FROM OVERSEAS

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXXVII, Issue 9319, 31 December 1938, Page 2

FROM OVERSEAS

INTERESTING VISITOR AT WAIHI MR D. ROBERTSON NOTED SCOTCH BREWER A director and head brewer, Mr Daniel Robertson, of Messrs James Aitken and Company (Falkirk), Ltd.. established in 1740, was a visitor to Waihi this week. He was accompanied by Mrs Robertson and his stepson, Mr W. Graham, and Mrs Graham, of Waiuku. Mr Robertson has been with the two centuries old firm for 35 years. He left Falkirk, Sterlingshire, on a six months' world lour. On September 30, the eve of his departure, he was the guest of honour at a social function tendered by the Grahamston Burns Club. He was received in his oflicial capacity as honorary vice-president of the Burns Federation and presented with an inkstand and charged with the duty of conveying the greetings of '.'."< club to fellow-Burnsites in iha various rarts of the world he would be visiting. Mr Pobertson was asked to accept some little tartan-bound booklets containing songs and poems of Burns to distribute among the Burns' Clubs he would visit when -''.road. The booklets bear the name and greetings of the Grahamstor. Burns Club, and in accepting the custod-, of the booklets Mr P.nbertson remarked that he was pleased to note the colour of the Robertson tartan. J'.- and Mrs Robertson Inpe to bs H'J'.er in Wellington or Dunedin on .launary 25 to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of Burns.

MASONIC GREETINGS

Mr Robertson is looking forward ti meeting fellow Masons and in his capacity of Provisional Grand Master of Stirlingshire he had been made the l.orer of letters from the Grand Master of Scotland. Our representative found in Mr Robertson a most into..esting personality. /urdy and vi;ile in appearance, and the possesy.r of shrewd yet kindly blue eyes, unassuming in manner and speech, with a delightfully modulated Scotch accent, Mr Robertson made instant < ppeal to a little gathering who were his guests at the Rob Roy Hotel, the principal of whom was Mr R. Henry, whose acquaintance he made when the latter visited Scotland ill 1923. Incidents of interest associated with that visit were recalled in which Mrs Robertson, who, years ago, was a resident of Waihi, participated. Incidentally, Mr Robertson holds the onerous position of the judge of beers and ales in London in connection with the annual championships, in which brewery firms in all parts of the United Kingdom compete. Only once was the championship honours wrested from England during the last 35 years. That occurred in 1923 when the championship for the best brewed in casks went to his own firm, Messrs James Aitken and Company. Naturally that year Mr Robertson did not judge and that was the only occasion on which his firm competed The following year the honours went back to England and they are still retained by the Old Country.

UNUSUAL INCIDENT

I Arising out. of Mr Robertson's posiI tion of judging beers, an unusual and interesting incident occurred at Mr Graham's home at Waiuku where the visitors were staying just after their arrival in New Zealand. A visitor turned up at the home with samples of bottled beer from a Dunedin brewery of which he was anxious Mr Robertson should give his opinion. The beer was duly sampled and the name of the brewery firm being indicated on the label repalled to Mr Robertson's mind that in the colonial section of beers, which included Australia, New Zealand, Canada and India, he had awarded this New Zealand firm in the annual bottled beer competition last year first honours. "The amazement of the visitor would be bard to describe," said Mr Robertson, "when I intimated that I had judged the colonial beers in 1937." Mrs Robertson, who was present on the occasion, remarked that the situation was priceless.

"WEE DANNY" An interesting incident associated with the naming of a bottled ale product introduced by his firm seven years ago was related by Mr Robertson. He had submitted the product, contained in seven-ounce bottles, to a little company of friends for sampling, when the provost (otherwise the Mayor of Falkirk) asked what name had been given to the bottled product. Mr Robertson replied that he had not named ii. "Then let is be christened 'Wee Danny'," suggested the Provost. Thus to-day in Falkirk, which incidentally has a population of about 4 0,000, there is a popular demand for a "Wee Danny," thus perpetuating the Christian name of the originator of the product.

SECURITY SCHEME

Touching briefly on the social conditions obtaining in Falkirk, the visitor, a member of the Infirmary

uoara, smu nee meuicai ana nospuai I services were rendered to the masses ' for which an individual contribution of twopence a week was exacted. This amount was deducted from the wages of the employees, apparently on similar lines to the New Zealand Government's social security scheme.

Thus, said Mr Robertson, the annual liability for the free service amount- j ed to only 8s Scl per year for each ' working man or woman. The

scheme had been in vogue for some time and worked well without t\ny hardship on anybody. Mrs Robertson also takes her part In the social life and work of the town. The following is an extract from an Australian paper: "The women citizens of Falkirk take a keen interest in many activities and are aways delighted to welcome visiting colonials Mrs Robertson, of Halkirk, Scotland, told 'Country Life' when she arrived in Sydney in the

j Stratbmore." Proceeding. "Country Life" goes on to say, "Mrs Robertson

j has lived in Falkirk for many years j and takes an active part on many i committees and is particularly inter? , ested in the National Council of j Women and attended the world con--1 ference in Edinburgh last year," The overseas visitors, accompanied by Mr and Mrs Graham, left for Tauranga on Thursday morning. They will visit as many places of interest in the North and South Islands as time will permit.