summer months we got better work out of the men, and it did not interfere in any way whatsoever with the progress of the survey. The men were more eager to work in the cool of the morning, and it gave them a little more daylight in the evening to improve themselves as far as the lay of the country was concerned, if they were so inclined. 3. Mr. Sidey.] You are representing the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association? —Yes, the governing body for the Dominion. 4. Is there absolute unanimity on their part? —Absolutely. 5. You referred to the time when you were on the survey party and you put into practice this principle, starting two hours earlier? —We sometimes started earlier than that, more especially when we were working through the fern gullies, where the atmosphere was very close and muggy at midday. We started early enough to put in eight hours before 11 o'clock.