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Fall
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"From the first, farmers opposed Daylight Saving, which was an urban idea of a good idea, hatched in London and cultivated in the cities of Europe and the northern United States," he explains. After Daylight Saving was first enacted in the U.S. in 1917 (by the same Congress that committed a relcutant nation to World War I and Prohibition) it was farm organizations that lobbied for and achieved its repeal in 1919, overriding a veto by President Woodrow Wilson. "Farmers dominated the debate," Downing points out, "permanently wedding themselves to DS in the public's imagination." Most folks couldn't remember, or figure out, if farmers were for or against Daylight Saving, but they were impressed with how much it concerned the rural community. So, whichever way the issue went, farmers were assumed to the winners. After its repeal, Daylight Saving was still observed in a few states (Massachusetts, Rhode Island) and some cities (New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and others), but there was no national effort to control the clock until President Franklin Roosevelt instituted year-round "War Time" as a conservation effort from February of 1942 to September, 1945. |
 Spring Forward The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time by Michael Downing Shoemaker & Hoard, 2005 The
$22 billion sporting goods industry was looking forward to a $20
million annual boost in the sale of tennis rackets and balls, a 30
percent increase in the number of youth soccer games played, and at
least a 4 percent increase in sales of inflatable products. The
National Golf Association anticipated a $46 million rise in sales of
clubs and balls... Every hour of additional afternoon daylight was a
retail bonanza.
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Rural Delivery Commentaries and advice on rural living by Michael Hofferber |