An Comunn Gàidhealach Publications > Sruth > Volume 2 > No. 91, 17 September 1970

UNGUAL NEWSPAPER OF CURRENT EVENTS IN THE HIGHLANDS AND THE ISLANDS AND IN SCOTLAND
DI-ARDAOIN, 17mh LA DE'N SULTUIN 1970 THURSDAY, 17th SEPTEMBER 1970 No. 91 Sixpence
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Sheep being gathered in Skye-in preparation for the Autumn sales
Crofting Experts for
Bavaria
IN an effort to find possible
solutions to the problems
of Highland crofting, a team
of three experts will fly to
Bavaria in a fortnight.
The Crofters Commission,
who are sending the team are
represented by their secretary,
Mr D. J. MacCuish. Accom¬
panying him are Mr Norman
MacAskill, a member of the
commission, and Mr Archie
Gillespie, crofting adviser to
the North of Scotland College
of Agriculture.
Bavaria has problems simi¬
lar to those of Highland
crofters, and the delegates
will spend a week studying
ideas on such things as an¬
cillary jobs for crofters, and
the amalgamation of small
farms, releasing some of the
holders for industry.
This is not the first similar
study that the commission
have made in their efforts to
help the 15,000 crofters in
the Highlands. Four years ago
a team visited Ireland to in¬
vestigate the methods being
employed to combat the fail¬
ing economy of the Gaeltacht.
The oommission are anxious
to encourage crofters to un¬
dertake p^rt-time supplemen¬
tary jobs like handicrafts and
tourism. Recently, they re¬
commended to the Govern¬
ment, that crofters should
become owners of their
holdings.
Stornoway Ferry
Service
STORNOWAY Town Coun¬
cil are to press the Scottish
Transport Group to imple¬
ment the Stornoway-Ullapool
ferry service as soon as pos¬
sible and have suggested that
MacBrayne’s latest drive -
through car ferry, the Iona, be
brought into service immed¬
iately to replace the mail
steamer Loch Seaforth.
MacBrayne’s are also to be
asked to ensure greater care
in loading the weekly Glasgow
cargo boat, Loch Dun vegan.
It was stated that because of
breakages and pilferage, there
was a danger that fewer firms
would use the vessel for de¬
livering goods to Stornoway
which could lead to its with¬
drawal from service.
CROFTER’S
ROOF
J^OSS and Cromarty County
Council now appear to be
in two minds about insisting
on their objections to the type
of roof proposed for the house
at 5 Lnaclete, Uig, Lewis,
built during the past 20 years
by Mr John Macleod (68), a
crofter, with stones he has
collected. The roof joists and
rafters are now in place, but
because of financial difficulties
Mr Macleod asked Ross-shire
Planning Authority for per¬
mission to use asbestos sheet¬
ing for the roof.,
He was told the County
Planning Officer felt that cor¬
rugated asbestos would detract
from the appearance of the
house, and that the committee
had confirmed a previous de¬
cision that slates should be
used.
As an alternative, Mr Mac¬
leod was informed that he
could use a concrete tile “of
a suitable colour” — subject
to his approval of the Planning
Officer’s choice of colour.
“Blooming rigmarole” was
how Mr Macleod described
the council’s specifications.
SRUTH in the narrows
QWING to increasing financial difficulty, it has been
decided meantime to reduce the size of each issue
of SRUTH to eight pages, beginning with this
issue. These are extremely hard times for any
newspaper, and our readers will know of the
financial difficulties of the big newspapers, with
turnovers of many millions of pounds. How much
more difficult it is then, for a small sponsored
newspaper to survive, particularly when its raison
d’etre is to act as a voice for a minority interest.
In the next few weeks, a decision will be made about
the future of SRUTH. Readers may rest assured
that they will be kept informed of this decision and
of its consequences.
In the past year, the circulation of SRUTH has, after
a period in slack water, increased by some 20%. But
more subscribing readers are needed, and any help
in this direction offered by our existing readers will
be more than appreciated, not only by those who
work hard for SRUTH, with little material reward,
but by those who see SRUTH as a contemporary
medium of expressiofi rot the Gaelic-based identity
to which the whole pf Scotland can lay just claim.
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