IN 1715, the Whigs won the General Election.

Louis XIV of France died after a reign of 72 years. The battles of Sheriffmuir and of Preston were fought. And in Auchterarder, Perthshire, blacksmith John White made a "particularly fine" beam end scale.

That event may not have been as celebrated as the aforementioned, but it was propitious enough, and its effects just as long-lasting - for it saw the birth of Scotland's oldest family firm, which at the weekend celebrated three centuries of industrial history.

John White & Son Ltd, which supplies weighing machines, is now run by managing director Edwin White - the eight generation of his family so to do - his wife and fellow director Tio White, director Joyce Onuonga, and their workforce of 15. The firm thanked employees old and new with a reunion attended by, among others, Alec Peebles, 91, who joined the company in 1938.

Of course, much has changed in the world of weights and measures in the last three centuries, - the firm has moved into counter scales and weighing platforms and retail scales and the business has now embraced the electronic age.

Longevity and continuity are valuable assets in the world of business. It is good to celebrate a firm which has balanced tradition with innovation.