FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (6th - 12th APRIL 1970)
This week's stories include the industrial disaster of the Pilkington strike, Lady Pilkington is jostled by an angry mob, the campaign to overturn a byelaw banning Sunday sport, a special feature on weddings is in the Reporter and Alan Whalley's views on the pipe-dreams of St Helens' planners.
There were some well-known faces in the stage version of 'Doctor in the House', which began at the Theatre Royal on the 6th. Comedian, singer and actor Dave King played Simon Sparrow and there was also Jill Browne (Carol Young in Emergency Ward 10), Lynne Carol (Martha Longhurst in Coronation Street) and McDonald Hobley (Does the Team Think). Also in the cast was Johnny Briggs who was then best known for playing D.S. Russell in No Hiding Place and would not be in Coronation Street for six more years.
On the 7th the annual inspection of St Helens Fire Service at its station in Parr Stocks Road (pictured above) took place. At a luncheon afterwards, the Mayor, Cllr. Tom Wilcock, criticised the pay of firemen, saying: "Is it any wonder that recruitment to the St. Helens Fire Brigade over the past year has been disappointing when one considers that a girl secretary, with hardly any qualifications, can earn £1,000 a year for a 38-hour week, while firemen are paid much less for a minimum 48-hour week?"
The St Helens Business Equipment Company of Duke Street held a decimalisation exhibition on the 9th at the Travellers Rest in Crab Street. Britain's currency was set to go decimal in just ten months time. Not everybody was happy about the changeover but business equipment suppliers must have been ecstatic! They had the opportunity to sell new cash registers, adding machines, scales and calculators to businesses. So the St Helens Business Equipment Company had a range of these on show and was also screening a film by the Decimal Currency Board called 'All Change'.
The Vicar of St Mark's of North Road alerted his parishioners this week to the danger of young Americans knocking at their doors to try and recruit them to their religion. "They are probably Mormons", said Rev. Gordon Williams in his parish magazine. The Mormons – or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – were then building a chapel near Four Acre Lane and probably did not appreciate his warning.
This week's news was dominated by the strike at Pilkingtons that had begun last week in an innocuous way. An error by someone in their wages department led to a handful of workers staging a wildcat strike that rapidly spread. This mistake would lead to a 7-week dispute that the St Helens Reporter dubbed "The biggest industrial disaster to hit St. Helens since the General Strike". Ten thousand workers (including over 6,000 in St Helens) were now out and the angry glass giant put out a press release that said:
"Instead of following the normal routine for having errors corrected, a small group of glass carriers stopped work. The wage calculation errors were very quickly converted into an excuse for a few to initiate industrial action without any attempt to use the normal negotiating network of the Joint Industrial Council."
Pilkington and Fibreglass workers in St Helens, Doncaster, Birkenhead, Glasgow and St. Asaph were demanding a £25 a week basic wage for a 40-hour week. That would be a hike of £10, although the average weekly earnings among manual workers at Pilks was around £22 a week. However that amount included bonuses and overtime.
On the 9th 400 men were laid off at the Ford Halewood plant after a dozen workers had refused to fit Escort door windows made of glass imported from Belgium instead of from St Helens. There was still 1,500 St Helens hourly-paid workers who so far had been unaffected by the strike. However Pilkingtons said they could only guarantee their jobs for another week.
Lady Pilkington decided to attend a mass meeting of strikers and stood amongst the men seemingly unnoticed – apart from by the Reporter's photographer! However as the meeting broke up she was spotted by what the paper dubbed an "angry mob" who: “swarmed round, jostling her and jeering [said]: “Would your old man work for £12 a week?” and: “On your way, missus.” But Lady Pilkington took it on the chin."
Interviewed by the paper she said: "The strike has come out of the blue. I am very concerned about it. We have always been such a happy firm. It has always been a very reasonable firm with the concern of the workers at heart. We have always been so proud of our record." The Reporter on the 10th devoted the whole of its front page to the strike and had a further four-page "big strike extra" supplement.
The new Snoopy Club in the paper had its first competition this week. The youngsters were invited to colour in a drawing of a scarecrow and win a "super set of poster paints".
"All things bright and beautiful, all pipe-dreams great and small, all schemes wide and wonderful, our planners have them all…" So went the second 'Whalley's World' column with Alan Whalley ridiculing the creation of a Regional Tourist Association for the North West and criticising the failure of planners to beautify the Lancashire skyline. Alan wrote: "Perhaps the best view of South Lancashire is from the wind-blasted heights of a colliery slagheap. But tread carefully, dear friend, for your point of elevation might be propped up by a pipe-dream."
Alan listed some broken promises, including an assurance that the new Parkside Colliery would be screened from view by ornamental trees. Even the "green acres of parkland", Alan wrote, had been blighted, highlighting the state of Victoria Park. There, he said, a mountain of fuel and timber had been dumped close to the toddlers' amusement enclosure.
The campaign to overturn a byelaw that banned the playing of Sunday sport on council-owned pitches was gathering momentum. The Reporter stated that the town's MP, Leslie Spriggs, and most councillors were in favour of amateur sport being allowed on the Sabbath in St Helens. As a result of a complaint being sent to Dennis Howell, the Minister of Sport, the Home Office was said to be contacting St Helens Council about the matter. However Alderman William Burrows was not in favour of a change to the law, citing damage to moral welfare if Sunday sport was allowed.
The remains of a dead swan were pictured in the Reporter. It had been shot in the head by youths armed with air pistols on the canal at Blackbrook and another swan had been wounded. RSPCA inspector Fred Drew told the paper: "This is one of the most wanton acts of cruelty I have ever come across. Here were two beautiful birds, resting peacefully and harming no one, so tame, they would eat from your hand. And these hooligans use them for target practice."
The Reporter liked its advertising features and this week's was titled "Everything For The Wedding in Springtime". Foster's Florists of Hardshaw Street and Ormskirk Street was offering colourful bouquets "to suit the personality of your wedding". J. Brunskill & Associates of Corporation Street opposite the Hippodrome claimed to be specialists in wedding photography. A 24-hour Kodacolour service and passports "while u wait" were also available.
The advert of the recently opened Toni Wigs at 11 Baldwin Street said: "To look your best for the happiest day of your life. Choose from our extensive range of quality wigs in human hair or Kenekalon." The three human hair wigs specified in their ad were Gipsy Wig: 12 guineas, Curly on Top: 11 gns and Mod Short Wig: 10 gns. One of the synthetic fibre Kenekalon wigs available from Toni's went by the name of "Chin Length Goddess" and cost 9 guineas.
H. & A. E. Williams of Westfield Street was celebrating their 60th anniversary, having been founded by two brothers in a Lowe Street shed. They were offering a free honeymoon holiday when a Myer's comfortable bed was purchased from them. Helena House's Travel Services Department was advertising the "perfect honeymoon" and their Jewellery Department on the ground floor had a wide selection of rings. "When you're in love, a diamond is forever", their ad said.
There were also ads from the Cut and Curl Boutique of 460 Fleet Lane, Turley's Furnishings of George Street, Gallie's of Market Street "for all your wedding drinks", Dingsdales Confectioners of Eccleston Street "for your wedding cake and all requirements for the reception" and Sextons of Duke Street and College Street "for quality carpets and furniture".
A lightning strike took place at the Rocla factory in Watery Lane in Sutton on the 10th after employee Phil Barton was sacked for absenteeism. The 21-year-old was on long-term sick leave and claimed to have been told by the pipe-making firm to send his doctors' notes directly to the Social Security office in College Street. The company denied ever saying that and after not hearing from Phil for several weeks, they sent him his cards. Soon 130 men were out on strike but after Rocla management promised to meet with Phil, they all returned to work.
St Nicholas Church in Sutton held a Spring Fair on the 11th in its Parish Hall with the proceeds of over £120 going to its restoration fund. The floor of the New Street church was going to be retiled and a new lighting scheme introduced. During the evening the English Folk Dance and Song Society held their annual ball at the Dodd Memorial Hall in Dentons Green Lane with the Orange and Blue Band providing the music.
And finally "James Bond 007 is Back!" went the ad in the Reporter for 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' with the spy film starring George Lazenby beginning a 7-day run at the ABC Savoy from the 12th.
Next week's stories will include the latest news of the Pilkington strike, the end of spending a penny in the ladies' loos, Rainford seeks a Carnival Queen, two peacocks are killed in Taylor Park and why the redevelopment of the town centre was bad news for some tenants.
There were some well-known faces in the stage version of 'Doctor in the House', which began at the Theatre Royal on the 6th. Comedian, singer and actor Dave King played Simon Sparrow and there was also Jill Browne (Carol Young in Emergency Ward 10), Lynne Carol (Martha Longhurst in Coronation Street) and McDonald Hobley (Does the Team Think). Also in the cast was Johnny Briggs who was then best known for playing D.S. Russell in No Hiding Place and would not be in Coronation Street for six more years.
The St Helens Business Equipment Company of Duke Street held a decimalisation exhibition on the 9th at the Travellers Rest in Crab Street. Britain's currency was set to go decimal in just ten months time. Not everybody was happy about the changeover but business equipment suppliers must have been ecstatic! They had the opportunity to sell new cash registers, adding machines, scales and calculators to businesses. So the St Helens Business Equipment Company had a range of these on show and was also screening a film by the Decimal Currency Board called 'All Change'.
The Vicar of St Mark's of North Road alerted his parishioners this week to the danger of young Americans knocking at their doors to try and recruit them to their religion. "They are probably Mormons", said Rev. Gordon Williams in his parish magazine. The Mormons – or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – were then building a chapel near Four Acre Lane and probably did not appreciate his warning.
This week's news was dominated by the strike at Pilkingtons that had begun last week in an innocuous way. An error by someone in their wages department led to a handful of workers staging a wildcat strike that rapidly spread. This mistake would lead to a 7-week dispute that the St Helens Reporter dubbed "The biggest industrial disaster to hit St. Helens since the General Strike". Ten thousand workers (including over 6,000 in St Helens) were now out and the angry glass giant put out a press release that said:
"Instead of following the normal routine for having errors corrected, a small group of glass carriers stopped work. The wage calculation errors were very quickly converted into an excuse for a few to initiate industrial action without any attempt to use the normal negotiating network of the Joint Industrial Council."
Pilkington and Fibreglass workers in St Helens, Doncaster, Birkenhead, Glasgow and St. Asaph were demanding a £25 a week basic wage for a 40-hour week. That would be a hike of £10, although the average weekly earnings among manual workers at Pilks was around £22 a week. However that amount included bonuses and overtime.
On the 9th 400 men were laid off at the Ford Halewood plant after a dozen workers had refused to fit Escort door windows made of glass imported from Belgium instead of from St Helens. There was still 1,500 St Helens hourly-paid workers who so far had been unaffected by the strike. However Pilkingtons said they could only guarantee their jobs for another week.
Lady Pilkington decided to attend a mass meeting of strikers and stood amongst the men seemingly unnoticed – apart from by the Reporter's photographer! However as the meeting broke up she was spotted by what the paper dubbed an "angry mob" who: “swarmed round, jostling her and jeering [said]: “Would your old man work for £12 a week?” and: “On your way, missus.” But Lady Pilkington took it on the chin."
Interviewed by the paper she said: "The strike has come out of the blue. I am very concerned about it. We have always been such a happy firm. It has always been a very reasonable firm with the concern of the workers at heart. We have always been so proud of our record." The Reporter on the 10th devoted the whole of its front page to the strike and had a further four-page "big strike extra" supplement.
"All things bright and beautiful, all pipe-dreams great and small, all schemes wide and wonderful, our planners have them all…" So went the second 'Whalley's World' column with Alan Whalley ridiculing the creation of a Regional Tourist Association for the North West and criticising the failure of planners to beautify the Lancashire skyline. Alan wrote: "Perhaps the best view of South Lancashire is from the wind-blasted heights of a colliery slagheap. But tread carefully, dear friend, for your point of elevation might be propped up by a pipe-dream."
Alan listed some broken promises, including an assurance that the new Parkside Colliery would be screened from view by ornamental trees. Even the "green acres of parkland", Alan wrote, had been blighted, highlighting the state of Victoria Park. There, he said, a mountain of fuel and timber had been dumped close to the toddlers' amusement enclosure.
The campaign to overturn a byelaw that banned the playing of Sunday sport on council-owned pitches was gathering momentum. The Reporter stated that the town's MP, Leslie Spriggs, and most councillors were in favour of amateur sport being allowed on the Sabbath in St Helens. As a result of a complaint being sent to Dennis Howell, the Minister of Sport, the Home Office was said to be contacting St Helens Council about the matter. However Alderman William Burrows was not in favour of a change to the law, citing damage to moral welfare if Sunday sport was allowed.
The remains of a dead swan were pictured in the Reporter. It had been shot in the head by youths armed with air pistols on the canal at Blackbrook and another swan had been wounded. RSPCA inspector Fred Drew told the paper: "This is one of the most wanton acts of cruelty I have ever come across. Here were two beautiful birds, resting peacefully and harming no one, so tame, they would eat from your hand. And these hooligans use them for target practice."
The Reporter liked its advertising features and this week's was titled "Everything For The Wedding in Springtime". Foster's Florists of Hardshaw Street and Ormskirk Street was offering colourful bouquets "to suit the personality of your wedding". J. Brunskill & Associates of Corporation Street opposite the Hippodrome claimed to be specialists in wedding photography. A 24-hour Kodacolour service and passports "while u wait" were also available.
The advert of the recently opened Toni Wigs at 11 Baldwin Street said: "To look your best for the happiest day of your life. Choose from our extensive range of quality wigs in human hair or Kenekalon." The three human hair wigs specified in their ad were Gipsy Wig: 12 guineas, Curly on Top: 11 gns and Mod Short Wig: 10 gns. One of the synthetic fibre Kenekalon wigs available from Toni's went by the name of "Chin Length Goddess" and cost 9 guineas.
H. & A. E. Williams of Westfield Street was celebrating their 60th anniversary, having been founded by two brothers in a Lowe Street shed. They were offering a free honeymoon holiday when a Myer's comfortable bed was purchased from them. Helena House's Travel Services Department was advertising the "perfect honeymoon" and their Jewellery Department on the ground floor had a wide selection of rings. "When you're in love, a diamond is forever", their ad said.
There were also ads from the Cut and Curl Boutique of 460 Fleet Lane, Turley's Furnishings of George Street, Gallie's of Market Street "for all your wedding drinks", Dingsdales Confectioners of Eccleston Street "for your wedding cake and all requirements for the reception" and Sextons of Duke Street and College Street "for quality carpets and furniture".
A lightning strike took place at the Rocla factory in Watery Lane in Sutton on the 10th after employee Phil Barton was sacked for absenteeism. The 21-year-old was on long-term sick leave and claimed to have been told by the pipe-making firm to send his doctors' notes directly to the Social Security office in College Street. The company denied ever saying that and after not hearing from Phil for several weeks, they sent him his cards. Soon 130 men were out on strike but after Rocla management promised to meet with Phil, they all returned to work.
St Nicholas Church in Sutton held a Spring Fair on the 11th in its Parish Hall with the proceeds of over £120 going to its restoration fund. The floor of the New Street church was going to be retiled and a new lighting scheme introduced. During the evening the English Folk Dance and Song Society held their annual ball at the Dodd Memorial Hall in Dentons Green Lane with the Orange and Blue Band providing the music.
And finally "James Bond 007 is Back!" went the ad in the Reporter for 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' with the spy film starring George Lazenby beginning a 7-day run at the ABC Savoy from the 12th.
Next week's stories will include the latest news of the Pilkington strike, the end of spending a penny in the ladies' loos, Rainford seeks a Carnival Queen, two peacocks are killed in Taylor Park and why the redevelopment of the town centre was bad news for some tenants.
This week's stories include the industrial disaster of the Pilkington strike, Lady Pilkington is jostled by an angry mob, the campaign to overturn a byelaw banning Sunday sport, a special feature on weddings is in the Reporter and Alan Whalley's views on the pipe-dreams of St Helens' planners.
There were some well-known faces in the stage version of 'Doctor in the House', which began at the Theatre Royal from the 6th.
Comedian, singer and actor Dave King played Simon Sparrow and there was also Jill Browne (Carol Young in Emergency Ward 10), Lynne Carol (Martha Longhurst in Coronation Street) and McDonald Hobley (Does the Team Think).
Also in the cast was Johnny Briggs who was then best known for playing Inspector Lockhart in No Hiding Place and would not be in Coronation Street for six more years.
On the 7th the annual inspection of St Helens Fire Service at its station in Parr Stocks Road (pictured above) took place.
At a luncheon afterwards, the Mayor, Cllr. Tom Wilcock, criticised the pay of firemen, saying:
"Is it any wonder that recruitment to the St. Helens Fire Brigade over the past year has been disappointing when one considers that a girl secretary, with hardly any qualifications, can earn £1,000 a year for a 38-hour week, while firemen are paid much less for a minimum 48-hour week?"
The St Helens Business Equipment Company of Duke Street held a decimalisation exhibition on the 9th at the Travellers Rest in Crab Street.
Britain's currency was set to go decimal in just ten months time. Not everybody was happy about the changeover but business equipment suppliers must have been ecstatic!
They had the opportunity to sell new cash registers, adding machines, scales and calculators to businesses.
So the St Helens Business Equipment Company had a range of these on show and was also screening a film by the Decimal Currency Board called 'All Change'.
The Vicar of St Mark's of North Road alerted his parishioners this week to the danger of young Americans knocking at their doors to try and recruit them to their religion.
"They are probably Mormons", said Rev. Gordon Williams in his parish magazine. The Mormons – or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – were then building a chapel near Four Acre Lane and probably did not appreciate his warning.
This week's news was dominated by the strike at Pilkingtons that had begun last week in an innocuous way.
An error by someone in their wages department led to a handful of workers staging a wildcat strike that rapidly spread.
This mistake would lead to a 7-week dispute that the St Helens Reporter dubbed "The biggest industrial disaster to hit St. Helens since the General Strike".
Ten thousand workers (including over 6,000 in St Helens) were now out and the angry glass giant put out a press release that said:
"Instead of following the normal routine for having errors corrected, a small group of glass carriers stopped work. The wage calculation errors were very quickly converted into an excuse for a few to initiate industrial action without any attempt to use the normal negotiating network of the Joint Industrial Council."
Pilkington and Fibreglass workers in St Helens, Doncaster, Birkenhead, Glasgow and St. Asaph were demanding a £25 a week basic wage for a 40-hour week.
That would be a hike of £10, although the average weekly earnings among manual workers at Pilks was around £22 a week. However that amount included bonuses and overtime.
On the 9th 400 men were laid off at the Ford Halewood plant after a dozen workers had refused to fit Escort door windows made of glass imported from Belgium instead of from St Helens.
There was still 1,500 St Helens hourly-paid workers who so far had been unaffected by the strike. However Pilkingtons said they could only guarantee their jobs for another week.
Lady Pilkington decided to attend a mass meeting of strikers and stood amongst the men seemingly unnoticed – apart from by the Reporter's photographer!
However as the meeting broke up she was spotted by what the paper dubbed an "angry mob" who: “swarmed round, jostling her and jeering [said]: “Would your old man work for £12 a week?” and: “On your way, missus.” But Lady Pilkington took it on the chin."
Interviewed by the paper she said: "The strike has come out of the blue. I am very concerned about it. We have always been such a happy firm. It has always been a very reasonable firm with the concern of the workers at heart. We have always been so proud of our record."
The Reporter on the 10th devoted the whole of its front page to the strike and had a further four-page "big strike extra" supplement.
The new Snoopy Club in the paper had its first competition this week. The youngsters were invited to colour in a drawing of a scarecrow and win a "super set of poster paints".
"All things bright and beautiful, all pipe-dreams great and small, all schemes wide and wonderful, our planners have them all…"
So went the second 'Whalley's World' column with Alan Whalley ridiculing the creation of a Regional Tourist Association for the North West and criticising the failure of planners to beautify the Lancashire skyline.
Alan wrote: "Perhaps the best view of South Lancashire is from the wind-blasted heights of a colliery slagheap. But tread carefully, dear friend, for your point of elevation might be propped up by a pipe-dream."
Alan listed some broken promises, including an assurance that the new Parkside Colliery would be screened from view by ornamental trees.
Even the "green acres of parkland", Alan wrote, had been blighted, highlighting the state of Victoria Park.
There, he said, a mountain of fuel and timber had been dumped close to the toddlers' amusement enclosure.
The campaign to overturn a byelaw that banned the playing of Sunday sport on council-owned pitches was gathering momentum.
The Reporter stated that the town's MP, Leslie Spriggs, and most councillors were in favour of amateur sport being allowed on the Sabbath in St Helens.
As a result of a complaint being sent to Dennis Howell, the Minister of Sport, the Home Office was said to be contacting St Helens Council about the matter.
However Alderman William Burrows was not in favour of a change to the law, citing damage to moral welfare if Sunday sport was allowed.
The remains of a dead swan were pictured in the Reporter.
It had been shot in the head by youths armed with air pistols on the canal at Blackbrook and another swan had been wounded.
RSPCA inspector Fred Drew told the paper:
"This is one of the most wanton acts of cruelty I have ever come across. Here were two beautiful birds, resting peacefully and harming no one, so tame, they would eat from your hand. And these hooligans use them for target practice."
The Reporter liked its advertising features and this week's was titled "Everything For The Wedding in Springtime".
Foster's Florists of Hardshaw Street and Ormskirk Street was offering colourful bouquets "to suit the personality of your wedding".
J. Brunskill & Associates of Corporation Street opposite the Hippodrome claimed to be specialists in wedding photography.
A 24-hour Kodacolour service and passports "while u wait" were also available.
The advert of the recently opened Toni Wigs at 11 Baldwin Street said: "To look your best for the happiest day of your life. Choose from our extensive range of quality wigs in human hair or Kenekalon."
The three human hair wigs specified in their ad were Gipsy Wig: 12 guineas, Curly on Top: 11 gns and Mod Short Wig: 10 gns.
One of the synthetic fibre Kenekalon wigs available from Toni's went by the name of "Chin Length Goddess" and cost 9 guineas.
H. & A. E. Williams of Westfield Street was celebrating their 60th anniversary, having been founded by two brothers in a Lowe Street shed.
They were offering a free honeymoon holiday when a Myer's comfortable bed was purchased from them.
Helena House's Travel Services Department was advertising the "perfect honeymoon" and their Jewellery Department on the ground floor had a wide selection of rings.
"When you're in love, a diamond is forever", their ad said.
There were also ads from the Cut and Curl Boutique of 460 Fleet Lane, Turley's Furnishings of George Street, Gallie's of Market Street "for all your wedding drinks", Dingsdales Confectioners of Eccleston Street "for your wedding cake and all requirements for the reception" and Sextons of Duke Street and College Street "for quality carpets and furniture".
A lightning strike took place at the Rocla factory in Watery Lane in Sutton on the 10th after employee Phil Barton was sacked for absenteeism.
The 21-year-old was on long-term sick leave and claimed to have been told by the pipe-making firm to send his doctors' notes directly to the Social Security office in College Street.
The company denied ever saying that and after not hearing from Phil for several weeks, they sent him his cards.
Soon 130 men were out on strike but after Rocla management promised to meet with Phil, they all returned to work.
St Nicholas Church in Sutton held a Spring Fair on the 11th in its Parish Hall with the proceeds of over £120 going to its restoration fund.
The floor of the New Street church was going to be retiled and a new lighting scheme introduced.
During the evening the English Folk Dance and Song Society held their annual ball at the Dodd Memorial Hall in Dentons Green Lane with the Orange and Blue Band providing the music.
And finally "James Bond 007 is Back!" went the ad in the Reporter for 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' with the spy film starring George Lazenby beginning a 7-day run at the ABC Savoy from the 12th.
Next week's stories will include the latest news of the Pilkington strike, the end of spending a penny in the ladies' loos, Rainford seeks a Carnival Queen, two peacocks are killed in Taylor Park and why the redevelopment of the town centre was bad news for some tenants.
There were some well-known faces in the stage version of 'Doctor in the House', which began at the Theatre Royal from the 6th.
Comedian, singer and actor Dave King played Simon Sparrow and there was also Jill Browne (Carol Young in Emergency Ward 10), Lynne Carol (Martha Longhurst in Coronation Street) and McDonald Hobley (Does the Team Think).
Also in the cast was Johnny Briggs who was then best known for playing Inspector Lockhart in No Hiding Place and would not be in Coronation Street for six more years.
At a luncheon afterwards, the Mayor, Cllr. Tom Wilcock, criticised the pay of firemen, saying:
"Is it any wonder that recruitment to the St. Helens Fire Brigade over the past year has been disappointing when one considers that a girl secretary, with hardly any qualifications, can earn £1,000 a year for a 38-hour week, while firemen are paid much less for a minimum 48-hour week?"
The St Helens Business Equipment Company of Duke Street held a decimalisation exhibition on the 9th at the Travellers Rest in Crab Street.
Britain's currency was set to go decimal in just ten months time. Not everybody was happy about the changeover but business equipment suppliers must have been ecstatic!
They had the opportunity to sell new cash registers, adding machines, scales and calculators to businesses.
So the St Helens Business Equipment Company had a range of these on show and was also screening a film by the Decimal Currency Board called 'All Change'.
The Vicar of St Mark's of North Road alerted his parishioners this week to the danger of young Americans knocking at their doors to try and recruit them to their religion.
"They are probably Mormons", said Rev. Gordon Williams in his parish magazine. The Mormons – or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – were then building a chapel near Four Acre Lane and probably did not appreciate his warning.
This week's news was dominated by the strike at Pilkingtons that had begun last week in an innocuous way.
An error by someone in their wages department led to a handful of workers staging a wildcat strike that rapidly spread.
This mistake would lead to a 7-week dispute that the St Helens Reporter dubbed "The biggest industrial disaster to hit St. Helens since the General Strike".
Ten thousand workers (including over 6,000 in St Helens) were now out and the angry glass giant put out a press release that said:
"Instead of following the normal routine for having errors corrected, a small group of glass carriers stopped work. The wage calculation errors were very quickly converted into an excuse for a few to initiate industrial action without any attempt to use the normal negotiating network of the Joint Industrial Council."
Pilkington and Fibreglass workers in St Helens, Doncaster, Birkenhead, Glasgow and St. Asaph were demanding a £25 a week basic wage for a 40-hour week.
That would be a hike of £10, although the average weekly earnings among manual workers at Pilks was around £22 a week. However that amount included bonuses and overtime.
On the 9th 400 men were laid off at the Ford Halewood plant after a dozen workers had refused to fit Escort door windows made of glass imported from Belgium instead of from St Helens.
There was still 1,500 St Helens hourly-paid workers who so far had been unaffected by the strike. However Pilkingtons said they could only guarantee their jobs for another week.
Lady Pilkington decided to attend a mass meeting of strikers and stood amongst the men seemingly unnoticed – apart from by the Reporter's photographer!
However as the meeting broke up she was spotted by what the paper dubbed an "angry mob" who: “swarmed round, jostling her and jeering [said]: “Would your old man work for £12 a week?” and: “On your way, missus.” But Lady Pilkington took it on the chin."
Interviewed by the paper she said: "The strike has come out of the blue. I am very concerned about it. We have always been such a happy firm. It has always been a very reasonable firm with the concern of the workers at heart. We have always been so proud of our record."
The Reporter on the 10th devoted the whole of its front page to the strike and had a further four-page "big strike extra" supplement.
"All things bright and beautiful, all pipe-dreams great and small, all schemes wide and wonderful, our planners have them all…"
So went the second 'Whalley's World' column with Alan Whalley ridiculing the creation of a Regional Tourist Association for the North West and criticising the failure of planners to beautify the Lancashire skyline.
Alan wrote: "Perhaps the best view of South Lancashire is from the wind-blasted heights of a colliery slagheap. But tread carefully, dear friend, for your point of elevation might be propped up by a pipe-dream."
Alan listed some broken promises, including an assurance that the new Parkside Colliery would be screened from view by ornamental trees.
Even the "green acres of parkland", Alan wrote, had been blighted, highlighting the state of Victoria Park.
There, he said, a mountain of fuel and timber had been dumped close to the toddlers' amusement enclosure.
The campaign to overturn a byelaw that banned the playing of Sunday sport on council-owned pitches was gathering momentum.
The Reporter stated that the town's MP, Leslie Spriggs, and most councillors were in favour of amateur sport being allowed on the Sabbath in St Helens.
As a result of a complaint being sent to Dennis Howell, the Minister of Sport, the Home Office was said to be contacting St Helens Council about the matter.
However Alderman William Burrows was not in favour of a change to the law, citing damage to moral welfare if Sunday sport was allowed.
The remains of a dead swan were pictured in the Reporter.
It had been shot in the head by youths armed with air pistols on the canal at Blackbrook and another swan had been wounded.
RSPCA inspector Fred Drew told the paper:
"This is one of the most wanton acts of cruelty I have ever come across. Here were two beautiful birds, resting peacefully and harming no one, so tame, they would eat from your hand. And these hooligans use them for target practice."
The Reporter liked its advertising features and this week's was titled "Everything For The Wedding in Springtime".
Foster's Florists of Hardshaw Street and Ormskirk Street was offering colourful bouquets "to suit the personality of your wedding".
J. Brunskill & Associates of Corporation Street opposite the Hippodrome claimed to be specialists in wedding photography.
A 24-hour Kodacolour service and passports "while u wait" were also available.
The advert of the recently opened Toni Wigs at 11 Baldwin Street said: "To look your best for the happiest day of your life. Choose from our extensive range of quality wigs in human hair or Kenekalon."
The three human hair wigs specified in their ad were Gipsy Wig: 12 guineas, Curly on Top: 11 gns and Mod Short Wig: 10 gns.
One of the synthetic fibre Kenekalon wigs available from Toni's went by the name of "Chin Length Goddess" and cost 9 guineas.
H. & A. E. Williams of Westfield Street was celebrating their 60th anniversary, having been founded by two brothers in a Lowe Street shed.
They were offering a free honeymoon holiday when a Myer's comfortable bed was purchased from them.
Helena House's Travel Services Department was advertising the "perfect honeymoon" and their Jewellery Department on the ground floor had a wide selection of rings.
"When you're in love, a diamond is forever", their ad said.
There were also ads from the Cut and Curl Boutique of 460 Fleet Lane, Turley's Furnishings of George Street, Gallie's of Market Street "for all your wedding drinks", Dingsdales Confectioners of Eccleston Street "for your wedding cake and all requirements for the reception" and Sextons of Duke Street and College Street "for quality carpets and furniture".
A lightning strike took place at the Rocla factory in Watery Lane in Sutton on the 10th after employee Phil Barton was sacked for absenteeism.
The 21-year-old was on long-term sick leave and claimed to have been told by the pipe-making firm to send his doctors' notes directly to the Social Security office in College Street.
The company denied ever saying that and after not hearing from Phil for several weeks, they sent him his cards.
Soon 130 men were out on strike but after Rocla management promised to meet with Phil, they all returned to work.
St Nicholas Church in Sutton held a Spring Fair on the 11th in its Parish Hall with the proceeds of over £120 going to its restoration fund.
The floor of the New Street church was going to be retiled and a new lighting scheme introduced.
During the evening the English Folk Dance and Song Society held their annual ball at the Dodd Memorial Hall in Dentons Green Lane with the Orange and Blue Band providing the music.
And finally "James Bond 007 is Back!" went the ad in the Reporter for 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' with the spy film starring George Lazenby beginning a 7-day run at the ABC Savoy from the 12th.
Next week's stories will include the latest news of the Pilkington strike, the end of spending a penny in the ladies' loos, Rainford seeks a Carnival Queen, two peacocks are killed in Taylor Park and why the redevelopment of the town centre was bad news for some tenants.