Evening star., 1928-12-21

The question Of world calendar re-
form, upon which public attention has
been focused through the bill intro
duced in the House by Representative
Porter Of Pennsylvania, providing Tor
conferences with other nations, is dis
cussed by the press with emphasis upon
obstacles of getting the people OF the
principal nations to accept the uniform
13-month program.
Behind this proposed reform, the
Rochester Times Union finds "a host
of eminent representatives OF finance
commerce, industry, insurance, railway
labor and the press. The COM
plex business world in which we live
todav." saws the Times Union, "s all
so new that we are only beginning to
appreciate the ineficiency Of the sys-
tenn of dividing the year into unequal
months"
"Since the calendar, as q measure
of time for mans convenience, op-
serves the Charleston Daily Mail, has
heen changed a number OF times With
out interfering with the earth's regu-
lar march around its orbits, with the
real length of the day, or with tnat
of the week; since such cnange mas
not brought or prevented nurricaLe'
earthquake or flood ana Is not re
sponsible for epidemic; since empires
have neither risen nor fallen because o!
s,Ich establishments as it has pleased
mankind to make--it would appear as
n the world could make another cnange'
if it chose, without experiencing as
aSter."
"Old-fashioned years have followed
one another without much change since
the time of the Egyptians" the Cnl-
cago Daily Tribune states. "and IL re-
mains for modern men to reconstruct
the calendar to suit the modern neeo.
Though time and temperament are
hard to change, the new year OF lS
months gains new support as time goes
on. and even Congress will consider IL
this wear. The United states
Weather Bureau, astronomers, business
men have long advocated the year OF
Is months. The plan and It's promoIlon
owe much to George Eastman OF
Rochester. The old calendar is an
aggregate of whims and half-tound
science. The time for a new
calendar Is here. Congress should sup
mort Representative Porter'S resolution" "
"Many difficulties in the way" are
noted. however, by the Roanoke World
News, with the conclusion that tine
chief one is general mertia-tne un-
willingness to face any new change,
however uncomfortable or unsatlS1ac-
tory the present situation Is" The
Virginia paper believes that no narm
can be done by the adoption OF the
Porter resolution and the consultation
of other nations. A system OF Is months
of equal length has its obvious advan-
tages, If it can be uniformly installed
without too much of confusion"
"It will be a weighty business, this
changing of the calendar" declares the
Albany Knickerbocker Press, which sug-
rests that "the movement has progressed
now to the point where those citizens
whose sentiments the advocates Of re-
form are anxious to assay should begin
to look into the matter and study the
advantages and disadvantages of the
plan" The Knickerbocker Press refers
to action by the Pan-American Confer
ence and states that "since october,
1927, a committee appointed by the
United States Chamber of Commerce
has been studying the subject"
"Any one who starts out to make this
change has a job on his hands," says
the Walla Walla Daily Bulletin, recalling
that 1.-The mightiest astronomers Of for
gotten centuries wreStled with this prob
lem" and that "the wisest men Of all
time have contributed their best wisdom
on the subject" The Bulletin continues:
There ha4 been one important change