FALL BACK, SPRING FORWARD—WHAT AN EXERCISE!

By Edwin Cooney

I don’t know about you, but I make a promise to myself every year when we’re given the instruction to fall back at the beginning of Standard Time. That promise is, of course, to take advantage of that extra hour of sleep so that I might be sufficiently energized to celebrate the coming holidays.

When I’m in this frame of mind, I picture myself snuggling down under the covers, conscience clear of all worries, thinking—for an instant--that I might just hibernate through the entire winter as do the woodchucks and the bears and other sensible denizens of the forest. As for what I do each spring when we receive the instruction to spring forward, stand by and I’ll let you know.

Of course springing forward or Daylight Saving Time is what’s at issue here, for as you may be able to tell from the tone of my writing so far, I don’t have a lot of emotional baggage wrapped up in either Daylight Saving or Standard Time. Therefore, I was quite surprised to learn what a controversial matter the development and enactment of Daylight Saving Time (or, if you prefer, DST) really has been historically.

What didn’t surprise me, however, as I did the research for this column, was the name of the gentleman who first advocated a form of Daylight Saving time to the people of Paris in 1784. His name was Benjamin Franklin and he was serving in his final months as America’s first Minister to the government of Louis XVI. Apparently, there was an energy or fuel shortage, or perhaps a money shortage, at the time. Hence, Ben Franklin suggested that the good citizens of Paris might fare better if the government woke them everyday at sunrise by firing cannons and ringing church bells. He suggested that if people got up early enough they’d save money on candles as well as on the cost of heating their dwellings late into the evening. It should be noted, however, that Ben Franklin didn’t specifically suggest the resetting of clocks -- but then, old Ben was already famous for his “early to bed and early to rise, healthy, wealthy and wise” lifestyle prescription.

Ninety-nine years passed between Ben Franklin’s 1784 commentary and the American and Canadian railroads adoption of what they called a standard time schedule for the convenience of the railroads, their freight customers and passengers alike. This was achieved by dividing the North American continent into four time zones; Eastern; Central; Mountain; and Pacific. However, it should be noted that time zones had nothing to do with Daylight Saving or Standard Time. What these two concepts—-time zones and time manipulation--do have in common are powerful voting constituencies.

Across the pond in England, an ambitious and dedicated builder (whom today we’d call a land developer) by the alliterative name of William Willett tried to advance the idea of Daylight Saving time during the summer season. The story has it that Willett got the idea one sunny summer morning in 1905 while riding through Petts Wood in Kent—today known as “The Garden Suburb of London.” During his ride, he noticed that the blinds were still drawn on so many homes even as “Old Sol” was shining so magnificently. People, he thought, ought to be up early—-perhaps playing golf (a game William Willett himself immensely enjoyed) or even better—-building homes.

Being an energetic as well as an enterprising gentleman, William Willett had a lot of political and socially prominent supporters. Among them were former Prime Minister Arthur Balfour, a young member of Parliament David Lloyd George, and still another young M.P. by the name of Winston Churchill. Additionally, William Willett’s Royal Sovereign King Edward VII liked the idea of utilizing Daylight Saving Time by setting his clocks ahead in the summer season at his Sandringham estate.

However, there were powerful forces in opposition to Willett’s scheme. They included Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, William Christie, head of Britain’s Department of Astronomy, who held the imposing title of “Astronomer Royal,” George Darwin (son of Charles Darwin) who was an astronomer and mathematician, and Sir Napier Shaw, head of Britain’s Meteorological Office. As a result, not until 1916, a year after William Willett’s death, would Britain adopt Daylight Saving Time as a World War I measure to increase wartime industrial production.

Meanwhile, back in the States, it was our participation in World War I. that compelled us to adopt the Standard Time Act of March 1918. Thus, ironically, out of the “Standard Time” Act came Daylight Saving Time. Daylight Saving Time was utilized for seven months in 1918 and 1919 under the supervision of the Interstate Commerce Commission. It was successfully repealed in 1919 largely due to its unpopularity in farm states. In addition to their common initials and alliterative names, William Willett and President Woodrow Wilson shared a love for the game of golf. Some have speculated it was golf that caused President Wilson twice to veto the repeal of Daylight Saving Time in 1919. As unlikely as that is, it should be noted that President Wilson’s first veto was sustained.

The repeal of the 1918 Standard Time act meant that the states could adopt Daylight Saving Time at their own discretion and so it remained until—you guessed it—World War II. From February 9th, 1942 until September 30th 1945, Daylight Saving was in effect throughout the entire country the year round.

Not until passage of the 1966 Uniform Time Act did the federal government take unto itself the prerogative of standardizing Daylight Saving and Standard time nationally each spring and fall during peace time. However, the 1966 act—which moved supervision of Daylight and Standard time from the Department of Commerce to the newly created Department of Transportation--did allow states to pass legislation exempting themselves from instituting Daylight Saving Time. It merely stipulated that all states choosing to utilize Daylight Saving Time in the spring and summer and Standard Time in the late fall and winter should make those shifts simultaneously at 2 a.m. on the last Sunday in April and the last Sunday in October.

On January 4th, 1974, President Richard Nixon signed the Emergency Daylight Saving Energy Conservation Act of 1973. That act required that clocks be set ahead beginning January 6th, 1974 to preserve energy due to the energy shortage created by the 1973 OPEC oil embargo. That act was amended by Congress in October 1974 to allow Standard Time to be instituted from October 27th,1974 to February 23rd, 1975. One of the factors in reinstituting Standard Time during winter months was the potential danger to school children while waiting for the school bus on dark DST cold winter mornings. Once the seventies energy crisis was considered over, Daylight Saving and Standard times resumed their proscribed annual visitations.

In 1986, Congress passed and President Ronald Reagan signed an extension to the Uniform Time Act that shifted the beginning of Daylight Saving time from the last Sunday in April to the first Sunday in April while leaving the beginning of Standard Time as the last Sunday in October.

Finally, in 2005, Congress passed and President George W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act that stipulated that, beginning in 2007, Daylight Saving Time would begin the second Sunday in March and Standard Time would begin the first Sunday in November. It also stipulated that the old first Sunday in April and the last Sunday in October schedule could be resumed if it were determined that sufficient energy saving could not be realized under the new schedule. (It should also be noted that Arizona and Hawaii still do not utilize Daylight Saving Time and are not required to under the 2005 Energy Policy Act.)

There in a nutshell is the general history of Daylight Saving Time. As I asserted earlier, I have little at stake in its implementation or abandonment. However, were I a farmer, I’d object to DST because I wouldn’t be able to begin harvesting my crops until the dew was off the fields. DST would hinder rather than help my operation. I would also oppose Daylight Saving Time if I were a theater owner or an advertiser on prime time television because extra daylight traditionally keeps people away from their local movie theaters and television sets. If I were a farm worker or parks management worker suffering from Retinitis Pigmentosa, I might find the extra exposure to sunlight (as favorably prescribed by its advocates) personally offensive—because sun would be injurious to my eyesight. Finally, if I were sufficiently conservative, I wouldn’t want the “Feds”, my state governor, the mayor, or even the local Farm Bureau telling me what to do.

On the other hand, Daylight Saving is said to be advantageous for the sports person, the retailers who sell sporting and other equipment, restaurateurs, land developers and so many more. There are studies showing that DST prevents vehicle and pedestrian accidents, cuts down on crime, and -- of course -- saves energy. Conservationists, environmentalists and “do gooders” from all points on the political spectrum all have something to say about the folly or wisdom of Daylight Saving Time.

Well, whatever works, I’m for it. Just don’t argue about it on the first Saturday night in November because I’ll be trying to get some extra rest—unless of course I’m out somewhere entertaining myself.

Oh yah… what do I do when it comes time to “spring forward?” Very simple—the force of springing forward drives me to my knees and I start praying that the first Saturday of next November will come really fast.

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED,

EDWIN COONEY