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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Index of Glasgow Men (1909)