RECKONING TIME

Evening Star, Issue 21638, 6 February 1934, Page 12

RECKONING TIME

THE 24-HOUR SYSTEM As far back as 1919 a Home Office committee presided over by Lord Stonehaven was -appointed to report upon the advisability of adopting the 24-hour system of expressing time for official and other purposes. The committee, after an exhaustive inquiry, found no objection to the proposal and recommended unanimously its adoption by the Post Office and the railway companies. But in spite of the obvious advantage of the system and of the fact that neither legislation nor any expenditure of public money is required, nothing whatever has been done, writes Mr H. Spencer-Jones, the Astronomer Royal, in ‘ The Times.’ The question has been raised on various occasions in the House of Lords witli inconclusive results, and will again come up when a motion urging the adoption of the recommendations of the Stonehaven Committee will be discussed. The 24-hour system of reckoning is used in the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The reason for its use by these departments is that it eliminates the possibility of error through confusion of a.m. and p.m., which might, have serious consequences, particularly in time of war. It has been adopted in the Nautical Almanac, used by seamen, m meteorological warnings, and in other information issued by the Meteorological Office, and is in general use for scientific purposes. It is used by post offices and in railway time-tables of all Continental countries, and also in the most useful book of reference in this country. My predecessor, Sir Frank Dyson, has constantly advocated the change. The purpose of urging the adoption of the same system by the Post Office and in railway time-tables is to avoid ambiguity and the possibility of confusion of a.m. and p.m., which undoubtedly exists at present. It may be pointed out that the new system and the present system can easily be used together without inconvenience. No alteration of clocks is required, and it is not suggested that instead of “ 4 o’clock tea ”• wa should in future speak of “16 o’clock tea.”

The objections which have in the past been raised to the 24-hour system are mainly two. In the first place it has been argued that there is no public demand for it. But it is only to be expected that the general public, having had no experience of the advantages of the system, should show no desire for it. Summer time was adopted in the' first place as a wartime expediency, without any strong public demand for it. The public were quick to realise its advantages, and there would now be strong opposition if it were proposed to repeal the Act which made summer time permanent in Great Britain. In the second place it has. been said that the ordinary citizen would have difficulty in transposing time from the present to the new system and vice versa. It this were so it would be a striking commentary on public education in this country. But are we to suppose that the British public will find so much difficulty with a system which presents no difficulties on the Continent, in India, and in some of the colonies? I am confident that it this reform were adopted the public would rapidly get accustomed to the new system and would be quick to realise its simplicity and advantages. If the motion is approved by the House of Lords 1 hope that the Government will decide to act upon it.