NEW ZEALAND MEAN TIME.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2469, 20 November 1868, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND MEAN TIME.

TO THB BDITOS OP THE LTITELTON TIMES. Sib,—As we commence our day at 12 ■o'clock at night, and as 12 o'clock at night goes round the world, the day is commencing its career in some place during the whole twenty-four hours. And as eadi place has its own midnight, so each place has its own separate time for the beginning of the day. The day therefore begins at the place where it ends, and as the beginning of our day has been fixed to commence at midnight in England, the sun is not there to confute the arrangement. When the midnight hour is brooding over Eengland, and the Ist January 1869 just commencing its career, the sun at the same moment is in its meridian (say) midway between New Zealand and the Chatham Island, and consequently it is 12 at noon •tkere. Now the question is, whether it be at that place 12 at noon on the Ist January, 1869, or. 12 at neon on the 31st December, 1868 ? We are inclined to say the latter, and give as a reason that the world goes round -"East" and its doing so, in 12 hours time, will. bring the meridian lying between New 'Zealand and the Chatham Island, just where England's meridian was 12 hours before, That being the true theory, the problem •comes to this. That at New Zealand it is half-past 11 o'clock in the forenoon on the 31st December, 1868 (both by the sun and by the calculation of time) when the New Tear commences in England, being 12$ hours /behind England's time; and, as the world goes ronnd, eastward, New Zealand has to Iravel 12$ hours before she comes to the .place where England commenced the Ist January, 1869. New Zealand, therefore, is 12$ hours behind Greenwich time, and not 11$ jiours in advance of Greenwich time, as " has been adopted as the mean time for the colony •of New Zealand." When the Ist January, 1869, commences in New Zealand, it will be half-past twelve •o'dockat noon of the same day in England. We could only call New Zealand 11J hours 'in advance of Greenwich time, if we Axed the meridian of 12 at noon, at New Zealand, as ■the commencing of the day. We admit that England has the meridian sun 11$ hours after New Zealand has had it, but the last 11} (hours of our day are the first 11$ hours of -another day in England; and, as Englishmen, t»re give England the honour of commencing the day, say Ist January, 1869. And in that •case all the meridians in our Empire must go to that starting point to commence the Ist January, 1869, and New Zealand would be 12$ hours in getting there, consequently New Zealand is 12$ hours behind Greenwich time. The question then is, are we in advance, or behind ? I say we are behind, but 1 shall be glad if any one will throw farther light on the subject, and give their names, as I do, with a view to invite discussion. Tour obedient servant, Wtf. PARKER. P.S.—Our gaining time by sailing east to New Zealand is only a set-off as against losing time if we sail weßt. The above case cannot be met by that argument.