An Comunn Gàidhealach Publications > Sruth > Volume 2 > No. 49, 6 February 1969

BI-UNGUAL NEWSPAPER OF CURRENT EVENTS IN THE HIGHLANDS AND THE ISLANDS AND IN SCOTLAND
Leanaibh
gu dluth
ri cliii bhur
sinnsir
Follov^in the footsteps of your forebears
NATIONAL SAVINGS
National Savings Certificates
Post Office Savings Bank
Trustee Savings Banks
HIDB OPPOSED TO BRIDGE
AT KYLE
The dream of many Skye-
presumably eliminate delays
of two hours at peak times
but “ should recognise that
thirty minutes delay is
This is Percival Square, Stornoway, at the turn of the century. The
building in the background is Lews Castle, built in 1844 by Sir James
Matheson. The foregoing building is the old Post Office. This scene
is one of the recollections of Robert Madver, a Stornoway lad who
h:s made good in America. His book is reviewed in this issue.
Better Land Use
In their report “Land Use in
the Highlands,” published last
week, the Highland Forum, a
study group of 25 executives
pledged to Highland Develop¬
ment, make a plea for a con-*
centrated drive for better land
use by one powerful body with
a clearly defined goal instead
of the present individual, and
therefore limited, effcits of too
many bodies working on their
own without any sense of com¬
mon purpose.
The report, published in
Inverness, looks at land use (or
perhaps more aptly, misuse)
from the' heyday of the Clan
system through depressing
stages to the present, when a
steadily falling Highland popu¬
lation is concentrating more and
more in urban centres and too
much land has been and is being
lost to the spread of heather
and bracken—and what the
various public bodies set up to
“deal” with the problem have
done.
The most recent arrival on
the scene, the Highland Board
comes in for criticism in that,
with land the major natural
resource in the Highlands, only
one member and one of the full¬
time staff have the responsibility
CALUM GEUR
“ The Board’s Annus Mirabilis : I
always said it was a fertilising
agent for development.”
of looking at the problem. This
the report says, is patently
inadequate, and may well result
in the Board being used as a
stalking horse for land acquisi¬
tion by bodies such as the For¬
estry Commission. The whole
problem calls for a comprehen¬
sive approach based on a care¬
fully worked out land study
method. The Board should
decide quickly how this can
best be done, then obtain
sufficient funds to put a strong
team in the field.
The Macaulay Institute for
Soil Research also comes under
fire. The Highland Forum say
that they find it astonishing
that the Institute has spent tne
first years of its present survey
of Scotland almost entirely on
lowland areas, most of whicfi
are already involved in fully
produaive agriculture instead
of directing attention to upland
areas where land use study is
urgently needed and where
forms of land use are undergoing
change.
On farming in genera), the
report maintains that subsidies
are often biased towards forms
of farming which seem wrong
for the land, certainly for the
Highlands. On crofting in par¬
ticular, it points out that
though the crofter has security
of tenure, he does not have
ownership of the land. This, it
maintains, is a limiting factor
in his getting capital for de¬
velopment, and may inhibit
different types of development
because the value of improve¬
ment accrues to the landlord.
One solution might be for the
crofter to be enabled to buy
his land through the State, as
has been done in Glendale in
(Continued on Page Four)
men—a road bridge at Kyle- ever, the Board’s findings are severe delay and the maxi-
akin — has not found favour that demands for such a regu- mum tollable in all but ex-
with the Highlands and Is- lar link are unjustified and cePtional circumstances” (tol-
lands Development Board. do not even merit a 24-hour erable on the West Coast and
In a press statement issued ferry service. Early morning 'n the islands but apparently
following completion of a de- and late night services must not “ on a mile of mainland
tailed examination of the be improved with the morn- r°ute”).
existing ferry service, the
ing services scheduled at The proposed new ferry
Board state that the prop- hourly intervals and addition- should be designed to carry
lem does not merit a bridge ally as the volume of traffic a vehicle of 32 gross tons in
but it does demand that the demands. order to meet the need for
ferry be recognised as the Recognising that the areu- hauliers to use large vehicles
road to Skye and operated ments about the ferry ser- under the Transport Act. The
accordingly vice have been caused b t00 limitations of the existing
/. budge, described as too fluent delays of over two ietties could result in addi-
expensive a solution to the hours, the inconvenience tlonal construction costs at
problem in the meantimecausecj the travelling public both sidesi the Secretary of
would, of course, give Skye and the cost to commercja[ State being responsible for
r kreg-larth n?rmf1ur°ad vehicle operators, the report K>le of Lochalsh and Inver-
mk Wlth the mainland. How- goes on tQ state that n;g^lar ness County Council for
half hour delays on mainland Kyleakin.
routes would “ immediately The Scottish Transport
inspire corrective investment” Group now control the Cale-
running to perhaps hundreds donian Steam Packet Co. pre-
of thousands of pounds. Such viously under British Rail,
corrective investment in this An extension of the Sunday
instance should be in a new services to operate in April
large 20-25 car ferry with and May and the appointment
roll-on roll-off characteristics, of a manager based locally
The service provided would are also recommended.
Fish Scarcity Hits
ShetlandTactory
The Iceatlantic Frozen Fish
Company of Scalloway have
run into difficulties as a result
of the severe scarcity of white
fish this winter.
Output is down to a mere
twentieth of capacity and the 1
labour force has been reduced
from 140 to approximately j
In 1 965 the Highlands and i
Islands Development Board j
came to the rescue of Ice¬
atlantic with a £ I 0,000 credit
arrangement. Following in¬
vestigation of the firm’s po¬
tential and value to the com¬
munity the Board decided on
further financial assistance.
Now amounting to £100,000,
this is one of their largest
single investments in a com-
mercial concern.
The injection of this new
capital, which it was hoped
would create additional jobs
— a total of 400 was envis¬
aged — coincided with a
major fish famine over a pro¬
tracted period. The effect has
been disastrous and the fac¬
tory is now barely ticking
over.
Recent landings of white
fish have averaged 1,500 to
2,000 cwts. weekly compared
with a normal 6,000 cwts.
The scarcity of fish in Shet¬
land waters has forced island
merchants and processers to
turn their attention to shell¬
fish. A number of boats have
tried scallop fishing, and the
Islanders are now being en¬
couraged to collect winkles.
Coming to
INVERNESS?
Be sure to visit Holm Woollen Mills
where you will be able to see a
magnificent range of Tartans and Tweeds
Shetland Tweeds, Rugs, Scarves
Cheviot Tweeds, Knitting Yarns
Knitwear
Authentic
REPRODUCTION TARTANS
in 49 Clans
The Largest Range in Scotland
JAMES PRINGLE LTD.
WOOLLEN MILLS :: INVERNESS
Telephone Inverness 31042
Also at Skye Woollen Mills, Portree