46 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [jAN. 4, 



letters were read upon the same topic from Count Hesse-Wartegg, 

 Dr. Robert Schramm, of Vienna, and Mr. Allen. 



From the latter the following communication was obtained: — 



We are informed by Prof. Pasquier, of the Univ'ersity of Louvain, 

 that M. Vandenpeereboom, Minister of the De]iartment of Railway, 

 Postal and Telegraph Lines of Belgium, has decided to introduce 

 the use of the Standard Time of the Greenwich Meridian on May 

 1, 1892, in all services in his department. He also recommends its 

 adoption by the other departments in their relations to the public. 

 This is a great step in advance toward the unification of time 

 throughout all the world. 



The situation in other countries, as briefl}' set forth by Prof. 

 Pasquier, has been published in the " Anuales de la Soci^ie Scien- 

 tifique," of Brussels, from which we extract the following: — 



In Holland the government has authorized the use of Standard 

 Time of the Green wich Meridian for the operation of railways 

 from May 1, 1892, the same date as for Belgium. On the time 

 tables for the use of the public, for the present, local time will be 

 used. 



In Prussia "Middle European Time," one hour faster than 

 Greenwich time, was adopted on June 1, 1891, for employes' time- 

 tables. At the meeting of the German Railway Union, held last 

 year, the Prussian delegates opposed the adoption of this standard 

 for public time-tables, but they have now themselves proposed its 

 adoption for the use of the public also. A speech made by Field- 

 Marshal Von Moltke in the Reichstag shortly before his death 

 appears to have been a moving cause of this change of opinion. 

 At the meeting of the "Union" in July, 1892, the general adoption 

 of Standard Time for all railway tim-etal)les in Germany is likely 

 to be accomplished, and its use in civil life will proba1)ly follow. 



The governments of the South German States (Bavaria, Wur- 

 temberg, and Baden) have decided to adopt the " Middle European 

 Time" for all railway time-tables on April 1, 1892. Its introduc- 

 tion in Alsace-Lorraine will be effected on the same date. ' 



Since October 1, 1891, the same standard time has been in use in 

 all railway, postal, and telegraph service in Austria-Hungary, and 

 many Austrian cities have also adopted it. Dr. Peez, a member of 

 the Chamber, presented, at the meeting of May 11, 1891, in the 

 name of twenty-nine of his colleagues, a petition asking legislation 

 authorizing the extension of the use of the new time for civil life 

 throughout the entire empire. 



It appears quite probable that by the winter of 1892, or not later 

 than the summer of 1893, the unification of time in all the countries 

 mentioned, on the same principle of standard time now in use in 

 this country, will have been completed. 



