THAT PUZZLED SCHOOLBOY.

Hastings Standard, Issue 329, 22 May 1897, Page 2

THAT PUZZLED SCHOOLBOY.

[To THE EdITOE.] Sir, —The sense of pity with which the ordinary readers of your esteemed paper must be filled on reading the letter which appeared in your issue of yesterday over the above nom de plume can only be equalled by the astonishment' that you should allow your columns to be open to such a display of assertive ignorance. I am glad you do not hold yourself responsible as if you did you would not have allowed a letter full of flagrant misstatements to have appeared. I admit, as one of the Ball Committee, it is many years since I was at school, but if the present teaching is exemplified by " Puzzled Schoolboy " I am sorry for the new methods. My sense of justice towards N.Z. schools and schoolboys prevents my believing that the letter was written by a schoolboy as I feel sure that the gross ignorance displayed therein could not be the result of education in any „of our public or private schools. For " Puzzled Schoolboy's " instruction and the edification of any of a similar class I offer the following information : English civil time has for its prime meridian Greenwich, from which east and west longitude is taken. Every 15 degrees represents one hour, therefore travelling east at every 15 degrees the sun is said to rise one hour earlier. I will not occupy your space with the different times at various places, suffice it that Sydney is 150 degrees east longitude, which is 10 hours ahead of Greenwich. The most westerly part of New Zealand is about 165 degrees, another hour earlier, and the East Cape 179-30, or nearly 12 hours ahead of Greenwich : to be precise 11 hours 58secs. Napier is east longitude of Greenwich 176-8-10 degrees, almost exactly 11 hours 47min 48secs in front of English meridian time. Therefore, if at 12 noon in London Her Majesty gives the signal for the singing of the National Anthem, at llh 47min at night here we shall be acting simultaneously with London. " Puzzled Schoolboy's" postcription is unworthy of comment. —I am, &c, G. Ellis.