IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (4th - 10th JULY 1922)
This week's many stories include the innovation of paid holidays in St Helens, the numerous motor accidents in Victoria Square, the Rainhill Hospital patient who swallowed a spoon, the rainy Tradesmen's holiday, the smashing time at the Shaw Street billiard hall and the boy jam thieves.
The number of motor traffic accidents in St Helens was on the increase and the Victoria Square / Corporation Street area was a hot spot for crashes. Before long (if not already) a point-duty policeman would be stationed there to control traffic flows and reduce the high number of accidents. This week Albert Hallwood of Talbot Street appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with driving a motorcycle to the danger of the public. That was after the glasscutter had knocked down a woman schoolteacher who'd been crossing the road and broken her skull.
The incident occurred near the corner of Corporation Street and Hardshaw Street but witnesses stated that the motorbike rider had not been going fast. Mr Hallwood said he had seen the woman crossing the road but assumed she would allow him time to pass, but, instead, had walked into his machine. The prosecution contended that the man could have taken evasive action but the magistrates decided to dismiss the charge. Superintendent Dunn told the Bench that there had been so many similar accidents recently that the police had felt compelled to bring the case to court.
The increasing number of suicides at Rainhill Asylum was also causing concern. This week an inquest was held on the death of Thomas Whitlock, who had hung himself from a tree in the hospital grounds. The 44-year-old came from Stockport and remarkably a dessert spoon, 6½ inches long, was found by a pathologist embedded in his gullet. And what was even more extraordinary was that the spoon appeared to have been down the poor man's neck for several weeks. That was because he had been brought to Rainhill at the end of May and his brother identified the spoon as one that Thomas owned – and so he was thought to have swallowed it while living at home.
Four weeks ago Irish extremists, angry at the exclusion of Northern Ireland from the newly created Irish Free State, were thought to have been behind midnight raids on explosive stores in St Helens. Armed men took detonators and explosives from St Helens' collieries at Sutton Manor, Clock Face, Sherdley and Bold and also attempted to enter brickworks in the town. The theory was that Irish extremists were stockpiling explosives in case of civil war and this week there were two more raids. A quantity of ammunition was stolen from St Helens Museum at Victoria Park and there was an attempt to raid explosive stores in Haydock – although an alarm scared the intruders off.
At the St Helens Town Council meeting on the 5th, Cllr. Hewitt referred to paid holidays for employees as an "innovation" that was being tried by many employers. Workers would normally only be paid for the labour that they performed – and so if they did not work, they would not get paid. Bank holidays were a welcome break from the drudgery of work but came with the disadvantage of no pay. Cllr. Hewitt's remarks came after the council's Transport Committee had reported that they'd decided to grant paid holidays to a number of skilled workmen employed in the Corporation's tram sheds.
Cllr O’Brien said he felt that the Corporation’s "bottom dogs", the unskilled men, should also be awarded holidays with pay. However, that was still some way off with Cllr. Hewitt adding that many employers felt giving their skilled staff paid holidays profited them in the long run as they received more loyal service. Of course, we are only talking of a few days of paid holidays, not the weeks that employees receive today.
Last month Cllr. Thomas Boscow had been cleared at Liverpool Assizes of committing perjury in court in connection with an industrial dispute. At this week's council meeting the left-wing firebrand was ticked off by Ald. Henry Bates. That was after Boscow had claimed that nothing had been done about a proposed scheme to employ unemployed men at Sutton's Moss Nook.
The district had for years been subject to enormous flooding, particularly around Watery Lane and Fleet Lane. Ald. Bates had come up with a scheme that would hopefully resolve the issue and provide work for unemployed labourers. He informed Boscow that he was presently negotiating with the colliery company and the Borough Engineer was involved in making other enquiries.
The first Thursday in July was always the 'Tradesmen's Holiday' (aka 'Traders' Holiday') in St Helens. Virtually all the shops in the town closed for the whole day (instead of the usual half-day) and staff went on charabanc excursions (such as pictured above). And it always rained! At least it had for the last few years and July 6th 1922 was no exception. This is what the Reporter wrote on the following day about this year's Traders' Holiday:
"Yesterday morning was perhaps the most depressing commencement of any day of the series, and the many cheerless–looking parties who left the town in motor coaches must have enjoyed an exceptionally good time at the other end in order to compensate them for the climatic conditions. However, it takes more than a drop of rain to deter the pleasure-seekers from taking advantage of their one day off, and Traders' Holiday 1922 will be put down as no less successful as a social event than its predecessors."
Although there were many complaints about high prices in the St Helens shops, everything is, of course, relative to its own time. Also in the Reporter, the St Helens Industrial Co-operative Society were advertising made-to-measure suits for just 50 shillings at their Baldwin Street store. Ready-made suits for youths were also on sale priced at 30 shillings; boys' suits were available for 20 shillings and what were described as juvenile suits were on offer for just 7/11. All purchases qualified customers for the famous Co-op divi.
The Reporter also published this article about young jam thieves: "The association of young boys and jam, especially strawberry jam, is of such long standing, that one is not really surprised to learn that three small boys, who espied three jars of that luscious delicacy, in the window of a house at Windlehurst, made no bones about lifting the jam; and finally arrived, sticky-fingered but happy, at the shed belonging to one of the boy's parents, where the remains of two of the jars were speedily disposed of. There is no record that the process of digestion was aided by having the strawberry jam spread on bread and butter and spoons were not used. Why spoons, when fingers are handy?
"Apparently, the boys felt so content of having gouged their sweet tooth to the limit of its endurance, that when two unsympathetic policemen arrived, they at once made a clean breast of the affair, and related all the lip-smacking details so ably that quite possibly the police's mouths watered, too. The boys were before Coun. Miss Evelyn Pilkington (in the chair), and Mr. F. P. Dromgoole, at the St. Helens Juvenile Court, yesterday, when the gravity of plundering jam was made clear to them, and they were bound over to be of good behaviour for two years."
Despite suicide being illegal, it was still very common and many of the victims were elderly people who felt they'd nothing left to live for. This week the inquest on Griffith Williams from Emily Street in Thatto Heath was held. The 74-year-old’s great-niece had taken a cup of tea into the old man's room and found it full of gas. Mr Thomas had placed a tube attached to a gas jet near to his mouth, and the usual verdict of suicide while of unsound mind was recorded at his inquest.
Billiards used to be a very popular sport in St Helens. Most clubs and some of the better class of pubs had billiard tables for their patrons to use – and there were also dedicated billiard halls in Bridge Street and Shaw Street. The latter known as the Carlton is probably the best remembered and this week two men appeared in court after drunkenly attempting to fight its owner. Albert Smith told the hearing that on the previous Saturday evening he had been in the confectionery shop attached to the billiard hall when William Thomas of Stanhope Street and John Whittall of Clock Face entered.
They attempted to get Mr Smith to go outside with them, with Whittle saying "I will smash you" and, as if to demonstrate they meant business, Thomas then busted a glass showcase on the counter. Sgt. Stevenson gave evidence that when he arrived at the billiard hall, there were up to 80 people gathered outside and upon entering the confectionery shop he'd found the showcase "smashed to atoms".
Upon arresting the men and taking them to the police station, Whittall collapsed into a drunken stupor. And Thomas wasn't in any better condition. He told the court that he was so helplessly drunk that he couldn’t remember anything that had taken place that night. Each defendant was fined 10 shillings with Thomas ordered to pay a further 13 shillings for the damage he'd caused to the showcase.
Next week's stories will include criticism of the delay in installing a war memorial in Victoria Square, the strange story of the lost umbrella, the Sutton planks stolen to make a hen run, the insulting Parr separation case and an update on the new Lowe House church.
The number of motor traffic accidents in St Helens was on the increase and the Victoria Square / Corporation Street area was a hot spot for crashes. Before long (if not already) a point-duty policeman would be stationed there to control traffic flows and reduce the high number of accidents. This week Albert Hallwood of Talbot Street appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with driving a motorcycle to the danger of the public. That was after the glasscutter had knocked down a woman schoolteacher who'd been crossing the road and broken her skull.
The incident occurred near the corner of Corporation Street and Hardshaw Street but witnesses stated that the motorbike rider had not been going fast. Mr Hallwood said he had seen the woman crossing the road but assumed she would allow him time to pass, but, instead, had walked into his machine. The prosecution contended that the man could have taken evasive action but the magistrates decided to dismiss the charge. Superintendent Dunn told the Bench that there had been so many similar accidents recently that the police had felt compelled to bring the case to court.
The increasing number of suicides at Rainhill Asylum was also causing concern. This week an inquest was held on the death of Thomas Whitlock, who had hung himself from a tree in the hospital grounds. The 44-year-old came from Stockport and remarkably a dessert spoon, 6½ inches long, was found by a pathologist embedded in his gullet. And what was even more extraordinary was that the spoon appeared to have been down the poor man's neck for several weeks. That was because he had been brought to Rainhill at the end of May and his brother identified the spoon as one that Thomas owned – and so he was thought to have swallowed it while living at home.
Four weeks ago Irish extremists, angry at the exclusion of Northern Ireland from the newly created Irish Free State, were thought to have been behind midnight raids on explosive stores in St Helens. Armed men took detonators and explosives from St Helens' collieries at Sutton Manor, Clock Face, Sherdley and Bold and also attempted to enter brickworks in the town. The theory was that Irish extremists were stockpiling explosives in case of civil war and this week there were two more raids. A quantity of ammunition was stolen from St Helens Museum at Victoria Park and there was an attempt to raid explosive stores in Haydock – although an alarm scared the intruders off.
At the St Helens Town Council meeting on the 5th, Cllr. Hewitt referred to paid holidays for employees as an "innovation" that was being tried by many employers. Workers would normally only be paid for the labour that they performed – and so if they did not work, they would not get paid. Bank holidays were a welcome break from the drudgery of work but came with the disadvantage of no pay. Cllr. Hewitt's remarks came after the council's Transport Committee had reported that they'd decided to grant paid holidays to a number of skilled workmen employed in the Corporation's tram sheds.
Cllr O’Brien said he felt that the Corporation’s "bottom dogs", the unskilled men, should also be awarded holidays with pay. However, that was still some way off with Cllr. Hewitt adding that many employers felt giving their skilled staff paid holidays profited them in the long run as they received more loyal service. Of course, we are only talking of a few days of paid holidays, not the weeks that employees receive today.
Last month Cllr. Thomas Boscow had been cleared at Liverpool Assizes of committing perjury in court in connection with an industrial dispute. At this week's council meeting the left-wing firebrand was ticked off by Ald. Henry Bates. That was after Boscow had claimed that nothing had been done about a proposed scheme to employ unemployed men at Sutton's Moss Nook.
The district had for years been subject to enormous flooding, particularly around Watery Lane and Fleet Lane. Ald. Bates had come up with a scheme that would hopefully resolve the issue and provide work for unemployed labourers. He informed Boscow that he was presently negotiating with the colliery company and the Borough Engineer was involved in making other enquiries.
"Yesterday morning was perhaps the most depressing commencement of any day of the series, and the many cheerless–looking parties who left the town in motor coaches must have enjoyed an exceptionally good time at the other end in order to compensate them for the climatic conditions. However, it takes more than a drop of rain to deter the pleasure-seekers from taking advantage of their one day off, and Traders' Holiday 1922 will be put down as no less successful as a social event than its predecessors."
Although there were many complaints about high prices in the St Helens shops, everything is, of course, relative to its own time. Also in the Reporter, the St Helens Industrial Co-operative Society were advertising made-to-measure suits for just 50 shillings at their Baldwin Street store. Ready-made suits for youths were also on sale priced at 30 shillings; boys' suits were available for 20 shillings and what were described as juvenile suits were on offer for just 7/11. All purchases qualified customers for the famous Co-op divi.
The Reporter also published this article about young jam thieves: "The association of young boys and jam, especially strawberry jam, is of such long standing, that one is not really surprised to learn that three small boys, who espied three jars of that luscious delicacy, in the window of a house at Windlehurst, made no bones about lifting the jam; and finally arrived, sticky-fingered but happy, at the shed belonging to one of the boy's parents, where the remains of two of the jars were speedily disposed of. There is no record that the process of digestion was aided by having the strawberry jam spread on bread and butter and spoons were not used. Why spoons, when fingers are handy?
"Apparently, the boys felt so content of having gouged their sweet tooth to the limit of its endurance, that when two unsympathetic policemen arrived, they at once made a clean breast of the affair, and related all the lip-smacking details so ably that quite possibly the police's mouths watered, too. The boys were before Coun. Miss Evelyn Pilkington (in the chair), and Mr. F. P. Dromgoole, at the St. Helens Juvenile Court, yesterday, when the gravity of plundering jam was made clear to them, and they were bound over to be of good behaviour for two years."
Despite suicide being illegal, it was still very common and many of the victims were elderly people who felt they'd nothing left to live for. This week the inquest on Griffith Williams from Emily Street in Thatto Heath was held. The 74-year-old’s great-niece had taken a cup of tea into the old man's room and found it full of gas. Mr Thomas had placed a tube attached to a gas jet near to his mouth, and the usual verdict of suicide while of unsound mind was recorded at his inquest.
They attempted to get Mr Smith to go outside with them, with Whittle saying "I will smash you" and, as if to demonstrate they meant business, Thomas then busted a glass showcase on the counter. Sgt. Stevenson gave evidence that when he arrived at the billiard hall, there were up to 80 people gathered outside and upon entering the confectionery shop he'd found the showcase "smashed to atoms".
Upon arresting the men and taking them to the police station, Whittall collapsed into a drunken stupor. And Thomas wasn't in any better condition. He told the court that he was so helplessly drunk that he couldn’t remember anything that had taken place that night. Each defendant was fined 10 shillings with Thomas ordered to pay a further 13 shillings for the damage he'd caused to the showcase.
Next week's stories will include criticism of the delay in installing a war memorial in Victoria Square, the strange story of the lost umbrella, the Sutton planks stolen to make a hen run, the insulting Parr separation case and an update on the new Lowe House church.
This week's many stories include the innovation of paid holidays in St Helens, the numerous motor accidents in Victoria Square, the Rainhill Hospital patient who swallowed a spoon, the rainy Tradesmen's holiday, the smashing time at the Shaw Street billiard hall and the boy jam thieves.
The number of motor traffic accidents in St Helens was on the increase and the Victoria Square / Corporation Street area was a hot spot for crashes.
Before long (if not already) a point-duty policeman would be stationed there to control traffic flows and reduce the high number of accidents.
This week Albert Hallwood of Talbot Street appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with driving a motorcycle to the danger of the public.
That was after the glasscutter had knocked down a woman schoolteacher who'd been crossing the road and broken her skull.
The incident occurred near the corner of Corporation Street and Hardshaw Street but witnesses stated that the motorbike rider had not been going fast.
Mr Hallwood said he had seen the woman crossing the road but assumed she would allow him time to pass, but, instead, had walked into his machine.
The prosecution contended that the man could have taken evasive action but the magistrates decided to dismiss the charge.
Superintendent Dunn told the Bench that there had been so many similar accidents recently that the police had felt compelled to bring the case to court.
The increasing number of suicides at Rainhill Asylum was also causing concern. This week an inquest was held on the death of Thomas Whitlock, who had hung himself from a tree in the hospital grounds.
The 44-year-old came from Stockport and remarkably a dessert spoon, 6½ inches long, was found by a pathologist embedded in his gullet.
And what was even more extraordinary was that the spoon appeared to have been down the poor man's neck for several weeks.
That was because he had been brought to Rainhill at the end of May and his brother identified the spoon as one that Thomas owned – and so he was thought to have swallowed it while living at home.
Four weeks ago Irish extremists, angry at the exclusion of Northern Ireland from the newly created Irish Free State, were thought to have been behind midnight raids on explosive stores in St Helens.
Armed men took detonators and explosives from St Helens' collieries at Sutton Manor, Clock Face, Sherdley and Bold and also attempted to enter brickworks in the town.
The theory was that Irish extremists were stockpiling explosives in case of civil war and this week there were two more raids.
A quantity of ammunition was stolen from St Helens Museum at Victoria Park and there was an attempt to raid explosive stores in Haydock – although an alarm scared the intruders off.
At the St Helens Town Council meeting on the 5th, Cllr. Hewitt referred to paid holidays for employees as an "innovation" that was being tried by many employers.
Workers would normally only be paid for the labour that they performed – and so if they did not work, they would not get paid.
Bank holidays were a welcome break from the drudgery of work but came with the disadvantage of no pay.
Cllr. Hewitt's remarks came after the council's Transport Committee had reported that they'd decided to grant paid holidays to a number of skilled workmen employed in the Corporation's tram sheds.
Cllr O’Brien said he felt that the Corporation’s "bottom dogs", the unskilled men, should also be awarded holidays with pay.
However, that was still some way off with Cllr. Hewitt adding that many employers felt giving their skilled staff paid holidays profited them in the long run as they received more loyal service.
Of course, we are only talking of a few days of paid holidays, not the weeks that employees receive today.
Last month Cllr. Thomas Boscow had been cleared at Liverpool Assizes of committing perjury in court in connection with an industrial dispute.
At this week's council meeting the left-wing firebrand was ticked off by Ald. Henry Bates.
That was after Boscow had claimed that nothing had been done about a proposed scheme to employ unemployed men at Sutton's Moss Nook.
The district had for years been subject to enormous flooding, particularly around Watery Lane and Fleet Lane.
Ald. Bates had come up with a scheme that would hopefully resolve the issue and provide work for unemployed labourers.
He informed Boscow that he was presently negotiating with the colliery company and the Borough Engineer was involved in making other enquiries.
The first Thursday in July was always the 'Tradesmen's Holiday' (aka 'Traders' Holiday') in St Helens.
Virtually all the shops in the town closed for the whole day (instead of the usual half-day) and staff went on charabanc excursions (such as pictured above).
And it always rained! At least it had for the last few years and July 6th 1922 was no exception. This is what the Reporter wrote on the following day about this year's Traders' Holiday:
"Yesterday morning was perhaps the most depressing commencement of any day of the series, and the many cheerless–looking parties who left the town in motor coaches must have enjoyed an exceptionally good time at the other end in order to compensate them for the climatic conditions.
"However, it takes more than a drop of rain to deter the pleasure-seekers from taking advantage of their one day off, and Traders' Holiday 1922 will be put down as no less successful as a social event than its predecessors."
Although there were many complaints about high prices in the St Helens shops, everything is, of course, relative to its own time.
Also in the Reporter, the St Helens Industrial Co-operative Society were advertising made-to-measure suits for just 50 shillings at their Baldwin Street store.
Ready-made suits for youths were also on sale priced at 30 shillings; boys' suits were available for 20 shillings and what were described as juvenile suits were on offer for just 7/11. All purchases qualified customers for the famous Co-op divi.
The Reporter also published this article about young jam thieves:
"The association of young boys and jam, especially strawberry jam, is of such long standing, that one is not really surprised to learn that three small boys, who espied three jars of that luscious delicacy, in the window of a house at Windlehurst, made no bones about lifting the jam; and finally arrived, sticky-fingered but happy, at the shed belonging to one of the boy's parents, where the remains of two of the jars were speedily disposed of.
"There is no record that the process of digestion was aided by having the strawberry jam spread on bread and butter and spoons were not used. Why spoons, when fingers are handy?
"Apparently, the boys felt so content of having gouged their sweet tooth to the limit of its endurance, that when two unsympathetic policemen arrived, they at once made a clean breast of the affair, and related all the lip-smacking details so ably that quite possibly the police's mouths watered, too.
"The boys were before Coun. Miss Evelyn Pilkington (in the chair), and Mr. F. P. Dromgoole, at the St. Helens Juvenile Court, yesterday, when the gravity of plundering jam was made clear to them, and they were bound over to be of good behaviour for two years."
Despite suicide being illegal, it was still very common and many of the victims were elderly people who felt they'd nothing left to live for.
This week the inquest on Griffith Williams from Emily Street in Thatto Heath was held.
The 74-year-old’s great-niece had taken a cup of tea into the old man's room and found it full of gas.
Mr Thomas had placed a tube attached to a gas jet near to his mouth, and the usual verdict of suicide while of unsound mind was recorded at his inquest.
Billiards used to be a very popular sport in St Helens. Most clubs and some of the better class of pubs had billiard tables for their patrons to use – and there were also dedicated billiard halls in Bridge Street and Shaw Street.
The latter known as the Carlton is probably the best remembered and this week two men appeared in court after drunkenly attempting to fight its owner.
Albert Smith told the hearing that on the previous Saturday evening he had been in the confectionery shop attached to the billiard hall when William Thomas of Stanhope Street and John Whittall of Clock Face entered.
They attempted to get Mr Smith to go outside with them, with Whittle saying "I will smash you" and, as if to demonstrate they meant business, Thomas then busted a glass showcase on the counter.
Sgt. Stevenson gave evidence that when he arrived at the billiard hall, there were up to 80 people gathered outside and upon entering the confectionery shop he'd found the showcase "smashed to atoms".
Upon arresting the men and taking them to the police station, Whittall collapsed into a drunken stupor.
And Thomas wasn't in any better condition. He told the court that he was so helplessly drunk that he couldn’t remember anything that had taken place that night.
Each defendant was fined 10 shillings with Thomas ordered to pay a further 13 shillings for the damage he'd caused to the showcase.
Next week's stories will include criticism of the delay in installing a war memorial in Victoria Square, the strange story of the lost umbrella, the Sutton planks stolen to make a hen run, the insulting Parr separation case and an update on the new Lowe House church.
The number of motor traffic accidents in St Helens was on the increase and the Victoria Square / Corporation Street area was a hot spot for crashes.
Before long (if not already) a point-duty policeman would be stationed there to control traffic flows and reduce the high number of accidents.
This week Albert Hallwood of Talbot Street appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with driving a motorcycle to the danger of the public.
That was after the glasscutter had knocked down a woman schoolteacher who'd been crossing the road and broken her skull.
The incident occurred near the corner of Corporation Street and Hardshaw Street but witnesses stated that the motorbike rider had not been going fast.
Mr Hallwood said he had seen the woman crossing the road but assumed she would allow him time to pass, but, instead, had walked into his machine.
The prosecution contended that the man could have taken evasive action but the magistrates decided to dismiss the charge.
Superintendent Dunn told the Bench that there had been so many similar accidents recently that the police had felt compelled to bring the case to court.
The increasing number of suicides at Rainhill Asylum was also causing concern. This week an inquest was held on the death of Thomas Whitlock, who had hung himself from a tree in the hospital grounds.
The 44-year-old came from Stockport and remarkably a dessert spoon, 6½ inches long, was found by a pathologist embedded in his gullet.
And what was even more extraordinary was that the spoon appeared to have been down the poor man's neck for several weeks.
That was because he had been brought to Rainhill at the end of May and his brother identified the spoon as one that Thomas owned – and so he was thought to have swallowed it while living at home.
Four weeks ago Irish extremists, angry at the exclusion of Northern Ireland from the newly created Irish Free State, were thought to have been behind midnight raids on explosive stores in St Helens.
Armed men took detonators and explosives from St Helens' collieries at Sutton Manor, Clock Face, Sherdley and Bold and also attempted to enter brickworks in the town.
The theory was that Irish extremists were stockpiling explosives in case of civil war and this week there were two more raids.
A quantity of ammunition was stolen from St Helens Museum at Victoria Park and there was an attempt to raid explosive stores in Haydock – although an alarm scared the intruders off.
At the St Helens Town Council meeting on the 5th, Cllr. Hewitt referred to paid holidays for employees as an "innovation" that was being tried by many employers.
Workers would normally only be paid for the labour that they performed – and so if they did not work, they would not get paid.
Bank holidays were a welcome break from the drudgery of work but came with the disadvantage of no pay.
Cllr. Hewitt's remarks came after the council's Transport Committee had reported that they'd decided to grant paid holidays to a number of skilled workmen employed in the Corporation's tram sheds.
Cllr O’Brien said he felt that the Corporation’s "bottom dogs", the unskilled men, should also be awarded holidays with pay.
However, that was still some way off with Cllr. Hewitt adding that many employers felt giving their skilled staff paid holidays profited them in the long run as they received more loyal service.
Of course, we are only talking of a few days of paid holidays, not the weeks that employees receive today.
Last month Cllr. Thomas Boscow had been cleared at Liverpool Assizes of committing perjury in court in connection with an industrial dispute.
At this week's council meeting the left-wing firebrand was ticked off by Ald. Henry Bates.
That was after Boscow had claimed that nothing had been done about a proposed scheme to employ unemployed men at Sutton's Moss Nook.
The district had for years been subject to enormous flooding, particularly around Watery Lane and Fleet Lane.
Ald. Bates had come up with a scheme that would hopefully resolve the issue and provide work for unemployed labourers.
He informed Boscow that he was presently negotiating with the colliery company and the Borough Engineer was involved in making other enquiries.
The first Thursday in July was always the 'Tradesmen's Holiday' (aka 'Traders' Holiday') in St Helens.
And it always rained! At least it had for the last few years and July 6th 1922 was no exception. This is what the Reporter wrote on the following day about this year's Traders' Holiday:
"Yesterday morning was perhaps the most depressing commencement of any day of the series, and the many cheerless–looking parties who left the town in motor coaches must have enjoyed an exceptionally good time at the other end in order to compensate them for the climatic conditions.
"However, it takes more than a drop of rain to deter the pleasure-seekers from taking advantage of their one day off, and Traders' Holiday 1922 will be put down as no less successful as a social event than its predecessors."
Although there were many complaints about high prices in the St Helens shops, everything is, of course, relative to its own time.
Also in the Reporter, the St Helens Industrial Co-operative Society were advertising made-to-measure suits for just 50 shillings at their Baldwin Street store.
Ready-made suits for youths were also on sale priced at 30 shillings; boys' suits were available for 20 shillings and what were described as juvenile suits were on offer for just 7/11. All purchases qualified customers for the famous Co-op divi.
The Reporter also published this article about young jam thieves:
"The association of young boys and jam, especially strawberry jam, is of such long standing, that one is not really surprised to learn that three small boys, who espied three jars of that luscious delicacy, in the window of a house at Windlehurst, made no bones about lifting the jam; and finally arrived, sticky-fingered but happy, at the shed belonging to one of the boy's parents, where the remains of two of the jars were speedily disposed of.
"There is no record that the process of digestion was aided by having the strawberry jam spread on bread and butter and spoons were not used. Why spoons, when fingers are handy?
"Apparently, the boys felt so content of having gouged their sweet tooth to the limit of its endurance, that when two unsympathetic policemen arrived, they at once made a clean breast of the affair, and related all the lip-smacking details so ably that quite possibly the police's mouths watered, too.
"The boys were before Coun. Miss Evelyn Pilkington (in the chair), and Mr. F. P. Dromgoole, at the St. Helens Juvenile Court, yesterday, when the gravity of plundering jam was made clear to them, and they were bound over to be of good behaviour for two years."
Despite suicide being illegal, it was still very common and many of the victims were elderly people who felt they'd nothing left to live for.
This week the inquest on Griffith Williams from Emily Street in Thatto Heath was held.
The 74-year-old’s great-niece had taken a cup of tea into the old man's room and found it full of gas.
Mr Thomas had placed a tube attached to a gas jet near to his mouth, and the usual verdict of suicide while of unsound mind was recorded at his inquest.
The latter known as the Carlton is probably the best remembered and this week two men appeared in court after drunkenly attempting to fight its owner.
Albert Smith told the hearing that on the previous Saturday evening he had been in the confectionery shop attached to the billiard hall when William Thomas of Stanhope Street and John Whittall of Clock Face entered.
They attempted to get Mr Smith to go outside with them, with Whittle saying "I will smash you" and, as if to demonstrate they meant business, Thomas then busted a glass showcase on the counter.
Sgt. Stevenson gave evidence that when he arrived at the billiard hall, there were up to 80 people gathered outside and upon entering the confectionery shop he'd found the showcase "smashed to atoms".
Upon arresting the men and taking them to the police station, Whittall collapsed into a drunken stupor.
And Thomas wasn't in any better condition. He told the court that he was so helplessly drunk that he couldn’t remember anything that had taken place that night.
Each defendant was fined 10 shillings with Thomas ordered to pay a further 13 shillings for the damage he'd caused to the showcase.
Next week's stories will include criticism of the delay in installing a war memorial in Victoria Square, the strange story of the lost umbrella, the Sutton planks stolen to make a hen run, the insulting Parr separation case and an update on the new Lowe House church.