THE ARCHIVES

100 years ago

An experiment is to be made with the system of communal feeding in Dundee. The Communal Kitchen Sub-committee held a meeting when the subject was discussed. Mr P. Fletcher said it was generally recognised that the communal kitchen method was one of the best for conserving food. There were currently 46 restaurants catering for the working classes in the city, supplying 5,947 hot meals per day for consumption on the premises and 1,484 meals for offconsumption.

50 years ago

The Government was said in the Commons yesterday to hold a “psychedelic dogma” over the nationalisation of the ports – and the Opposition were said to be “hippies” who had not put enough capital into the ports. Sir Gerald Nabarro (Con.) objected that to call Conservative MPS “hippies” was unparliamentary. But he was overruled by the Speaker, Dr Horace King, who said he (Dr King) was a “square” and was not quite aware of all the connotations of modern terms.

25 years ago

“Have pipes, will travel” is the motto of pipe sergeant Duncan Soutar of St Andrews Pipe Band. His mobility led to an unexpected trip to China. Duncan was the guest piper at a Scottish night organised in Peking by British ex-patriots, attended by scores of European guests. Since the entertainment took the form of a St Andrews night, the organisers wanted a piper from St Andrews. Duncan’s name appeared in a tourist board publication – and he was whisked off.

One year ago

A major expansion south-west of Dunfermline could bring 7,000 new jobs to the town, say developers. Stirling Developments has lodged an application for planning permission in principle for 2,150 homes, a school and business units at the Broomhall site owned by the Earl of Elgin. Under the proposal, £600 million would be invested in the area over three decades. Neil Beswick from Stirling Developments said the new settlement would boost the town centre.