THE EXTRA HOUR

The farmers of the state have again brought the question of Daylight Saving Repent before the General Court of Massachusetts. The renewed attempt to abolish the extra hour of daylight, which is now provided for by a state law, is backed by a systematic canvass of the rural districts of the state for signatures to a petition, in accord with the united protest of farmers throughout the country against daylight saving; their opposition being based on a claim that it causes difficulties in labor conditions.

Last year the people of Massachusetts found the state act very satisfactory. The great mass of the population concentrated in the cities appreciated the value of the extra hour of daylight after business hours. The farmers, particularly those dealing in milk, were the only ones to protest, in spite of the fact that the confusion due to the difference between railroad time and daylight time was born almost entirely by the city-dwellers.

The opposition of the farmer minority should not be allowed to prevail. Daylight saving is of the utmost benefit to the greater number of the citizens of the state. Prominent doctors say that it is a great factor in maintaining a high standard of health among the over-crowded city population. The slight disadvantage of two time systems has virtually disappeared now that people have become accustomed to the change. The only reasons for repeal are distinctly local and are far outweighed by the advantages of the extra hour of daylight to the community as a whole.