1882. 89 Trans. N. VY. Ac. Sct. 
The section of country situated 7% degrees on either side of a stand- 
ard meridian would adopt the time of that meridian. The greatest dif- 
ference necessary between the Zvwe local time of a place and the stand- 
ard meridian would be thirty minutes. These sections of country in 
this latitude would be about 790 miles wide; at the equator about 1,040 
miles wide. As we pass from section to section the time would change 
by whole hours, the the minute and second remaining the same over 
the whole country. 
As a step in advance, it has been proposed that the ra Jroad and tele- 
graph companies adopt the 90° or 6-hour meridian from Greenwich, 
(running down the Mississippi Valley and passing through New Or- 
leans) as their standard meridian for the whole country. This time it 
was proposed,to call “Railroad and Telegraph Time.” 
n the same way it has been proposed to use the meridian through 
Washington. The meridian through New Orleans being more nearly 
a central bisecting line for the United States, and being exactly 6 hours 
from Greenwich, would appear to be the one best suited to the object 
in view. 
Some parties have gone so far as to urge the adoption of one line 
meridian by the people generally. I can see no objection to the rail- 
road and telegraph companies using the 6-hour meridian, provided the 
relation of the “R. & T.” time to the adopted local time at any place is 
thoroughly understood. It is, however, too early to urge the accept- 
ance of one meridian on the whole people. If we should adopt the 6- 
hour meridian as the standard for all local times, business and social 
engagements would begin at widely different times in different sections 
of the country. Banks would open in New York City, Boston, etc., at 
9 o'clock, theatres would begin their performance at 7 P. M. In St. 
Louis, Chicago, etc., these same openings would occur at 10 A. M. and 
8 P. M. InSan Francisco the time would be 12 o’clock for bank, and 
1o o'clock for theatre openings ; and in like manner tor other business 
and social engagements. 
But all the systems so far spoken of are but steps toward the 
adoption of a uniform standard for the whole earth. 
This international system was proposed independently by Hon. 
Sandford Fleming, Chancellor of Queen’s University at Toronto,and 
by Prof. Cleveland Abbe of the U. S. Signal Service. 
The proposed system is plainly outlined in the following 
PREAMBLE AND RESOLUTION submitted to the Association for the 
Reform and Codification of the Law of Nations, at their meeting in 
August, 1881, at Cologne, in Rhine-Prussia, by President F. A, P. 
Barnard of Columbia College. 
