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Day (WILLIAM RUFUS an American)

WILLIAM RUFUS, an American jurist; born in Ravenna, O., April DAYLIGHT SAVING 17, 1849. He was graduated from the University of Michigan in 1870, and at the law school of the same institution in 1872. He immediately opened a law office in Canton, O. In 1886 he was elected judge of the Court of Common Pleas and in 1889 was appointed judge of the United States Circuit Court for the Northern District of Ohio, but declined. In 1897 he was appointed Assistant Secretary of State by President McKinley, and in 1898 became Secretary of State, conducting all the negotiations of the Spanish War. He was also made a member of the commission which framed the treaty of peace with Spain in Paris. In 1899 he was appointed a U. S. Circuit judge, and in 1903 to the Supreme bench.

DAYLIGHT SAVING. The benefits to be derived from a change in the hours of general activity, having for its object more daylight leisure and the lessening of work performed by artificial light, had long been a subject of theory before the World War. Germany and Austria were the first to put it into practice in May, 1916, by the simple expedient of advancing the clocks by an hour and following the new schedule during the summer months. The expedient was immediately adopted also in England, Denmark, Holland, France, Italy, and other countries. The movement spread to the United States, and a bill to effect daylight saving was passed by the Senate to take effect Jan. 1, 1918, but remained in committee during the year in the House of Representatives. Following the entry of the United States into the World War an act was passed by Congress in March, 1918, as a result of which the standard time of the United States was advanced one hour on March 31, so to continue to October 27. In 1919 the law again became effective on the last Sunday in March, in accordance with a report por submitted to the Director-General of Railroads by the Committee on Transportation of the American Railway Association. The General Order No. 61, issued by the Director-General of Railroads, provided that all clocks and watches in train despatchers' offices and in all other offices open at 2 A. M. should be advanced one hour to indicate 3 A. M.

It was further provided that at 2 A. M. of the last Sunday in October all clocks and watches in train despatchers' offices, and in other offices open at the time, should be turned back one hour, to indicate 1 A. M., the trains conforming to the new schedule after the change of time.

The Daylight Saving Law did not receive general acceptance and, in 1919, an active movement was in progress to re- DAY LILY peal it, particularly among people living in the country and engaged in farming occupations. As a result an act for the repeal of the Daylight Saving Law was passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, but was vetoed by the President. The bill was passed, however, in both Houses over the President's veto. In New York City the Board of Aldermen unanimously passed an ordinance providing for the local use of the daylight saving scheme, which was put into effect during the summer of 1920.

It thus came about that the people in the city of New York regulated their hours according to local time, while the clocks at the great railroad termini stood at an hour behind that of the other clocks in the city.