Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-03-25
A MONKEY WRENCH IN
THE NATIONS CLOCK
New York's payllsht.savIng lesis-
lature and the Problem II Gre
ated for PHILADELPHIA

- banks, the theatres, the business or
CARNATIONS and the whole general rou-
tine of existence in the state of New
York will be an hour ahead Of the rest
of the country.
Unlike Congress, the Legislature at
Albany refused to be bossed by the
| farmers. 1t refused to infliCt on cities
condition of government which hap
pens to be of advantage in agricultural
areas exclusively. The effort to repeal
the daylight saving law failed. Few
people even in New York thought it
would fail. The state was preparing to
90 along on the conventional time sched-
ule without the long day that frightened
! life for the people in American cities
during the war period.
Congress had withdrawn the one good
thing that the war left in its wake.
Most of the states followed rhe example
of Washington. There seemed nothing
else to do. But the New York Legisla
ture turned in sudden irritation and said
that the daylight law must stay.
The vote was close, but ,he thing is
done.
The general result ought to be divert
ing and picturesque. The New York
Stock Exchange would have begun its
toll and thrown down its tools an hour
earlier than the stock exchange in this
city If the local exchange officials had
not hurriedly arranged today to estab-
| lish 0 to . schedule. Bankers in
Manhattan will be at their labors an
hour before banks in Philadelphia are
opened for business. They will be
a flivving in the green country or star
ing into lemonade at the golf clubs while
the brethren elsewhere are still wearily
balancing their books.
What the railroads will do it is not
easy to say. At the moment most of
them are praying for guidance in their
matchless dilemma. The hard, grim
and immediate fact is that there may
be an hour in the morning and an hour
In the afternoon when the banks in
Philadelphia and in New York as we'll
as uSuotS " IL UN "
communicate or transact business.
The wires, the railways and the mail
system knit all sections of the country
into a closely CO ordinated whole, and
! disocation in one quarter is sure 10
| be felt disastrously in every part of the
sensitive fabric.
II is needless to say hat the day
! light saving law was a wise and benef =
cent thing and that it should have been
retained by act of Congress. But since
Congress preferred to do the wrong
thing there was little that states or com
munities could do for themselves. AnC
il remains to be seen whether New
York acted wisely in bucking the traffic
If quick readjustments aren't made il
the working schedule of this and othel
cities, life here and elsewhere will be {
difficult and confusing business before
we are many weeks older.
The farmers of tht country, when they
were fighting the daylight saving law il
, Congress, offered some valid objections
that are not always clearly understood
by those who know nothing of the tech
nique Of farming. They had to consider
perishable crops and the disasters tha
may attend so gentle thing as dew il
il is permitted to have its way with
newly harvested and unsheltered grain
Animals will not change their habits il
obedience to an act of Congress, mol
will the processes of nature change a
the suggestion of the Senate.
The farmers could never understand
why people in the cities shouldn'
arrange their working days to suit them
selves and save their daylight withou
changing the laws Of the land.
This question was often flung ou
angrily on the floor Of the House.
1t has recently been answered in Phil
delphia.
The people needed the word of Con
gress to advance working hours, be
cause people like to drift and almos
invariably drift when there is no wore
of authority TO guide them.
There is no earthly reason why tn,
business day in American communities
should not be between O'Clock and :
instead of between q 0 rk anG :. Blu
that reform would necessitate concerted
actlOQ Dy lOICts NJ pito'h UNIV bdulSt'
in the business world. 1t was suggested
when the daylight law was repealed b.
Congress that this simple eXpedient b.
adopted to restore the lUug summer day.
in cities.
Everybody admitted that the sugges
tion was good One-and then ceaseC
to think about il.
Now, however, If the whC.e system
Of commercial and financial intercours
between cities in Pennsylvania and New
York is not to be upset and confused
some one will have to ind a way to NEE
the peculiar situation created at Albany
Since the banks aud the stock ex
change and the big industrial establish
ments are Immediately conc2r. ed, the!
! ought to take the lead as propagandistr
for a rational system Of daylight savinI
that would enable I N to operate on 1
schedule similar to the one 'orced upoI
New York.
II would only be necessary to clip al
hour from the afternoon and add it t.
the morning.
A general meeting of business mel
and bankers to act in co. operation with
the Mayor and the Chamber OF Com.
merce ought to be called at once il
support of this plan.
Little more would be necessary
Where big business leads, little business
,yiII follow. Some changes in railwa,
schedules would be necessary. The,
s,ivht easily be made without any yio
s-.s--, okSsc r,llea Of congressional time