Government Announces New ‘Daylight Saving Time’ as Wartime Economy Measure
By a Cape Chronicle Staff Reporter
Cape Town, 13 September 1942 — For the first time in the history of the Union, residents of the Cape will next weekend be asked to alter the very measure by which they regulate their daily lives.
At 2 o’clock on the morning of Sunday, 20 September, every clock throughout the Union of South Africa will be advanced by one hour under a Government proclamation introducing Daylight Saving Time. The measure, which will remain in force throughout the coming summer, has been adopted as part of South Africa’s contribution to the Allied war effort.
The announcement marks a significant departure from the country’s long-established Standard Time, observed since 1903, and will affect every household, business, factory, railway, harbour, school and government department across the Union.
Saving Fuel for Victory
Government officials have made it clear that the decision is not one of convenience, but of necessity.
In a statement explaining the change, the Government said the principal object of Daylight Saving Time is to make fuller use of natural daylight during the evening hours, thereby reducing the consumption of electricity, coal and other vital fuel resources needed for the prosecution of the war.
By advancing the clock one hour, factories and offices are expected to complete much of their day’s work while daylight still prevails, lessening the demand for electric lighting during the busiest period of the evening. Every ton of coal saved, officials say, strengthens the nation’s industrial capacity and assists those industries producing essential goods for military and civilian requirements.
With power stations working under increasing demand and transport resources committed to wartime production, the conservation of fuel has become an important national objective.
Cape Residents Urged to Prepare
Citizens throughout the Cape are urged to remember the new arrangement before retiring on the evening of Saturday, 19 September. When clocks reach 2 a.m., they should immediately be advanced to 3 a.m.
Although many will lose one hour’s sleep on the opening night, the public will thereafter enjoy longer daylight during the evening months, while sunrise will occur correspondingly later each morning.
Municipal authorities are already preparing revised operating hours, while the Cape Government Railways, harbour authorities, postal services and commercial houses are adjusting timetables to ensure that business continues without interruption under the new official time.
Schools and churches are likewise expected to publish revised hours where necessary.
Following the Allied Example
South Africa joins a growing number of Allied nations that have adopted Daylight Saving Time as an emergency wartime measure. Britain has employed similar arrangements since the outbreak of hostilities, while several other countries have reported worthwhile savings in electricity and fuel consumption.
Officials emphasise that the Union’s scheme has been carefully examined before its adoption and is intended to support the country’s wider programme of wartime economy without materially inconveniencing the public.
A New Chapter in Cape Timekeeping
For generations, the rhythm of life in the Cape has been governed by the sun and, more recently, by the national Standard Time adopted nearly four decades ago. Next Sunday’s alteration will therefore represent one of the most unusual changes to everyday life experienced by South Africans in modern times.
Whether the innovation will become a permanent feature of national life remains to be seen. For the present, however, the Government stresses that the arrangement is a wartime expedient designed to conserve precious resources while the Union continues its contribution to the Allied cause.
The Cape Chronicle reminds its readers: before retiring on Saturday evening, advance every clock, watch and household timepiece by one hour. When the nation awakens next Sunday, South Africa will begin operating on Daylight Saving Time for the first time in its history.
