Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-05-28
Let's Keep the Daylight Hour
[From the New York SUM-

lFrom the New ork sun.
Anti-daylight saving legislation,
which was avoided in the closing
hours of the Sixty Fifth Congress
only by the failure of the agricul-
tural appropriation bill, has been
proposed again in Congress, and it
is asserted In Washington that it
has a good chance of success be-
cause the farmers favor it.
When the repeal of the daylight
saving law was proposed last win
ter, The Sun said that if setting the
clocks ahead in the springtime
worked a real hardship to the far
mers, their complaints were entitled
to respectful consideration. We re-
ceived a number of letters oil the
subject from farmers, some of whom
wanted to have the law erased from
the books, while others were indif-
ferent toward the proposal. None
of the contentious put forward by
dissatisfied farmers seemed of suffi-
cient weight to out-balance the great
benefits derived from the operation
of the law by millions of citizens,
and some were of trivial or fare
ical nature.
The principal objection of the far
mers to daylight saving as our cor
respondents set it forth, was that
farmers, who got up at daybreak
under the old standard time, were
compelled to rise an hour caller
when the clocks were set ahead in
order to be in time with train de-
partures, shop openings and the like,
but that they could not begin field
work an hour earlier than before
because conditions were not right
for it.
In answer to this it should be
pointed out that daylight saving is
not an enterprise of the United
States alone, but a worldwide re-
form which has never been aban-
doned by any country which adopted
lit. 1t was introduced in Germany
in 1916, to take effect on May 1, and
within three months twelve other
countries had adopted the practice.
Summer time" was put in effect in
Germany, Holland, Austria, Turkey,
England, France, Norway, Sweden,
Denmark, Italy, Switzerland, Spain
and Portugal. Nova Scotia intro
duced the practice on this continent.
At that time the production of food
was of prime importance in Europe,
and the experience of these coun-
tries was so satisfactory that in the
| following year the new time was
again adopted, France going so far
as to change the clocks on March
| "a in order to reap the full benefit
of it's adjustment. In 1917 Australia
and Iceland conformed to the new
practice.
We thus have the experience of a
number of countries, widely separ-
ated and affected by utterly differ
ent local conditions, to guide us, and
we have not heard from any of them
that farmers found it impossible, or
even difficult, to arrange their work
lin a. way to relieve them from real
hardships under daylight saving. 1t
would be strange indeed If IN the
limited States a different situation
should arise and the farmers should
find themselves seriously handicap
ned by circumstances which do not
mt a burden on farmers in other
countries.
/ The benefits derived from daylight
saving by persons not engaged IN
farming are positive and numerous
l Great sums of money are saved in
lighting bills. the coal saving being
} estimated at $40,000,000 year
lOfice and factory workers are en-
abled to get an evening hour fol
Ioutdoor exercise, garden making
snort. they would not otherwise en-
ioy. Opportunities for wholesome
recreation are increased, and no loss
or inconvenience is occasioned tc
anybody
Under all the circumstances 1t ap'
: pears to be the duty of Congress tc
: retain daylight saving on the ma
Itiohal statute books. Certainly the
: reports of the agricultural authori'
: ties of the States and the Nation dc
not indicate that the change in the
position of the hands on the dials Of
the clocks injured the farmers fin.
ancialIy, and it is not suggesting toe
: much to say that they should coop
crate with the rest of us. in perpetu
: ating what has proved to be grea
boon.