212 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



months, which never can, under the existing almanac, both begin and 

 end with the week. They always have, at least, one fraction of a week 

 beyond four weeks, and in nine or ten months out of the twelve there 

 are tw'o portions of weeks to be computed. 



Those shifting factors so confuse our ideas of a month that few 

 persons can mentally gauge the month, which, beyond the weeks, is the 

 most used unit of time we are constantly needing. The reason is 

 that the months are unequal and their dates persistently changing their 

 week-day names; whereas, if the "model month" were adopted, the 

 respective week-days would never deviate from the four fixed dates 

 therein assigned to them. Then we could instantly call to mind the 

 identity of both week-day names and dates for any day in the year, 

 and forgetful people could be sure of the current day of the week and 

 date when it would be so easily shown by a pointer on our watches when 

 Sundays are lettered at the quarter-hour points, and the six week-days 

 in each quarter. 



This subject in its practical bearing upon trade, and industrial 

 life and general convenience has engaged my attention during twenty- 

 four years. That accounts for my having been requested to bring the 

 question before you. 



Origin of the Suggested Keform. 



The world-wide need for refomi of the almanac has yearly engrossed 

 me the more its everyday value to us all was ascertained by investigation, 

 travel, discussion, and correspondence during the exceptional oppor- 

 tunities provided by professional work on both sides of the Atlantic, 

 in expert business methods to avoid waste labour. 



The waste directly caused by our unequal months was evidenced 

 €arly during my twenty-five years of statistical work, abstracting the 

 weekly, monthly and yearly earnings, etc., for the railway company 

 carrying the largest tonnage in the world, who are also the largest dock 

 owners in the world. 



In non-leap-years all the twenty-eight days of February, being 

 repeated during the first twenty-eight days of March, with the same 

 week-day names to the respective dates, made all statistical comparisons 

 easy and exact between these two periods, but then only. The régulai 

 weekly sailings of the continental and coasting steamers fitted both 

 periods in the current and preceding non-leap-years. 



Everything in earnings and expenditure was on the same time 

 basis, as, although the preceding year began a day earlier in the week, 

 there were four constant periods of four weeks each. That enabled 



