- SCOTTISH INDUSTRY TODAY By C. A. Oakley
Mr. Oakley has a clumsy prose style, he falls for clichés and stale jokes, and he shies away from any question that might involve political controversy. Although he stresses the importance of " quality " in Scottish products, his remarks on certain textile and print- ing firms do not convince us that he is always a sound judge of industrial design. But with these reservations, the present survey (Moray Press, 7s. 6d.), undertaken for the Scottish Develop- ment Council, is a very useful book. Mr. Oakley divides the country into eight regions, and gives a brief account of the chief industries in each—their Methods, building, plant ; their cus- tomers and prospects ; their workers, and the welfare services provided for them. There is no mention, however, of the chief shareholders. Interesting information, not easily accessible else- where, is 'given about rural industries, and about the' newer enterprises, such as fish-canning. Scotland appears in these pages as a humming hive of industry, and the assumption is that the louder it hums, the better for all
Scotsmen. This is a questionable assumption, but perhaps that does not matter in a book whose value lies in its facts rather than in any interpretation put upon them.
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