SAVING DAYLIGHT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14150, 27 August 1909, Page 5

SAVING DAYLIGHT.

THE BRITISH PROPOSALS. AN ADVERSE REPORT. By Telegraph— Association.— London, August 25, The . Select Committee of the House of Commons, appointed to consider Mr. Willett's Daylight Saving Bill, reports that while the voluntary adoption of earlier business hours would be of great advantage to the community, the provisions of the Daylight Saving Bill would create confusion, especially in regard to agriculture and the railways. OPINIONS OF ASTRONOMERS. The object of the Daylight-Saving Bill was to promote the earlier use of daylight, in certain months yearly by putting forward the clocks 20 minutes on four successive Sundays in April, and by reversing the process on the four Sundays in September. Some astronomers have not taken kindly to the scheme. Giving evidence before the Select Committee, Sir Robert Ball, late Astronomer-Royal for Ireland, and well known lecturer on astronomy, said "that in his opinion Mr. Willett's scheme was a most admirable attempt to deal with the disability under which we laboured, on account of our latitude, as compared with other countries of lower latitude. Mr. Willett's scheme would give us an additional amount of sunlight during the summer. So far as the scientific part of the question was concerned, certain little difficulties made themselves apparent, such as the dislocation of time. But he certainly saw no reason why these little difficulties should not be overcome." The Chairman (Sir Edward Sassoon) : Do you approve the permanent alteration of the clock by one hour? That would be no use at all. Mr. Holt: Don't you think there is too much daylight ? Well, as an astronomer, I think daylight is a mistake altogether.(Loud laughter.) Sir David Gill, late Astronomer-Royal of Capetown, said he should like to give a plain confession of opinion with regard to this matter. The great question before them first of all was whether people were to be cheated into getting up earlier in the morning, or were they to get up at an earlier hour honestly. (Laughter.) He had had some experience of shifting the clock in Cape Colony. Despite the fact that the utmost care and the utmost publicity was given to the scheme, the result was dire confusion. He was against any alteration of the clock, and he regarded Mr. Willett's proposal as essentially a "wild cat scheme." (Laughter.) "The Bill is not worth a pinch of snuff!" he added. ~..'■'■