[cotsworïh] the need of a " rational almanac " 219 



The difference between the 38 days of February and 31 days in 

 January and March, approximates 11 per cent, and renders accurate 

 comparisons impracticable, whilst fair adjustments can only be approxi- 

 mated after elaborate calculations are made. Similar difficulties arise 

 from the disparities between the other months of the year. They cannot 

 be truly compared either with each other, nor with the corresponding 

 anonths in the preceding years, because their week-day earning times 

 are different. Those differences are developing serious drawbacks in 

 all kinds of statistical work and investigation dependent thereon, such 

 as the growing need for the exact ascertainment of the costs of produc- 

 tion per ton or per article, the costs of transportation required by rail- 

 way, canal and shipping companies, coal, iron, and other mining com- 

 panies, and manufacturers generally. Banks, insurance companies, 

 medical, city, and government authorities, need more precise comparisons 

 for records of immigration, births, deaths, etc., best obtained each four 

 weeks. 



To meet the growing need for accurately apportioning costs of 

 production and comparison, the practice of sub-dividing salaries, wages, 

 etc.. into the varying monthly payments proportionate to the number of 

 working days in each month, has rapidly spread through the United 

 States, " because it pays," and for that reason vitally affecting com- 

 petition, tends to spread through Canada and the world's manufacturing 

 countries, entailing many millions of waste calculations and much incon- 

 Tenience, all of which will have to be endured under more intensely 

 developing conditions, unless our months are adjusted in the near future 

 to meet the controlling needs of commerce for monthly accounts com- 

 mensurate with the working week. Neither months of 30 nor 31 days 

 can overcome the inherent difficulty of fitting the inevitable week of 

 seven days into any other month than that of the simple 28 days 

 to adequately meet public convemence, which must dominate all other 

 considerations. 



Existing Anomalies and Inconveniences. 

 The defects of unequal months changing week-day names for dates 

 trouble everybody. Think of the numher of times we want to know 

 what day of the week and month it is, or will be on future dates, the 

 intervals between which are so complicated to calculate by our irregular 

 months. When the Csesars fixed those months that difficulty was 

 scarcely felt, references were few, and they had neither the week nor 

 Sundays changes day names in the months ; but now the weekly Sunday's 

 rest from business has developed special duties and recurring engage- 

 ments for particular week days and weekly payments needing better 

 almanac facilities for reference than sufficed when nearly all days were 

 equally available for every purpose, as with the Eed Indians. 



