THE ARCHIVES

The Ministry of Reconstruction last night issued a memorandum by the Advisory Housing Panel on the emergency problem. It urges that it is imperative that the Government should secure within the first year after the war the building of sufficient houses for the working classes to make up the deficiency caused by the cessation of building and to supply some part of the special rural needs. It would be necessary, if the war were to end in 1919, to build 250,000 house in the year 1918. Mr Robert Adam, rector of Kirkcaldy High School, warned at the annual prize-giving yesterday that the shortage of highlyqualified teachers was much more serious than seemed to be generally realised. He feared there would be a complete breakdown in their education some time soon or averydrasticloweringofstandards because of the shortage. Mr Adam said that since last August the High School, which had 1,400 pupils at one time during the session, had lost a quarter of its staff. Spanish, Scots and Swedes yesterday united to praise Dundee, City of Discovery, for the “brilliant” new Discovery Point. The centre, officially opened by the Duke of Edinburgh, had its first public day yesterday and 80 people passed through the doors in the first 20 minutes. Some of the early visitors had waited in the drizzle for up to two hours for the 10am opening. First to enter was Mr David Payne, from Kinross, who brought his two sons and their two friends to the city for the occasion. Plans for a new village between Perth and Dundee have been met with protest. Objectors claim the Errol airfield plan would have a devastating impact on nearby communities. “A development with 240 homes could see nearly 1,000 people living there with 200 kids or more,” said Fiona Ross, of Carse of Gowrie Sustainability Group. Raising concerns over class sizes, she added: “We question whether Errol school could meet the educational needs of this new population.”