Perhaps They'll
p. 67 · Read in the full issue
First Newspaper
In The World
Perhaps They'll Print It In The Chathams!
• The possibility of Tonga being ible to put “The First Newspaper n the World” on the mast-head )/ a newspaper, if one should be published there, was discussed in i “PIM” article in August ip. 35).
BUT someone seems, however, to have overlooked the possibility that even Tonga, in 175 degrees (Vest longitude but keeping the time md date of East longitude—l 2 lours and 20 minutes ahead of Greenwich —might also be scooped.
The Chatham Islands east of tfew Zealand, in 176 J degrees West ongitude, keep standard time of .2 hours and 45 minutes ahead of Greenwich, so their morning paper :ould well be sold out before the fcngan “Morning Surprise” reaches he hands of its readers!
ILike Tonga, the Chathams at (resent are served only by a ;yclostyled daily news-sheet, and ;he possibility of anything more mpressive appearing amongst that wpulation of 500 seems slight, Ddeed.
The point made here is that tonga, often thought to be ahead if all other places in Standard hme, is not so.
Three Different Times [Chathams standard time of 12 tours and 45 minutes ahead of Ireenwich was established by a Statute Admendments Bill passed ►y the New Zealand parliament in )ctober, 1956, and the law came nto force on January 1, 1957. *For some years prior to that, no ess than three different time tandards were being kept in -those slands and it was to finally traighten out this confusion that he law was brought in. .The confusion of times came _bout through the alteration of Jew Zealand Standard Time during vorld War 11, from Hi hours to 2 hours ahead of Greenwich.
Back in the 1930’s New Zealand [ad its first taste of daylight saving fine, thanks to an MP named udey.
In the first summer the clocks fcre advanced a full hour. This aised such a howl from the arming community that in uccessive years, clocks were ad anced only half an hour. When far came it was decided to main am daylight saving time through ut the year, mainly to save toctricity in the evenings by getting veryone off to bed half an hour arher.
The population became so used
to this alteration—and it was so convient from an international communications point of view—that Standard Time was legally altered to 12 hours in advance of Greenwich and daylight saving tune abolished.
Meanwhile, in the Chathams, most people ignored Mr. Sidey and the later compromise, keeping right on with what their time had k£ en j 01 * a long time—4s minutes ahead of New Zealand time, or 12 hours and 15 minutes ahead of Greenwich—which tallied fairly well with the true solar time, except that for convenience, the New Zealand date was, and still is, mamtained.
However, when New Zealand Standard Time was legally altered to 12 hours in advance of Greenwich
some of the Islanders objected and refused to alter their clocks from 12 hours and 15 minutes ahead of Greenwich.
Some complied with the law and altered to 12 hours and 45 minutes ahead, and another group, finding the whole thing beyond them, set their clocks at the new New Zealand Standard Time of 12 hours, pointing out that as far as the Chatham Islands were concerned it was optional anyway, Whether it was so or not, the option ceased on January 1, 1957 and, unless there is some obscure Soviet territory in the Bering Strait area with clocks still further ad vanced, the Chathams undoubtedly hold the distinction of being the most Advanced Islands in the
World.-