SHETLAND ISLES.

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 44, 10 April 1930, Page 10

SHETLAND ISLES.

A fair proportion of the pioneer settlers of -this great country which we proudly allude to as '' God's Own Courttry" came from the far northern islands kndwn as. the Shetlands, long famous for their breed of ponies and for tho herring fisheries. Sturdy pioneer- stock, hard and rugged in _; physique as the hardy Norsemen from wihom they claim (and rightly so) to be descended, such as were worthy to rank with the : picked emigrants who came: from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, they have amply proved their worth. They are scattered throughout the length and bTeadth of the Dominion, and it may be accepted as axiomatic that if there is any posai* bility of making a success tshe S>hetlander is the one to do it. Speaking recently to a Shetlander who was celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of his landing, the writer heard a list of good old Shetland names, and was told, of the places in which they had settled and almost invariably they had achieved success, and are now comfortably to do farmers and business men, surrounded by the traditional large families. As it is not long since this gentleman visited Lerwick —a matter of months only—he was' able to give the old-timer the latest news of 3ns native land, and the good tidings he had to convey brought a flush of gratification and pride-to the cheek of the veteran. "The war," said the visitor "must have played veritable havoc with the trade of Lerwick, for as youl will re« member Russia was one. of the very best customers the Islanders had for theiT world-renowned 'salted herrings, 1 but the trade • was absolutely ruined, nothing doing whatever, nothing but bad debts in that unhappy country, and for the immense stocks already delivered not a kopeck has ever been received. Other Continental nations also almost equally good customers, although

not •fn such bad case as the Russian merchants, were almost equally badly hit, and the continental" maTkets were practically closed to the staple industry, and the difficulty of disposing of the catches of herrings upon which t«he prosperity of Shetland so largely depends was very • great. ,It seemed that ruin stared the islanders in the face; but with the big hearts and sturdy independence characteristic of these northerners they put up a bold front, and by hard work and endurance met their difficulties. These of course were added to by the depletion of, the laTge percentage of the male population who lost not a moment in volunteering for

active service. bot>li, and chiefly on sea, on land, in the field, and-in the air. Times were indeed hard, and few outsiders will ever know of the desperately, difficult, conditions witih which the population of. Shetland were faced, not only , during the waT, but I for some years after its conclusion, but pluck, steadfastness, energy, i and thrift were strongly evidenced, and eventually this plucky little community j won through, and times, though by no ] means as good as in pre-war times ber I gan, to approach the normal." "Now"" continued the narrator, "I have reserved the -news that will -gladden the hearts of your countrymen the world over, to the last. Times have brightened indeed, and for the past three seasons times have been really good, the herring catoh has been magnificent, new markets have been secured, and, given a few more years god luck with the fish, prices remaining at their present level, and Shetland will be in a con=-

dition of prospeTity unequalled for many years past. This news will-give a lot of pleasure and joy to the Shetlanders in t-his and other over-sea settlements, and if this gentleman (alluding to the writer) chooses to print it in his paper, vhe will earn a grateful thought from many a Shetlander far from' home.*'