The Hawaiian gazette., 1896-01-10
WHAT'S THE TIME, PLEASEs

time standard, which, though
slight in itself, has much import
ance from the fact that it is practi
cally the establishment of uni
form standard for the whole group
which has been adopted by tn
advice of the Government Survey
As is well known, many civilized
countries, notably England ant
the United States, have adopted
uniform standards of time for area.
as extensive as can be made con
venient in practice. Greenwich
time is the standard for the British
isles, being given by telegraph
throughout the United Kingdom
The United States and Canada are
divided into meridional zones, OF
time belts, of one hour, or fifteen
degrees of longitude in width, the
standard times on each being
known respectively as Eastern time
five hours behind Greenwich }, Cen
trail time (six hours behind Green
wich), Rocky Mountain time (seven
hours behind Greenwich), and Pa
cific time, which is eight hours
slow of Greenwich. Hawaiian
standard time will be ten ard one
half hours slow of Greenwich. The
half hour is chosen for the reason
that the Hawaiian group, while
limited in area, is almost centrally
on the line between the ten-hour
and eleven-hour belt, and the in
convenience of wide difference be-
tween standard and local time is
thus avoided. After this point had
been decided, which was done some
years since, it was found that our
New Zealand neighbors had follow
ed the same method, New Zealand
time being II hours 80 minutes
time east, or fast, of Greenwich.
This change was thought of some
years ago, but the failure of the
inter-island cable to materialize
induced its postponement. Now,
however, since the United States
Coast Geodetic Survey has adopted
" Hawaiian standard +" in its tide
tables (for the worldly for 1896, it
is deemed best to Immediately put
this measure into practice.
The meridian adopted, 157 deg.
30 min, is not far from central to
he group. The Kauai people will
be expected to set their local time
ahead s minutes and Niihau 10
minutes the Maui people will set
back local time on an average four
minutes. The Hilo people, if they
all into line, will set back ten
minutes, and Kona from Z to s
minutes.
In Honolulu, local time pieces,
unning accurately, will be found
IN Monday noon to be l minute
md 26 seconds slow, and must be
ct ahead that amount. The change
viii however hardly be noticed.
The Greenwich time whistle will
ound at the same absolute time rs
,efore, /. e. at London midnight,
tut will indicate exactly 1:30 of
standard Time, instead of 1:2S:34
S at present.
1t is recommended that the pur-
ers of different steamers carry cor
ect time to the various ports and
communicate to local officials, a
hing which is doubtless already /,
one to a greater or less extent.
his will help to bring about
Uniformity till such time as the
nter-island cable shall become
act. 1t may be remarked that
ime signals can be sent through
be telephone wires with perfect
ceuracy by means of light taps on
be box telephone with the blunt
nd of a pencil or some similar OBJ I
,ct. This method is always used l
n conveying time comparisons
,om the Survey Office to the ships {
war in port for rating chrome '
leters, as well as to the local I
,wellers.
Tables of sunrise, etc., must from I
ne nature of the case be continued q