Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1943-12-31
You'd Only Need to Buy a Calendar Once
In Your Life-If We Used WORLD Model

triarch of Constantinople, has en-
dorsed the plan. Little religious OPP
position has been shown or is an
ticipated to the World Calendar, in
fact.
Business men want some kind Of
calendar reform. The difficulties of
computing interest, making compar-
isons of periods, keeping invento-
ries, and other accounting problems,
are much complicated by the irregu-
larities of the months. A few bust
nesses use So weeks, divided into
Is periods of % days, or four even
weeks. But this 13-month calendar,
it is thought, would never be adapt
able to general use, for many rea-
sons, some traditional and senti-
mental, but real, nevertheless. In
any case, the International Cham
Der of Commerce went on record in
1888 as favoring the World Calen-
dar, or similar plan.
Lawyers Like 1t.
The legal profession also has en-
dorsed the World Calendar through
action at conference of the Ameri-
can Bar association in 1881. Law
yers are particularly anxious for the
complications of the present calen-
dar to be ironed out, according to
spokesman.
Social activities would be easier
with the World Calendar in use, as
invitations would then be dated ac-
curately more often than now. Peo-
pie would not be arriving on the
wrong day so frequently. Practi-
cally everybody, in fact, would bene-
fit by simplified calendar: farm
ers, merchants, housewives, scien-
lists, schoolteachers and everyone
else. Publishers of calendars would
be the only losers.
Leaders of every important nation
have endorsed the calendar reform,
most of them advocating the World
Calendar, or some similar 12-month,
equal-quarter plan. In June, 1881,
special League of Nations COM
mittee, after due consideration, had
trimmed 200 proposed reformed cal
endars down to two. One was the
13-month calendar. The other was
the 12-month, perpetual, equal-quar-
ter scheme, known in the United
States as the World Calendar. Dele
gates of six nations leaned toward
the 13-month plan. Most speakers
stated that the people they repre-
sented would wish to retain a r.
month calendar from custom and
religious reasons, and that, in their
opinion, change to a 13-month cal
endar would be too drastic to gain
wide acceptance. In the end, the
question of reform was laid aside
for further study.
Must Wait on New League
In the '30s the League of Nations
steadily lost power and prestige, and
with the outbreak of the European
war the only International body
capable of putting the World Calen-
dar into effect, disappeared. It must
be remembered that a new or re-
formed calendar would have to have
worldwide acceptance. The world
has grown too small, as has often
been said lately, for nations to 60
their ways independently. Air trav-
ell will demand uniformity.
1t may be that the Peace Confer
ence everybody is looking forward
to will give this calendar reform
matter consideration and perhaps,
in the postwar period of eagerness
for improvements, some new League
may be able to have the reformed
calendar adopted. Swift action will
be necessary, however, as the next
chance to slip the World Calendar
into use without ripple will be
January l, 1850. If much time is
spent in arguing and ratifying, the
opportunity for smooth transition
will pass again.