SUMMER TIME

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 18 September 1924, Page 8

SUMMER TIME

MR SIDEY’S BILL

(By Telegraph—Special to Star.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 17. Mr Sidey’s Bill to advance the time by one hour during the summer months has been favourably reported on by a select committee of the House appointed to take evidence on the matter. The committee has amended the measure -slightly to provide that the change in the time shall operate from the first Sunday in November instead of October, as the original Bill designed. The standard time is to be reverted to on the first Sunday in March. The Bill proposes to operate till September 25, unless extended by Parliament.

Evidence was given by Mr W. T. Neill, Surveyor-General, who considered that separate times for summer and winter were desirable.

Mr McVilly, General Manager for Railways, who was among the witnesses,. declared that’ there would be no difficulty in operating the timetables under the Summer Time Bill, and there was no need to recast them. There would be a saving in lighting expenses, which might be considerable when spread over the whole system. Asked by Mr Sidey his opinion regarding the objection of dairy farmers that as they worked by daylight rather than by the clock, whether there would be difficulty over the milk delivery at factories served by rail, he replied that the position would be that runs were fixed to give facilities for business. What was at present • 7 o’clock would become 6 o’clock, and trains fixed for 7 would run automatically at 6 in summer. ' The meeting of dairy factory requirements would depend entirely on the conditions of the lines and the traffic. There were lines to-day, notably near the chief centres, where it was not possible to introduce additional trains at certain hours.

Evidence favouring the Bill was given by the president of the Wellington Trades Council, representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and the Sports Protection League, while opposing evdence came from' representatives of the Farmers’ Union.