The Seaforth News, 1958-02-27, Page 3Tweed Makers
In The Hebrides
Winter is always hard on the
barren isles of the Hebrides,
standing west of Scotland, as
icy Arctic winds come howling
across a thousand miles of the
North Atlantic and smash the
sea against the rocks of Lewis
and Uist and Barra. Usually,
the islanders themselves are
snug enough in their thatch -
roofed stone cottages, working
their hand looms and turning
out the world-famous Harris
tweed -named after the south-
ern peninsula of Lewis Island.
But last month, the island folk
did notfeel so secure as they.
sat weaving, cloth before their
peat fires. With anxiety rarely
felt in their simple way of life,
they were apprehensively wait-
ing for word from far-off Wash- •
ington.
America has become the is-
land's biggest customer, buying
about 2 million yards a year, a
third of the output. But starting
last July, American orders
dwir'ied to practically nothing
after the 25 per cent import
duty was raised to 45 per cent,
a move U.S. tariff laws dictate
when imports exceed 5 per cent
of average annual domestic pro-
duction over a three-year per-
iod. A drive to abolish this tar-
iff provision led to heated hear-
ings last month before the Com-
mittee for Reciprocity Informa
titin, and now the tweedmakers
of the Hebrides are anxiously
waiting for the report.
Meanwhile, •the islanders are
hurting, Forty -four - year - old
John Paterson, a typical weaver
who lives on land he cleared
himself in a cottage he built
himself, 20 miles' from the spin-
ning center of Stornoway, has
only enoug' work for three days
a week. His earnings are down
50 per cent. "There aren't
enough. orders from America,"
he says. "It's hurting me pretty
bad."
It's painful for them all. The
past Christmas was one of the
most doleful since the terrible
21s, when a third the young
men migrated from Lewis,
"4•Savings are doon terrible," says
a Stornoway bank manager, and
a merchant reports: "Our tak-
ings aren't a patch on what they
were last year."
But wintry a- the prospect
Is, Lewismen are not giving up.
Ever since Celtic peasants first
spun wool from the island's
black -faced sheep and dyed it
IT'S NO JOKE - Joke Haan-
schoten, 5 -year-old Dutch girl
who may have radiation sick-
ness, plays with a snowball in
the yard of a hospital in
Utrecht the Netherlands. A
radium -tipped needle used to
treat her broke off, imbedded
in her. nose. Her family's home
may have to be destroyed be-
cause radioactivity was found
there after- she was returned
from the hospital before the
needle tip was discovered
missing.
with colors from moss and
lichen scraped from, the rocks,
they have found markets for
their cloth. From Lewis, tweed
crossed to mainland Scotland,
thence to London, and, thanks
to the philanthropic interest of.
soap magnate Lord Leverhulme,
to world markets,, Fleeces are
now washed and dyed in four
big woolen mills on Lewis; the
thread is carded on new $50,000
machines; but the weaving is
still done by hand.
As for today's new markets,
spinning mill manager Robert
Stewart says: 'There's Germany
coming up fast, and there could
be Russia, too. But," he adds,
"America's the market we're
geared to serve, and the one we
prefer. Besides, Americans now
lead in setting men's fashions
for tweed.
Whatever the market, the im-
portant thing to the islanders is
to keep making and selling their
famous product. Observes Pres-
byterian minister Murdoch Mac-
rae, who helped them found the
Tweed Association and who
went to Washington for plead
their cause last year: "If we do
not keep the tweed, we shall
not keep our young men." To
the pastor, Harris tweed is more
than another article of com-
merce. It's a way of life. "Our
cloth is the product of a coun-
tryside where men are still free.
of the evils of the city," he says,
"where the skill of men's hands
is still the finest thing." -From
NEWSWEEK.
All Mixed Up
When the handsome young
Dutchman stepped ashore at
Amsterdam, determined to clinch
a three- year love -affair, he
f o u n d himself clasped in the
arms of a girl he had never seen
in his life.
After his first meeting with his
sweetheart in New York he had
courted her ardently by corres-
pondence and finally popped the
big question by airmail.
In fact she had already mar-
ried someone else but didn't
have the heart to let him know!
So his letters were opened and
answered by proxy by a younger
girl, a friend.
The arrangement worked out,
for the young Dutchman boon
realized that his Miss Wrong
could become Mrs. Right after
all, and wedding bells happily
sealed matters.
Less happy were the results
when a young man strolled up
the beach after a swim at Amal-
fi, Italy, and pulled on some-
one else's slacks. In the pocket
he discovered a love letter from.
his wife. The mistake In trou-
sers led to a marital separation.
Equally unromantic was the
outsize error when Mr. J. F,
Westwood, of Cheshire, opened
his electricity bill recently -for
over $3,000 1
Within a few hours harassed
officials traced the mistake.
Specks of dust had caused an
electronic accounting machine to
fling up the wrong figure.
In the same way, the British
Inland Revenue authorities once
sent out a $3,000,000 tax demand
by mistake. Subsequently it was
alleged in the courts that a man
accused of fraud had used it to
impress his victims 1
A mistake described by a
judge as "unique in the history
of tailoring" occurred when a
tailor mixed up two tickets. So
a pair of trousers belonging to
a band official were turned into
a skirt, instead of being let out
at the waist. The bank official
eventully recovered $40 damages.
Then there was the mix-up
when a man ordered a wreath to
be sent to a funeral and birth-
day flowers to a woman friend.
Indignantly she 'phoned him to
ask why her birthday flowers
bore condolences - and with a
shudder he realized that the
. floral tribute on his friend's cof-
fin bore the message, "Many•
Happy Returns of the Day."
CROSSWORD
PUZZLE
ACROSS
1. Owns
4. Fur -bearing
animal •
DOWN
1. Turn left
2. Tree
5, Master of a
vessel
9. Belgian 4,: Else
commune -5, Card with
12 Inquire 8 spots
13 Commerce - - 6. Sailor'
14 Variant of 7. Short for a
Noah man's name
15 Tu what place 8. Ask
17 Entirely -
'19 Victim
20 Shlp's.cashier
21 Writing
material
23 Blockade
29 Instigate
25. Heartbeat
20 As far as
28 Contented
sound
29 Caused to
exist
10 Spread to dry
81 1:p
32. old Eur. coin
13 Present
34: Rol of
tobacco
85 Spans of
hnrse9 •
80. Medicine man
38. Assumed
manners
39 medicinal
cigarette
40, Institution of
learning'
43. Rn tire
quantity
41 External
48. Irish eggs.
47. Girl's name
40. Music drama
49. Scatter
3, Aromatic 82. Ten -cent
seed piece
10. Short letter
11. Prophet
16. Waste
allowance
18, Press
20. Steer
21. Daddy
22. Border on
23. Article of
food
25. Nut
20. Semester
27. Poems
29. Imaginary
object of
fright
80. Jaeger gulls
33. Assemblage
of cattle
34. Wire. rope
85. Ornamental
coronet.
80. Mark of a
wound
37. Hawaiian
dunce
98. Maple gentle
40. goddess of
infatuation
41. Sound of
cattle
42. Evergreen
45. Aloft
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Answer reisewhere on this page.
•
FORMOSAN HARVEST -Although new farming techniques have
aided rice_ growers on Formosa, the harvesting is still done in
.the old-fashioned way by this worker in a field at Taichung.
The stalks are beaten against a sieve oyer a screened tub to
shake the rice grains free. This year's harvest -1,900,00 metric
tons -is the largest in the history of Nationalist China, and more
than enough to feed the island's 10 million residents. A surplus
of 200,000 metric tons will be exported to Japan.
ThE1'MM FRONT
In viewing the past year with
assiduous analysis, ' and project-
ing prophetically 'into the year
ahead, it seems that life down
here on the farm, will undoubt-
edly run about so-so. (I don't see
any reason why these year-end
summaries and prognostications
are the exclusive technique of
General Motors and Wall Street,
etc.)
The past year was dry in some
months, although we had preci-
pitation in others. Fortunately
the excessive lack of rainfall
didn't accumulate destructive
nonmoisture to the point of
disaster until after most of the
crops had matured. But continu-
ing deficiencies of precipitation
caused a lot of wells to go dry,
with resultant necessity of water
transportation f r o m available
sources to points of requirement,
particularly by truck, writes
John Gould in the Christian
Science Monitor.
* * *
Leon Bard did most of the
battling in this vicinity, using a
600 -gallon tank on his dump
body, and as the season ad-
vanced he could hardly keep up.
Our own water supply was ade-
quate, but this was an excep-
tion in the neighborhood. Mr,
Bard would fill his tank at a
hydrant in town, then come and
dump the load in your well.
There has been some discussion
as to how much of a load like
that will stay in a well so you
can get the good of it, and how
much will seep through the
ground and be lost to you - the
conclusion being, largely, that
it depends on the well.
* * *
However, 1957 was a good
year as far as bugs and state
inspectors are concerned. For
some reason that I have not
fathomed various pestiferous
insects and agents were scarce.
I didn't see a potato bug all
summer, and there were rela-
tively no tent caterpillars. Aphis
were negligible. In the early
'season considerable activity
with fungicides was essential,
but when control was establish-
ed anti the dry period came
along, further vigilance seemed
unnecessary, with a resultant
saving in the cost of chemicals,
and a chance to sleep later in
the mornings.
* * 5
Expectation of a similar sat-
isfactory condition in 1958 is
probably overoptimistic. The
temporary decline in activity
will undoubtedly be followed
by a compensating upswing, and
the tent caterpillars will return
until the , landscape looks like
Monday washlines, and the snail
will be crowded off his thorn
from all directions.
* * *
The financial accrual in 1957
was lean, and a number of my
usual philanthropies suffered. I
had been supporting a great
many foreign causes in the hope
they might someday reciprocate
and make things easier for me,
but an unwelcome stringency
forced me to curtail in many di-
rections. Unless, 1958 shows a
marked improvement in the ex-
chequer this same unfortunate
retrenchment must continue.
•
Physical expansion and plant
and equipment replacement was
not a major factor in 1957. The
wind, which was brisk one eve-
ning in late fall, carried away
a few shingles from the shed
roof, ripped off a piece of the
barn paper, and blew my corn-
* * *
crib off its posts. Repairs were
made by the maintenance crew
at a cost of 32 'cents for a can
of tar cement. (Shingles were
in inventory,)
A. routine inspection in early
summer revealedthat four, posts
under the ell had rotted at the
base, caused by dampness in the
ground and the proximity of the
lower portions of the posts to
this condition. 'Replacement was
voted by the directors, and
funds provided. New posts were
secured from the company
woodlot,, spruce being specified,
and bark was removed with' a
drawshave. Ends were squared
with a bucksaw. Used boards
(from a redeemed hogpen) were
used to erect cement forms fox
new, and higher, footings for
the posts, and after the cement
had hardened the posts were in-
serted with the assistance of a
screw jack, a crowbar, a peavey
and a 16 -pound maul.
Total cost was under $2 (al-
though a man down the , road
did approximately the same job
on a piazza, using contract la-
bor from the local pool, and in-
cluding compensation insurance
his cost was $215.34). The board
of directors, upon presentation
of this report, moved a vote of
confidence and spread its grati-
tude upon the records.
5 * 5
In the cabbage department,
1957 ;saw a condition of overca-
pacity, necessitating a high in-
ventory at a time when consu-
mer demands were somnolent.
This was true in both the red
and white divisions, Unless the
market requirements revitalize
within a few weeks, the outlook
for spring is bleak. Storage is
adequate, but the perishable ne-
tto,yre of the product minimizes
the success of the long haul.
Employees have been encour-
aged to make use of this over-
stock at cost, with moderate re-
sults. a * *
Plans for 1958 include expan-
sion of the departments of pic-
nics, camping trips, and canoe-
ing. This operation has been
dominant In such phases as hoe-
ing, mowing, and growing; and
emphasis is to be transferred to
going, blowing, and rowing.
There are also plans for increas-
ed activity in the hammock de-
partment. * * *
The year 1957 was short on
raspberries and long on blue-
berries, and efforts will be made
in 1958 to bring this discrepancy
into a closer equalization in the
interests of diversification. The
asparagus is expected to rise
sharply, but root crops will re-
main low. The seasonal demand
for rhubarb should hold up.
Viewing the situation over-all,
I would say there is little cause
for alarm, and some reason to
feel the future will be signifi-
cant.
PROBABLY
"Thunder will boom," shouted
a soap box orator as he described
the Day of Judgment. "Lightning
will strike! Rivers will overflow!
Flames will shoot down from the
heavens! There will be storms,
floods, earthquakes!"
The crowd pondered for a
while.
A little girl in the crowd
looked up anxiously at her
mother. "Mummy," she whisper-
ed, "will they give us the day
off from school!" ,
DETERMINED
"Yes," said Mrs. Haines proud-
ly, as the group was discussing
her husband after dinner, "Rich-
ard hasn't had a drink for over
a year."
"That's wonderful," said a
guest, "It takes a strong will to
do that."
"Yes," answered the wife.
"That's what I've got!"
SClOOI
LESSON
•
By Rev: R. Barclay Warren
B.D.
The Church at Worship
Matthew 18:19-20; John 4:23-24;
Acts 1:12-14; Colossians 3:10-17.
Memory Selection: It is writ-
ten, My house shall be called
the house of prayer. Matthew
21:13.
Worship is defined as paying
divine honors to God, especially
through religious reverence and
homage. In a somewhat broader
sense we usually think of : it as
including all those activities
through which our fellowship
with God is promoted. To those
who do not know God in a per-
sonal way through the saving
power of Jesus Christ, worship
is a rather cold and formal con-
cept. But' to the born-again be-
liever it is a living, warm and
exhilarating experience.
Take prayer for instance.
Jesus denounced as hypocrites
those who prayed in public
places to be seen of men. In
contrast he urged the disciple
to pray in his own room with
the door closed, (Matt, 6;5,,8.)
But there is also a challenge to
unite with others in prayer.
Jesus said, "If two of you shall
agree on earth as touching any
thing that they shall ask, it
"all be done for them of my
Father which is in heaven," The
portion of today's lesson from
Acts illustrates the importance
of prayer with the larger group,
too.
It is the spirit of one's wor-
ship and not the place which is
more important. The sick room
may be a very Bethel to the
suffering soul. A man may be
seated in a church pc" but his
mind be far from worshipping
God in spirit and in truth. One
came to my service apparently
to worship. But events that fol-
lowed indicated that his purpose
to impress me with his desire
for religion was part of a plan
to deceive me and get soma
money. He succeeded. But later,
while working another client, he
was apprehended by the police
and committed to prison. . _..
Singing is an important part
Of worship. Strangely enough,
some who at a party will lust-
ily sing, "For he's a jolly good
fellow," can scarcely be heard
at worship. The drawn and so-
ber countenance helps to furl' er
accentuate the contrast. It ought
not to be so. We are to teach
and admonish one another in
psalms and hymns and spirituel
songs, singing with grace in Our
hearts to the Lord.
If we love God with all our
heart and soul we will delight
to worship Him.
GREETINGS !
"Have you a completely blank
One?" asked a woman of the
assistant at a birthday card
counter. "My husband and 1
aren't speaking"
Upsidedown to Prevent Peeking
A BOY AND A TREE GROW UP TOGETHER
Eight years make quite a bit of difference, in the growth of
a tree and a boy. In 1949, a 4-year=oy "cowboy", Wallace
"Wah-Wah" Whatley, posed beside a 1 -year-old pine seedling
planted by the Opelika, Ala., Rotary Club, The seedling was
planted as part' of the club's campaign to put 35,000 acres of
idle Lee County land into productive forest crops. As the
years went by (see photos below) the tree outdistanced the
boy in growth Now 12 -year-old Wallace has graduated to a"
Boy Scout uniform, and the tree - well, it's well on its way
to being reacy fol pulpwood" Before Wallace is readyfor
college in 1963 the treeswill be ready for pulpwood thinning.
The club' hos planed mole than three million trees. -