The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-26
A VITAL QUESTION.
What Time Shall Savannah Have2-A
Kick Against the Change.


Editor Morning Ne,Os: Shall we gain
time or lose it, Shall we make the most of
the daylight by an early start, or throw it
away by late onel This is one of the most
important questions to the future prosperi-
ty of the city that this generation has eyer
been called on to settle.
The system of standard time devised by
the railroads is an excellenJ one, and has
been generally adopted throughout the
United State. Savannah has so far, with
the exception of u brief period, declined to
conform TO the standard, because the rail
roads desire to deprive her of the fast east
eTn time to which she is entitled, and com
pei her to accept the slow time of New Or
leans.
The Eastern district of the standard sYs-
tenn takes its time from the 75' meridian,
which runs near Philadelphia, and the CEN
trail district from the 90 meridian, which
passes through New Orleans. The dividing
line between these districts is the meridian
of 80 30. In Georgia this line lies west of
Waycross, over 100 miles from Savannah.
This city is therefore 200 miles and twelve
minutes of time nearer to the IS meridian
than to the 90 This IS demonstrated by
the fact that our clocks must be put back So
minutes to conform to central, bu. only "a
minutes ahead to conform to eastern time
Savannah is therefore clearly entitled to
eastern time
The City Council has just adopted central
standard time. This will now, as it did
before, result in great inconvenience and
| actual loss. Time and custom will never
entirely remove the damaging effect of a
retrOgrade movement of our standard
From time immemorial nearly every kind
| of labor begins at o'clock. When this
| hour is put back thirty six minutes il will be
~. 4
| and servants to come at the right time
| They will still insist upon z as marked by
the clocks, and the sun will set on its own
| time, regardless of railroad standards and
city ordinances. Thus the thirty-Sx min
utes will be irrevocably lost from the days
work. But it is not only the loss of thirty
six minutes-there is the demoralizing effect
of a late start in the morning. This dis
heartens the laborer, and makes the work
drag throughout the entire day.
Now ali this inconvenience and loss can
| be obviated If the City Council will adopt
| Eastern time, to which Savannah is Justly
| entitled. This will change our clocks only
twenty-four minutes, and what is better, in
! the right direction. Charleston, our near
neighbor, only four minutes east of us, set
| her clocks ahead twenty minutes, ami every
| body is satisfied. Why should we have this
| slow. procrastinating time forced upon us
| An Alderman has well said: ave are slow
enough now, without setting our clocks
| thirty six minutes back
Savannah's most important mail and tele-
| graphic communications are with the great
! cities of the North and East. Are we for
| ever TO be an hour behind them. Let the
city authorities give us the time of New
| York, Washington and our sister city of
| Charleston, and the public will gladly ac-
| cept the "A minutes advance.
But the railroads say that most of their
connections are westword, and, therefore, il
is more convenient for them to have the
slower time. II they must and will run
their trains by this standard let them do so
| but let their schedules of arrivals and de-
partures be published in Eastern time. No
citizen need then concern himself about
! central time till he is off on train Let us
! try the Eastern time. Perhaps the roads
will see their way to conform and if they do
| not, the difference will be clear hour and
not thirty six minutes. The backward move
ment was fairly tried, and became more un-
satisfactory and irritating every day it
| lasted
II this Council persists in putting us back
ward let US see to it that the next Board of
Aldermen shall be freed from the retro
| grade element. ENTERPRISE.