DEMAND FOR ISLANDS.

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20126, 23 February 1937, Page 3

DEMAND FOR ISLANDS.

WEALTHY PEOPLE’S REFUGE. EFFORT TO ESCAPE AIR RAIDS. ALARM AROUSED IN SCOTLAND. (Times Air Mall Service.) LONDON, January 24. Within the next few months nearly 300 square miles of Scotland will be sold —to Englishmen and Americans. | Never In history has there been j such a demand for “slices” of Scot- ; tish territory by wealthy people, who are' looking to the Hebridean and Orkney Islands to provide them with safe retreats from city noises—and potential air raids. Formerly sale of even the smallest Islands was a rarity. To-day the demand is actually beating the supply. Causing Alarm. This wholesale disposal of island estates and the sale of large tracts of sporting country in the north has caused considerable alarm among Scottish Nationalists. They arc afraid that, with new owners who do not understand the Islanders and their traditions, this will become a barrier to any progress in improving the economic lot of the people. On many islands there is a clamant need for new fences, belter piers, reelamalion of land, and, most important io the crofter, the restoration of cottages that arc almost falling about their' heads. An island with first-class situation, sheltered under the lee of a larger island, and with good boating and fishing grounds, may cost, l was informed by an official ol an estate agency, anything from £2OOO to £20,000. I understand that more than £90,000 will be the purchase price of five islands now offered through the estate agencies of Scotland. These include Cava and Swona in the Orkneys, anil Lismore and Vallay, and Carna in the Inner Hebrides. Little Strongholds. Scottish islands have always been a refuge for British politicians. Mr Walter Runciman and Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal. War Office Undersecretary. favour rest on the islands of Eigg’ and Colonsny respectively, while manv Cabinet Ministers spend part of lheir holidavs in the isles.' It is believed that Ihe present demand for Scottish rolreals is not only due lo Ihe desire of wealthy classes lo figure as landlords and owners of their own little strongholds; 11. e islands have been freely menlioncd as desirable havens in Ihe event of war. and places of greater safely Ilian the cities. During the past Iwo years many hundreds of acres of Scottish land have been sold, and l understand that lids is only a minor quantity when compared with Ihe 120 large and small estates which are available for the Coronation festivities.