FROM NORTH OF TWEED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22365, 12 September 1934, Page 18

FROM NORTH OF TWEED

A LETTER TO OVERSEAS SCOTS Written for the Otago Daily Times. By Robert S. Angus. EDINBURGH, July 19. If I were to devote the whole of my space this week to the royal visit it would not be out of proportion to the place it has occupied in public attention or to the pleasure which it has afforded all concerned. I have known many similar occasions in the course of the last 40 years, but none which has been a more umiualified success or left happier memories. The leave-taking letter sent to the Lord Provost is worth quoting: “ Their Majesties are always happy in their Scottish capital and m this occasion the beauty of your city, enriched by the lavish display of flowers, has never been seen to greater advantage. When to this is added the kindly and affectionate enthusiasm w r ith which the King and Queen have invariably been greeted you will readily appreciate how much their Majesties look forward to the day when they will take up their residence among the people of Edinburgh onco more.” And so say all of us. Their Majesties certainly made the most of their time. They held an afternoon drawing room, gave a garden party attended by about 5000 guests, entertained a large number of guests at dinner every evening, visited the National Gallery, the Pqrtrait Gallery, the Botanic Gardens, the Zoological Park and several housing estates, reviewed troops, went to the races at Hamilton Park on Saturday—where one of the King’s horses won—to church at St. Giles on Sunday, and to a command performance at the theatre on Monday—a pretty crowded programme for a gentleman of 70. That he should look forward to a repetition of it is the best evidence of his vigour and high spirits. . R,OYAL RESIDENT.’ For 10 days Edinburgh had the feeling and the aspect of being really a capital city. It is obviously impossible for the King and the Queen to be often or long in our midst, but if it could be arranged for some member of the Royal Family—say the Duke of York aud his Scottish consort —to make Holyrood one of their residences it would give unbounded satisfaction. The incident which excited most pleasure was the conferring of a knighthood on the Lord Provost within the walls of Holyrood—a feeling due not only to the bestowal of a well-earned honour but to the place and manner in which it was done. A day or two later the C.V.O. was bestowed on the veteran Chief Constable Ross and the insignia of the Thistle on Cameron of Lochiel. The garden party was what the Americana would call the “ high spot ” of the visit. In contrast with a similar gathering three years ago the weather ’ -was ideal and the traffic arrangements were perfect. Thousands of spectators watched the proceedings from the slopes of Arthur’s Seat, and the King remarked to a friend of mine that if the onlookers derived as much pleasure from seeing the party as he did from seeing them they were happy indeed. Another incident which gave all the greater delight because it was unexpected was the decision of the King and Queen to break their journey home from Hamilton Park in order to visit a “ Scoutin’ Shaw or Boy Scouts’ camp. The Duke of York had promised to attend, but his illness kept him in London, and their majesties, rather than have the lads disappointed, went themselves. Another unrehearsed item was the Queen’s leaving Holyrood at 11 o’clock one night in order to see the flood lighting' of the city, and she was so much delighted with the spectacle that, after the theatre on Monday, she varied the intended route home in order that the King might see the spectacle too.

GOVERNMENT BUILDING PLANS. Mr Tait, the architect for the Government Wildings on the Calton Hill site, has already sent his designs to the Fine Arts Commission, and, still more surprising, that hitherto dilatory body has given its approval of them. Those who have seen the designs are enthusiastic about the skill with which Mr Tait has overcome the difficulties and used the opportunities of the unique site. I am not optimistic enough —having previous experience in mind —to suppose that Mr Tait’s scheme will escape criticism, but Jlr Ormsby Gore, the First Commissioner of Works, and Sir Godfrey Collins, the Scottish Secretary, have sense enough to realise that they can never please everybody and need not make the attempt, Mr Tait’s record is sufficient to justify persons who make no pretensions to skill in these matters accepting his designs as representing the best his profession can do. Once Treasury sanction to the expenditure has been obtained—and that should be done in the autumn —the work can go ahead. A HOME RULE MISSION.

The Duke of Montrose, the leader of the Scottish Home Rule Movement, has set out with half a dozen colleagues on a visit to Ulster, the Irish Free State and the Tele of Man, to find out how self-government works in these territories. Judging from the fact that a couple of days proved sufficient for Belfast, the inquiry there was of a rather cursory character, and I should be interested to know.what Mr de Valera said to visitors who are anxious for two Governnjents in their island at time when his ambition is to bring his island under one. And why should the pilgrims omit the Channel Islands from their tour? It is significant that they include no, member who has any substantial business interests and no trade union leader. They will see and heal merely what they want to see and hear, and their report will be of little value. If Scotland is to have home rule, it must be of a kind suited to her own needs and based neither on high-flown nationalistic sentiments nor on irrelevant precedents, but designed entirely in the light of practical and particularly financial considerations. OVERSEAS SCOTS.

This week we arc welcoming several hundred Scotsmen from Canada and the United States, who have come in organised parties to. visit the land of their birth or descent. They were welcomed at Glasgow by the Lord Provost and the Duke, of Montrose. The latter spoke in an unusually cheerful spirit when he referred to Scotland as being “ as bonnio as ever and much the same as ever. The changes were on the whole for the good. The visitors would find the people busy building new houses, trying to reorganise agriculture and to revivify the old Scottish customs and characteristics. They would find a new Gaelic spirit wherever they went in the Highlands and a new spirit urging them to come together in the interest of their great nationality and to build up Scotland as one of the most prosperous and happiest of the smaller nations.” The leader of the mission brought a letter from Mr Bennett, the Canadian Premier, paying tribute to Scotland’s contribution to the political and economic development of the Dominion. “MONS MEG.” That doughty veteran “ Mons Meg.” whose age like that of so many ladies is a. matter of some doubt, hut who is at least 400 years old, has now regained some of her youthful appearance through being provided with a carriage identical to that which she had in her early days. At the expense of Lord Provost Sir William" Thomson, the ugly cast-iron carriage has been replaced by one of oak drawn from Border woods—the district where “ Meg ” saw active

service—and constructed according to the original designs which are fortunately available. The King and Queen inspected this ancient piece of ordnance with great interest and expressed their appreciation of Sir William Thomson’s public spirit. Visitors to Edinbiirgb Castle, where “ Meg ” has spent her days since she was brought back from the Tower of London 100 years ago, will now have an excellent idea of what fifteenth century heavy artillery looked like.

THE LAW’S LONG ARM. Twelve judges of the Court of Session have decided after hearing a long and learned argument, that no lapse of time is sufficient to prevent the law laying its hand on an offender. Thus a man who was sent to prison for 14 days for bigamy committed in 1900 was held to have been rightly convicted. The point was decided in the opposite sense in a case heard in 1773, but the majority of the court now held that under modern conditions an offender should not be allowed to escape unless he could show that he had been prejudiced by the failure to bring him to earlier trial. SCOTS GREYS IN THE HIGHLANDS. The Royal Scots Greys, now stationed at Redford Barracks, have set out on their route march in the course of which they will traverse about 450 miles of the Highlands, partly by way of exercise and partly in order to attract recruits. It was appropriate that they should have halted the first night at Binns, near Linlithgow, where the regiment was raised in IGBI by Sir Thomas Dalyell. His descendant, the present baronet, welcomed and entertained tha officers and men. They are assured of a warm welcome all along their route. SURPLUS TEACHERS. A sidelight on the serious economic position created by the large output from our universities was cast this week by a report of the Fifeshire education officer to his committee. He has on his list no fewer than 80 trained teachers in the county who cannot obtain appointments. About 20 will be absorbed at the beginning of next session, but about 50 will be leaving the colleges, raising the surplus to 110, of whom not more than 40 can expect appointments in the course of the year. The situation, he said, was increasing in intensity, and it was right that those concerned should be warned before they spent the time and money involved in training. The committee decided that this year the number of approved entrants should be limited to 30. I have no. reason to suppose. that the position in Fifeshire is exceptional. GLASGOW FAIR. This week Glasgow and practically the w'hole of the industrial west is observing the annual “ Fair ” holidays. Nothing has been more surprising all through the time of depression than the ability of even the seemingly poorest to find the money for a week “down the water” op in the country. It is iu part the result of saving during the rest of the year, as is shown by the fact that during the few days before the holiday the amount withdrawn from the Savings Bank w'as nearly £400,000, and it is estimated that at least £1,500,000 will be spent by the holidaymakers. This year the signs of the industrial recovery and, the larger amount available are clearly marked, and about 200,000 of the inhabitants left Glasgow last Saturday. Good luck to them!.