Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-01-26
STICK TO STANDARD

hluSl Is pOuHu u lOIoW IL duoplou VI a. hS S'
ing in some municipalities while the nation as a whole is run
on the regular standard time is sustained by Weather Fore
caster James H. scarr, of New York. who declares that the
daylight saving law passed by the New York City Govern
ment sometime ago will have the effect of causing many mix
ups, not only as concerns the work of his bureau, but as re-
CARDS mails and railroad schedule.
In an interview published in the Evening Sun q day or two
ago, Mr.. Scarf points out that his office is under supervision
o. the federal government and as such would not be COM
PEELED to observe the new city time rules. He called attention
also to the fact that as his office works in conjunction with
hundreds of other weather bureaus throughout the country
1t might not be feasible to work on a different time schedule.
"The new law made by the city government to save day
light goes into effect on the last Sunday in March, y said
Mr. Scarr. "As was the case with the war time daylight saw
ing act, clocks at that time will be set forward one hour.
''When this is done all federal institutions in New York
including the Weather Bureau, will find themselves run
ming on a different time schedule from that Of the city. You
can imagine how confusing and serious such a mixup might
become. If the post office, Tor instance, should run ON the
federal standard of time and railroads use the city time you
can imagine what would happen to the mails.
II do not see how it will be practicable to use a different
standard of time in New York from that of the rest of the
country. 1t can only have embarrassing results. 1t should be
the whole country or nothing.
AS far as the Weather Bureau Is concerned 1t will be a
serious thing for the various exchanges In the city. Every
business day we send a detailed weather report to the Cotton
and Produce Exchange, which Is quite important to the mem
bers and to business in general.
az, we continue to operate on federal time and the ex-
changes open on city time our reports will not be ready until
an hour after the exchanges open. I am sure this is q point
which will cause some dissatisfaction among brokers and bust
ness men.
SIN another way it will inconvenience us. We send out
about 10000 weather reports by mail every day and the new
standard Of city time would probably prevent our making the
mails with these numerous reports. There is no use doing the
work unless we can get our reports circulated.
"Of course, there may be adjustment of all these things, but
1t seems to me the city daylight saving law will be a source of
untold trouble"
If there is any one thing that the whole nation should have in
common it is q standard time. State laws and regulations are
confusing enough without fixing a different time every time a
border is crossed, or worse still, with every town and city that
Is entered.
In the days before prohibition when local option was all the
rage, it will be remembered that railroads found it extremely
difficult to keep up with the different rules. During one part
of the run it was lawful to sell liquors in the dining car and
then a little farther on it was unlawful and then lawful again,
according TO what state the train was running In. Likewise,
for a part o: the run q certain number of men were needed for
the train crew and then they were not needed, according to the
rulings of the various utility commissions in the different
states. Drinking cups were permissible on trains in some
states and before the run was completed it would be necessary
to collect all the cups and hide them until another state border
had been crossed, and so on.
Now, to add to all this, an attempt is being made to have a
free for ALL timetable" Every little burg Is arranging TO
pass ordinances TO fix a time all its own according to what is
beie~ad to be the wishes of a majority of the people of that
particular place. OF course, those places where the com
muters are more numerous will try to keep pace with the city
in which the commuters work. On the other hand, places
where the farmers WELD the most influence will have a different
time that suits them best.
1t is going to be one grand mixed up mess and as far as we
can see nobody is going to be benefited. AS much as we believe
in saving AN hour of>dayight in summer, we believe first Of
all that the nation should stick to one standard time no mat
ter what it is.
AS a matter of fact, why should those who desire to start an
hour earlier in the summer have to fool themselves by setting
the clock ahead in order to accomplish their purpose p If GER
tain cities desire to begin an hour earlier in the morning during
the summer months and quit an hour earlier in the afternoon.
why do they not do just that very thing and let the time con-
tinue just as it isl If you have been in the habit of getting
down to the Office at 8 o'clock i'll the morning and leaving at
4 o'clock, why not, beginning with the first of April, go to
the office at 8 o'clock and quit at 3 1t amounts to the same thing
as setting the clock an hour ahead.
Instead OF blowing the factory whistle at Z o'clock, blow it
at e O'Clock, and then have the quitting hour at 4 o'clock in
stead OF at 5. Any city that desires to save the hour in summer
can easily get the various industries to agree to this, the banks
would open at 8 o'clock instead of at 9 and all business would
be regulated accordingly. In New York the stock EXCHANGE