SUMMER TIME BILL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXI, Issue 19033, 10 June 1924, Page 9

SUMMER TIME BILL

AMUSING DEBATE ATTEMPT AT UNIFORMITY. AN APPEAL FOR THE COWS LONDON, April 17.Daring the debate on the Summer Time Bill, members of the House of Commons had ample opportunity of displaying their capabilities as humorists. Indeed, it is recorded that laughter was raised on forty occasions, and twelve of those outbursts of merriment had their origin in the cow. The main object of the Bill was the permanent establishment of a six months period of summer time, from the first Sunday in April to the first Sunday in October. Summer time, by the way, has begun this week, and it came in to the accompaniment of snow and ice and winds that blew from the Arctie. Sir Kingsley Wood, who moved the second reading of the Bill, said he regretted it was not possible to introduce a Bill bringing summer to us when we wanted it. In the course of his speech he also mentioned that the British Medical Association, and, in fact, all medical authorities, were unanimously in favour of the proposal, on the ground that it would do a great deal for the health of the community, including the children. A letter of objection had come from the Theatrical Managers ’ Association. It was that association who objected to the British Empire Exhibition being open after half-past seven p.m. While there might be some difficulties in the matter of theatre attendance, that point ought not to outweigh the undoubted benefit of these proposals. Several letters took exception to the Bill on the grounds that it was a direct attack on Providence and that its provisions interfered with the phrases in the Book of Genesis on this particular matter. One lady considered that the measure attacked the religious life of the community.

A SORT OF JOSHUA. Someone mentioned that there were parts of the country where this was taken very seriously, and where they still went by “ God’s style,” instead of by “Man’s ” “I know,” said Sir Kingsley Wood, “and that is why I am anxious that no one should think I am standing as a sort of Joshua, saying: ‘Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.’ ” Mr H. Henderson considered that the measure would benefit all sections of the community. As to the argument that children would not go to sleep while it was light, he had found it not very easy to go to sleep in the dark, of which he had been afraid. Some one had asked why Parliament wished to penalise the followers of nocturnal pursuits at the expense of those who liked the avocations of the day. It would, perhaps, affect more especially the slaves of Cupid, since the spirit of romance apparently came in at sunset and departed at sunrise. Not that he had had much experience. He admitted that the habits of the agricultural community would largely have to be altered, but surely the cow was open to moral persuasion. The measure would prevent overlapping in time with France and Belgium. FOOLING THE SUN.

Mr Gravan Duffy, Socialist member for Whitehaven, said members had come down that day in a snowstorm in order to fool the sun. .The next best thing they could do was to start fooling with the clocks. The position reminded him of an old Irish colonel in India who had a native servant whose long name he could not pronounce. Finally, to get over the difficulty, he sprinkled some water over the servant and said, “Now, your name is Mick, and you eat no meat on Friday/’ On a subsequent Friday he met his servant with a big lump of meat. He scowled at him, and, being called on to explain, the native said: “Me no eat meat, colonel. Me dip it in pond and call it fish.” We had nine months of cold weather and three months of winter. Summer time had been destructive of family life in many of our towns and villages. Children roamed the streets in the evenings, and the parents could not get them in. The result was that before the children had been long at school in the morning they fell fast asleep and were incapable of deriving advantage from the tuition.

RIDING CHERUBICALLY IN THE CLOUDS. Sir C. Mansel said that Sir Kingsley Wood, not content; with presiding like Bellona over the clash of war, was now snatching the reins of the chariot of the sun from Phoebus himself. He appealed to the House on behalf of the cows. Most members had suffered those animals to enter into a quasi-parental relation with themselves, and the time had come now for members to perform some of their quasi-filial duties. Sir Kingsley had disclaimed being a follower of Joshua. He hesitated to recall to him the case of Hezekiah, who only turned his attention to the almanac on his deathbed. He (Sir K. Wood) wished that sundials throughout the land should testify to his might and majesty. He did not hesitate to place himself third on a list of illustrious names, Julius Caesar, Pope Gregory, and Sir Kingsley Wood. He hoped the House would not deprive Sir Kingsley from riding cherubically in the clouds and directing the motions of the heavenly bodies. PLEA FOR THE FARMER The Duchess of Atholl thought the amendment did not go far enough for the Scottish agricultural interest. The farmers of Scotland desired to see summer time restricted to the four months of May, June, July, and August. There was a child’s poem written by R. L. Stevenson, which seemed to condemn the system: “In winter I get up at night, And dress by yellow candle light. In summer, quite the other way, I have to go to bed by day.” The Bill condemned the farmer and farm workers and the miner to the system about which the child was sup-

posed to have written. Agriculturists were entitled to have their views considered in this matter. It was a question of climate which had to be considered. It was desirable to come to an agreement with other countries, but the first business of a Government was to consider the interests of its own people in a matter so vital to the welfare of the country as agriculture. Neither resolutions of a Mansion House meeting, however influential, nor legislation could alter our climate one jot or tittle. The interests of agriculturists deserved the most careful and considered attention.

Dr. W. Chapple, although not in favour of prolonging summer time, was prepared to support the Bill in the hope that when before the committee the time might be contracted to a minimum.

UNIFORMITY IN FOUR COUNTRIES.

Mr Rhys Davies (Under-Secretary, Home Office), speaking for the Government, said he recognised the difficulties which confronted various interests in this matter, especially agriculturists and coalminers, but he was convinced that there was preponderating opinion not only in favour of summer time itself but of making it permanent. It was open to local education authorities in rural districts to alter school hours to meet the inconveniences complained of. The Post Office, Admiralty, and Air Ministry had made representations to the Home Office because of the difference in times between ourselves and Continental countries. A conference was held this year between representatives of Great Britain, France, Belgium, and Holland, and an agreement was reached which tallied with the provisions of this Bill. That constituted almost the strongest reason why the Government felt it was desirable that the Bill should be read a second time, and thus bring about uniformity in the observance of summer time in the four countries.

A majority of forty voted in favour of the Bill being read a second time.