JAMES DALRYMPLE

    THE Manager of Glasgow Corporation Tramways is a native of Galloway. Descended of a race who have been farmers in Wigtonshire for many generations, he spent his boyhood at the farm of Boreland of Girthorn, near Gatehouse-of-Fleet, of which his grandfather and uncle were successive tenants. His business career was begun in the branch of the Union Bank at Gatehouse, where the agent, Mr. William Cairns, was an agriculturist well known in the south of Scotland. In 1880 Mr. Dalrymple was transferred by the bank to Glasgow, but a year later he left its service in order to enter the office of the City Chamberlain. Three years afterwards he passed to the department of the City Accountant and Registrar under the Loans Act, and he remained there till 1894. In that year the tramways were taken over by the Corporation, and on Mr. John Young being appointed Manager he chose Mr. Dalrymple to be Accountant to the new Tramways Department. His work in this position during the next eight years proved so satisfactory that in 1902, on the appointment of Mr. Hamilton to be General Manager of the Leeds Corporation Tramways, he was unanimously appointed Deputy General Manager. Two years later, on the resignation of Mr. Young, the Town Council unanimously elected Mr. Dalrymple his successor. The position is no sinecure. Between the pleasing of the public and his duty to the Corporation he has an arduous task to carry on. The staff of the Tramways Department numbers five thousand, and the annual revenue exceeds £900,000. There are some seven hundred cars running, and the routes cover about 90 miles. Although many English cities, such as Liverpool, Manchester, and Leeds, are rapidly extending their systems, Glasgow still holds, after London., the first place in the Kingdom in tramway enterprise. Since Mr. Dalrymple succeeded to the management, the tramway system of Glasgow has been extended by 32 miles of single track, the traffic has increased by 46,000,000 passengers, and the revenue by £170,000 per annum. When a proposal was made in 1905 that the tramways of Chicago should be taken over by the Corporation of that city a request was sent by the authorities there to the Town Council of Glasgow, and cordially granted by this body, that Mr. Dalrymple should be allowed to visit Chicago, to confer with the officials there on the best method of management. The publication of his report upon his visit gave rise to much discussion as to American methods.
    Apart from his professional duties Mr. Dalrymple took a leading part in forming the Tramway Men's Friendly Society, and acted as Secretary of the organisation. For many years he was a member of the 1st L.R.V., and acted on the staff of the Chief Transport Officer of the Glasgow Brigade. He is an elder in Berkeley Street U.F. Church.

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