THE CALENDAR

Evening Star, Issue 17085, 2 July 1919, Page 6

THE CALENDAR

NEW INTERCALARY DAYS. Some interesting suggestions for the reform of tiw calendar in the interests of business are made by a writer on insurance subjects in the London ‘Daily Telegraph.’ Nature has imposed upon us, ho says, two measurements of time—one the day, in which -the earth rotates on its axis; and the other the year,, in which the earth completes a revolution round the sun. Speaking roughly, the year is 355j days, which in throe years out of four we call 363 days and in the fourth year 366. These a-ro inconvenient for splitting up into smaller divisions of time, such ar months and weeks, although 364 days is exactly 32 weeks, or 91 days. Before the war various scientific bodies mot in Petrograd and resolved to create an Intorntional Calendar Commission, to consider the whole subject of a. convenient subdivision of the year. The outbreak of war interfered with anything being done, but recently the reform of the calendar has 'been dealt with in the Comptes Rcndus. The proposal that meets with most favor is to divide the year into four quarters of 91 days or 13 weeks; each quarter would consist of three months, the first two of which would have 50 days, and the third would have 31 days. In every year the Ist of January, April, July, and October would be a Monday; the Ist of February, May, August, and November would be a Wednesday; and the Ist of March, June, September, and December would be a Friday. In every year the same day of the same month would be the same day sof the week; thus March 25 would invariably fall on a. Monday. This plan, however, only accounts for 564 clays in each year, and it is proposed that between Sunday, June 31, and Monday, July 1, there should be an additional day, to bo called “ Peace Day,” which would ba neither a day of a month nor a day of a week. Every Leap Year there would ho a Leap Day m between Sunday, December 31, and Monday, January 1; this, like Peace Day, would not be a day of the month nor would it he a day of the week. A calendar of this - kind would seem much move convenient than the existing one for many business purposes. Statistics made on a weekly basis, like those of railway companies and industrial life offices, would always have 52 weeks :n tho year, plus one', and occasionally two, odd days. Bills falling duo on tho Ist, 15th, and 30t.1i of each month would never mature on a Sunday. Tim last day of every quarter would bo a Sunday, which would bo followed at tho end of June by Peace Day, and of December in some years by “Leap Day. These _ two day® might conveniently ho Bank holidays. The day of tho week being identical for every date throughout the year, the calendar would bo easily remembered. Considering that the suggestions here described appear to offer some practical advantages, unaccompanied by any drawbacks, they arc well worth tho consideration of the great composite insurance offices, with their world-wide organisation. It they approve, the proposals they could give valuable support from the commercial side to the suggestions made by scientific bodies in the allied countries. The leading scientific societies among the Allies have decided that, for the time being, no intercourse is possible with the scientific societies of Germany; but doubtless, if the reform here described were adopted by the Allies, Germany and her termer associates would follow the example. If I am right in that the proposed reform would be a considerable practical improvement, there is. little doubt that its introduction could be materially assisted by the concerted action of British insurance companies.