STANDARD TIME

Hokitika Guardian, 4 November 1932, Page 7

STANDARD TIME

NEW ZEALAND SYSTEM

’ SIGNALS FROM DOMINION

ASTKUa (JMER.

CHRISTCHURCH, November 3. The Melbourne Cup race on Tuesday reminded New Zealanders anxiously ■waiting for the result that there is in summer time a difference of two hours between Victoria and the Dominion; but pxooab-ly few of those .eager listen ere for the radio news paused even afterwards to consider wfrat time discrepancy between the easternmost and the westernmost points of New Zealand is concealed by the adoption of Dominion standard time.

Mr H. F. Baird, of the Magnetic Observatory, made the position clear yesterday, explaining that *New Zealand standard time is based on longitude 11721 deg. I’eaUt of Greenwich, this being about the centre line (between the East Cepe, the easternmost point of the Dominion, and the West Cape, the westernmost point, which is in the southern Sounds region. DIFFERENCE OF 48 MINUTES.

A degree being approximately 7C miles, said Mr Baird, and the time difference being 4 minutes foV each degree, the 'difference between the East Cape and tlie West Cape (12 degrees) would be approximately 48 minutes.

■SO far ag New Zealand was concerned, 'the difference between standard time and strictly local tittle was noth" ing to worry about. The time services of th© Dominion originated from the Dominion Astronomer’s office in Wellington, where observations were taken and ,th e time sent out three or foui times a day by radio. Here in Christchurch 'th© 'Observatory received these signals at 11 a.m. and. 4 p.m., anc there were other signals in the evening. So far as the outride world was concerned, there was a big internationa. .gj stem c f broadcasting time signals ; and these also were, of course, .picked up' in New Zealand, Though time differences were not ? serious consideration in New Zealand sa id Mr Baird, they were of importance in a vast country lik© Australia; which was approximately 40 degrees wide representing about 160 minutes For .the purposes of standard times, Australia vvers divided into the following groups: Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wale s ,excep'ing the Broken Hill area) and Queensland —ten hours ahead of Greenwich time.

South Australia, the. Broken Hill area, and . the Northern Territory—9f hours ahead of Greenwich time. FIJI AND NEW ZEALAND.

Fiji was'exactly 12 hours ahead o f Greenwich time, and with daylight saving New r Zealand (ordinarily ill‘ hours ahead of Greenwich) Was in exactly' th same position 'as .Fiji—New Zealand: daylight saving time would he-tlle s am e as Fiji standard time, Itl. Britain’.' summer-time, the difference between Britain and New Zealand would be re duoed to IQ| hours. Jn Canada, said /Mr Baird, there wai a time difference of about six hours tween the East' Coast and the WesCoast, th© reason for this large discrepancy being that the closer a country- was to one of the Poles, the close' ;-he lines of longitude were to each other.