FROM NORTH OF TWEED.

Otago Witness, Issue 3774, 13 July 1926, Page 15

FROM NORTH OF TWEED.

A LETTER TO OVERSEAS SCOTS.

By

Robert S. Angus.

EDINBURGH, May 27. Echoes of the general strike continue to reverberate in our social, political, and industrial and so long as the coal stoppage lasts the position can only become steadily worse. The evils of that dispute have been accentuated by the larger quarrel, and yet the public seems less conscious of them. It feels them most in the reduction of the railway services, and in the suspension, just when they are most needed, of the facilities for cheap excursions. The thousands of families which were looking forward to their annual migration from the town to the coast or the country at the beginning of June have had to cancel their arrangements, unless their destination happens to be within motoring distance. Happily, the weather has taken a belated turn for the better, and so far as the domestic consumer is concerned the lack of coal matters little. But all the big industries are feeling the pinch, and their rlight is bound to become progressively worse. Besides, there is always the danger that trouble may recur on the railways over the question of moving such stocks of coal as we have. The responsible leaders are not disposed to raise difficulties, especially as most of their men are ol half-time or less, but some of the rank and file may take matters into their own hands and precipitate a crisis. The courts of justice are still busy, especially in Glasgow, with cases arising out of the strike, and the judges are passing heavy sentences for acts of violence or attempts to spread alarm. Judging from the charges, the rumours afloat were of the most fantastic kind. A PLEASANT ECHO. The efforts of the Edinburgh University students to maintain the essential supplies and cervices have had a pleasant reward. Mr Thomas Cowan’, a Leith shipowner, and convener of the committee charged with the exceptional circumstances arising ont of the emergency, was so impressed by “the enthusiasm, the initiative, atad the working capacity of the 270 students who gave their much-valued assistance,” that he has sent to Principal Sir Alfred Ewing a cheque for £IO,OOO for the general purposes of the university. “They worked splendidly,” Mr Cowan says, “and demonstrated afresh the pluck and grit of our university youths/’ His timely gift will be much .appreciated. Another agreeable sequel is the decisioh of the master of lue Merchant Company to raise a special fund in order to express the appreciation of the citizens for the services of the Edinburgh police. This movement is not to be confused with the fund which is being raised through The Times as a testimonial to the police of the country as a whole. It has now been made clear that the Scottish police are to share—as they well deserve to do—in the benefits of that fund. VISITS POSTPONED. A less pleasant sequel to the dislocation of the general strike is that the King uid Queen in the rearrangement of their •miner programme have been reluctantly compelled to canoel their proposal to spend a week at Holyrood Palace about the beginning of July. When the palace was modernised and refurnished—a work in whioh the Qupen took a keen personal in-

terest—th«i* Majesties hoped that they would be able to make an annual stay, but the idea has had to bo given up for this year. The Prime Minister was due to visit this city this week in order to oe made an honorary freeman, and he was to have stayed at Holyrood as the guest of ike Lord High Commissioner, the Earl of Elgin. The ceremony has had to be postponed. but it is hoped that Mr Baldwin may be able to come north abftut 10 days hence, when the adjourned assemblies will be in session. Everything depends on how the industrial situation develops. Mr Baid-' win has enough Scottish and Nonconformis”, blood in his veins to make him a weLome guest at the annual meetings of the Scottish churches should he be able to pay ihem a hasty visit. ASSEMBLY REPORTS. Now that the printers are back to work, the members of tb* Assemblies havo received copies of tue committee reports. Some of these show the usual desire to make the flesh of their readers creep. The Church of Scotland is distressed by the lack of money, and what is still moie disquieting. of men, especially for the foreign field. There are still nearly 300 charges where the stipend is under £3OO a year with a manse, and the amount required annually to reach that exceedingly modest minimum is £25,000. The United Free Church is again in a pessimistic mood over the decline in observance of the Sabbath and the growth of “Romanism.” It coinplains that our emigrants of Scottish biitk are being replaced by Irish, and points out that in Lanarkshire the number of children of Protestant parentage has Je:haid since 1910 by over 10.000. while those of Irish descent have risen by 3500. Neither church has much that is helpful to sav about temperance, but it is noteworthy that the United Free Committee, which is usually doleful, admits the obvious fact that, apart from all legisative and restrictive affovt, tho habits of the people are steadily improving. MINING SCIENCE. It is pleasant to find that even at a juncture like the present, the Government is ready to contribute to the development of mining science. The scheme to provide a laboratory and lecture theatre in connection with the School of Mining at Heriot-YVatt College is now within sight of being carried through as the result of an undertaking to contribute from State funds up to a maximum of £5875 towards the total cost of £25,000. The Miners Welfare Fund has given £8000; the governors £4OOO. in addition to the site in the Grassmarket; the Carnegie University Trustees. £3000; and the University £IOOO. There is thus only a small balance to find. Sir John Gilmour in announcing the State contribution says it is “an earnest desire of the Government to do all in its power to further the reorganisation of the coal industry.” PHARMACOLOGY PROFESSOR. Dr Alfred Joseph Clark, who followed the late Dr Cushny as Professor of Pharmacology at University College. London, has been selected to succeed him in the chair on the same subject at Edinburgh. It is a healthy feature of our academic life that its posts are not reserved for natives. Dr Clark belongs to Somerset, was educated at Cambridge University, md hao spent the whole of his professional ife *ou.b of the Tweed, a year of it at Capetown, and nearly five years of it with the R.A.M.C. in the European War. during which he won the Military Cross. As he is just t.urnad 40 and is the author of n standard work on “Applied Pharmacology” Dr Clark has the prospect of a lengthy career in his new chair. BLIND EDUCATION JUBILEE. This week the Royal Blind Asylum and School celebrated the jubilee of the opening of its fine buildings at Newington. The place was much smaller then, and its methods less scientific, but it was lnspir7»d by the same large-hearted enthusiasm as now. For nearly thirty years it has enjoyed the benefit of the leadership of the Rev. Thomas Burns, the minister of Lady Glenorchy’s Church. He was a little jealous of the attention which was attracted during the war by St. Dunstan’s, and claimed with some justice that, though on a smaller scale, the work, in Edinburgh, done with even more thoroughness and success, received little recognition. A visit to the workshops at Newington, where hundreds of men earn their living as craftsmen, is a lesson in cheerfulness to those who are fortunate enough to retain the use of the ! r eyes. The institution deserves all the support it can be given. THE LIBERAL SQUABBLE. Scotland has a peculiar interest in the dispute which has arisen between the Liberal leaders, for a considerable proportion of the party’s M’s.P. are elected by Scottish constituents. Most of them belonged to the Lloyd George section of the party at the time of their election, but I am doubtful if many of them do so now. Both the whips of the party, Sir Godfrey Collins and Sir Robert Hutchinson, are Scottish members, but I understand their sympathies are entirely, with Lord Oxford in his rebuke of Mr Lloyd George. The same is true, I believe, of Mr lan Macpherson, who lias been laid aside by Illness for gome months, and is only now recovering slowly. Members of the Radical group, like Captain Wedgwood Benrt and Mr Mackenzie Livingstone, are. of course of the antl-L.G. persuasion. In fact, it would be difficult to name any Scottish, member of the other way of thinking. Mr Lloyd George’s last political tour in Scotland was a failure, and only the fact that the land scheme did not apply to Scotland prevented it being the subject of acute division. I cannot avoid the suspicion that the differences over the general strike are the occasion rather than the cause of thn present rupture. ABERDEEN’S SOCIALIST MEMBER... Mr Frank Ross, the highly independent Socialist member for North Aberdeen, is again in controversy with the local members of the party. To their announcement that they mean to take a ballot as to whether he should be their candidate at next election, he retorts that the only ballot he recognises is the one taken on the occasion of the last ’general election. He adds that, till the local Labour Party carries out the instructions of headquarters to expel the Communists, he will decline to hold any communication with it. The Aberdonians like independence, and Mr Rose will lose nothing by his bold stand.