Scots Cross On Foreign Stone

EDINBURGH, Scotland – Thrift may be an endearing trait of the Scottish, but it may have reached a limit when it came to one of the country’s historical treasures.
The Edinburgh Evening News reports that local stone officials are aghast that granite used to repair the city’s famed Royal Mile came from a place a wee bit farther than Glasgow – as in China.
A contractor working on the historic street used Chinese granite to repair the Royal Mile at its junction with George IV Bridge as part of a £500,000 restoration project. Work began last May, stopped for two months to accommodate the main tourist season, and then wrapped up in December.
Hauling granite from China for the work may have cut costs, but it also brought sharp words from Alan McKinney, chief executive of the Scottish Stone Liaison Group.
“We are trying to reintroduce indigenous supplies to Scotland,” he said. “How can you possibly pull it from the other side of the world when we are trying to reduce the use of power and energy and address global warming? It is a nonsense.
“Scottish stone has contributed to the city’s built heritage. The local authority should be looking at employment and address the energy consumption issue. This was an ideal opportunity.”