1.—15.

14

[g. hogben.

the time of sunrise, the time of sunset, and when twilight ends; and then taking half-way between, and showing when daylight begins and when it ends. [Table produced.] The first period taken in the winter solstice. Now, there is considerable difference in longitude in the different parts of New Zealand. Take these towns, for instance—Napier is 177° east, and Invercargill 168£° east — that is to say, there is 34' difference of true local time between these places. The time of sunset in winter is very close all over New Zealand according to the clock, but it is not really according to the local places' own time. So this happens to be a very convenient standard, due to the formation of New Zealand more than anything else. If you take the beginning of daylight, it only differs by 50' between Auckland and Invercargill. This, I may say, means daylight in the open air, not in a dark room. You will see that it begins at 7.12 on the shortest day. If you come to spring-time you see that then daylight begins at 5.31 in Invercargill and ends at 7.17, and it begins only a very little earlier in Auckland. The times are very near together, so that there is this argument in favour of uniformity. Right in midsummer no difficulty arises at all, but the benefit of this Bill would be greatest in September and October, say, greater than it would be in December. There is so much daylight then that there is enough for anything. Any ordinary game would not last, generally, longer than about two hours, we will say, and there would be any amount of time for that in the middle of summer. In the months between spring-time and midsummer, and between midsummer and autumn, you would gain most by altering the clock, because the time of daylight ending is too near the office or workshop closing-time. Ido not want to dwell too much on the figures. Unfortunately none of the almanacs give the information, and it meant a good deal of work to get it out. I could get it out for any other month if desirable. 1. The Chairman.] It was stated by a witness that an alteration by two hours was too great a move to make, on account of the extremes of the six-months period, when the contraction of the light was so great. One hour seems to fit in very well I —Yes. As far as the alteration of our habits is concerned, I think there is no doubt whatever that most of us could gain one hour of daylight for our work for about nine months of the year if we chose to alter our habits. 1 take it that this Bill is a deliberate attempt on the part of the whole community to alter its habits at the same time. 2. Uniformity is the idea? —There is no uniformity now, and I do not know that you would get any uniformity then. The only places where there is uniformity is in the trades in which by law they must begin or end certain things at a certain time. 3. That helps to solidify the habits of the people? —Yes, well, it may do so. Ido not see any general uniformity at present, and Ido not think this would bring about uniformity. It would bring about a uniform change. 4. The idea is a uniform reform?— But then you have not got uniformity now. 5. Mr. Sidey.] It would bring about a uniform change in the habits of the people?— Well, would it? 6 The Chairman.] The evidence is against sectional change?—lf you go back fifty years, you will find that without any alteration of the clock the habits of the people have altered very consider.ably If you did alter the clock now, you might find it necessary to alter it another hour after another fifty years During the last two centuries the people have been getting later and later in their habits. "I do not see that altering the clock would check that tendency. I regard it as one of the consequences of aggregation in cities. 7. Mr. Sidey.] According to your table you reckon that daylight in Dunedin ends at 5.11) in midwinter ? —Yes. 8 Do you mean to say that at 5.19 in midwinter in Dunedin it would be light enough to do any outdoor work of any kind, or follow any kind of sport?—s.l9 is the time daylight would end. That would have to be the end of the sport. 9. You are a bowler, are you not?— Yes. 10 We do not play bowls in the winter-time, but I suppose that for the purposes of this schedule either winter or summer will be the same as far as the ending of daylight is concerned?— Yes '11 Would you say that it would be light enough to play a game of bowls up till the time indicated here as the end of daylight ?—That depends on the clearness of the atmosphere as well as the amount of light. I could not answer for the clearness of the atmosphere m Dunedin in winter. 12. Take the summer-time now in Dunedin. In the middle of summer daylight does not end till 9.lß?—That is bo. _ . 13 I have calculated that probably for two months in the summer-time in Dunedin, it this Bill became'law, we should be able to play bowls uptill half-past 9. Should I not be well within the mark in stating that?— Yes. You can do it now. U. I mean in two months from the beginning of December till the end of January ?—Yes, that 15 Take Wellington Should Ibe correct in saying that under the altered conditions brought about by the Bill you could play bowls for two months in the year up to 9 o'clock?—Oh, yes !if you ■iltered'the clock, "or if you altered your habits so that you could use that twilight. I should like to Bay that this daylight-beginning" and daylight-ending is taken on the usual convention. You will find that the same convention was adopted in the inquiry on the Imperial Bill—the convention that daylight begins half-way between daybreak and sunrise, and that it ends half-way between sunset and the end of twilight. That is the convention. lam not answerable for that, lhis table is approximately astronomically true, but does not allow for the clearness or otherwise of the atmosphere, or for corrections due to refraction at sunrise and sunset.