IT'S TIME AGAIN TO ROLL CLOCKS AHEAD AN HOUR

"Oh my ears and whiskers how late it's getting!"

-- From "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland."

Spring forward, fall back.

Daylight-saving time begins this weekend, which means it's time again to reset your clocks and watches ahead one hour.

Don't forget -- or you'll arrive late for your appointments Sunday and Monday.

But if you stop now, reset your clock or at least write yourself a reminder for the task, you won't end up like the White Rabbit.

Oh, and don't concern yourself with that lost hour of sleep you won't catch up again until October when everything reverts.

While most people have no trouble remembering when to reset their clocks or why, that hasn't always been the case. Daylight-saving time has been inconsistent in the United States since its inception during World War I.

Some states and regions still don't observe the time change. Daylight-saving time is not observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands, the Eastern Time Zone in Indiana, and Arizona, except on the Navajo Indian Reservation.

The idea behind daylight-saving time was to conserve fuel during the war. It was thought that by adopting the system, people would conserve energy because they needed less artificial light.

The law was repealed in 1919, over a presidential veto. During World War II, the U.S. observed a year-round daylight-saving time. After the war, there were no federal regulations about daylight-saving time, so some states continued the practice and others did not.

Things were so inconsistent that in 1961, a transportation industry organization pushed for some order. Business groups supported the idea while farmers disapproved.

The Uniform Time Act was enacted by Congress in 1966. It created daylight-saving time to begin on the last Sunday in April and ended on the last Sunday in October. The law was revised in 1986 to begin daylight-saving time on the first Sunday in April at 2 a.m. It ends at 2 a.m. on the last Sunday in October.

The U.S. Department of Transportation, which has jurisdiction over daylight-saving time, conducted an experiment in the 1970s to see just how effective the time change was. During 1973, much of the nation was on an extended daylight-saving plan as a means of conserving the limited gasoline and oil available.

The department concluded:

* Daylight-saving time saves energy. People generally need less fuel for artificial lighting.

* Daylight-saving time prevents traffic injuries. More people are able to travel home after school and work in the daylight, and it means less morning hazards because of early morning sunlight.

* Daylight-saving time means less crime. Since people are arriving home while it is still light, they are less exposed to many crimes that happen in darkness.

But there are some people who would like to abolish the practice of changing the time twice yearly. The Standard Time Web site at www.standardtime.com says that more traffic accidents are reported on the Monday after daylight-saving time in April, likely due to a lost hour of sleep.

A proposal exists to create only two time zones in the United States. The existing Pacific and Central time zones would remain on permanent daylight-saving time while the Mountain and Eastern time zones would stay as standard time.

The idea "will simplify scheduling, travel and commerce," the Web site said. "And by ending semi-annual clock tampering, it will also allow people to get more sleep, be better adjusted to their daily routine, avoid missed appointments resulting from failure to reset clocks and, most importantly, save lives."

The Web site has an online petition that visitors can sign. The petition will eventually be forwarded to government officials.

Until then, remember to spring forward and reset those clocks.