§78 Transactions. — Chemistry and Physics. 



in a social community, we are unable to separate ourselves 

 from the habits of those around us. We cannot individually 

 alter our times of going to bed or getting up, but must fall in 

 with the habits of the majority — at all events, to a great 

 extent. Again, under the present arrangement, those who 

 desire to utilise the early-morning daylight are compelled to 

 take some of their recreation before their daily work and 

 some afterwards, which in many cases results in their having 

 to forego pursuits that they would be enabled to follow suc- 

 cessfully if their daylight leisure were continuous. 



" At present it may be said that people on an average rise 

 at about 7 a.m., and retire to rest at about 11 p.m. Under 

 the new summer regime those would become equal to 5 a.m. 

 and 9 p.m. of present time respectively. Breakfast is usually 

 taken at about 8 a.m., which, under the proposed system, 

 would become equal to 6 a.m. Work begins in most cases 

 at 8 or 9 o'clock in the morning, equal to 6 or 7 o'clock re- 

 spectively. Dinner, again, is taken at 12 or 1, and would 

 become equal to 10 or 11, and while, at present, work is not 

 ended until 5 or 6 p.m., leaving at the most but three hours 

 of daylight, under the proposed system it would cease at a 

 time equal to 3 or 4 p.m., leaving five hours daylight at the 

 end of the day, the average bed-time becoming, as before 

 stated, equal to 9 p.m. 



" The system we now employ has probably been adopted 

 as a convenient one in the winter, and carried on during the 

 summer, when it ceases to have application. With regard to 

 the inconvenience of altering the time twice a year, it does 

 not appear that it would bear any proportion to the advan- 

 tages gained. The community would certainly be deprived 

 of two hours' sleep on the night of the 30th September in 

 each year, and probably a certain amount of inconvenience 

 would be experienced in altering all the clocks for the fol- 

 lowing day. The same would apply in a lesser degree on the 

 28th February, when there would be an additional two hours' 

 night, but people would, no doubt, soon become accustomed 

 to the periodical adjustments. On ship-board, when travelling 

 east or west, constant and extensive alterations of time have 

 to be made, and but little inconvenience is experienced by 

 those concerned. The alteration of time in the transmission 

 of telegrams to and from foreign countries may possibly be 

 urged as an objection, but to this it may be answered that 

 equally extensive alterations have to be made already. 



" In favour of the scheme, special attention is directed to 

 the saving of expense in the lessened employment of artificial 

 light ; the greatly increased health and enjoyment to the 

 numerous classes who are obliged to work indoors all day, 

 and who, under existing arrangements, get a minimum of fresh 



