An Comunn Gàidhealach Publications > Sruth > Volume 2 > No. 67, 16 October 1969

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bl-LINGUAL NEWSPAPER OF CURRENT EVENTS IN THE HIGHLANDS AND THE ISLANDS AND IN SCOTLAND
DI-ARDAOIN, 16mh AN DAMHAR. 1969 THURSDAY, 16th OCTOBER, 1969 No. 67 Sixpence
Leanaibh
gu dluth
ri cliu bhur
sinnsir
Follow in the footsteps of your forebears
NATIONAL SAVINGS
National Savings Certificates
Post Office Savings Bank
Photo: The Evening Times
President of An Comunn Gaidhealach Re\. A. M. Beaton with Mr Ron GP'i'hrand, John
Player & Sons, admiring the Gold Pipe Banner, presented by Players for award to the
winner of the new Open Piping Competition at the Mod.
Chairman wants more
freedom for HIDB
Professor Sir Robert Grieve
chairman of the Highlands
and Islands Development
Board, suggested on Tuesday
in Inverness, that there is a
need for the Board to have
greater independence and
more co-ordinating power.
Giving evidence before the
Parliamentary Select Com¬
mittee on Scottish Affairs,
Sir Robert claimed that this
was necessary if the Board’s
work is to be pursued with
vigour.
Mr Donald Dewar. M.P.
for Aberdeen South, asked
whether this would be com¬
patible with a body who
were not producing their own
revenue and were not elected.
Sir Robert said he felt it
was quite compatible and
pointed out that the board
were set up by Parliament
and appointed by the Secre¬
tary of State for Scotland.
They were brought into being
to do a specific job and it
was essential that they pro¬
ceed with speed. Anything
preventing them from doing
so was not good.
Relationships with the
Scottish Office were good, and
he added: “We have begun to
talk the same vocabulary,
which we did not do at the
beginning.
“We recognise that in our
initial stages, when we were
raw and untried, it was very
natural for central Govern¬
ment to watch us carefully.
We simply say there are fields
in which we think we could
reasonably be released from
certain controls to do our job
AN RIOGHACHD
The article which appeared
in the last issue of SRUTH by
Ludovic Kennedy was reprin¬
ted from a pamphlet published
by the 1320 Club, at Tigh an
Uillt, Wilton Dean, Hawick.
Copies of the pamphlet are
available from this address.
freely and vigorously. In no
case are we seeking anything
not fundamental or unconsti¬
tutional.”
The Wheatley Commission
enviseaged a time when the
board would be seen to have
performed their function but
it was his own belief that this
was a long way ahead. He did
not think the commission
visualised the board suddenly
disappearing.
Asked for his views on
redefining the board’s area,
Sir Robert said" they had re¬
ceived representations on this
and recognised that some
areas should be included. The
one most outstanding was the
Cairngorms complex which
took in parts of Aberdeen¬
shire, Moray and Nairn and
Banffshire.
On finance, Sir Robert
stressed the delays which
could occur when application
had to be made to the
Treasury through the Scottish
Office to spend money on
some projects.
Dealing with transport and
the islands, he said it was
important that the board
should find a way to engender
economic activity in Lewis
and other islands. There was
no doubt that one of the
most pitiful barriers was that
of transport charges.
The board were working
out a scheme in which they
regarded sea crossings as
flexible roads. In it a lorry
would not pay any more for
a run between Uig and Tal¬
bert than it would cost to
travel over a comparable
distance by road. This
scheme was being submitted
to the Secretary of State for
Scotland.
ROLL-ON ROLL-OFF ORKNEY FERRY
HIDB recommendation lor Orkney
“A Ferry for Orkney”, the
report by the Highlands and
Islands Development Board on
ferry routes to the Orkney
Islands, released on Wednesday
“MOD” TRAINS
The Aviemore Mod looks
like living up to its descrip¬
tion as the “commuter” mod
with the introduction of
special trains from Inverness.
British Rail are laying on
special services at 6.07 p.m.
each evening to arrive in
Aviemore at 7.05 p.m. Re¬
turn times from Aviemore
vary according to the finish¬
ing times of official functions.
There being no late evening
ceilidhs on the first three
evenings the return journey
from Aviemore will be at
10.35 p.m.
From Monday 21st onwards
there are late night functions
and trains will leave Avie¬
more at 12.35 a.m. on the
first two evenings and at
2.00 a.m. for the remainder
of the week.
The return fare is at a con¬
cession rate of 10/-
recommends that a roll-on/roll¬
off ferry should be built and put
in operation on the Serabster/
Stromness route as quickly as
possible.
Announcing this in Inverness,
Mr Prophet Smith, the Board
Member responsible for transport,
said: "The vessel should be
capable of carrying the largest
size of commercial vehicle and
should be able to make the
crossing in 90-100 minutes.
“The Board do not see this new
ferry as merely replacing the ex¬
isting ship and carrying visitors’
cars rather more efficiently. They
see it as becoming a main route
to Orkney for commercial freight
and livestock, letting Orkney take
full advantage of the benefits of
modem road transport. The
Orkney economy has Caditionally
been heavily dependent on agri¬
culture and because of this the
islands have been steadily losing
population in recent years as their
agriculture has become more
mechanised and employs less
people. The Orkney economy
must be diversified if population
is to be maintained.
"Already there are signs of a
revival of a fishing industry and
tourism is slowly growing as a
provider of jobs and income. We
feel that the provision of a
modern roll-on / roll-off ferry
coupled with a more logical
(Continued on Page Nine)
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