Evening star., 1941-07-07
Daylight Time
Finds D. T.. Divided
On Feasibility
Indications Are Copitul
Will Not BuIk if Plan
Is Applied Nationally
Continued From Page BID

Co. pointed to a curious change
which air r-conditioning has brought
about.
The local peak load of power,
which used to occur around 7 pm. is
recorded today at about :45 pm.
due to the air-conditioning of most
Government buildings.
The ir-Conditioning demand, it
was explained increases during the
morning hours of summer as the
temperature outdoors rises. In other
words, the hotter the natural at
mosphere the more power it requires
to maintain the artificial atmosphere
at a constant temperature. However.
although the late afternoon may
bring the days maximum heat, the
power load begins diminishing then,
because the Federal Offices start
quitting work at o'clock, and from
then until 6, as employees leave in
successive waves, the air-condition-
ing is turned off in the emptied
buildings
Near Peak in Morning Rush.
The old peak came at time trans
portation. cooking and other power
resources were most in demand. 1t
probably was past 7 in the longest
DAYS of the years and undoubtedly
was earlier in winter. but that hour
was the average. There also was
near-peak during the morning rush
hour. But air conditioning, though
not yet the major power demand,
requires a considerable part of the
cityS resources, enough, along with
other constant uses. to balance the
scales and bring about the heaviest
load.
How much illumination daylight
time would save has not been eStl-
mated in the kilowatt- t-hours-and
rough estimate is the best any one
could do-but engineers say it would
be substantial.
At the height of Americas s last war
effort. on March 19, 1918, it was de-
creed by Congress that clocks be set
ahead one hour the last Sunday in
March and turned back the last
Sunday in October. 1t was recorded
that this saved a vast amount OF
electric power and coal. as well, in
plants where light current was gen.
Grated by steam. 1t also was report
ed to have had the effect of increas-
ing food supplies by allowing farm
ers and suburban home owners to
spend an extra hour IN their gardens
in the evening.
Leisure Time Becomes Argument.
Afterward advocates of daylight
time urged it on grounds other than !
industrial. They said it gave the
people more leisure during the long
days when they could make use of 1t.
Factory and white collar workers
alike had another daylight hour to
enjoy as they pleased. Daylight was
squeezed at the other end from q
period when most folk were asleep
the dawn. They lost an hours
sleep the night the clocks were
turned ahead. but after that 1t be-
came routine to follow the time and
no one noticed the differences.
War daylight time was repealed in
August 1919, and since then some
cities and some whole States have
clung to 1t, while others have re-
fused to touch their clocks. This
has brought more or less confusion.
Washington, with standard times,
finds itself an hour behind New
York. Philadelphia and Chicago be-
tween April and October The rail-
roads, maintaining standard time,
find numerous cities an hour ahead
Of their schedules, and travellers
must keep a wary eye on two sets
of clocks.
The Federal Power Commission is
engaged in power survey to de-
termine the likely effect Of Nation
wide daylight time at this crucial
era.
Critical Time Forecast.
An official of the commission said
there was no doubt the measure
would save substantial amounts of
power used for illumination.
A critical power situation was fore
seen recently by T. R. Tate, director
of the defense power staff of the
commission. If, he said, I'VE are
going to double airplane production,
quadruple tank production, treble
powder, small arms ammunition and
rife production and multiply output
of machine guns and other ma
terials, then by the end of 194l the
power situation will be critical in
deed"
Facing a shortage of aluminium,
vital defense metal, essential in plane
production, defense chiefs are cast
ing about for the development of
additional hydroelectric power. Suf-
ficient power to carry on the elec-
tronic process of producing alum
mum is a more serious problem than
finding enough raw material.
Some Dislike Clock Tampering.
There is no record that wartime
daylight saving caused any particu-
lar furry in Washington, though
some residents disliked it, opposing
time-tampering on principle. But
then there were so many war meas
ures, such as meatless days and
darkened white ways, htat this one
was taken in stride.
The Board of Trade reports that
most of its members would like to
see daylight time back in the Capt.
tai. The Executive Committee re-
Gently went on record as asserting
that If in the interest of national de-
fense it is deemed desirable, the
District should go along with other
communities in adopting it.
But a recent effort to obtain the
time change for Washington alone
was blocked in the House District
Committee.
In 1922 this city tried the expert
ment of advancing the time of re-
porting for work in the morning
and. theoretically, milk and paper
deliveries and everything else-an
hour without changing the clocks.
The results were described as any