Eight Minutes
p. 109 · Read in the full issue
Cook Islands Soon to Lose Eight Minutes
I BILL introduced into Parlia * ment at Wellington, NZ on jptember 26 will cause Cook Is nds clocks to advance 8 minutes a new standard time at some date yet unspecified.
The Cook Islands, including Niue, ive always been out of line with e accepted practice of adopting an en hour, or at most an even half >ur, of difference from Greenwich ean Time.
In the past the Cook Islands have ed the mean time of longitude 9 degrees 30 minutes west. As s meridian does not even pass rough the capital island of Raro aga, but about 13 miles east of it, is not clear why this particular ie was decided upon originally.
Almost all countries have long ice accepted Zone Time, the world mg divided into 24 bands, each of degrees of longitude, represent
mg a difference of one hour m sun time. The first band is centred on Greenwich Under this system the Cook Islands should keep time of 11 hours behind Greenwich.
The time being kept is at present 10 hours 38 minutes behind Green-
wich, and the new ordinance will change this to 10 hours 30 minutes Niue which keeps the peculiar time of 11 hours 20 minutes behind Greenwich will retain that time, in stead of moving into its correct Zone Time of 11 hours behind Greenwich.