Daylight Savings Time Confusion 1940s-1950s

A Gene Patrick "Passing Scene" depiction of
Daylight Savings Time from Feb. 1975

Daylight Savings Time went back into effect over the weekend (in case some of you missed it). I'm still not used to it occurring so early in the year. I'm one of those people who dislike it, as it seems to take me a week or two to get used to the change. Plus an extra hour of light doesn't really mean much to me since I have a set schedule.

While most of the country observes Daylight Savings Time (with the exception being Hawaii and Arizona), this national conformance wasn't always the case.

In fact, a review of Daylight Savings Time articles that appeared in the Lorain Journal in the 1940s and 50s reveals that, surprisingly, it was often left up to individual cities and counties as to whether to adopt the time change.

Here's an ample sample of articles and editorials revealing just how confusing it all was. 

This editorial from July 2, 1941 (before we entered World War II later that year) is against the idea of nationwide adoption of Daylight Savings Time. It also reveals that Lorain used to be in the Central Time Zone.

But once we were in the war, Daylight Savings Time went into effect for the duration of the war. As the editorial notes, "For the first time in some 20 years daylight savings time will come to Lorain Feb. 9.

"The new schedule will prevail for the duration of the war and for six months thereafter.

"Prior to the First World War, we were in the Central time zone. Daylight saving was started as a war measure. Then, after the war, it was made permanent by adopting Eastern Standard time.

"This means that the new war time savings plan will actually be two hours faster than the time we had here previous to the First World War. It also means that we will be approximately an hour and a half ahead of the sun, since Eastern Standard time in this area was already a half hour faster than sun time.

"Hence daylight savings will do little to save electricity energy in these parts at this time of year, since the general effect will be to add an hour of darkness in the morning."

In the Post-War era, cities like Elyria had to decide whether to adopt their own daylight savings plans. This article from March 16, 1948 notes that the farmers were against the concept due to the "difficulty in getting men to work late at night and a waste of morning labor hours."

This article from April 3, 1948 notes that Lorain was also trying to decide whether to go on "fast time" – the expression commonly used to refer to Daylight Savings Time. Industrial plants in the area pointed out that they would have to operate on 'fast time' irregardless what the city did, so as to conform to plants and customers in areas that did.

This article also from April 3, 1948 explains why farmers were against Daylight Savings Time.

In the end, as this article from April 22, 1948 observes, Lorain and Elyria, as well as most Northern Ohio communities, went with Daylight Savings Time anyway.

By 1949, the Lorain Journal had settled into a routine of reminding readers of the time change, and following up with an article or two after it occurred.

April 23, 1949

April 23, 1949

April 25, 1949

The Ohio legislature hoped to have a constitutional amendment passed by voters to require "slow time." The lawmakers had already prescribed standard time for Ohio four year earlier, but about sixty cities still went to 'fast time' each spring.

June 9, 1949

By 1950, cities and communities were still deciding for themselves whether to go on Daylight Savings Time. This article from April 28, 1950 notes that all of Lorain County voted to move their clocks ahead one hour. Erie county (with the exception of the portion of Vermilion in that county) resisted, along with Toledo, Columbus and Cincinnati.

An editorial from April 29, 1950 supplied an additional reminder to set the clock ahead that night.

This article from Nov. 6, 1950 is interesting because it explains how Lorain's decision to go with Daylight Savings Time was linked with Cleveland's. Thus when Cleveland decided to put the issue to a vote, Lorain would be watching the ballot results with great interest.

As it turned out, it was a victory for Daylight Savings Time, with the issue winning a 25,000 majority with more than half of the polling places reporting, as noted in an article on the front page of the Nov. 8, 1950 Lorain Journal. 

Love or hate it, it seems like Daylight Savings Time is here to stay.