Show mountain Nowita in standard time to the AM presidents residents of stales stakes and the bishops of the di different wards 11 ards dear brethren it has been contemplated tem plated for come some time to facilitate atrayel and regulate time in the united states owing to the extent of the country and the great chaleo of time as be hex tween its extreme cast and extreme west the distance between which points being nearly miles and as there is to each thousand miles a change of an hour bour approximately in the meridian it necessarily makes a change of four hours from cast to west the rapid transit of gers in trains from one ono place to another makes it very inconvenient for passengers going either east or west est and the changes are BO so rapid that it renders their time pieces comparatively useless tho the railroads and telegraph lines especially have hano found it necessary to adopt a timo or times of their own to suit their own conveniences and to comply as far as practicable with the local meridian time of tho the several districts of country through which they pass in somo cities it made it extremely difficult both for the passengers and also fb for the railroads as well as for the inhabitants odthe of the city who desired to travel as frequently there would be from two to six different times in the same city adopted by the railroads passing through in diC different erent directions and as there is so great an amount oi of travel it became very annoying not only to travelers but to parties residing in those cities who were moro more or less controlled by those circumstances numerous plans have been pro amed and theories theor iea introduced to correct this evil principally at first in the interest of railroads and tele telegraph raph lines all of which proposals until quite recently havo have been rejected as tending to confusion but at length a apian plan was proposed to bo be introduced to regulate tho the time of the whole of the territory to tho the united State sand to have all the cities and towns em braced in the several states and ri tories conform to a general regul regulation on the subject so that dil licul il ties which were very perplexing and annoying might be avoided both in ia regard to railroad travel and also to the inhabitants of cities the plan proposed is to make four different divisions of time named the eastern central mountain and pacific divisions extending from the extreme east to the extreme west varying gin in some slight degree tram from direct lines north and south to meet circumstances and confusion leaving it of coarse as an open question to the local authorities of the states territories and districts to adjust these matters agreeably to their own feelings and subject ct more or less esa to their action this r ec is state of things reduces tho the dif faculty to a minimum of variation which was thought atone time impossible to accomplish and the change from one division to another is always exactly of one hour without any perplexing odd minutes or ands tho the difference between the present plan and the state of things that before existed is that whereas before there wore mora more than fifty variations of tima time in tho the united states the present plan will reduce it to four and if generally adopted it will prevent much confusion that has heretofore existed on this subject it would seem from accounts that the cities of washington mew new york philadelphia baltimore chicago st louis omaha denver and other prominent cities east havo have adopted the regulations in accordance with with what is now called tho the standard time in contradistinction to local time and that the and meridian west of greenwich have been selected as initial points from which to calculate the timo time each points are 15 degrees or approximately 1000 miles mile 8 apart and dividing this 1000 into two one slower and the other faster faster no greater change than 30 or 35 minutes can occur in the most extreme poi points ints while in many places there wl will I 1 be bo slight variations from froin their local times or meridians if this had been simply a railroad or telegraphic chante change for the accod of their business transactions it need not havo have effected the local time of any of the cities or towns of tho the united states tories but as it has been found that it would bo be beneficial to the general interests of tho the whole nation it be comes necessary for us to calmly and intelligently investigate tho the subject and if fou found nd pral practicable ti cable to comply therewith throughout our territory in our various cities towns and vil vila lages that wo we may bo be in harmony with tho the states and territories throughout the count country t with esthe us the proposed e change would bo be gu minutes faster in salt lake city than our meridian time and it would necessitate a similar I 1 change 1 l an a to bo be made throughout our chofe whole territory and aia as our settlements extend several hundred miles nearly north and south it would make very little difference in the longitudinal or mean timo time of any of them about tho the year 1869 some officers inthe in the of the united states geological survey I 1 believe bel leye camo came here and were desirous of having an initial point for astronomical electrical and other scientific purposes which was decided to be in tho the temple block and president ident You ngin accordance with their wishes caused a largo large square block of stone to bo be provided whereon to their instruments instrument sand and whence a baseline base un was laid to regulate the united states and other surveys we havo binca then lad had instruments I 1 in n the presidents office for the computation of timon time and nd a gentleman appointed who was competent to take observations and adjust our timo time on strictly sc scientific 1 on principles from these 0 observations our city time has been regulated from that period to abo present and the correct timo time has been telegraphed twice a week to the various telegraphic stations in our territory and if thought proper to change to what is called standard t timo i me it will simply make the difference of adding twenty eight minutes to our meridian time and thus place us in harmony with the nation in regard to this pro posed change and that time once being adjusted hero can be telegraphed aa as here heretofore to tho the whole of the territory and thus tho the samo same uniformity prevail devail as has hitherto existed and P a all confusion bo be avoid that every part art of the territory will be governed G by the same time tinie and no confusion or trouble exist besides it will place ps us in harmony with tho the united states in in this contemplated improvement salt lake city and ogden have already through their municipal council adopted the mountain standard time and wo we recommend that the people of tho the territory generally adopt this time and suggest that tho the county city and town officials OC als throughout the territory meet in their several capacities at an early day and pass ass measures to adopt what is ia called the mountain standard time and then we can adjust our timo time as formerly by the salt lake meridian adding the difference between that and the standard timo and having this time as heretofore telegraphed twice a week to the various telegraph teles raph offices abrou throughout bout the territory which will aboid confusion and place us in harmony as to time with all parts of our territory and also with what is now termed tho the standard time of the united states your brethren in the gospel JOHN TAYLOR GEO Q CANNON jos P SMITH first presidency of tho the church of je jesus jens ns christ of latter day saints WILFORD WOODRUFF in behalf of tho council ortho of tho apos ales SALT lk LAKE RE CITY may 12 1884 |