FROM NORTH OF TWEED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22610, 29 June 1935, Page 25

FROM NORTH OF TWEED

A LETTER TO OVERSEAS SCOTS Written for the Otago Daily Times. By Robert S. Angus. EDINBURGH, May 9. To those who think that in these days loyalty is an outworn virtue and devotion to King and country an empty form, this jubilee week must have been a revelation, and even those who hold the opposite view were as much surprised «s they were gratified by the scale and the. spirit of the rejoicing over the semijubilee. To describe them in any detail is impossible. Religious services in the leading churches of evely town and village, treats and presents for the old people and the children, sports and dancing for those who are active enough to join in them, military parades, floodlighting—in which Edinburgh was a pioneer—and at night chains of beaconfires on the mountain tops were the outstanding features. Here in Edinburgh the popular climax is still to come. The Duke and Duchess of York are arriving on Saturday to be the central figures in a round of ceremonials and gaieties. Thanks to wireless, participation in the celebrations was more widespread as well as more intimate than was ever possible before. The remotest islands and glens heard the service in St. Paul's Cathedral, London, the archbishop's address, and, above all, the eloquently simple speech which the King delivered from Buckingham Palace at the close of what he justly described as "a memorable day." The consciousness that our celebrations were being echoed in every part of the world gave them a new significance; absent friends—and what country has so many in every part of the world as ours?—were listening to the same words and music seemed to bring them nearer. COAL-OWNERS' MEMORIAL. So much is heard of strife in the coal trade that the public is apt to get the impression that employers and employed are always at loggerheads. Happily that is far from being the case, and pleasant evidence to that effect is given by the decision of the Scottish Coalmasters' Associations to make gifts, expected to amount to about £25,000, as a Jubilee Fund to be used for the benefit of miners and their dependants in some form to be decided in consultation with the representatives of the men. If the example of South Wales is followed, the money wil] be used for the establishment of a pension fund, and the men's unions will supplement the employers' donations. INDUSTRIAL OUTLOOK. Occasional orders for shipbuilding and engineering work continue to be recorded, but they are disquietingly rare and hardly promise to keep up even the modest lccovery which has been made. However, the " scrap and build" programme, which is now on the point of coming into operation, should help shipbuilders. Whatever one may think of the co-operative system, it is a valuable index of working class spending power, and, as such, the figures of the Scottish Cooperative Union are encouraging. They show that the trade of the Wholesale Society increased last year by over 10 per cent., and that the total sales amounted to about £38.000,000, equivalent to about £9 for every man, woman and child in the country, and nearly £SO of saclr of the 800,000 members. UGLY BUILDINGS. Sir Godfrey Collins has received a valuable report from the Advisory Committee —consisting mainly of architects —which he appointed to consider the appearance and amenity of building schemes. The committee points out that already about one-seventh of the population of Scotland is living in Statesubsidised houses and that the proportion will probably rise to one-third before the needs of the situation are met. It finds that the internal conveniences and accommodation of Scottish houses are generally superior to those of Continental schemes, but that architecturally they are greatly and needlessly inferior. A beautiful design, it suggests, need not be appreciably more costly than an ugly one, and, though that may seem a commonplace, it arouses bitter reflections in the minds of those who know the stark monotony of our tenements in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee, as well

as in some of the smaller towns. Th( committee recognises that tenements arc unavoidable, but suggests that greatei space, including playgrounds for children should be provided. It sees no objection to buildings as high as five storeys. I wonder if any of them ever had to carry a perambulator up three flight!' of stairs, as was part of my duty in younger days! RATES AND RENTS. Though Edinburgh's municipal expenditure is estimated to rise by over £12,000 during the current year, Treasurer Brown was able to assure the ratepayers that he can find that sum out of his present resources. Capital expenditure will amount to more than £1,000,000, representing employment for 5500 men, house building, of course, being responsible for most of it. I doubt if the Glasgow treasurer will have an equally agreeable Budget. The council has accepted its Housing Committee's recommendation, to reduce rents by £50,000 a year, affecting about 16,000 tenants, who will no doubt be expected to show their gratitude when the election comes It was argued that, owing to the fall in interest rates, the department has a surplus of £06,000, but surely that gain should be used for the benefit of the community as a whole and not merely of those fortunate enough to be municipal tenants. Some of the houses are occupied by town councillors, and they were advised by the town clerk to take no part in the division, lest awkward legal questions should be raised. GIFT FOR NEW CHURCHES. The Baird Trust, which for two generations has given the Church of Scotland financial backing from its funds of half a million, has undertaken to meet the cost of building eight churches. Dr John White, in making the announcement, warned his hearers that the gift does not relieve the clinrch from the duty to raise £IBO,OOO for church extension, a duty which will become more clamant as rehousing schemes develop. While admiring the enthusiasm of Dr White and his friends, I remain sceptical as to the wisdom of spending so much of the church's resources on stone and lime. If a man's religion means anything to him he should not grudge a journey to a place of worship, or expect that wherever he lives a church will be built for him .inst round the corner. I would rather see existing churches provided with larger and better-paid staffs. TOURIST TRAFFIC. The Scottish Travel Association is entitled to the fullest public support and it is not getting it, as is evident from the fact that whereas Northern Ireland spends £9OOO a year and the Isle of Man £12,000 on publicity, Scotland is expected to do the same work on £3OO. It is estimated that whereas foreign tourists spend, £22,000,000 a yoar in the United Kingdom, British tourists spend about £32.<XH),000 abroad. These proportions might wel' be reversed. Pint onr bote I keepers must mend their own publicity methods. The other day I had the curiosity to study about 140 of their advertisements; only two of them gave any clue to their prices. On the other hand, five London f-.nd five Continental hotels advertising in the same paper stated their minimum and maximum terms. Those of us who live in Scotland can make a rough guess at the terms. Outsiders cannot, and the secretiveness T have indicated will merely tend to strengthen the belief—not altogether well founded —that Scotland is an expensive place for holidays. DUKE OF RICHMOND. Through no fault of his own the late Duke of Richmond and Gordon played less part in the life of Scotland than he would have liked to do. He was physically, crippled during the war, and financially crippled by the heavy death duties he had to pay on his succession. The former prevented his going often to Gordon Castle, his magnificent residence near Fochabers, and the other disability forced him to sell many of his possessions, including, recently, a large part of his moors and deer forests in the neighbourhood of Tomintoul. He took a pride in maintaining the fine relations which have existed between successive generations of his family nnd those who live on their estates. The Duke was a good soldier, with a keen interest in art and literature, and his Scottish tenants are sincerely grieved by his death.