SIR JOHN ANDERSON

Sir John Anderson, K.B.E., C.B.. chairman of the Board of Customs and Excise, died suddenly on Wednesday in Farnborough hospital, Kent, afler a short illness. He was 56.

He was the son of J. 1. Anderson. of Montrose, was born on March 12. 1908, and educated at Rugby and Christ's College. Cambn.dge. He was placed in Class I of the Modern Languages Tripos. and he entered the Administrative Civil Service. by open competition, as an Assistant Principal in 1931, and was posted to the Scottish Office. He served in Edinburgh for the greater part of his career. finally becoming successively Deputy Secretanr of the Scottish Home Department in 1953; Secretary of the Department of Health for Scotland tn 1956: Secretary of the Scottish Home Department in 1959: and Secretary of the Scottish Home and Health Department in 1962.

During the war years and afterwards. Anderson was at the heart of the devclopment in the economic

aiiu inaustrtai anlairs of Scotland and! was particularly concerned, from the departmental angle. in the setting up soon after the war of the Scottish Council (Development and Industry) and the Advisory Panel on the Highlands and Islands. His responsibilities for the treatment of offenderc also in-

creasea. ana in j93, wnen tne nirst open

prison in Scotland was established near Newton Stewart. his influence was decisive in persuading the local people to accept this experiment, which has since proved entirely successful.

When Secrtary of the Department of Health for Scotland, he showed his real ability to lead and manage in a very human way a large organization with man) diverse i.nterests. He made a signidicant contribution to international relationships in the heialth field He presided with great effect over the organizing committee for the Congress of International Hospital Federations in Edinburgh in 1959.

He was appointed chairman of the Board of Customs and Excise in January, 1963, and had thus been in charge of the department responsible for the collection of indirect taxation throughout the United Kingdom for just over two years. He soon found himself at home in this revenue service with its long traditions, and identified hIimself effectively in the furtherance of its work and inserests, and everybody came to like him. He was kindly and wholly unassuming, and his quiet, simple, and direct approach in all ways, lightened with a sense of humour, made for good relations with the widely dispersed staffs of the department, whom he was at great pains to meet at their work. He also developed a keen interest in the international CListoms work at Brussels, and in 1964 was appointed chairman of the Customs Cooperation Council.

He married in 1933 Margery Theodora, daughter of the late H. C. Lewin, of Downe, Kent, and he leaves a son and a daughter.