Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-04-19
CLIP BALLOT FROM JOURNAL
AND REGISTER YOUR WILL ON
DAYLIGHT SAVING PLAN

UHIklQuuI
why should the city of Augusta
| adopt the Daylight Saving plan this
coming summer" and the opposite
question, why should it not adopt
the plan?" were discussed from all
| angles at the regular session of the
Augusta City council on Monday
! evening at City hall. 1t was indeed
a very spirited debate that took
place in the joint convention of the
aldermen and the councilmen which
was presided over by Mayor Sanford
! S. Fogg. The merchants, the far
mers, the mill hands, the women,
! the Chamber of Commerce and the
Y. M. C. A. all voiced their opinions
on the matter and their =, opinions
were so divided, that it was decided
| the best plan would be to in so far
as possible get straw vote of all the
people of Augusta on the question.
Secretary George c. Clarke of the
Augusta Chamber of Commerce
stated that that organization would
| be glad to undertake this straw vote
which will be conducted through
ballots in the Kennebec Journal.
The first ballots will appear in the
| Wednesday morning issue, April ~.
! and they will be published for abSnt
+ a week. The Chamber of Commerce
in this work will take a perfectly
neutral attitude and will not try TO
convince any person either Tor or
| against the proposition; it will mere
" collect and compile the data. Not
only residents of Augusta, but those
living outside of the limits who have
| business or trade in Augusta and
who would be affected by the prop
! osition, will be entitled to vote on the
question.
The results of this vote Will be
! made known at a special meeting OF
1 the City council to be held in about
! 10 days, at which meeting an oppor-
tunity will be given to both sides to
! be heard, and the question Will be
! put to vote.
Discussion Of Proposition
The entire question was opened at
| last evenings session with the pre-
sentation of an order by Alderman
John c. Howes which provided for
the adoption of Daylight Saving by
the City of Augusta beginning at 2
A. NJ. on the first Sunday in May of
this year and ending at A. NJ. on
the last Sunday in September.
A number of petitions favoring
Daylight Saving were presented.
! Alderman Sturgis Randall stated
in the joint convention that prob
ably everyone realized the miXup
which resulted last year on Daylight
Saving in Maine, and he expressed
the opinion that if it was to be uni
versal the members of the City Gov
eminent have the right to dictate the
policy of the city. He stated that a
canvass of the employees of the Au-
gusta Lumber Co. on the matter
showed SO in favor and 80 opposed.
Secretary Clarke of the Chamber
of Commerce stated that it had been
repre- scented that so per cent. or 80
per cent. of the people of Augusta
were in favor of Daylight Saving.
He spoke of the desirability Of the
! people in the city taking into con-
sideration the wishes of the people in
the outlying districts. He referred
to the poll that has already been
taken in some of the factories on the
question, and expressed the opinion
that the people are not so per cent.
in favor of Daylight Saving. The
other plan, that of keeping to Stan
dard time with the clocks, but of hav-
| ing the employees of factories, stores,
etc, work on Daylight Saving hours.
was discussed by Mr.. Clarke. The
I Merchants Bureau has already voted
in favor of Daylight Saving. But,
| Mr.. Clarke stated that the Chamber
| of Commerce does not advocate Day.
light Saving, and he suggested that
/ 10 days should be given for a straw
| vote on the matter In closing, he
| stated that he believed that the farm
| ers We're not alone in opposing Day
! light Saving, but that right in the
| city here the women are opposed to
! the plan.
| Secretary Frank B. Condor of the
Augusta "Y" stated that he believed
| that Daylight Saving was a good
health proposition for the people, that
they might exercise out-of-doors at
! TIE close vi lIlelT "OIh. ne SdIu lHS
only way he had of knowing the feel
! ngs of the people were by the petit
tons, a good number of which favor
ing the proposition had been present
ed at the meeting.
| City Clerk Frank E. Southland read
communication received from DAN
| iel Foster, president of the Kennebec
County Farm Bureau. which stated
that of the mmebers of the bureau
| which numbers over 1900 of whom
159 live in Augusta, he had yet to
! hear of one who was in favor of Day.
| light Saving. Mr. Foster was present
at the meeting and stated that he felt
safe in saying that the two Pomona
Oranges of Kennebec county which
have a membership of $500 are abso-
1utely opposed to it. And he spoke
of the hardships which Daylight Saw
ing works on the farmer and the
school children of the country who
attend the city schools.
Ernest A. Gray, superintendent of
the c. A. Eaton shoe factory, said
he had found a good many people OPP
posed to Daylight Saving, people who
stood for it as a necessity during the
war; but who are now opposed to it
as pleasure proposition
Mrs A. B. Mason of the Common
Council stated that she thought
Massachusetts was the only one of the
New England states that has adopted