SAMOA’S TIME.

Wairarapa Age, 8 March 1922, Page 4

SAMOA’S TIME.

The Admiralty and the Colonial Office the New Zealand Government and the American Government, Greenwich Observatory and many more institutions, are still perturbed over the time which is to be observed in the New Zealand territory of Western Samoa. For general convenience scientists have drawn on the map, somewhere in the vicinity of 180 E, or 180W, whichever it is called,Ban imaginary line which maiks the/ transition from one day into the one before or the one after, according to the direction in which a ship is sailing. If the calendar is not adjusted somewhere on the voyage ships would arrive on Saturday to find people going to church on Sunday morning, or they would arrive expecting to hear the Sunday chur h bells ringing and would hear instead , business people pulling down their ’ shutters and children going to school ; on Monday morning. The date line runs between Samoa and New Zealand, and consequently wireless messages sent off from New Zealand dur ing the working week reach Samoa in r the calm of Sunday, and vice vdrsa. It is extremely awkward that there should be a day’s difference between the Dominion and the territory which ’ she is doing her best to govern. Most ’ of the people concerned are willing J enough to move the date line a little so that New Zealand and Samoa will observe the same day. But here is an- ; cdher trouble. Eastern Samoa, which is in American hands, and is in sight { of Western Samoa, refuses sternly to . make the change; for by so doing the > United States would observe a differI ent day from its dependency in 3 Samoa. As Samoa is so closely united . it is out of the question that it shou’d be Sunday in Tutuila while it is Satu:- . day or Monday in Upolu. Can anyone ! suggest how the problem is to be solved®