FROM NORTH OF TWEED

Otago Witness, Issue 3619, 24 July 1923, Page 24

FROM NORTH OF TWEED

A LETTER TO SCOTTISH EXILES. Br Robert S. Angus. EDINBURGH, May 24. Groat Britain has not had many Scottish Prime Ministers, and the three who have held the post within living memory have had short reigns. Lord Rosebery was the political head of the State for little more than a year; Sir Henry CampbellBannerman was Premier for just over two years when his health broke down and he died a few weeks later. Now Mr Bonar Law has had to lay down his office after a tenure of seven months. By none is his collapse more regretted than by his fellowcountrymen, especially in the West, where he was best known. Neither commercial nor political success—and he enjoyed a large measure of both—has spoiled the line nature of the man. He has remained throughout modest, diffident, approachable, never prone to push himself forward, but tenacious of his rights and a careful guardian of his dignity. When I knew him first., some five and twenty years ago, wo wore fellow-meimbers of the Glasgow Chess Club, and the friendship formed then has been enduring. Keen ns he was about hie hobby, he never allowed it to interfere with business, and after two or three rapid arid furious games, during which lie took hrs modest lunr.li of a cup of coffee' and a couple of sandwiches, he would hurry off to the Exchange again. When he had made a competence—supplemented by one or two windfalls from maiden aunts —he gave up business for politics, determined to make as much of a success in that sphere fcs he had done in iron-broking. He was under no illusions about himself. He knew his limitations better than did his most exacting critic, anrl he never attempted to go beyond them. With the Unionist party leadc’Mdo fell vacant, ho declined to put himself in competition with men of longer political service. He told me that he would not raise a fi..ger to press his claims, and that he would accept the office only if it were offered to him by the unanimous wish of the party. His condition was fulfilled. Again at the fall of Mr Asquith's Coalition he cou'd have become Prime Minister, but preferred to stand aside in favour of Mr Lloyd George, who. lie believed, had a greater hold on the public imagination. Ft was with the utmost reluctance and under strong pressure from his friends that lie consented to return lo active political life, for though his doctors gave him qualified assurance as to the state cf his health, he knew better than they did the risk he was runnincr. I believe they told him he could safely oarry on for two years, and that he would have timely warnimr of any danger. They have, unfortunately proved to be wrong. Mr Bonar Law carries with him into private life the affectionate sympathy of men of all parties. CO-OPERATORS IN EDINBURGH. As if the fathers and brethren of the two General were not tax enough Upon our accommodation in Edinburgh, we have had this week about 1860 delegates to the annual Congress of the Co-operative Union. Th e occasion has naturally attracted attention to the record of our own pouifty—St. Culhbert’s—which in its 64

years’ existence has increased from a membership of 65 with a capital of £3O to a membership of over 62,000 and funds exceeding a million. In our city the movement has had middle-class as well as work-ing-class support, and, perhaps for that reason, it has taken less part in the political activities of the 00-operators and is a little uneasy about their modern association with the Labour Party. Among those who took part in the conference was the veteran Sir William Maxwell, now over eighty years of age, who 42 years ago was secretary of St. Cuthbert’s Association. Reference was naturally made to the great development of the movement in the industrial areas, and to the rapid growth of the Wholesale Society, which, with its headquarters in Glasgow, has its factories and farms in all parts of the country. THE ASSEMBLIES. Leaving over till next w-eek a more detailed reference to the proceedings of the General Assemblies. I shall only say now that the predominating topic is that of union between our two great churches. The movement, which originated about 10 years ago, has been greatly helped by the report of the Haldane Committee on the vexed and complicated problem of the Teinds and although there are minorities in both the churches they consist mainly of those who are half-hearted about union, but do not care to assume the responsibility of direct opposition. The United Free Church Committee on Union has accepted the Haldane report, practically without qualification, and the general body of opinion seems likelv to prevail on the one hand over the protests of the Disestablishment Council against any remnant of connection between the Church and the State, and over those Erastians who view with misgiving the severance of the long association between the land and the maintenance of the Church. EDINBURGH CASTLE. From Edinburgh Castle, its military glory exlending over many centuries has departed. True, a, few details remain in connection with the military hospital, and from the barracks at Redford a daily quota of sentries w-ill be provided, but no longer will the strains of “Last Post” be heard echoin<r from the Castle rock at nightfall. (I would quote Henley’s fine poem on the subject did I not happen to be writing in the country, far from my books.) It: seems that the departure of the garrison is not due to the requirements of the National War Memorial. The real reason, it is hinted, is a disinclination on the part of the War Office to spend the £BOOO required to put the buildings into a satisfactory sanitary condition. But, as I think I have said before, the civilian’s desire to see troops retained at the Castle is not shared by the croons themselves. The site is picturesque, but from the common soldier’s point of view inconvenient and his officers are always uneasy about the temptations that beset him as he passes up the High street and the Lawnmarket on his way home at nights. The loss of Edinburgh Castle’s military status — the maintenance of which is stipulated for in the Act of Union —is emphasised by the fact that the King has just restored to the Earls of Mar and Kellie their position as hereditary keepers of Stirling Castle, which position they lost through their participation in the rebellion of 1715, an action which the Earl claimed on the occasion of his

installation the otner day, to have been due to “an excessive if mistaken loyalty.” THE SCOTTISH ZOO. Those who have not been to Edinburgh in recent years will be well advised to include the Scottish Zoological Gardens in their next tour. They have the less excuse for missing them seeing that the Corstorpliine tramways now run to the gates. Though much smaller than the London establishment, the Scottish Zoo, according to wellqualified judges, is better arranged and better kept. It has now completed 10 years’ existence and may therefore be regarded as a permanency. What is more impressive is that its last year has been its most prosperous, and in the course of the 12 months it attracted over 262,000 visitors. Without entering into details, the directors admit that there is a “satisfactory surplus” in the finances, and a number of new developments are in contemplation. The society, which has well over 2000 Fellows, owes much to the enthusiasm of Lord Salvesen, its chairman, who championed the idea for - many years before it was carried into effect. INDUSTRIAL AMENITY. I have seldom had to record a more satisfactory form of memorial than that which the members of the Colville family, who are at the head of the great Lanarkshire steel firm of that name, have provided in honour of their forbears. The mansion house and estate of Jerviston having become derelict in these days when residential properties in the neighbourhood of coalpits and steel works are in no demand, the Colvilles bought the place for the use of their workers —the house to be a place of recreation and the grounds playing-fields. A ballroom, a billiard-room, a tea-room, a library, a golf course, tennis lawns, football fields, and cricket pitches, are to be provided, all within 10 minutes’ tram ride of the centre of Motherwell. The property is to be under the management of a Joint Committee of employers and employed, the workmen having by a large majority preferred that arrangement to handing the place over to the Town Council for the benefit of the community as a whole. Another advance in tf. same direction has been made not far away, at Cleland, where a Mining institute has been opened, which will be supported by a contribution of a penny a week from every miner in the district. A DEAL OF WHISKY. What is described as the biggest deal in the whisky trade has been effected by the purchase of the stocks —said to amount to five million gallons—of Messrs James Watson and Co., Limited, of Dundee, by the Dewar-Buchanan-Walker combination. The Dundee firm has a record extending over more than a century, and in addition to its stocks it owns or controls distilleries in Spey side in Ross-sbire, and at Wick. Thus the process of getting the malt whisky production of Scotland into one set of hands is carried a long stage further. Whether that is in the interests of Scotland or the consumer remains to hfr seen. THE CARNEGIE TRUST. During the year the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust lost its chairman, Sir John Ross, by retirement, and its vice-chairman, Sir William Robertson, by death. These offices have been filled by the appointment of the Earl of Elgin, who is showing increasing activity in public affairs, an<T Sir John Struthers, who was until a few months ago the head of the Scottish Education Department. “THE CURSE OF SCOTLAND.” Every card-player, I suppose, knows the nine of diamonds as “the curse of Scotland.” A lively controversy has broken out as to the reason. The reference books explains that it was due to the importance of that card in the game of ooinette, introduced into Scotland from France, some say by James tho Second, and others by Queen Mary, and resulting in the ruin of many Scottish families; The popular explanation is that it was on that eard that the Duke of Cumberland wrote his orders for the battle of Culloden, but I have always Lien under the impression that until the present discussion arose that the nine lozenges cn that Duke’s eoat-of-arrns, mistaken for diamonds were responsible for the phrase. A MIGHTY LAUGHER. I am sorry to hear that Mr David Lyon, Deputy Town Clerk of Edinburgh, is retiring after over 50 years of municipal service. Of all the men 1 have ever known, “Davie” as we shall always call him, was the greatest laugher. A little, round, ruddy man, he was a great teller and-lover cf a good story, and the echo of his guffaws could be heard almost, from one end of the High street to the other. Moreover, he has been an efficient and popular public servant, and his retirement encourages the hope that he will have more time to beguile the leisure and cheer the spirits of his fellow-citizens.