CALENDAR REFORM

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 84, 6 October 1936, Page 12

CALENDAR REFORM

BENEFIT TO TRADE

CHANGE ADVOCATED

Claiming that a year of four equal quarters and with a fixed Easter would be advantageous to commerce, supporters of calendar reform brought a remit before the Congress of Chambers of Commerce of the British Empire today. The remit, which was moved by Mr. R. L. Barclay (London) was as follows: — "The Congress, whilst reaffirming the resolutions adopted at previous Congresses emphasising the great benefits which would accrue to trade and commerce from a fixed date for Easter, is convinced that the attainment of this object can best be achieved as part of a general reform of the calendar. The inefficiency of the present system is obvious when it is realised that the same quarters are not comparable for statistical purposes from year to year owing to the varying number of working days in them." Mr. Barclay said that the remit had been before the Congress on several occasions, but there was a general desire that it should be kept under the notice of the authorities, especially as New Year's Day in 1939 fell on a Sunday, and was an ideal date to inaugurate the reform. There was a large amount of conservatism to be overcome, and it was necessary to keep hammering at their objective. The proposed calendar provided for four equal quarters of 91 days each, instead of unequal quarters, and two equal halfyears, instead of unequal divisions. Easter Sunday would be fixed as the second Sunday in April. Each year would begin on a Sunday and end on a Saturday. There would be four quarters of 13 weeks each, plus one extra day, which would be a blank day, and, all hoped, a holiday. That day would fall between December 30 and January 1. The problem of the blank day should not worry those who had travelled round the world, as they had to add a day when travelling from west to east and drop a day when moving in the pther direction. Generally, the religious organisations supported the reform. Dr. E. P. Neale (Auckland) said'that the-Jews and the Seventh Day Adventists obj -.d to the change, and it was just a question as to how far the rights of the minority should be considered. It might be possible to fix Easter without carrying out the major change. . ■ Mr. A. G. Lunn (Auckland) asked what would happen to the birthday of a person born on the blank day. (Laughter.) The resolution was earned unanimously.