"Vote 40 to 20 For 13-Month Calendar" from the October 18, 1929 Door County Advocate, with another article from July 30, 1959
VOTE 40 TO 20 FOR 13-MONTH CALENDAR
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New Reform Thoroughly Discussed at C. C. Meeting
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By a vote of 40 to 20, those at the open meeting of the Door County Chamber of Commerce at the high school Tuesday evening favored a change from the present Georgian calendar to the proposed 13-month calendar. The vote will be sent to the United States Chamber of Commerce as representing the local opinion on the nation-wide referendum being carried out on the question. About 75 persons attended the meeting.
The information on the proposed calendar was thoroughly presented by means of a round table discussion led by Supt. J. A. VanNatta with -three members of the high school faculty responding. W. B. Calvert discussed the calendar from a business standpoint; Joseph Slabasheski, scientific; and E. C. Morganroth, historical. Following the round table presentation, the audience took part by asking questions.
According to the information given at the meeting, the high points of the new 13-month calendar can be summarized as follows:
28 Days in Each Month
Each month would have 28 days, totaling 364 in all 13 months.
The 365th day, necessary to round out the true year would come at the end of December and be known as "Year Day", not by any name of a present day of the week. This extra day would come between Saturday, December 28, and Sunday, New Year's Day.
The extra month, which some propose to name "Sol", would come between June and July.
In leap year, another extra day would have to be added to adjust a true year, and this day would be known as "Leap Year Day". Instead of being added to February, "Leap Year Day" would be placed between Saturday, June 28, and Sunday, Sol 1.
The extra days would probably be deemed holidays, making a double holiday always at New Year's time and another every four years at the end of June for leap year.
Holidays on Same Day
According to the new calendar, holidays and all dates, in fact, would fall on the same day of the week. Fourth of July, Armistice Day, and Christmas, if kept on the same dates, would always be on Wednesday.
Easter would fall on Sunday, April 8. At present, the date is determined by taking the first Sunday after the Friday following the first full moon after March 25.
A new date would have to be set for Memorial Day.
Labor Day would continue to be the first Monday in September.
Birthdays, now coming on the 29th, 30th or 31st of the month, and all others also, would have to be re-figured as to the number of days elapsing from the first of the year. For example, a birthday falling now on September 29 or the 272nd day of the year would be on October 20 in the new calendar.
Historical dates would have to be referred to as before calendar revision or after as at present dates are called "B. C." or "A. D."
Many Business Advantages
The outstanding advantage of the new calendar is found in business, it was pointed out. Even at present, there are many of the nation's largest industries which have been working on a 28-day month for some years successfully. The principal advantage lies in making true business comparisons which under the present calendar are impossible as between months, quarters or halves of a year.
It was pointed out that with the new calendar one would have to pay 13 months' rent instead of twelve, but this change was ironed out when it was agreed that the economic supply and demand would regulate rents, prices and wages as it does today.
The one similarity between the present calendar and the new is that the years still have 365 days and in leap year 366. The year is the most correct of any calendar ever made, having an error of one day only once in every 3,330 years. The present calendar was Made in Rome in 1582 but was not universally adopted until this century. Russia, however, has now changed to a calendar with five days a week, it is reported.
International Action
International action in the form of a treaty which would have to be ratified by the nations taking part in order to become a law would be needed to put the new calendar into force. The United States Chamber of Commerce is taking the matter up in this country for congress, and similar action is being carried on in other nations of the Western hemisphere as the result of a resolution passed by the last Pan-American congress. Reports will be made to the legislative bodies, and in turn any one of the countries may call the international conference.
By way of entertainment at the meeting, a faculty vocal quartet, made up of Miss Marie Larson, Miss Margaret Fritschler, Prentice Hale and Walter Calvert, sang three excellent numbers.
Preceding the meeting, Karl Reynolds, president of the local Chamber of Commerce, introduced O. R. Smith of Milwaukee, an official of the new Wisconsin State Tourist Bureau. Mr. Smith spoke on the work of the bureau and the methods used in putting Wisconsin across as a vacation land.
[from the July 30, 1959 Door County Advocate]
13-Month Year Voted by Sturgeon Bay Residents in Straw Vote 30 Years Ago
Thirty years ago 75 staid, sober persons, many of them business men, gathered at Sturgeon Bay high school and before the evening was over had voted to change from the present 12-month calendar to a calendar having 13 months.
They had not come to the meeting feeling the effects of bathtub gin nor were they merely engaging in some of the frivolity of the roaring twenties. They were serious about the whole matter.
The occasion for the gathering was an open meeting called by the chamber of commerce for the purpose of assessing local feeling about changing the 12-month calendar to a 13-month calendar. The meeting was part of a nation-wide referendum being carried on by the United States chamber of commerce.
The proposed 13-month calendar was summarized as follows:
"Each month would have 28 days, totaling 364 days in the 13-month year.”
"the 365th day necessary to round out the true year would come at the end of December and would be known as Year Day, not by any name of a present day of the week. This extra day would come between Saturday, Dec. 28 and Sunday, New Year's Day.”
"The extra month, which some proposed to call Sol, would come between June and July.”
"In leap year another day would have to be added to adjust a true year and this day would be known as Leap Year Day. Instead of being added to February, Leap Year Day would be placed between Saturday, June 28 and Sunday, Sol 1.”
"The extra days would probably be deemed holidays, making a double holiday always at New Year's and another every four years at the end of June for leap year.”
"According to the new calendar holidays and all dates, in fact, would always fall on the same day of the week. Fourth of July, Armistice Day and Christmas, if kept on the same dates, would always fall on Wednesday.”
Easter would fall on Sunday, April 8. A new date would have to be set for Memorial Day. Labor Day would continue to be the first Monday in September.
"Birthdays coming on the 29th, 30th or 31st of the month, and all others also, would have to be refigured as to the number of days elapsing from the first of the year. For example, a birthday falling on Sept. 29 or the 272nd day of the year would be on Oct. 20 in the new calendar."
"Historical dates would have to be referred to as before or after the new calendar, as at the present time dates are either B. C. or A. D."
It was pointed out at the meeting that the chief advantage of the new calendar would be in the field of business, where it would be possible to make true business comparisons of months, quarters and halves of a year.
Some practical person in the audience asked what would happen when people had to pay 13 months' rent instead of 12 during the course of the year. In the discussion that followed it was agreed that rents, wages, and prices would be regulated by supply and demand as they always had been.
The information on the proposed new calendar was presented by means of a round table discussion led by Supt. of Schools J. A. VanNatta. Three members of the high school faculty took part: W. B. Calyert who discussed the calendar from a business standpoint; Joseph Slabasheskie who discussed it in relation to science; and E. C. Morganroth who touched on the historical significance.
About 75 persons attended the meeting, and after the discussion were called upon to vote on whether the new calendar should be adopted. The vote was 40-20 in favor of the 13-month calendar.
Although the movement for the 13-month calendar, which would have given our years and months a uniformity impossible under the present calendar, has long been dead there was considerable interest in it back in 1929.
In fact, the referendum carried on by the United States chamber of commerce was duplicated in other nations in the western hemisphere as the result of a resolution passed by the Pan American congress.
However, international agreement would have been necessary to put the new calendar into effect. Such agreement is impossible even in matters of less moment than a 13-month calendar.
Besides, 13 is unlucky.
Articles are courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
Articles about Karl Reynolds
https://doorcounty.substack.com/t/karl-reynolds
Articles about a 13-month calendar