152 DAYLIGHT SAVINO. 



I believe that there can be no valid objection to the adoption 

 of earlier hours in summer time, and this can be secured by a 

 Daylight Saving Order, although, for honesty's sake, I would 

 prefer to see it done by the adoption of one hour earlier in all 

 statute-fixed times, in railway and tramway time-tables, and in 

 Government, Municipal, Bank and Corporation office hours. 

 The public at large would then gladly adopt the earlier hours. 



One word of warning may be required — -we can alter our 

 clock hours, but we cannot alter the times of the tides, and unless 

 the " time," in which tides are predicted, is clearly set out, 

 mariners may be deceived. The proper course would l>e to give 

 all tide tables in Greenwich time, which is clearly defined and 

 understood by all mariners. 



These remarks will ap])ly to all scientific observations in 

 which the real time enters as one of the data. The British Act 

 exempts astronomy and navigation, and the British Meteoro- 

 logical Office has nistructed that all clocks used by observers 

 for regulating their duties should continue to be set according 

 to Greenwich time. In all the astronomical work done at the 

 Union Observatory since 1908, the time used is Greenwich 

 time. I would recommend all scientific workers to follow this 

 example because it is free from ambiguity, and is readily under- 

 stood everywhere. American astronomers frequently, but not 

 generally, quote their observations in Eastern, Middle, or 

 Pacific time, and these cannot be reduced to Greenwich time 

 without a reference to some authority, such as the Nautical 

 Almanac, which may not be at hand. 



It may be assumed that the general ]niblic will use more 

 and more conventional times, and even Standard Time is a con- 

 ventional time, so that it will become more and more necessary 

 for scientists and navigators to adopt one uniform time appli- 

 cable to the whole world, and that is Greenwich time. 



Lastly, if it is determined to make any time or clock- 

 change, it is to be hojjcd that the distinction of a.m. and p.m. 

 will be given up in favour of the consecutive numl)cring of the 

 hours from o h. to 24 h. 



In a country of long railway journeys such a course would 

 make the interpretation of time-tables much simpler. I have 

 frequently been asked what time 12 h. 25 m. ]).m. or a.m. is. A 

 recent film has the title 11.59 a.m., l)ut the picture shows that 

 11.59 p.m. is meant, and so on. These and similar confusions 

 and difficulties would be evaded by the simple and logical count- 

 ing of the 24 hours of the day as 24 hours, instead of making 

 two bites of the cherry. 



This is alread}' done in Belgium. Italy, and prol)al»l\- in other 

 countries, but I have not a complete list. 



June 12, 1916. 



