DAYLIGHT SAVING

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 419, 30 July 1928, Page 13

DAYLIGHT SAVING

COMPLICATED SCHEME “LOCAL OPTION” NOT FAVOURED The executive of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce received a letter from a member suggesting that, in view of the defeat of the principle of daylight saving, a poll of members be taken as to whether they would be willing voluntarily to adopt the measure in their own businesses, in common with the rest of the chamber's members, thus achieving local daylight saving .on lines analogous to North America. As an alternative, it was suggested that perhaps sections of the members, wholesale and manufacturing, might adopt the plan, leaving other sections (retail, etc.) to observe standard time. Members of the executive who h;i«l had experience of local daylight saving in North America expressed themselves as entirely dissatisfied with its operation, owing to the confusion and inconvenience involved. They favoured daylight saving as a national principle, but could not support it as a local option. The secretary reported that he had ascertained the views of the Railway Department on the feasibility of a local option in daylight saving, and the reply had been entirely unfavourable. It would necessitate the running of all country trains on normal timings, and all suburban trains an hour earlier than at present. If Auckland did not adopt it as a whole, but only in certain sections of business, the matter would not be so simple as this, since suburban trains would be required not only at the present times, but also an hour earlier during rush hours than the earliest of the present rush hour services. On single lines difficulties would also arise because long distance passenger trains are now as far as possible planned so as not to clash with the heaviest periods of suburban traffic, but this ideal could no longer be realised if all longdistance trains ran as at present, while suburban trains were put forward by an hour. In the case of trains which worked both country and suburban traffic, such as that due from Mercer at 8.48 a.m.. and that due from Helensville at 8.55, the plan suggested would involve insuperable difficulties from the departmental point of view. “Further difficulties are obvious.” said Dr. E. P. Nestle, secretary of the chamber. “Many of the Arbitration Court awards, for instance, prohibit work before certain hours, or else permit it only under heavily-penal conditions. Before the industries concerned could adopt local daylight saving legislation to meet this point would be necessary which would probably prove much more complicated and provocative of difficulties than the nowdefeated measure of Mr. Sidey's. “This is a point apparently entirely overlooked by the country politicians who talk so Tglibly of the city interests taking steps to adopt the idea voluntarily. Voluntary departure by city interests from standard time has yet to be proved to present fewer difficulties than voluntary departure by farming communities from summer time.”