Evening star., 1924-04-16
DAYLIGHT SAVING
AGAIN IN DISPUTE
Old Controversy Between Urban
and Rural Districts Prcvokes
Bitter Animosity.
NATIONAL LAW NOT IN VIEW
Farmers Declare Change Is Detri
mental to Industry.
BY j. c. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, April 1.-THE old con-
troversy between the urban and .dral
districts over daylight saviAs has
broken out again with renewed ami
mostly. The new time schedule viii
go into effect in New York city April
27, and this fact undoubtedly will
compel certain portions of the finan-
cfai and commercial houses and or
gantzations to adopt similar changes.
City dwellers in many ccnters
throughout the country looked for
ward with pleasure and anticipation
to such changes In this direction as
may become effective. Rural resi-
dents. however are making strenuous
cnorts to prevent any alteration of
standard times.
Rrpsrts City Dweller's Attitude.
The attitude of the city dwelier,
ana especially the white collar"
worker. is being reelected in the tre-
menoous increase in sales OF sporting
goods and equipment Men and WON
en- who before daylight saving had
little opportunity for outdoor recrea-
ton except on Saturday afternoons
and sundays are finding health and
enjoyment in the added hour which
mits in the summer afternoons.
The farmers. on the other hand.
Apparently are united against any ef-
fort to make the move extend to their
communities. Their reason, are not
fully explained by their spokesmen,
but their opposition IS none the less
active
l. ]. Dickinson. Republican member
OF Congress from Iowa, and leeder n
Of the so-called farm bloc" in the
House. declared today that there was
no Indication Of any attempt to re-
vive any movement in Congress for
national law for daylight saving,
out that II such a measure were in
troduced 1t would die a-borning The
farmers contend. he says that the
reason that the farmer works by the
sun and not by the clock.
Clock Has No Effect on Dew.
The moving forward of the clock
an hour, they argue. does not dry
the dew at harvest time. The agri-
culturist. they contend, has to wait
for 1t to dry. and the best time for
With the clock advanced an hour,
the farmer says that when his work
in the field is done he finds the
stores In town closed and he is un-
able TO transact his business with the
same facility as il the stores were
operating on the same time schedule
that he Is. The storekeepers in
many agricultural sections say, how
ever. that they are sufficiently
anxious for the farmers trade to
keep open later if by so doing they
can capture his business.
Poultry raisers say that while the
hens do their best laying by electric
light. they draw the line at daylight
saving. AS q result poultry raisers
OF southern New Jersey who supply
the Philadelphia aud New York mar
kets are circulating petitions against
the adoption of daylight saving in
the cities and towns from which
they do their shipping.
Gradually Moving Westward.
Nevertheless, the line of time change
from eastern, central and intermoun-
tain times is gradually moving west
ward. The hens, cows and farm
hands OF the midwest. for example,
do not arise or shine on daylight saw
| ing time, yet the line of demarkatton
between eastern standard time and
| central time which used to exist al
Pittsburgh has now been extended &c
Columbus. Ohio. and to Detroit, not
only for the summer months, but all
the year round. On the other hand
| the street car men of Pittsburgh have
protested vigorously against the
adoption of a daylight schsd-
ule.
Representatives Of farm districts in
Congress say there are many other
! objections, but they are somewhat
| indefinite as to what they are. One
undoubtedly is the difficulty existing
at present in securing farm labor
| to which the advanced hours sound
unattractive. However, the fact thai
! in the rush season many OF the more
| progressive farms are put on three
shift, twenty y-four-hour-a-day basis
| may have some effect in altering this
| attitude in certain sections.
r. o. Has No Definite Policy.
William r. Spilman, superintendent
! of post ONCE service in the Pos
! ONCE Department at Washington
| says tho department has no definit,
! policy with regard to daylight saw.
| ing. The handling of mail, he adds
| IL dependent largely on train sched
| ules and the hours of delivery Ant
| service OF postal employees is a mat
/ ter that has to be determined by
| postmastery in each locality.