13 months a year?

Press, 17 January 1989, Page 1

13 months a year?

PA Auckland The inventor of a new 13month calendar which promises to do for dates what metrics did for weights and measures, wants to get it started in New Zealand before moving world wide. But an international standards association he sent it to has been slow to respond. Walter Gruijters first drew up plans for his calendar 25 years ago and sent it to an organisation in Switzerland. He has yet to hear back. The new calendar is a modified version he wanted to see put in place in the year 2001), with an 80-day celebration period preceding it. The calendar is divided into 13

equal months of 28 days — a system Mr Gruijters said would make the work of administrators, accountants and anyone making plans and working out future dates much easier. Days would fall on the same date each year.

The Auckland fitter and turner said an extra leap year day. and one other day — called floating days — could be designated public holidays.

People would have to accept that their birth date would change but -it would be up to them to decide when to celebrate birthdays. “God created the days and seasons but left it to us to decide the years,” he said.