228 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VOL. 1. 



passage, with substantial unanimity, of a series of resolutions determin- 

 ing the principles upon which all the nations of the world may unite in 

 the adoption of a universal system of reckoning time. 



5. The important results of the Conference are the establishment of 

 (i) a prime meridian for reckoning longitude, (2) a zero for time reckon- 

 ing, and (3) a unit-measure of time to be common to the whole world. 



6. The prime meridian corresponds with the Greenwich meridian. 



7. The zero of time may be defined as the moment of mean solar pas- 

 sage on the anti-prime meridian. 



8. The unit-measure of time, designated the universal day, may be de- 

 fined as the interval between two successive mean solar passages on the 

 anti-prime meridian. 



9. The Conference determined that the hours of the Universal day shall 

 be counted in a single series from zero to 24. 



10. The Universal day, as defined by the Washington Conference, 

 begins and ends at the same moment as the civil day at Greenwich, 

 but it differs from the Greenwich civil day in respect to the numbering 

 of the hours. While the Universal day has a single set of hours num- 

 bered from o to 24, the Greenwich civil day is divided at noon into 

 halves, the half days before and after noon being subdivided into sepa- 

 rate sets of hours, each numbered from o to 12 and distinguished as 

 Ante-meridian and Post-meridian. Greenwich time is the local time so- 

 called of the meridian of Greenwich. Universal time, on the other hand, 

 is understood to be common to all localities, and the Universal day is 

 held to be the date of the world. 



11. Considerable progress has been made in the adoption of the prin- 

 ciples of universal time and the practical success which has attended the 

 application of these principles goes to show that the unification of reck- 

 oning by the several civilized nations can best be effected step by step. 



RECKONING BY HOUR MERIDIANS. 



12. The first important step is the adoption of the " Hour Zone 

 System," commonly designated in America " Standard Time." It may 

 be stated, that in the theory of Universal time the fundamental principle 

 is unity, it is held that there is not more than one time in the whole 

 Universe and that the idea of separate and distinct times in each 

 separate locality is incorrect. While the essential principle of Uni- 

 versal time is indisputable it cannot be denied that a perfectly uniform 

 notation of time throughout the entire globe comes into direct conflict 



