The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1899-01-29

Asia, or in the waters of the Asian or
Australian world, and the calendar date
and time of day should be January |, s
p. ~, for at that moment January |, p.
m, is the Asian or Australian date and
time all along the 1S0th meridian from
New York.
Let US see what fine pickle our friends
the Spaniards got into through their ig-
norance or indifference to the fact that
the date must he changed when one goes
into the Asian world. The Spaniards
Travelled west from Spanish America when
they seized and settled in the Philippines.
They brought their Spanish American
date along with them and stuck to 1t,
though far and wide around, in Eorneo.
Java China, and Japan, the Asian date
was maintained. 1t did't make much diff
ference to the Philippines for hundreds OF
years. Spain asked the islands for noth-
ing except taxes. They had no trade with
the neighboring Asian countries Their
only commerce was with Spanish Ameri-
ca; both had the same day and everybody
was satisfied. Early in this century how
ever. Spain lost every inch OF territory
she possessed on the American main and
and the Philippines had to look around
for other customers. There were the Por-
tugu,se at Macao, near Canton, the Dutch
all around and China near at hand. The
calendar day at Manila was twenty-Iuur
hours behind that OF every ether place in
Asia that wanted hemp and tobacco.
When it was Sunday in Ma
Mia it was workday in the
Portuguese and Dutch possessions. The
confusion and business embarrassment
were endured for about twenty years and
then Spain ended it all by one determined
effort. She struck December 81. 1874, out
90 10 nhnr
dawned finely and passed away smoothly;
and the next day was January /, 1915.
Spain extended the reformed date to the
! I.adrones and 1t was also adopted by a
number of other islands which had taken
| their calendar day and date from the ex-
! plorers who had discovered them: and
| thus it came about that the whole civilized
world gave its informal assent to the Date
| Line which is seen on our map ii TAKE
! q somewhat devious course through the
| Pacific.
| The scientific Date Line would, Of course
| be on the 1S0th meridian. But that line
| would not uniformly suit business or po
| ltical interests, and it is therefore made
to deviate from the line whenever there
is reason for such irregularity. We MAJ
call the line, as it appears on the map thu
Date Line of convenience. The Russian!
carried the Asian calendar day over int
!
day prevails. When Alaska became par
of the United States the Date Line wa
I pushed over to the west, so that Alask;
and the Aleutian Archipelago were east o
the line, and thus all our most western
| American possessions have the same cal
endar day as Porto Rico, our most cas-
| tern possession.
Then the line goes back to the 1906
meridian, which it follows far to tn
south, till it reaches the neighborhood O
the Fill Islands. Here the line deviate
to the east so as to include lot of isl
ands whose business relations are chief
with Australia and New Zealand in tn
domain of the Australian calendar day
Some maps run the line to the east O
Samoa, but the most authoritative map
leave that group east of the line. and wit
good reason. Samoa's relations wit
Australia and New Zealand are most in
significant She has to do chiefly with tn
United States. Great Britain and Germa
ny, and should have their calendar day.
This is the way the date is changed o.
the line. Suppose vessel crosses it fror
east to west on April 6. The followin
day is reckoned as April s. II the vesse
crosses the line from west to east the da
of the crossing is reckoned twice. II sh
crosses on April the following day is al
SO April 6. The date line is called by va
rious names. The Germans call it ''datur
wresched." or datum CREME" (change @
date or date boundary. In England W
hear it spoken of as THE Date Line.
THE International Date Line TIN
Change of Day Line etc In fact. the lin
has about as many names as. from tim
TO time, it has had courses through tn
!