University Loses One Hour of Sleep As Nation Economizes on War Time

If you miss breakfast this morning, better set your watch ahead an hour or you'll be breaking a federal law. Cambridge joined the rest of the country last night in losing an hour's sleep to save electricity for national defense.

Don't write your congressman in anger, his intentions were good. "War time" should be able to cut down on the national consumption of electricity between dark and bedtime so that the power saved may be diverted to industrial uses.

"War Time" Proposed in 1918

In 1918, when there was no national law, a proposal for a voluntary college "war time" was voted down by the student body. On January 16, 1918, in view of a severe shortage of coal, the Student Council unanimously passed a resolution that the advisability of advancing the University time schedule one hour should be put to a student vote.

Advancing the class schedule one hour would reduce the amount of heat needed in the dormitories in the evenings. The shortage was not so much in light, for which there was enough coal available, but in fuel for heating the college buildings and dormitories.

The University decided to close Widener library on Sundays and to heat the University and Peabody museums only enough to prevent freezing.

The opening of the Union Common Room which had been scheduled was cancelled on the grounds that it would be just added space to heat. Holden Chapel, the exhibition rooms and large lecture room in the Semitic Museum and the Germanic Museum were closed entirely. Columbia went Harvard one better and decided to close completely on Mondays in an effort to alleviate the fuel shortage.

Voted Down by Student Body

On January 22, even though James J. Storrow, United States Fuel Administrator, had personally endorsed the plan, it was voted down by the student body 689 to 393. There were several editorials in the CRIMSON advocating the plan, but the general opinion among the student body was that fuel conservation ought to be left up to the individual students.

The horror of inconvenience may have influenced a great many; but they were wise enough to hide the fact. The measure was defeated because to many it seemed impractical and futile.

New A National Law

Congress didn't trust us this time, and decided to settle the question with a national law. In many localities, the saving of power for industrial use is vital. It has been estimated that "war time" will divert 736 million kilowatt hours for use in war industry.

How successful it will be in Cambridge, nobody knows definitely until it has been tried. According to Aldrich Durant, Business Manager, the University is uncertain how much the measure will save until the program has been in operation for several weeks.

Since the war began, the demand for electrical power has only slightly increased, a Cambridge official revealed. Industrial plants running on night shifts have needed more power, but civilian consumption has decreased proportionally.