Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-01-08
Member of The Associated Press
-&29s
CONFUSION IN TIME

the daylight saving proposition. The
way things are going now it looks as
If We could have any old time We
want next Every town and
hamlet will be running on it's owr
schedule and the travelling man will
find his watch alternating between
being an hour fast and an hour slow
as he move from place to place, and
his one best guess will be his time
table.
Because New York City decides to
act up a time all her W Is no rea-
son why all the rest of the country
should be thrown into confusion.
New York does not regulate the
country. 1t is ridiculous to think
shat the great sovereign state of New
Jersey should be thrown out of time
with all the rest of states merely be-
cause Now York City has decided to
make herself the exception. New
Jersey is not q tail to New York's
kite. Let New York set her clocks
an hour ahead If she wants too, but
when she experiences the confusion
Of being an hour ahead of all the
rest of the country she will pretty
soon get back in line.
Is New York greater than Wash
ington that she should attempt to set
herself up as the standard of time
rather than the federal government
There are In use throughout the coun-
try q great many clocks regulated by
the United States standard time fixed
ton. These clocks are considered the
basis for correct time everywhere
Who can place any reliance In these
clocks If they are to BIO juggled about
and changed to suit the convenience
Of each separate community?
Either we are one great nation or
we are not. If there IS anything that
the whole nation should have in COM
mon it Is a standard time. This is
just as necessary as o common cur
rency. In the early day Of the re-
public each state and even some of
the larger cities had their own money.
This was legal tender In one state, but
worthless Immediately across the Dor
der In the next state. The people
soon realized the foolishness. not to
xroortfn, 4ha naopxrnnfo,aa - e,Io1 n
standard of value; the standard coin
as established by the federal govern
ment was found to be the only feasible
medium of exchange.
Now, when the nation is knit to-
gether more closely than over, q most
vicious experiment In establishing
city or state time without regard to
national standard time is proposed.
After we have floundered about in
the utmost confusion for a while we
will find that whether we like the
time or not, the place for regulating
the time OF the nation is at Washing
ton through federal action and not by
separate municipalities or individual
states.
We thoroughly believe in the prin-
like to see the clocks of the nation
set ahead an hour every summer. But
as much as we favor daylight saving,
we are opposed to municipalities or
ever states taking the matter in their
own hands. AS q nation we must all
move together. We must abide by
the will of the majority as expressed
In congress. The only remedy is to
elect a congress that will give the
country the extra hour IN summer.
AS far as New York is concerned,
she would soon be brought to her
senses when she found that the local
time was an hour ahead of all the
rest OF the country. The thousands
of commuters and employees arriving
at the correct time would find New
Workers standing around idle for an
hour waiting to get started. There
are not enough New Workers to run
things themselves. Railroads running
on correct time would have New
Workers always on the jump to know
when the rains left. Confusion in
the metropolis would become so great
because of the difference in the time
with the rest of the country that bust
ness men generally would soon be
begging the authorities to place the
city back in the Union where She
could do business on the same basis
with her sister municipalities.
Instead of New York trying to run
the country Ii would be q case Of New
York acknowledging that the nation
as a whole is greater than its great
est city, after all, and the city's time
would have to be regulated accord
ingly.