Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-05-02
DAYLIGHT SAVING COMPLICATIONS.

Tho country's one seasons experiences With DAYLIGHT
saving during the war was pleasant and beneficial to
several million people. 1t Is quite possible that it was
an actual Inconvenience to a few. Without question
tho plan was more advantageous to the city people than
to those in the country. Somebody noticed that fact,
and sraightway developed a theory that if the city man
Was eating more benefit from a particular policy than
the farmer. the thing must be injurious to the farmer.
1t didn't take long to start an agitation on that basis,
issue between the city and the country. OF course the
country won There are always enough Legislators in
search OF farm votes to come pretty near deciding such
case, no matter what the merits may be.
The daylight saving law was repealed. 1t didn't
make any difference to the farmers. Their operations
were conducted last year without the law just as they
had been the year previous with the law. Their work
was governed in both cases, as it always was and always
outdoor operations, and all the laws that can be put on
the statute books or taken therefrom will not change it
q particle. BY the repeal Of the law people in the towns
were deprived Of a very appreciate advantage which
they had enjoyed for a reason in having an extra hour
added to their usable daylight. The repeal Of the law
injured them without benefiing anybody else.
The subject has become one of quite bitter contro-
very. Some cities have established new time schedules
on their own account. Down In Connecticut the legisla-
ture forbids this. Then in some cases communities. In
stead of setting their clocks forward, arranged to begin
nobody has found a way to prevent this by law:
Tho trouble with the local application of the day
light saving plan is that 1t throws the local community
out Of gear with the country at large. There is no rea-
don, for instance, why work in any factory or other
plans could not be timed according to the convenience Of
its employers and employees, but where the activities Of
that plant must fit into those Of other plants 1T a dis
tance complications would arise.
We have an Illustration of this in the newspaper
business. The publication of the paper could be ad-'
vanced an hour in the summer months, and the en-
ployes. beginning work an hour earlier, would be released
also an hour earlier. That seems simple. Eut if the
general business day Of the community were not
changed, the evening paper, especially, would go to
press too early to cover the days news as it is covered
now. Further, The Herald receives its telegraphic serv-
ice from . central Office from which several other cities
are served at the same time and over the same wire.
The time Of sending could not be advanced to accommo-
date one paper, and If it were not advanced, the local
paper would lose the Last hours dispatches.
There are numerous complications of this character.
The solution Of the problem seems to lie in the organ
sizahon OF q Daylight Saving league, taking In enough
cities to make it truly national in scope. With such an
oFganisation, and without the formality Of setting clocks
forward or back. summer and winter schedules Of work
sc0uld BE arranged. In this way the thing could be done
without legislation Of any kind.