The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1940-04-01

stand it,
The time change involves one
question only-shall we arise one
hour earlier by the Sun and go to
bed one hour earlier by the sun? BY
advancing the clock we merely adj
vance sunrise and sunset enc hour
later. Today it gets light about $50
a. m. and dark about 7 p. m. If we
had Seattle time it would get light
at about $50 a. m and dark about
# p. m at this time of year. Fer
anyone to contend that there is
any other effect as far as personal
habits are concerned. is to confuse
the issue with irrelevant facts.
In reply to the above listed con-
1 tentiCnS Of Mr. Anderson, the fol-
/ lowing may serve to put the issue
in its proper light. Please bear in
mind that, as stated above, the time
change will mean only making sun
rise and sunset one hour later-it
will not effect the time by the clock
as far as your personal habits are
concerned
/. Those who g OTTO work at 9 a.
m. Will still go to work at 8 a. m.
if the change is made On April 30,
if the voters SO decide you will adj
vance your clock one hour before
you go to bed Your alarm will be
cot fo,- tho eap,a hour DC a1vyavc
and you will continue to get up at
that hour You will, as pointed out
above. arise one hour earlier by the
Sun, but not by the clock. Mr. An
derson contends that this will be
very upsetting But let's apply it to
your life. On December Il you arise
six hours earlier by the sun than you
do on June 81, simply because the
sun rises about six hours later in
December than it does in June. We
who advocate advancing the clock
one hour, are suggesting a one-hour
variation. If Mr. Anderson is cor
rect in asserting that if you get up
enc hour earlier by the Sun than
you do now you will lose one hours
sleep, you must have lost six hours
sleep in December that you were
getting in June.
q If we advance the clock one
hour earlier by the Sun, which will
mean going to school in the dark
during the short winter months. 1t
will also mean more complete utili-
zation Of daylight in their class
rooms since they now lose one-half
hour or more of morning light before
classes start, and under the new
time they will have that added on
the afternoon light, eliminating that
waste. 1t will further mean that
they will come home in the daylight,
where they now come home in the
dark, that they will have another
hour of daylight for healthy outdoor
exercise after school. Suppose you
weigh those factors yourself
g. Since when has it been con-
sidered narrow and selfish" for any
che group to be in favor of some
thing which It believes will benefit
not only its members but the COM
munity at large? Since when has it
been considered marrow and sell
fab for any group to have placed
ORB the ballot a proposition of I'M
questionable interest to the voters
at large, SO they may express their
opinion in the manner provided by
our American system of govern
government? Can anyone justly say
that because particular group has
had this question put on the ballot,
and because this group favors the
change, that its members constitute
a pressure group" and that as such
aare threat to democracy? One
reason why we wanted this matter
en- the ballot is so that the great
unorganized majority for which
MI. Anderson expresses concern, can
have the opportunity to express it
self. That is the purpose of the bal
lotto give unity to the great I'M
organized majority" That's why we
wanted it on the ballot.
4. If the residents of this area
will get more pleasure from life, |
if business men will be assisted, by
changing the time, there seems lit
tie reason why we should be re-
strained by meridian from so do
ing. Mr.. Anderson contends that /
changing the time takes us away
from reality, a thing that is too
often done in this artificial age"
He overlooks the fact that time, as
we now have it, is artificial, based |
on the position of the sun over the
man-made zero meridian at Lon
don. He also overlooks the fact |
that while man-made time allows |
for the passage of the suns rays
around the earth, it does not allow |
for the season changes which be-
come greater in proportion to prox- I
unity to the poles. Juneau is a long