FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 24 - 30 NOVEMBER 1975
This week's many stories include the Rainhill schoolgirls' petition for better bus services, the date is set for the Leathers public inquiry, the new Rent-A-Claus Santa scheme, a Sue Ryder home is set to open in Billinge, the Church Street shoe shop hit by a fire and theft within days of opening and the 5-year-old with a broken wrist who was turned away from St Helens Hospital's casualty department.
We begin on the 24th when 'Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs' began a week-long run at the Theatre Royal in St Helens. The 'Carry On' actor Charles Hawtrey was one of the stars.
This week a 35-year-old man from Campbell Street in St Helens pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting a seven-year-old boy. The man had committed the offence at his own home and was put on probation for two years upon condition he underwent psychiatric treatment.
On the 25th a 25-year-old plumber at Pilkington's Cowley Hill Works was fatally injured. Don Marsh from Derbyshire Hill Road was working with 15 others on a furnace's water cooling system when he collapsed and was badly burned, dying two days later.
Recently the government had turned down St Helens Council's request to build a secondary school in Rainhill. One reason given for the refusal was that there were other schools in the vicinity. But this week it was revealed that the bus service to them was very unreliable.
On the 25th five 14-year-old schoolgirls submitted a 1,600-name petition to Merseyside Transport bosses requesting that the 510 bus service be extended to Rainhill. For six weeks the girls had gone round the village spending a couple of hours each night asking people for their support. Lynne Fennell of Warrington Road in Rainhill said:
"The bus service here is terrible. On some mornings, to be sure of catching the bus, we have to leave at quarter to eight. If the bus does turn up we get to school far too early; if it doesn’t we are often late. Sometimes it is hard to catch the buses after school. I have arrived home as late as a quarter to six."
Lynne attended Prescot Comprehensive School, as did Paula Simpson and Margaret Cunningham. Ann Molyneux and Julie Jones attended Notre Dame and had also contributed to the petition but stated that their bus service was good.
Last March St Helens Council had taken what the Reporter called the "revolutionary" decision to close down Leathers Chemicals in Sutton (pictured above) after years of complaints from local residents. But those that had been campaigning for the closure were learning that councils don't have the power to simply shut down a big firm overnight. The sulphuric acid factory had appealed to Anthony Crosland, the Secretary of State for the Environment, who announced this week that a public inquiry into the closure plan would begin on January 6th 1976.
The hearings were likely to last several weeks and the Inspector chairing the sessions would decide whether or not to recommend that Crosland confirmed the Council's Discontinuance Order on the Lancots Lane plant. Meanwhile, the East Sutton Residents Associations were encouraging people to come forward who were prepared to give evidence to the inquiry.
Councillor Jim Bond was secretary of the association and said: "We've got a list of about 60 people, most of whom have agreed to give evidence. And we're hoping they'll come along together with other people who may not have come forward yet."
For three days from the 27th an exhibition of men's hairpieces began. What might be deemed a "wig fair" took place in the Claughton Room of the Fleece Hotel in Church Street.
The Metal Belts factory in Reginald Road in Sutton closed down on the 28th, only two years after opening with support from a government grant. When the firm had been taken over earlier in the year, the trade unions had been assured that the plant was safe. Some of the 78 workers would be transferring to the firm's Warrington plant but 45 others would likely face redundancy.
Some weeks ago the St Helens Reporter said "militant" junior hospital doctors in St Helens were "blacking" most non-urgent cases in a bid for better pay and conditions. Emergency cases were being exempted, as well as sick and injured children and pregnant women. But this week the Reporter revealed that on the first day of the dispute Joanne Jackson had been turned away from St Helens Hospital.
The 5-year-old from Four Acre Lane had suffered a broken wrist in a fall on her way to Sutton Manor Infants School. Her mother Eunice was told by a sister in the casualty department at St Helens Hospital that Joanne would not be seen by a doctor. And so instead mother and daughter had to make their way to Providence Hospital where treatment was given.
"I think it is disgraceful," said Mrs Jackson and her husband William demanded an explanation of why his daughter had been turned away when in pain. That, seemingly, had not been given to the family; but a spokesman for the area health authority explained what occurred to the Reporter:
"Due to a misunderstanding between members of the staff, Joanne Jackson was not seen by a member of the medical staff. The patient was not turned away with any deliberate intent. In a situation where industrial action is being undertaken it is possible that an instance of this kind might occur, especially in the first few days. A full investigation has been carried out and steps taken to ensure a similar instance does not happen." The statement did not mention any apology for the child and her mother, as one would expect today.
The Reporter described how a Sue Ryder home for the sick and disabled would be opening in Billinge. Permission had been granted for the conversion of Birchley Hall and it was hoped that the renovation work would be undertaken under a Job Creation Scheme. That would provide temporary employment for 70 people.
It was expected that the restoration, renovation and conversion work would begin early next year, subject to the Sue Ryder Foundation being able to find sufficient funds. What I had not known was that the Foundation had originally been established to care for survivors of Second World War concentration camps.
The Reporter described the persons that were responsible for almost putting a new Church Street shoe shop out of business during its first week as "dossers and thieves". Daisy Discounts, which had opened last Saturday, had nearly been burned down on Sunday night through people dossing in the empty premises next door. Owner Tony Livesey told the paper: "We were very lucky the whole shop wasn't destroyed instead of being just affected by heavy smoke."
Then on the following night thieves broke in and stole £200 worth of stock. It was believed that they had got into the shop by way of the neighbouring empty building. Mr Livesey said the theft had badly hit his trade because his advertising of his new shop had attracted many potential customers. "When the people were coming in I had to tell them about the lack of stock due to the theft and the fire and as I told them there were many disbelieving faces." On the plus side of course, the extensive article and photo in the Reporter gave the shop a lot of free advertising!
The paper also listed the extensive programme of bands and choirs that would be performing in St Helens shopping precinct during the coming Christmas season. The lengthy list included Redgate Boys Band, St Helens Salvation Army Band, Parr Band and Haydock Secondary School Band and Choir.
The St Helens Junior Chamber of Commerce was promoting its new Rent-A-Claus service in the Reporter. For a £1 donation from parents, Santa in his full regalia would turn up at the homes of children and personally hand over their gifts. It sounds like a good idea, although just how well it worked in practice, I'm not sure. I would have thought that young children would have expected to receive their presents on Christmas Day, when, presumably, the service would not be available. And after being told that Santa came down the chimney, they would not expect him to be ringing the doorbell!
Although lots of firms in St Helens were reporting poor financial results as a consequence of the recession and high inflation, Lennons was still doing well. This week they reported that for the first six months of 1975 their profits had reached an all-time high, increasing by 68% to £644,000.
And finally, the St Helens Show Queen, Christine Cardwell from Rainford, was pictured in the Reporter with donations of toys for the paper's Toy Fund. They would all be given to what was described as "needy children" within the St Helens district.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the Sutton schoolgirl's tights that were peppered with minute holes, the bus that dragged a woman passenger 30 yards, Pilkington's reduced profits and Harold Wilson opens a new health centre in Whiston.
We begin on the 24th when 'Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs' began a week-long run at the Theatre Royal in St Helens. The 'Carry On' actor Charles Hawtrey was one of the stars.
This week a 35-year-old man from Campbell Street in St Helens pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting a seven-year-old boy. The man had committed the offence at his own home and was put on probation for two years upon condition he underwent psychiatric treatment.
On the 25th a 25-year-old plumber at Pilkington's Cowley Hill Works was fatally injured. Don Marsh from Derbyshire Hill Road was working with 15 others on a furnace's water cooling system when he collapsed and was badly burned, dying two days later.
Recently the government had turned down St Helens Council's request to build a secondary school in Rainhill. One reason given for the refusal was that there were other schools in the vicinity. But this week it was revealed that the bus service to them was very unreliable.
On the 25th five 14-year-old schoolgirls submitted a 1,600-name petition to Merseyside Transport bosses requesting that the 510 bus service be extended to Rainhill. For six weeks the girls had gone round the village spending a couple of hours each night asking people for their support. Lynne Fennell of Warrington Road in Rainhill said:
"The bus service here is terrible. On some mornings, to be sure of catching the bus, we have to leave at quarter to eight. If the bus does turn up we get to school far too early; if it doesn’t we are often late. Sometimes it is hard to catch the buses after school. I have arrived home as late as a quarter to six."
Lynne attended Prescot Comprehensive School, as did Paula Simpson and Margaret Cunningham. Ann Molyneux and Julie Jones attended Notre Dame and had also contributed to the petition but stated that their bus service was good.
The hearings were likely to last several weeks and the Inspector chairing the sessions would decide whether or not to recommend that Crosland confirmed the Council's Discontinuance Order on the Lancots Lane plant. Meanwhile, the East Sutton Residents Associations were encouraging people to come forward who were prepared to give evidence to the inquiry.
Councillor Jim Bond was secretary of the association and said: "We've got a list of about 60 people, most of whom have agreed to give evidence. And we're hoping they'll come along together with other people who may not have come forward yet."
For three days from the 27th an exhibition of men's hairpieces began. What might be deemed a "wig fair" took place in the Claughton Room of the Fleece Hotel in Church Street.
The Metal Belts factory in Reginald Road in Sutton closed down on the 28th, only two years after opening with support from a government grant. When the firm had been taken over earlier in the year, the trade unions had been assured that the plant was safe. Some of the 78 workers would be transferring to the firm's Warrington plant but 45 others would likely face redundancy.
Some weeks ago the St Helens Reporter said "militant" junior hospital doctors in St Helens were "blacking" most non-urgent cases in a bid for better pay and conditions. Emergency cases were being exempted, as well as sick and injured children and pregnant women. But this week the Reporter revealed that on the first day of the dispute Joanne Jackson had been turned away from St Helens Hospital.
The 5-year-old from Four Acre Lane had suffered a broken wrist in a fall on her way to Sutton Manor Infants School. Her mother Eunice was told by a sister in the casualty department at St Helens Hospital that Joanne would not be seen by a doctor. And so instead mother and daughter had to make their way to Providence Hospital where treatment was given.
"I think it is disgraceful," said Mrs Jackson and her husband William demanded an explanation of why his daughter had been turned away when in pain. That, seemingly, had not been given to the family; but a spokesman for the area health authority explained what occurred to the Reporter:
"Due to a misunderstanding between members of the staff, Joanne Jackson was not seen by a member of the medical staff. The patient was not turned away with any deliberate intent. In a situation where industrial action is being undertaken it is possible that an instance of this kind might occur, especially in the first few days. A full investigation has been carried out and steps taken to ensure a similar instance does not happen." The statement did not mention any apology for the child and her mother, as one would expect today.
The Reporter described how a Sue Ryder home for the sick and disabled would be opening in Billinge. Permission had been granted for the conversion of Birchley Hall and it was hoped that the renovation work would be undertaken under a Job Creation Scheme. That would provide temporary employment for 70 people.
It was expected that the restoration, renovation and conversion work would begin early next year, subject to the Sue Ryder Foundation being able to find sufficient funds. What I had not known was that the Foundation had originally been established to care for survivors of Second World War concentration camps.
The Reporter described the persons that were responsible for almost putting a new Church Street shoe shop out of business during its first week as "dossers and thieves". Daisy Discounts, which had opened last Saturday, had nearly been burned down on Sunday night through people dossing in the empty premises next door. Owner Tony Livesey told the paper: "We were very lucky the whole shop wasn't destroyed instead of being just affected by heavy smoke."
Then on the following night thieves broke in and stole £200 worth of stock. It was believed that they had got into the shop by way of the neighbouring empty building. Mr Livesey said the theft had badly hit his trade because his advertising of his new shop had attracted many potential customers. "When the people were coming in I had to tell them about the lack of stock due to the theft and the fire and as I told them there were many disbelieving faces." On the plus side of course, the extensive article and photo in the Reporter gave the shop a lot of free advertising!
The paper also listed the extensive programme of bands and choirs that would be performing in St Helens shopping precinct during the coming Christmas season. The lengthy list included Redgate Boys Band, St Helens Salvation Army Band, Parr Band and Haydock Secondary School Band and Choir.
The St Helens Junior Chamber of Commerce was promoting its new Rent-A-Claus service in the Reporter. For a £1 donation from parents, Santa in his full regalia would turn up at the homes of children and personally hand over their gifts. It sounds like a good idea, although just how well it worked in practice, I'm not sure. I would have thought that young children would have expected to receive their presents on Christmas Day, when, presumably, the service would not be available. And after being told that Santa came down the chimney, they would not expect him to be ringing the doorbell!
Although lots of firms in St Helens were reporting poor financial results as a consequence of the recession and high inflation, Lennons was still doing well. This week they reported that for the first six months of 1975 their profits had reached an all-time high, increasing by 68% to £644,000.
And finally, the St Helens Show Queen, Christine Cardwell from Rainford, was pictured in the Reporter with donations of toys for the paper's Toy Fund. They would all be given to what was described as "needy children" within the St Helens district.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the Sutton schoolgirl's tights that were peppered with minute holes, the bus that dragged a woman passenger 30 yards, Pilkington's reduced profits and Harold Wilson opens a new health centre in Whiston.
This week's many stories include the Rainhill schoolgirls' petition for better bus services, the date is set for the Leathers public inquiry, the new Rent-A-Claus Santa scheme, a Sue Ryder home is set to open in Billinge, the Church Street shoe shop hit by a fire and theft within days of opening and the 5-year-old with a broken wrist who was turned away from St Helens Hospital's casualty department.
We begin on the 24th when 'Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs' began a week-long run at the Theatre Royal in St Helens. The 'Carry On' actor Charles Hawtrey was one of the stars.
This week a 35-year-old man from Campbell Street in St Helens pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting a seven-year-old boy.
The man had committed the offence at his own home and was put on probation for two years upon condition he underwent psychiatric treatment.
On the 25th a 25-year-old plumber at Pilkington's Cowley Hill Works was fatally injured.
Don Marsh from Derbyshire Hill Road was working with 15 others on a furnace's water cooling system when he collapsed and was badly burned, dying two days later.
Recently the government had turned down St Helens Council's request to build a secondary school in Rainhill.
One reason given for the refusal was that there were other schools in the vicinity. But this week it was revealed that the bus service to them was very unreliable.
On the 25th five 14-year-old schoolgirls submitted a 1,600-name petition to Merseyside Transport bosses requesting that the 510 bus service be extended to Rainhill.
For six weeks the girls had gone round the village spending a couple of hours each night asking people for their support. Lynne Fennell of Warrington Road in Rainhill said:
"The bus service here is terrible. On some mornings, to be sure of catching the bus, we have to leave at quarter to eight. If the bus does turn up we get to school far too early; if it doesn’t we are often late.
"Sometimes it is hard to catch the buses after school. I have arrived home as late as a quarter to six."
Lynne attended Prescot Comprehensive School, as did Paula Simpson and Margaret Cunningham. Ann Molyneux and Julie Jones attended Notre Dame and had also contributed to the petition but stated that their bus service was good.
Last March St Helens Council had taken what the Reporter called the "revolutionary" decision to close down Leathers Chemicals in Sutton (pictured above) after years of complaints from local residents.
But those that had been campaigning for the closure were learning that councils don't have the power to simply shut down a big firm overnight.
The sulphuric acid factory had appealed to Anthony Crosland, the Secretary of State for the Environment, who announced this week that a public inquiry into the closure plan would begin on January 6th 1976.
The hearings were likely to last several weeks and the Inspector chairing the sessions would decide whether or not to recommend that Crosland confirmed the Council's Discontinuance Order on the Lancots Lane plant.
Meanwhile, the East Sutton Residents Associations were encouraging people to come forward who were prepared to give evidence to the inquiry.
Councillor Jim Bond was secretary of the association and said:
"We've got a list of about 60 people, most of whom have agreed to give evidence. And we're hoping they'll come along together with other people who may not have come forward yet."
For three days from the 27th an exhibition of men's hairpieces began. What might be deemed a "wig fair" took place in the Claughton Room of the Fleece Hotel in Church Street.
The Metal Belts factory in Reginald Road in Sutton closed down on the 28th, only two years after opening with support from a government grant.
When the firm had been taken over earlier in the year, the trade unions had been assured that the plant was safe.
Some of the 78 workers would be transferring to the firm's Warrington plant but 45 others would likely face redundancy.
Some weeks ago the St Helens Reporter said "militant" junior hospital doctors in St Helens were "blacking" most non-urgent cases in a bid for better pay and conditions.
Emergency cases were being exempted, as well as sick and injured children and pregnant women.
But this week the Reporter revealed that on the first day of the dispute Joanne Jackson had been turned away from St Helens Hospital.
The 5-year-old from Four Acre Lane had suffered a broken wrist in a fall on her way to Sutton Manor Infants School.
Her mother Eunice was told by a sister in the casualty department at St Helens Hospital that Joanne would not be seen by a doctor.
And so instead mother and daughter had to make their way to Providence Hospital where treatment was given.
"I think it is disgraceful," said Mrs Jackson and her husband William demanded an explanation of why his daughter had been turned away when in pain.
That, seemingly, had not been given to the family; but a spokesman for the area health authority explained what occurred to the Reporter:
"Due to a misunderstanding between members of the staff, Joanne Jackson was not seen by a member of the medical staff. The patient was not turned away with any deliberate intent.
"In a situation where industrial action is being undertaken it is possible that an instance of this kind might occur, especially in the first few days. A full investigation has been carried out and steps taken to ensure a similar instance does not happen."
The statement did not mention any apology for the child and her mother, as one would expect today.
The Reporter described how a Sue Ryder home for the sick and disabled would be opening in Billinge.
Permission had been granted for the conversion of Birchley Hall and it was hoped that the renovation work would be undertaken under a Job Creation Scheme. That would provide temporary employment for 70 people.
It was expected that the restoration, renovation and conversion work would begin early next year, subject to the Sue Ryder Foundation being able to find sufficient funds.
What I had not known was that the Foundation had originally been established to care for survivors of Second World War concentration camps.
The Reporter described the persons that were responsible for almost putting a new Church Street shoe shop out of business during its first week as "dossers and thieves".
Daisy Discounts, which had opened last Saturday, had nearly been burned down on Sunday night through people dossing in the empty premises next door.
Owner Tony Livesey told the paper: "We were very lucky the whole shop wasn't destroyed instead of being just affected by heavy smoke."
Then on the following night thieves broke in and stole £200 worth of stock. It was believed that they had got into the shop by way of the neighbouring empty building.
Mr Livesey said the theft had badly hit his trade because his advertising of his new shop had attracted many potential customers.
"When the people were coming in I had to tell them about the lack of stock due to the theft and the fire and as I told them there were many disbelieving faces."
On the plus side of course, the extensive article and photo in the Reporter gave the shop a lot of free advertising!
The paper also listed the extensive programme of bands and choirs that would be performing in St Helens shopping precinct during the coming Christmas season.
The lengthy list included Redgate Boys Band, St Helens Salvation Army Band, Parr Band and Haydock Secondary School Band and Choir.
The St Helens Junior Chamber of Commerce was promoting its new Rent-A-Claus service in the Reporter.
For a £1 donation from parents, Santa in his full regalia would turn up at the homes of children and personally hand over their gifts.
It sounds like a good idea, although just how well it worked in practice, I'm not sure. I would have thought that young children would have expected to receive their presents on Christmas Day, when, presumably, the service would not be available.
And after being told that Santa came down the chimney, they would not expect him to be ringing the doorbell!
Although lots of firms in St Helens were reporting poor financial results as a consequence of the recession and high inflation, Lennons was still doing well.
This week they reported that for the first six months of 1975 their profits had reached an all-time high, increasing by 68% to £644,000.
And finally, the St Helens Show Queen, Christine Cardwell from Rainford, was pictured in the Reporter with donations of toys for the paper's Toy Fund.
They would all be given to what was described as "needy children" within the St Helens district.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the Sutton schoolgirl's tights that were peppered with minute holes, the bus that dragged a woman passenger 30 yards, Pilkington's reduced profits and Harold Wilson opens a new health centre in Whiston.
We begin on the 24th when 'Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs' began a week-long run at the Theatre Royal in St Helens. The 'Carry On' actor Charles Hawtrey was one of the stars.
This week a 35-year-old man from Campbell Street in St Helens pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting a seven-year-old boy.
The man had committed the offence at his own home and was put on probation for two years upon condition he underwent psychiatric treatment.
On the 25th a 25-year-old plumber at Pilkington's Cowley Hill Works was fatally injured.
Don Marsh from Derbyshire Hill Road was working with 15 others on a furnace's water cooling system when he collapsed and was badly burned, dying two days later.
Recently the government had turned down St Helens Council's request to build a secondary school in Rainhill.
One reason given for the refusal was that there were other schools in the vicinity. But this week it was revealed that the bus service to them was very unreliable.
On the 25th five 14-year-old schoolgirls submitted a 1,600-name petition to Merseyside Transport bosses requesting that the 510 bus service be extended to Rainhill.
For six weeks the girls had gone round the village spending a couple of hours each night asking people for their support. Lynne Fennell of Warrington Road in Rainhill said:
"The bus service here is terrible. On some mornings, to be sure of catching the bus, we have to leave at quarter to eight. If the bus does turn up we get to school far too early; if it doesn’t we are often late.
"Sometimes it is hard to catch the buses after school. I have arrived home as late as a quarter to six."
Lynne attended Prescot Comprehensive School, as did Paula Simpson and Margaret Cunningham. Ann Molyneux and Julie Jones attended Notre Dame and had also contributed to the petition but stated that their bus service was good.
But those that had been campaigning for the closure were learning that councils don't have the power to simply shut down a big firm overnight.
The sulphuric acid factory had appealed to Anthony Crosland, the Secretary of State for the Environment, who announced this week that a public inquiry into the closure plan would begin on January 6th 1976.
The hearings were likely to last several weeks and the Inspector chairing the sessions would decide whether or not to recommend that Crosland confirmed the Council's Discontinuance Order on the Lancots Lane plant.
Meanwhile, the East Sutton Residents Associations were encouraging people to come forward who were prepared to give evidence to the inquiry.
Councillor Jim Bond was secretary of the association and said:
"We've got a list of about 60 people, most of whom have agreed to give evidence. And we're hoping they'll come along together with other people who may not have come forward yet."
For three days from the 27th an exhibition of men's hairpieces began. What might be deemed a "wig fair" took place in the Claughton Room of the Fleece Hotel in Church Street.
The Metal Belts factory in Reginald Road in Sutton closed down on the 28th, only two years after opening with support from a government grant.
When the firm had been taken over earlier in the year, the trade unions had been assured that the plant was safe.
Some of the 78 workers would be transferring to the firm's Warrington plant but 45 others would likely face redundancy.
Some weeks ago the St Helens Reporter said "militant" junior hospital doctors in St Helens were "blacking" most non-urgent cases in a bid for better pay and conditions.
Emergency cases were being exempted, as well as sick and injured children and pregnant women.
But this week the Reporter revealed that on the first day of the dispute Joanne Jackson had been turned away from St Helens Hospital.
The 5-year-old from Four Acre Lane had suffered a broken wrist in a fall on her way to Sutton Manor Infants School.
Her mother Eunice was told by a sister in the casualty department at St Helens Hospital that Joanne would not be seen by a doctor.
And so instead mother and daughter had to make their way to Providence Hospital where treatment was given.
"I think it is disgraceful," said Mrs Jackson and her husband William demanded an explanation of why his daughter had been turned away when in pain.
That, seemingly, had not been given to the family; but a spokesman for the area health authority explained what occurred to the Reporter:
"Due to a misunderstanding between members of the staff, Joanne Jackson was not seen by a member of the medical staff. The patient was not turned away with any deliberate intent.
"In a situation where industrial action is being undertaken it is possible that an instance of this kind might occur, especially in the first few days. A full investigation has been carried out and steps taken to ensure a similar instance does not happen."
The statement did not mention any apology for the child and her mother, as one would expect today.
The Reporter described how a Sue Ryder home for the sick and disabled would be opening in Billinge.
Permission had been granted for the conversion of Birchley Hall and it was hoped that the renovation work would be undertaken under a Job Creation Scheme. That would provide temporary employment for 70 people.
It was expected that the restoration, renovation and conversion work would begin early next year, subject to the Sue Ryder Foundation being able to find sufficient funds.
What I had not known was that the Foundation had originally been established to care for survivors of Second World War concentration camps.
The Reporter described the persons that were responsible for almost putting a new Church Street shoe shop out of business during its first week as "dossers and thieves".
Daisy Discounts, which had opened last Saturday, had nearly been burned down on Sunday night through people dossing in the empty premises next door.
Owner Tony Livesey told the paper: "We were very lucky the whole shop wasn't destroyed instead of being just affected by heavy smoke."
Then on the following night thieves broke in and stole £200 worth of stock. It was believed that they had got into the shop by way of the neighbouring empty building.
Mr Livesey said the theft had badly hit his trade because his advertising of his new shop had attracted many potential customers.
"When the people were coming in I had to tell them about the lack of stock due to the theft and the fire and as I told them there were many disbelieving faces."
On the plus side of course, the extensive article and photo in the Reporter gave the shop a lot of free advertising!
The paper also listed the extensive programme of bands and choirs that would be performing in St Helens shopping precinct during the coming Christmas season.
The lengthy list included Redgate Boys Band, St Helens Salvation Army Band, Parr Band and Haydock Secondary School Band and Choir.
The St Helens Junior Chamber of Commerce was promoting its new Rent-A-Claus service in the Reporter.
For a £1 donation from parents, Santa in his full regalia would turn up at the homes of children and personally hand over their gifts.
It sounds like a good idea, although just how well it worked in practice, I'm not sure. I would have thought that young children would have expected to receive their presents on Christmas Day, when, presumably, the service would not be available.
And after being told that Santa came down the chimney, they would not expect him to be ringing the doorbell!
Although lots of firms in St Helens were reporting poor financial results as a consequence of the recession and high inflation, Lennons was still doing well.
This week they reported that for the first six months of 1975 their profits had reached an all-time high, increasing by 68% to £644,000.
And finally, the St Helens Show Queen, Christine Cardwell from Rainford, was pictured in the Reporter with donations of toys for the paper's Toy Fund.
They would all be given to what was described as "needy children" within the St Helens district.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the Sutton schoolgirl's tights that were peppered with minute holes, the bus that dragged a woman passenger 30 yards, Pilkington's reduced profits and Harold Wilson opens a new health centre in Whiston.