YOUR CONTRIBUTOR, J.J. Searchwell (The Meaning of 'Local Time,' The Gleaner, Friday October 18), might be interested to know that up to February 1912 Jamaica did in fact use "Local Time."
The Latitude and Longitude of Kingston were determined in 1875 and 1876 by Commander F.M. Green, U.S.N. for a station just 12 feet west of the centre of the pedestal on which formerly stood Lord Rodney's statue at the bottom of King Street. Longitude was obtained by telegraphic signals -- Greenwich to Washington, Washington to Key West, to Havana, to Santiago de Cuba, then to Kingston.
The Latitude was determined to be 17 degrees 57 minutes 41.0 seconds North and the Longitude was 76 degrees 47 minutes 39.8 seconds West of Greenwich or in time 5 hours 7 minutes 10.65 seconds. And this was the local time used by the government chronometers.
A notice was inserted in the Jamaica Gazette on January 18, 1912, approving the adoption of Standard Time of the 75th Meridan from February 1, 1912, and the government chronometers advanced 7 minutes 11 seconds as of that date.
