Manawatu Evening Standard. Circulation, 3,800 Copies Daily TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1911. DAYLIGHT SAVING

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9607, 5 September 1911, Page 4

Manawatu Evening Standard. Circulation, 3,800 Copies Daily TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1911. DAYLIGHT SAVING

Takmament is not taking Mr Sidey and his Mean Time Rill very seriously. The measure came for a brief spell into the legislative limelight last week, but not for a reason which can be applauded in any way. Moinbers have a happy, knack' of keeping clear of anything which is likely to gain them any unpopularity, and as Mr Jennings' little Bill to upset the Racing Commission's report followed Mr Sidey's measure, and as members wanted to kill Mr Jennings' charge without seeming to do so, they brought Daylight Saving into more prominence than it otherwise would have received, talked a lot of nonsense about it, and having wasted the evening devoted to private Bills, adjourned without having done what they had so profusely promised the country racing clubs. So it happened that the Moan Time Bill saw enough publicity to bring it once again under public notice, and the result has been a revival, of interest in the measure among athletic bodies who evidently see in it an opportunity for I

unlimited recreation. Hut apart from the devotees of sport the measure is not being very enthusiastically received. In fact by the more thoughtful section of the community it is regarded as a joke. There can be little doubt, of course, about the fact that the movement is almost world-wide at present and is receiving attention in a great many countries besides New Zealand ; also that a number of quite notable names can be quoted in its advoI cacy. But in every country the opposition of scientific men is a serious factor against its adoption. It is not the first time that "freak" legislation of a catchy nature has been before the public and it is quite probable that before long Daylight Saving will have gone the way of other oddities of its class. If there is any general desire on the part of the workers of this country to enjoy more daylight the obvious remedy is for working hours to be advanced. Why this cannot be done without interfering with all the clocks in the country passes our comprehension. If Labour is the compact and solid body in New Zealand it is alleged to be, and if Labour is going to reap such untold benefit from early rising and early retiring, why does not Labour requisition tho employers on the matter and ask that work should start an hour earlier in summer? We do not suppose that all the employers would object. But this putting back of the clock arbitrarily is a rather shallow device to trick peopleinto doing what they have obviously not tho inclination to do otherwise. The position is on a par with much of the legislative methods in vogue in New Zealand at present. The workingman strongly resents being taxed 'by the Government, so the Government takes its ever-increasing share in a round-about way, and. the workingman smiles and submits quite gracefully, There are numerous arguments against daylight saving.. Tho mothers of families who have to prepare the breakfasts and perform a multitude of duties in the early morning; the farmer who rises before tho sun; the railway administrators whose time-tables would bo very grievously disturbed every time the clock was tampered with; and a host of other members of the community have all strong arguments against this proposal. It would be an absurdity to ask the whole population of New Zealand to suddenly alter the habits and customs of a lifetime just to suit the whims of a few athletic bodies, and there can be little doubt that there will be a big body of public opinion against the idea,