IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (4th - 10th JANUARY 1921)
This week's stories include attacks on proposed health measures to stop the spread of infectious diseases, more controversy over the school leaving age, the wonderful Earlestown cure of Dr. Williams' Pink Pills and how St Helens might have avoided having huge, ugly waste heaps.
It was very common for people to die in hospital some time after being injured for what would likely be treatable injuries today. On January 4th train driver Albert Marston died in St Helens Hospital. This was at least a fortnight after the 61-year-old from Edgeworth Street in Sutton had somehow fallen off his engine in Rainford.
Dr. Williams' Pink Pills was being advertised in the Lancashire Evening Post on the 4th. The medication comprised iron oxide and epsom salts and did, apparently, provide some benefits for some people with certain conditions – such as anaemia. That said the Pink Pills were far from being the wonder cure that they were touted! However, as we know, if your condition improves after taking medication, the product tends to gets the credit, even though you might easily have got well without it.
Mrs Almond of Haydock Street in Earlestown was certainly convinced of the pills worth after suffering bad indigestion for ten years. A doctor diagnosed chronic dyspepsia and she said that during the day she had fainting fits and at night was liable to be seized with terrible pains. Then she took the Pink Pills and was quickly cured, as her testimonial printed in the paper revealed:
"Everything I ate used to give me terrible pain, and the coming of meal-times was more dreaded than looked forward to. I took several bottles of medicine, but they failed to cure me, and I was becoming very depressed. Then my mother, having herself found Dr. Williams' pink pills very beneficial, advised me to try them. After taking the first box of pills there was such an improvement that I had no hesitation in continuing the treatment.
"I made wonderful progress, and now I am like a new woman, and can eat anything without any ill effects at all. In fact, I look forward to and enjoy every meal of the day. My fainting fits, which were formerly very numerous, are now a thing of the past. I owe a great deal to Dr. Williams' pink pills, and cannot speak too highly of them, for they have wrought a wonderful cure in my case."
George Taylor Fulford had bought the rights to the pink pills in 1890 from Dr. William Jackson, paying just $53.01. Just what the lone cent was for I don't know but the Canadian businessman's massive advertising of the product made him rich. When Fulford died in 1905 he left an estate worth £1.3 million – that's over £50 million in today's money.
A public meeting of ratepayers was held at St Helens Town Hall on the 5th to approve a new Bill that had been prepared for Parliament. Some aspects – such as powers for the council to make extensive road improvements and run new tram and bus routes – would involve extra expenditure by ratepayers and so the council needed their blessing. Clause 64 of the new Bill dealt with Sunday school closures and other precautions to prevent the future spread of infectious diseases.
Like today with Covid-19, the proposed restrictions on liberty were controversial and there was strong resistance led by a man called James McGhee. He claimed that the congregation of children in Sunday schools was not in the slightest degree harmful, adding: "Closing schools to prevent the spread of infection is quite useless. It is put forward by the medical profession and the medical officer to instil fear into the minds of the people, just as children are frightened by tales of ghosts. It is an idea used simply for the aggrandisement of the officials of the health department."
The man argued his case so persuasively that when the meeting came to vote on the clause, the ratepayers rejected it. Other health prevention measures to combat infectious diseases were also defeated. These included enhanced measures for the town's medical officer to remove infected patients to hospital. A ratepayer called Fox said: "The law of England never intended to put into the hands of a medical officer a greater power than the King had, or a greater power than was possessed by the Mayor and the whole of the Corporation."
If a further clause in the Bill had been enacted, St Helens might have been spared the numerous waste heaps created by collieries, glass and chemical works that pockmarked the town for much of the 20th century – such as the "Chemics" or "Kimmicks" waste heaps, pictured above near Borough Road in St Helens in 1968. The proposed clause would have limited such tips and refuse heaps to a height of nine feet and insisted they be at least 150 feet from any highway. Supporters of the restrictions told the meeting that in parts of the town the people suffered from "great high heaps" close to their houses. However the clause was defeated by hundreds of hands, with only about five in favour.
Later that day at the monthly Town Council meeting Councillor Richard Waring called for a poll of ratepayers to be held. He lived in and represented Parr and so had first-hand knowledge of the colliery waste heaps towering over the district. Cllr. Waring claimed the meeting had been "packed by the employers" who had got their staff to come along and vote down the proposal.
"It had not been a fair meeting", he complained, saying a surprise had been sprung on the council, which did not reflect the opinion of ratepayers. The consultation period on the new Bill had been ongoing for two years and for 300 men to turn up at its final stage was clearly unexpected. However the proposal for a ballot of all ratepayers on the matter was defeated and the council decided to proceed with the amended Bill.
The school leaving age was another issue that polarised people. There were those who highlighted the positive benefits of education up to the age of 15, or even 16. However in poorer places like St Helens, the many parents who wanted their kids to be earning wages as soon as possible outnumbered the well-meaning educationalists.
In December the town's School Attendance Committee had chosen to opt out of a new law that insisted that parents kept their children at school until they turned 15. At the Town Council meeting Cllr. McCormick said he objected to that decision, calling for a by-law to be passed making education in St Helens compulsory until the age of 15 or 16. "It is only when children attained the age of fourteen that they were able to fully assimilate the instruction given in the schools", he declared.
St Helens had quite a high level of school absenteeism and Cllr. Thomas Hamblett called for the granting of maintenance allowances to parents of £1 per week to encourage them to keep their children at school. However the council did not have the funds for such a scheme and the decision of the School Attendance Committee was approved.
Stewart's 'The King Tailors' had a branch in Church Street in St Helens and held their annual sale in January. The firm insisted they were offering genuine reductions and it was not a "cut-the-price-and-hang-the-quality" sale. I've been tracking Stewart's sale offers since 1915 and wishing such made to measure suits were still available at the same prices today!
Five years ago their cheapest sale suit cost just 15/3 but now their lowest price advertised was 53/3. The material may possibly not have been quite the same but prices were rising each year as a result of war inflation. Stewart's store in St Helens – incidentally – was renowned for rewarding Saints' players who scored a hat trick of tries with a free, made-to-measure suit.
On the 7th it was reported that James McGhee had issued a £100 challenge to Dr Henry Bates. The ex-mayor was the chairman of the St Helens Health Committee and McGhee wanted him to prove by debate that hospital isolation of any disease (such as in the St Helens Sanatorium / Isolation Hospital pictured above) had decreased its prevalence in the community or lowered mortality rates.
You will remember that James McGhee was the dissenter at the Town Hall meeting who said the closing of schools to prevent the spread of infection had no benefit and had been done during the flu pandemic to instil fear into people. It just goes to show that you don't need social media to spread crazy ideas!
And finally engine driver John Twist had a lucky escape on the 10th. His engine had been travelling from Haydock to Southport Colliery in Parr, when it struck a pit prop that had been placed over the railway line. After careful examination of the track, two more props were discovered and two sets of points were found to have been vandalised.
One had been fastened down with lashing chains and the other set was jammed with stones, dirt and pieces of wood. It was said that if the engine had continued its journey, it would have been thrown off the line.
Next week's stories will include a Royal stay at Knowsley Hall, the departure of the pioneering St Helens medical officer, the tragedy of the home alone child of Golborne and the human gramophone at the Hippodrome.
It was very common for people to die in hospital some time after being injured for what would likely be treatable injuries today. On January 4th train driver Albert Marston died in St Helens Hospital. This was at least a fortnight after the 61-year-old from Edgeworth Street in Sutton had somehow fallen off his engine in Rainford.
Dr. Williams' Pink Pills was being advertised in the Lancashire Evening Post on the 4th. The medication comprised iron oxide and epsom salts and did, apparently, provide some benefits for some people with certain conditions – such as anaemia. That said the Pink Pills were far from being the wonder cure that they were touted! However, as we know, if your condition improves after taking medication, the product tends to gets the credit, even though you might easily have got well without it.
Mrs Almond of Haydock Street in Earlestown was certainly convinced of the pills worth after suffering bad indigestion for ten years. A doctor diagnosed chronic dyspepsia and she said that during the day she had fainting fits and at night was liable to be seized with terrible pains. Then she took the Pink Pills and was quickly cured, as her testimonial printed in the paper revealed:
"Everything I ate used to give me terrible pain, and the coming of meal-times was more dreaded than looked forward to. I took several bottles of medicine, but they failed to cure me, and I was becoming very depressed. Then my mother, having herself found Dr. Williams' pink pills very beneficial, advised me to try them. After taking the first box of pills there was such an improvement that I had no hesitation in continuing the treatment.
"I made wonderful progress, and now I am like a new woman, and can eat anything without any ill effects at all. In fact, I look forward to and enjoy every meal of the day. My fainting fits, which were formerly very numerous, are now a thing of the past. I owe a great deal to Dr. Williams' pink pills, and cannot speak too highly of them, for they have wrought a wonderful cure in my case."
George Taylor Fulford had bought the rights to the pink pills in 1890 from Dr. William Jackson, paying just $53.01. Just what the lone cent was for I don't know but the Canadian businessman's massive advertising of the product made him rich. When Fulford died in 1905 he left an estate worth £1.3 million – that's over £50 million in today's money.
A public meeting of ratepayers was held at St Helens Town Hall on the 5th to approve a new Bill that had been prepared for Parliament. Some aspects – such as powers for the council to make extensive road improvements and run new tram and bus routes – would involve extra expenditure by ratepayers and so the council needed their blessing. Clause 64 of the new Bill dealt with Sunday school closures and other precautions to prevent the future spread of infectious diseases.
Like today with Covid-19, the proposed restrictions on liberty were controversial and there was strong resistance led by a man called James McGhee. He claimed that the congregation of children in Sunday schools was not in the slightest degree harmful, adding: "Closing schools to prevent the spread of infection is quite useless. It is put forward by the medical profession and the medical officer to instil fear into the minds of the people, just as children are frightened by tales of ghosts. It is an idea used simply for the aggrandisement of the officials of the health department."
The man argued his case so persuasively that when the meeting came to vote on the clause, the ratepayers rejected it. Other health prevention measures to combat infectious diseases were also defeated. These included enhanced measures for the town's medical officer to remove infected patients to hospital. A ratepayer called Fox said: "The law of England never intended to put into the hands of a medical officer a greater power than the King had, or a greater power than was possessed by the Mayor and the whole of the Corporation."
Later that day at the monthly Town Council meeting Councillor Richard Waring called for a poll of ratepayers to be held. He lived in and represented Parr and so had first-hand knowledge of the colliery waste heaps towering over the district. Cllr. Waring claimed the meeting had been "packed by the employers" who had got their staff to come along and vote down the proposal.
"It had not been a fair meeting", he complained, saying a surprise had been sprung on the council, which did not reflect the opinion of ratepayers. The consultation period on the new Bill had been ongoing for two years and for 300 men to turn up at its final stage was clearly unexpected. However the proposal for a ballot of all ratepayers on the matter was defeated and the council decided to proceed with the amended Bill.
The school leaving age was another issue that polarised people. There were those who highlighted the positive benefits of education up to the age of 15, or even 16. However in poorer places like St Helens, the many parents who wanted their kids to be earning wages as soon as possible outnumbered the well-meaning educationalists.
In December the town's School Attendance Committee had chosen to opt out of a new law that insisted that parents kept their children at school until they turned 15. At the Town Council meeting Cllr. McCormick said he objected to that decision, calling for a by-law to be passed making education in St Helens compulsory until the age of 15 or 16. "It is only when children attained the age of fourteen that they were able to fully assimilate the instruction given in the schools", he declared.
St Helens had quite a high level of school absenteeism and Cllr. Thomas Hamblett called for the granting of maintenance allowances to parents of £1 per week to encourage them to keep their children at school. However the council did not have the funds for such a scheme and the decision of the School Attendance Committee was approved.
Stewart's 'The King Tailors' had a branch in Church Street in St Helens and held their annual sale in January. The firm insisted they were offering genuine reductions and it was not a "cut-the-price-and-hang-the-quality" sale. I've been tracking Stewart's sale offers since 1915 and wishing such made to measure suits were still available at the same prices today!
Five years ago their cheapest sale suit cost just 15/3 but now their lowest price advertised was 53/3. The material may possibly not have been quite the same but prices were rising each year as a result of war inflation. Stewart's store in St Helens – incidentally – was renowned for rewarding Saints' players who scored a hat trick of tries with a free, made-to-measure suit.
You will remember that James McGhee was the dissenter at the Town Hall meeting who said the closing of schools to prevent the spread of infection had no benefit and had been done during the flu pandemic to instil fear into people. It just goes to show that you don't need social media to spread crazy ideas!
And finally engine driver John Twist had a lucky escape on the 10th. His engine had been travelling from Haydock to Southport Colliery in Parr, when it struck a pit prop that had been placed over the railway line. After careful examination of the track, two more props were discovered and two sets of points were found to have been vandalised.
One had been fastened down with lashing chains and the other set was jammed with stones, dirt and pieces of wood. It was said that if the engine had continued its journey, it would have been thrown off the line.
Next week's stories will include a Royal stay at Knowsley Hall, the departure of the pioneering St Helens medical officer, the tragedy of the home alone child of Golborne and the human gramophone at the Hippodrome.
This week's stories include attacks on proposed health measures to stop the spread of infectious diseases, more controversy over the school leaving age, the wonderful Earlestown cure of Dr. Williams' Pink Pills and how St Helens might have avoided having huge, ugly waste heaps.
It was very common for people to die in hospital some time after being injured for what would likely be treatable injuries today.
On January 4th train driver Albert Marston died in St Helens Hospital.
This was at least a fortnight after the 61-year-old from Edgeworth Street in Sutton had somehow fallen off his engine in Rainford.
Dr. Williams' Pink Pills was being advertised in the Lancashire Evening Post on the 4th.
The medication comprised iron oxide and epsom salts and did, apparently, provide some benefits for some people with certain conditions – such as anaemia.
That said the Pink Pills were far from being the wonder cure that they were touted!
However, as we know, if your condition improves after taking medication, the product tends to gets the credit, even though you might easily have got well without it.
Mrs Almond of Haydock Street in Earlestown was certainly convinced of the pills worth after suffering bad indigestion for ten years.
A doctor diagnosed chronic dyspepsia and she said that during the day she had fainting fits and at night was liable to be seized with terrible pains.
Then she took the Pink Pills and was quickly cured, as her testimonial printed in the paper revealed:
"Everything I ate used to give me terrible pain, and the coming of meal-times was more dreaded than looked forward to. I took several bottles of medicine, but they failed to cure me, and I was becoming very depressed.
"Then my mother, having herself found Dr. Williams' pink pills very beneficial, advised me to try them. After taking the first box of pills there was such an improvement that I had no hesitation in continuing the treatment.
"I made wonderful progress, and now I am like a new woman, and can eat anything without any ill effects at all. In fact, I look forward to and enjoy every meal of the day.
"My fainting fits, which were formerly very numerous, are now a thing of the past. I owe a great deal to Dr. Williams' pink pills, and cannot speak too highly of them, for they have wrought a wonderful cure in my case."
George Taylor Fulford had bought the rights to the pink pills in 1890 from Dr. William Jackson, paying just $53.01.
Just what the lone cent was for I don't know but the Canadian businessman's massive advertising of the product made him rich.
When Fulford died in 1905 he left an estate worth £1.3 million – that's over £50 million in today's money.
A public meeting of ratepayers was held at St Helens Town Hall on the 5th to approve a new Bill that had been prepared for Parliament.
Some aspects – such as powers for the council to make extensive road improvements and run new tram and bus routes – would involve extra expenditure by ratepayers and so the council needed their blessing.
Clause 64 of the new Bill dealt with Sunday school closures and other precautions to prevent the future spread of infectious diseases.
Like today with Covid-19, the proposed restrictions on liberty were controversial and there was strong resistance led by a man called James McGhee.
He claimed that the congregation of children in Sunday schools was not in the slightest degree harmful, adding:
"Closing schools to prevent the spread of infection is quite useless. It is put forward by the medical profession and the medical officer to instil fear into the minds of the people, just as children are frightened by tales of ghosts. It is an idea used simply for the aggrandisement of the officials of the health department."
The man argued his case so persuasively that when the meeting came to vote on the clause, the ratepayers rejected it.
Other health prevention measures to combat infectious diseases were also defeated.
These included enhanced measures for the town's medical officer to remove infected patients to hospital. A ratepayer called Fox said:
"The law of England never intended to put into the hands of a medical officer a greater power than the King had, or a greater power than was possessed by the Mayor and the whole of the Corporation."
If a further clause in the Bill had been enacted, St Helens might have been spared the numerous waste heaps created by collieries, glass and chemical works that pockmarked the town for much of the 20th century – such as the "Chemics" or "Kimmicks" waste heaps, pictured above near Borough Road in 1968.
The proposed clause would have limited such tips and refuse heaps to a height of nine feet and insisted they be at least 150 feet from any highway.
Supporters of the restrictions told the meeting that in parts of the town the people suffered from "great high heaps" close to their houses.
However the clause was defeated by hundreds of hands, with only about five in favour.
Later that day at the monthly Town Council meeting Councillor Richard Waring called for a poll of ratepayers to be held.
He lived in and represented Parr and so had first-hand knowledge of the colliery waste heaps towering over the district.
Cllr. Waring claimed the meeting had been "packed by the employers" who had got their staff to come along and vote down the proposal.
"It had not been a fair meeting", he complained, saying a surprise had been sprung on the council, which did not reflect the opinion of ratepayers.
The consultation period on the new Bill had been ongoing for two years and for 300 men to turn up at its final stage was clearly unexpected.
However the proposal for a ballot of all ratepayers on the matter was defeated and the council decided to proceed with the amended Bill.
The school leaving age was another issue that polarised people.
There were those who highlighted the positive benefits of education up to the age of 15, or even 16.
However in poorer places like St Helens, the many parents who wanted their kids to be earning wages as soon as possible outnumbered the well-meaning educationalists.
In December the town's School Attendance Committee had chosen to opt out of a new law that insisted that parents kept their children at school until they turned 15.
At the Town Council meeting Cllr. McCormick said he objected to that decision, calling for a by-law to be passed making education in St Helens compulsory until the age of 15 or 16.
"It is only when children attained the age of fourteen that they were able to fully assimilate the instruction given in the schools", he declared.
St Helens had quite a high level of school absenteeism and Cllr. Thomas Hamblett called for the granting of maintenance allowances to parents of £1 per week to encourage them to keep their children at school.
However the council did not have the funds for such a scheme and the decision of the School Attendance Committee was approved.
Stewart's 'The King Tailors' had a branch in Church Street in St Helens and held their annual sale in January.
The firm insisted they were offering genuine reductions and it was not a "cut-the-price-and-hang-the-quality" sale.
I've been tracking Stewart's sale offers since 1915 and wishing such made to measure suits were still available at the same prices today!
Five years ago their cheapest sale suit cost just 15/3 but now their lowest price advertised was 53/3.
The material may possibly not have been quite the same but prices were rising each year as a result of war inflation.
Stewart's store in St Helens – incidentally – was renowned for rewarding Saints' players who scored a hat trick of tries with a free, made-to-measure suit.
On the 7th it was reported that James McGhee had issued a £100 challenge to Dr Henry Bates.
The ex-mayor was the chairman of the St Helens Health Committee and McGhee wanted him to prove by debate that hospital isolation of any disease (such as in the St Helens Sanatorium / Isolation Hospital pictured above) had decreased its prevalence in the community or lowered mortality rates.
You will remember that James McGhee was the dissenter at the Town Hall meeting who said the closing of schools to prevent the spread of infection had no benefit and had been done during the flu pandemic to instil fear into people.
It just goes to show that you don't need social media to spread crazy ideas!
And finally engine driver John Twist had a lucky escape on the 10th.
His engine had been travelling from Haydock to Southport Colliery in Parr, when it struck a pit prop that had been placed over the railway line.
After careful examination of the track, two more props were discovered and two sets of points were found to have been vandalised.
One had been fastened down with lashing chains and the other set was jammed with stones, dirt and pieces of wood.
It was said that if the engine had continued its journey, it would have been thrown off the line.
Next week's stories will include a Royal stay at Knowsley Hall, the departure of the pioneering St Helens medical officer, the tragedy of the home alone child of Golborne and the human gramophone at the Hippodrome.
It was very common for people to die in hospital some time after being injured for what would likely be treatable injuries today.
On January 4th train driver Albert Marston died in St Helens Hospital.
This was at least a fortnight after the 61-year-old from Edgeworth Street in Sutton had somehow fallen off his engine in Rainford.
Dr. Williams' Pink Pills was being advertised in the Lancashire Evening Post on the 4th.
The medication comprised iron oxide and epsom salts and did, apparently, provide some benefits for some people with certain conditions – such as anaemia.
That said the Pink Pills were far from being the wonder cure that they were touted!
However, as we know, if your condition improves after taking medication, the product tends to gets the credit, even though you might easily have got well without it.
Mrs Almond of Haydock Street in Earlestown was certainly convinced of the pills worth after suffering bad indigestion for ten years.
A doctor diagnosed chronic dyspepsia and she said that during the day she had fainting fits and at night was liable to be seized with terrible pains.
Then she took the Pink Pills and was quickly cured, as her testimonial printed in the paper revealed:
"Everything I ate used to give me terrible pain, and the coming of meal-times was more dreaded than looked forward to. I took several bottles of medicine, but they failed to cure me, and I was becoming very depressed.
"Then my mother, having herself found Dr. Williams' pink pills very beneficial, advised me to try them. After taking the first box of pills there was such an improvement that I had no hesitation in continuing the treatment.
"I made wonderful progress, and now I am like a new woman, and can eat anything without any ill effects at all. In fact, I look forward to and enjoy every meal of the day.
"My fainting fits, which were formerly very numerous, are now a thing of the past. I owe a great deal to Dr. Williams' pink pills, and cannot speak too highly of them, for they have wrought a wonderful cure in my case."
George Taylor Fulford had bought the rights to the pink pills in 1890 from Dr. William Jackson, paying just $53.01.
Just what the lone cent was for I don't know but the Canadian businessman's massive advertising of the product made him rich.
When Fulford died in 1905 he left an estate worth £1.3 million – that's over £50 million in today's money.
A public meeting of ratepayers was held at St Helens Town Hall on the 5th to approve a new Bill that had been prepared for Parliament.
Some aspects – such as powers for the council to make extensive road improvements and run new tram and bus routes – would involve extra expenditure by ratepayers and so the council needed their blessing.
Clause 64 of the new Bill dealt with Sunday school closures and other precautions to prevent the future spread of infectious diseases.
Like today with Covid-19, the proposed restrictions on liberty were controversial and there was strong resistance led by a man called James McGhee.
He claimed that the congregation of children in Sunday schools was not in the slightest degree harmful, adding:
"Closing schools to prevent the spread of infection is quite useless. It is put forward by the medical profession and the medical officer to instil fear into the minds of the people, just as children are frightened by tales of ghosts. It is an idea used simply for the aggrandisement of the officials of the health department."
The man argued his case so persuasively that when the meeting came to vote on the clause, the ratepayers rejected it.
Other health prevention measures to combat infectious diseases were also defeated.
These included enhanced measures for the town's medical officer to remove infected patients to hospital. A ratepayer called Fox said:
"The law of England never intended to put into the hands of a medical officer a greater power than the King had, or a greater power than was possessed by the Mayor and the whole of the Corporation."
The proposed clause would have limited such tips and refuse heaps to a height of nine feet and insisted they be at least 150 feet from any highway.
Supporters of the restrictions told the meeting that in parts of the town the people suffered from "great high heaps" close to their houses.
However the clause was defeated by hundreds of hands, with only about five in favour.
Later that day at the monthly Town Council meeting Councillor Richard Waring called for a poll of ratepayers to be held.
He lived in and represented Parr and so had first-hand knowledge of the colliery waste heaps towering over the district.
Cllr. Waring claimed the meeting had been "packed by the employers" who had got their staff to come along and vote down the proposal.
"It had not been a fair meeting", he complained, saying a surprise had been sprung on the council, which did not reflect the opinion of ratepayers.
The consultation period on the new Bill had been ongoing for two years and for 300 men to turn up at its final stage was clearly unexpected.
However the proposal for a ballot of all ratepayers on the matter was defeated and the council decided to proceed with the amended Bill.
The school leaving age was another issue that polarised people.
There were those who highlighted the positive benefits of education up to the age of 15, or even 16.
However in poorer places like St Helens, the many parents who wanted their kids to be earning wages as soon as possible outnumbered the well-meaning educationalists.
In December the town's School Attendance Committee had chosen to opt out of a new law that insisted that parents kept their children at school until they turned 15.
At the Town Council meeting Cllr. McCormick said he objected to that decision, calling for a by-law to be passed making education in St Helens compulsory until the age of 15 or 16.
"It is only when children attained the age of fourteen that they were able to fully assimilate the instruction given in the schools", he declared.
St Helens had quite a high level of school absenteeism and Cllr. Thomas Hamblett called for the granting of maintenance allowances to parents of £1 per week to encourage them to keep their children at school.
However the council did not have the funds for such a scheme and the decision of the School Attendance Committee was approved.
Stewart's 'The King Tailors' had a branch in Church Street in St Helens and held their annual sale in January.
The firm insisted they were offering genuine reductions and it was not a "cut-the-price-and-hang-the-quality" sale.
I've been tracking Stewart's sale offers since 1915 and wishing such made to measure suits were still available at the same prices today!
Five years ago their cheapest sale suit cost just 15/3 but now their lowest price advertised was 53/3.
The material may possibly not have been quite the same but prices were rising each year as a result of war inflation.
Stewart's store in St Helens – incidentally – was renowned for rewarding Saints' players who scored a hat trick of tries with a free, made-to-measure suit.
The ex-mayor was the chairman of the St Helens Health Committee and McGhee wanted him to prove by debate that hospital isolation of any disease (such as in the St Helens Sanatorium / Isolation Hospital pictured above) had decreased its prevalence in the community or lowered mortality rates.
You will remember that James McGhee was the dissenter at the Town Hall meeting who said the closing of schools to prevent the spread of infection had no benefit and had been done during the flu pandemic to instil fear into people.
It just goes to show that you don't need social media to spread crazy ideas!
And finally engine driver John Twist had a lucky escape on the 10th.
His engine had been travelling from Haydock to Southport Colliery in Parr, when it struck a pit prop that had been placed over the railway line.
After careful examination of the track, two more props were discovered and two sets of points were found to have been vandalised.
One had been fastened down with lashing chains and the other set was jammed with stones, dirt and pieces of wood.
It was said that if the engine had continued its journey, it would have been thrown off the line.
Next week's stories will include a Royal stay at Knowsley Hall, the departure of the pioneering St Helens medical officer, the tragedy of the home alone child of Golborne and the human gramophone at the Hippodrome.