ABOLITION OF "A.M." AND “P.M.”

Evening Star, Issue 21720, 15 May 1934, Page 2

ABOLITION OF "A.M." AND “P.M.”

TWENTY-FOUR-HOUR DAY SYSTEM FOR CLOCKS GAINING FAVOUR IN GREAT BRITAIN J. understand that the British Broadcasting Corporation intend at an early date to adopt the twenty-four-hour system of expressing time for -general use and on an experimental basis. This will afford an opportunity for testing the attitude of public opinion, and 1 propose, therefore, to await the result of the experiment before coming to a decision.— Th c Postin aster-G en ora I. The interesting feature of the debate in the House of Lords about the adoption of the “ twenty-four o’clock ” was Lord Lamington’s statement as to those who support the scheme. Ho said AN IMPOSING LIST OF SUPPORTERS. “I should like very briefly to state what outside opinion there is in favour of .the change. In the first place the Navy, Army, and Air Services have the system in use. “ Among those supporting the proposal are the president of the Royal Society, the president of the Royal Astronomical Society, the president of the British Astronomical Association, and also Mr Frank Pick, a great authority on the underground railway system of London. “ Then, in ‘ The Times ’ there was a letter from Mr Dennis Handover, the traffic manager of Imperial Airways, advocating the change. The British Chamber of Commerce have sent me a copy of a letter which they addressed to the Government strongly supporting the change. “The Meteorological Office uses the twenty-four-hour 'system, and the Royal Geographical Society now ask their correspondents and, anyone who is sent abroad under their auspices to keep their diaries and records on that system. Now the British Broadcasting Corporation are to be the testing authority as regards public ,interest in the matter.

“ I'suppose that 90 per cent, ol the public would be perfectly untouched by the change. It would make no differ* ence to'their lives. If they found _tho time stamped on their letters was 17.30 they would have to deduct 12, and that might take them sonie time, but otherwise they would see no change. As regards railways, I think there would be a very great advantage in making the change. It would make matters-much easier when one was planning a journey to the North of England or Scotland. “ In India even they have the twenty-four-hour system. Surely if the people of India can live under that system most people here would hot be very much upset by it. There is one other section of people who raise objections. I refer to the ladies who say: ‘ Oh, no, what about 5 o’clock tea?’ Well, it would have to be 17 o’clock. “Let the railways get to work and prepare iheir summer time-tables as soon as possible, particularly with all these foreigners coming over from abroad, and, as the chairman of the London Chamber of Commerce has pointed out, foreigners are very much confused when they try to work out our system of a.m. and p.m. “ I really think that Government offices might realise that the world is contracting as regards modern intercourse, that modern inventions are going on so that the bonds of intercourse, visible and invisible, are making the world much smaller as regards all finnan activities. Therefore I do hope that this change shall be carried out as earlv as possible, and that we shall not have this delay in changing to a system which is advocated so strongly in every class of life.” A GOVERNMENT REPLY. The Eail of Fevershnm, in reply, said; ! “ The noble lord has quoted instances to-day, siich as India, where the twenty-four-hour system has been adopted, but I would point out that in Australia, 'New Zealand, Canada, and Japan, and in the United States of America the tweiity-four-hoqr system has not been adopted. I would also point out that the distances of travel in this country are not sufficiently great to 'warrant!a twenty-four-hour system, as they may be on the Continent. You can journey from London to Edinburgh 'in eight or nine hours, and in ah equivalent time from London to Penzance. On the other band! travel on. the Continent necessitates igoing from one twenty-four-hour period info another. I he noble lord Las referred to the hict that the railways and the 1 ost Office employ to koine considerable extent the 'twenty-four-hour system. But I do not think it is to an extent which affects the Iconvemenco or inconvenience of the great majority of the people.” : VIEW OF THE ASTRONOMER ; ROYAL. The possibility of the twenty-four-hour clock superseding present-day system of time measurement was discussed with an ‘ Evening Standard representative by 1 Or H. Spencer Jones, the Astronomer Royal. % . “ Dr Jonesj who is-strongly in favour of the twenty-four-houT system, spoke with approval of the decision of the British Broadcasting Corporation to experiment in aii effort to test public opinion on the matter. “ ‘ It should have been brought m a long time ago,’ he said ‘Li 1884 a conference was held at Washington, at which maiiv Governments were represented which discussed three rather similar questions—a standard basis for time, a standard zero -meridian bv which longitude could be measured, and the twenty-foiir-bour clock. “ ( Previously some confusion had reigned because each country based

its longitudinal measurements and time on different standards. The conference led to the establishment of Greenwich as standard in each case. But the twenty-four-hour clock proposal was not followed up in this country. “‘Again, fifteen years ago a Home Office official recommended the system for all official purposes, and for post office and railway systems, but with little effect. Perhaps now that the Traffic Advisory Council has been formed the question of twenty-four-hour time for all transport systems will be discussed. But there will have to be unanimity.

“‘ It bus been suggested that the present clock would then give way to the dial actually divided into twentyfour hours. Although wo have such a clock at Greenwich, it is rather crowded in appearance. Such a thing is possible though. “ ‘ I feel sure the 8.8. C. experiment will soon convert millions of people to the new system. And once the public wants the system it will appear genorallv.’ ”

Berlin’s first open-air skating riuk bas been opened in the Fricdrichshain, .in the eastern part of the city. It is artificially iced, and, with an area of 130 ft by 200 ft, is nearly double the size of the ordinary indoor rink. A feature is that the ammoniac pipes arc bedded in red tennis court gravel instead of the usual concrete. This departure from usual practice allows the ice stadium, with its seating accommodation for 6,000 spectators, to be used for tennis tournaments in summer. Use is being made of the perfect conditions which the rink provides for training purposes for the 1936 Olympic Winter Games at Garmisch-Partcnkir-ehen.