Abstract
THE House of Commons adopted on Monday a resolution moved by Sir Henry Norman: “That, in view especially of the economy in fuel and its transport,that would be effected by shortening the hours of artificial lighting, this House would welcome a measure for the advancement of clock time by one hour during the summer months of this year.” The daylight saving scheme put forward by the late Mr. W. Willett in 1907 has, therefore, now been approved by Parliament, and it is proposed to effect the change of time during the night of Saturday-Sunday, May 20–21. The normal Greenwich time is to be restored during the night of Saturday-Sunday, September 30-October 1. In supporting the motion on behalf of the Government, the Home Secretary, Mr. Herbert Samuel, said it was thought that the change could be effected without legislation by Order in Council, “since this is only a war measure adopted for war purposes,” On account, however, of the existence of an Act which defines “hour” in any statute as Greenwich mean time in Great Britain, and Dublin mean time in Ireland, and also because, in conformity with this Act, there are fixed the hours in factories and workshops in which women and children are employed, while a number of other establishments, including licensed houses, are compelled by law to keep certain times, the law must be altered in order that the new time should have legal validity. A Bill is, therefore, necessary, and it was introduced in the House of Commons on Tuesday. There is little doubt that the measure will pass, and that from May 21 to October i the legal time will be that of Mid-Europe instead of Greenwich mean time.
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Daylight and Darkness . Nature 97, 222–224 (1916). https://doi.org/10.1038/097222a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/097222a0