[tz] time zone history for the Cook Islands - Christmas Day Act 1899

Michael H Deckers michael.h.deckers at googlemail.com
Wed Mar 24 13:40:29 UTC 2021


    On 2021-03-24 06:02, Paul Eggert via tz wrote:

>  Proposed patch attached.


    At this occasion, we should also correct the switch to
    UT - 10:30 h in 1901. That this is wrong is hardly surprising:
    on an island without observatory and without telegraphy lines only
    sundials and the occasional navigation officer of a visiting ship
    had been available to control clocks in 1901.

    Thus, in the Cook Island Act of 1915-10-11, online at
    [http://www.paclii.org/ck/legis/ck-nz_act/cia1915132/], we read:
        "  651. The hour of the day shall in each of the islands included
           in the Cook Islands be determined in accordance with the 
meridian of
           that island.  "
    so that local (mean?) time was still used in Rarotonga (and Niue) in 
1915.

    This was changed in the Cook Island Amendment Act of 1952-10-16,
    online at [http://www.paclii.org/ck/legis/ck-nz_act/ciaa1952212/]:
        "  651 (1) The hour of the day in each of the islands
           included in the Cook Islands, other than Niue, shall be
           determined as if each island were situated on the
           meridian one hundred and fifty-seven degrees thirty
           minutes West of Greenwich.
               (2) The hour of the day in the Island of Niue shall
           be determined as if that island were situated on the
           meridian one hundred and seventy degrees West of
           Greenwich. "
    This act does not state when it takes effect, so one has to
    assume it applies since 1952-10-16. But there is the possibility
    that the act just legalized prior existing practice, as we had seen
    with the Guernsey law of 1913-06-18 for the switch in 1909-04-19.

    Michael Deckers.





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