OUR China correspondent has been back in touch after a long period of
silence. The Scottish engineer who is working on a major contract near
Beijing keeps us up to date with vignettes about life in his adopted
country.
His latest intelligence concerns China's unwanted ammunition. He
writes: ''Almost every country in the world has an army. Armies have
guns and ammunition. Ammunition has a 'shelf life' after which it has to
be disposed of. Charts of the sea around Britain show areas marked
'Danger explosives dumping ground', this obviously being how we dispose
of the problem.
''Not in China, they have a much better idea. Instead of it costing
money to dispose of obsolete ammunition they charge people for the
privilege of firing it off. Prices vary according to what you want to
fire, anything is possible and the army makes a profit. I am going to do
this thing.''
China, I know, is moving towards a market economy, but is this not
carrying things a bit too far?
One that got
away, honestly
WE have all heard a few fishy tales in our time but Charles McSherry,
managing director of Prosys, the Glasgow-based business systems and
communications firm, came up with the real thing when he broke off from
a fishing holiday on the River Spey to attend a business breakfast to
accept the Investors in People award from Tom Farmer, chairman of IIP in
Scotland.
Each of the 45 guests at the Stirling Management Centre was presented
with a gift of smoked salmon, but McSherry had the decency to admit the
fish was not the result of his efforts on the Spey. He had, he
conceeded, purchased it from SL Neill, the salmon smoker, who is also a
customer of his.
He then went on to confess that, as far as he was concerned, all the
salmon on the river had got away. At least he was honest.
On the ball but
still too late
WHO said you should never let sport get in the way of business?
Certainly not Jack McGinn, the former chairman of Celtic Football Club
and vice-president of the Scottish Football Association.
He was due to unveil Skillball, a device designed to help youngsters
develop their footballing talents, at the opening of Strathclyde
Business Development's latest New Enterprise Workshops in Alexandria.
Unfortunately, he was delayed along with the Celtic team on the journey
back from Georgia after their European Cup Winners Cup victory.
The event had to go on without SBD's star turn, but we are assured
there is a bright future ahead for Skillball. Perhaps, McGinn should
have taken the prototype along to Parkhead earlier this week where it
might have come in useful.
The Paris match
must go on
STAFF at legal firm MacRoberts are waiting to hear if Jim Arnot, one
of their senior partners, managed to organise a game of cricket.
He has been at the International Bar Association annual get together
in Paris where there is normally a cricket match between England and the
Rest of the World.
It seems, however, the organisers decided there were other more
interesting pastimes and organised an afternoon of sport which included
a golf tournament and a sailing regatta instead.
Nevertheless, Arnot, who is known as someone who normally gets his
way, headed for the city's Palais Des Congres determined the cricket
match would go on. Watch this space!
Goats of the
world unite
YOU may have been under the mistaken belief that Beijing was hosting
its major conference this year when the women of the world gathered
there, but the Chinese capital's big event is actually taking place in
1996, when the V1 International Conference on goats is being held from
May 6 to ll.
Jia Youling, chairman of the Chinese organizing committee, has invited
the Glasgow Chamber of Conference, and has informed it that: ''The COC
has put a strong program into place for the enjoyment of international
guests, and accompanying persons.''
Visitors will have an opportunity to see China's goat industry and,
says the invitation, ''to exchange information about the China of goats
and the related industry.''
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce denies that it has suggested to the
Chinese authorities other Scottish chambers that it thinks would be more
suitable recipients of this invitation.
Fruit take to
city's streets
GLASGOW'S ''pears'' raised a few eyebrows yesterday as they were seen
wandering around the city centre clutching a briefcase in one hand and
pears in the other.
The businessmen were in fact returning from the annual election
meetings of the 14 Trade Incorporations of Glasgow which were held in
the Trades Hall on Glassford Street. At the meeting the 200-year-old
tradition of handing out pears to ''craftsmen'' is continued.
The story goes that when, at the end of the 18th century, the Trades
Hall moved to its present location on land purchased from Mr Glassford
part of the ground attached contained an orchard and craftsmen would
help themselves to pears as they left their September meeting. The
orchards may have disappeared but the tradition continues.
Among those elected yesterday was former Glasgow Lord Provost Robert
Gray, who became Deacon of the Incorporation of Wrights, a trade with
which he has been connected for 50 years.
Robertson puts
his finger on it
SHADOW Secretary of State George Robertson was taken aback when Dr
Allan Groden, managing director of Sanmex in Rutherglen, appeared
carrying a cumbersome container which he announced was an aerosol can.
Robertson, who thought he was at the factory to open a state of the
art production line for leading brands of aerosol, must have wondered if
he had arrived at the wrong address.
But the MD quickly put his mind at rest, explaining that what he was
holding was a 1930s aerosol can. A relaxed Robertson then declared the
new line open, and welcomed the fact that a further 100 new jobs would
be created at the factory over the next 12 months.
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