FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (7th - 13th SEPTEMBER 1970)
This week's stories include the tramps in Central Library, the shock job losses at Pilks, St Helens Fire Brigade decide to axe their axes, there's anger over the planned closure of Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital and fury over the fumes escaping from Sutton's notorious sulphuric acid plant.
We begin with a meeting of the council's Building Committee on the 7th when Building Manager Joe Appleton described a number of cock-ups. Firstly, planned extensions at St Helens "Tech" were eight months behind schedule because the wrong size steel bars that had been delivered in June had yet to be replaced. Work on a council estate in Kendal Drive was also being delayed because of a bricks shortage. And work on a block of maisonettes at Peasley Cross had been held up for a month because the consultant engineers had supplied the wrong plans.
Also on that day shop-floor delegates from all over Merseyside met at the British Legion in Liverpool Road in St Helens. The meeting was called by the breakaway Glassworkers Union to plan a one-day nationwide strike. This would be part of their campaign to get 250 sacked Pilkington workers reinstated.
"We plan to involve every industry in the country to help the lads get their jobs back," said George Bibby, spokesman for the union. However Mr Bibby had to admit to the St Helens Reporter that their plans to lobby the TUC conference in Brighton had been a ”bit of a flop". That was because one of their two cars had broken down in London and as a result their delegates had arrived at the seaside without posters or placards. In three days time there will be more job cuts announced at Pilks but I'll describe that bolt from the blue shortly.
The St Helens Transport Committee met on the 8th and agreed to build a bus shelter in Carr Mill Road near the Laffak Farm estate. Although there was only moderate passenger traffic in the area, this was expected to increase as nearby estates expanded.
The council's Water Committee also met on the 8th and decided to lodge a strong objection to Lancashire County Council's proposal to set up a gipsy caravan site in Collins Green. That was because the site would be within 150 yards of old colliery mine shafts from which water had been pumped into St Helens since 1930. There were fears of the town's water supply getting contaminated as a result of pollution seeping through the rocks. The committee members felt that might occur if the travellers dumped rubbish on the land.
St Helens fireman began handing in their hatchets on the 9th at their HQ in Parr Stocks Road (pictured above) after their boss concluded they were no longer needed. Fire chief George Wilson told the St Helens Reporter: "We decided that they were unnecessary extra weight to carry around. Once they were used for forcing entry into a building. But now we have more sophisticated equipment, I don't see any necessity for the men to carry axes. The axe is not used as often as many people think. A fireman in full kit, including breathing apparatus, is carrying 72lb. of gear. Any reduction we can make is a welcome one."
Mr Wilson added that the only other brigade in the country that had withdrawn their axes – as far as he knew – was at Plymouth. However the hatchets would not be completely removed from service, as the St Helens brigades' six fire engines would each carry three, with most of the rest sold off.
St Helens Libraries Committee met this week and decided to invest in an "electric copying machine" for use by the public in Central Library. And what an expensive beast it was! The machine would cost £356 – the equivalent of about £6,000 in today's money. That did not impress Councillor Bill Shepherd, who said: "I am not convinced of the need to spend £356." To that Cllr. Jim Hand responded: "For too long this committee has been cheese-paring. Let's have a top class machine". Although Cllr. Hand did feel it would be better for the copier to be kept behind the counter and for the staff to run off copies for customers at a shilling a time.
The committee also decided to close Central Library's reading room an hour earlier at night because it was being occupied by tramps. Chief Librarian Herbert Caistor told the councillors: "This room is not being used in the evening except as a shelter for a few down-and-outs. There are women members of the staff who are scared of going into the room because of the tramps." Committee chairman Eric Kerr – who was also the Mayor – added: "I have been in there in the mornings and found some of these people fast asleep." So the newspaper reading room at the Gamble would now close at 7pm during the evening.
On the 9th the council's Health Committee met and chose to lodge a strong protest with the regional health board over their plans to close Cowley Hill maternity hospital. That would occur when the new Whiston maternity block containing five 28-bed wards was opened – and the new building was already under construction. Alderman William Burrows, the acting chairman of the committee, said little thought had been given to the inconvenience likely to be caused to St Helens' mothers-to-be having to travel to Whiston.
Councillor Arthur Luther added that many of those living on the opposite side of town would have to catch three buses. There were also long-term plans to close St Helens Hospital and Cllr. Luther complained that when that occurred, there would be no maternity unit at all within the borough. The town's Medical Officer of Health – Dr Julian Baines – said it was hoped that post-natal care could be carried out by local clinics and GPs and suggested the committee consider what use Cowley Hill Hospital could be put after it had closed as a maternity unit. Dr Baines thought the hospital could become an additional health centre, adding that the town badly needed a geriatric unit.
On the 10th Pilkingtons made the shock announcement of 500 job losses due to a profit reduction of £4 million. Most of those affected would be staff and management positions, although some shop-floor jobs were also likely to go. However the company stressed that the seven-week-strike earlier in the year had not been the main reason for the job losses. Although that had been a factor, increased competition was primarily blamed for the staff shedding. Pilkingtons added that they were finding it harder to remain competitive "in a non-buoyant economy and against rising labour and material costs."
On the front page of the Reporter there was a large picture of a grinning schoolboy from Thatto Heath, with this caption: "Leon Gilsenan, 13, of Adelaide Avenue, St. Helens, tipped off police when he stumbled across a robbery. And his cool head and quick thinking led to the arrest of two men. Later police and the British Rail Board praised Leon for the day he turned detective – and landed the robbers in court." The "diddy detective" had spotted two men stealing cable off the railway line and had furiously pedalled to the police station on his bike to let them know.
There were numerous complaints in the Reporter about Sutton pollution after gas from Leathers' sulphuric acid plant had recently choked people in the street. Pride of place on the front page of the paper was given to this letter from A. Whalley of 195 Robins Lane, who wrote:
"Why was permission given to build a plant which gives out a killer gas occasionally? Two months ago we were overcome by sulphur fumes in Sutton Park. This acid plant is about 500 yards from St. Helens Hospital. Had the wind been S.E. instead of N.W. on Friday, August 28th, what would have happened at this hospital? Have the plans for the acid plant been followed completely? What about the part that should have been built underground?
"As I look at our garden, which just over a week ago was a mass of colour and beauty, and is now all scorched up and burnt, I feel afraid of the effects it must have had on all the people who were in that area on Friday, August 28. Why has Leathers Chemicals Ltd. not closed down? We were promised 10 per cent less pollution in this area when the acid plant was built. It has not proved true. Has someone been hoodwinked?" The Reporter added that an emergency joint meeting of the St Helens Health and Planning Committees would be held in ten days' time to probe the incident.
This was the introduction to a rare full-page advertisement in the Reporter: "Trolley pushing is gaining popularity in the Clock Face area of St. Helens. Anyone can join in – provided they push their trolleys in the town's first purpose-built discount centre and not on the public roads."
The Clock Face Discount Centre said they would be focussing on consistently low prices, rather than special offers, which were described as confusing for housewives. Offering free parking for 200 cars and with a laundrette, DIY shop and stationers soon to open, the complex in Clock Face Road was described as "truly the area's first out-of-town one stop shopping centre."
Clock collector Fred Hindley of Eliza Street in Sutton was also pictured in the paper, having amassed timepieces of "all ages, all sizes and from all parts of the world". The former Bold Colliery pitman said he had a fascinating hobby but it left him with little time to do anything else. Although it sounds to me like Fred had far too much time on his hands!
Next week's stories will include the troublemakers at the Plaza's strip shows, the obliging Clock Face couple whose garden and garage were destroyed by the council, the knock down sale (literally) in St Mary Street and Marti Caine comes to Sutton.
We begin with a meeting of the council's Building Committee on the 7th when Building Manager Joe Appleton described a number of cock-ups. Firstly, planned extensions at St Helens "Tech" were eight months behind schedule because the wrong size steel bars that had been delivered in June had yet to be replaced. Work on a council estate in Kendal Drive was also being delayed because of a bricks shortage. And work on a block of maisonettes at Peasley Cross had been held up for a month because the consultant engineers had supplied the wrong plans.
Also on that day shop-floor delegates from all over Merseyside met at the British Legion in Liverpool Road in St Helens. The meeting was called by the breakaway Glassworkers Union to plan a one-day nationwide strike. This would be part of their campaign to get 250 sacked Pilkington workers reinstated.
"We plan to involve every industry in the country to help the lads get their jobs back," said George Bibby, spokesman for the union. However Mr Bibby had to admit to the St Helens Reporter that their plans to lobby the TUC conference in Brighton had been a ”bit of a flop". That was because one of their two cars had broken down in London and as a result their delegates had arrived at the seaside without posters or placards. In three days time there will be more job cuts announced at Pilks but I'll describe that bolt from the blue shortly.
The St Helens Transport Committee met on the 8th and agreed to build a bus shelter in Carr Mill Road near the Laffak Farm estate. Although there was only moderate passenger traffic in the area, this was expected to increase as nearby estates expanded.
The council's Water Committee also met on the 8th and decided to lodge a strong objection to Lancashire County Council's proposal to set up a gipsy caravan site in Collins Green. That was because the site would be within 150 yards of old colliery mine shafts from which water had been pumped into St Helens since 1930. There were fears of the town's water supply getting contaminated as a result of pollution seeping through the rocks. The committee members felt that might occur if the travellers dumped rubbish on the land.
Mr Wilson added that the only other brigade in the country that had withdrawn their axes – as far as he knew – was at Plymouth. However the hatchets would not be completely removed from service, as the St Helens brigades' six fire engines would each carry three, with most of the rest sold off.
St Helens Libraries Committee met this week and decided to invest in an "electric copying machine" for use by the public in Central Library. And what an expensive beast it was! The machine would cost £356 – the equivalent of about £6,000 in today's money. That did not impress Councillor Bill Shepherd, who said: "I am not convinced of the need to spend £356." To that Cllr. Jim Hand responded: "For too long this committee has been cheese-paring. Let's have a top class machine". Although Cllr. Hand did feel it would be better for the copier to be kept behind the counter and for the staff to run off copies for customers at a shilling a time.
The committee also decided to close Central Library's reading room an hour earlier at night because it was being occupied by tramps. Chief Librarian Herbert Caistor told the councillors: "This room is not being used in the evening except as a shelter for a few down-and-outs. There are women members of the staff who are scared of going into the room because of the tramps." Committee chairman Eric Kerr – who was also the Mayor – added: "I have been in there in the mornings and found some of these people fast asleep." So the newspaper reading room at the Gamble would now close at 7pm during the evening.
On the 9th the council's Health Committee met and chose to lodge a strong protest with the regional health board over their plans to close Cowley Hill maternity hospital. That would occur when the new Whiston maternity block containing five 28-bed wards was opened – and the new building was already under construction. Alderman William Burrows, the acting chairman of the committee, said little thought had been given to the inconvenience likely to be caused to St Helens' mothers-to-be having to travel to Whiston.
Councillor Arthur Luther added that many of those living on the opposite side of town would have to catch three buses. There were also long-term plans to close St Helens Hospital and Cllr. Luther complained that when that occurred, there would be no maternity unit at all within the borough. The town's Medical Officer of Health – Dr Julian Baines – said it was hoped that post-natal care could be carried out by local clinics and GPs and suggested the committee consider what use Cowley Hill Hospital could be put after it had closed as a maternity unit. Dr Baines thought the hospital could become an additional health centre, adding that the town badly needed a geriatric unit.
On the 10th Pilkingtons made the shock announcement of 500 job losses due to a profit reduction of £4 million. Most of those affected would be staff and management positions, although some shop-floor jobs were also likely to go. However the company stressed that the seven-week-strike earlier in the year had not been the main reason for the job losses. Although that had been a factor, increased competition was primarily blamed for the staff shedding. Pilkingtons added that they were finding it harder to remain competitive "in a non-buoyant economy and against rising labour and material costs."
On the front page of the Reporter there was a large picture of a grinning schoolboy from Thatto Heath, with this caption: "Leon Gilsenan, 13, of Adelaide Avenue, St. Helens, tipped off police when he stumbled across a robbery. And his cool head and quick thinking led to the arrest of two men. Later police and the British Rail Board praised Leon for the day he turned detective – and landed the robbers in court." The "diddy detective" had spotted two men stealing cable off the railway line and had furiously pedalled to the police station on his bike to let them know.
There were numerous complaints in the Reporter about Sutton pollution after gas from Leathers' sulphuric acid plant had recently choked people in the street. Pride of place on the front page of the paper was given to this letter from A. Whalley of 195 Robins Lane, who wrote:
"Why was permission given to build a plant which gives out a killer gas occasionally? Two months ago we were overcome by sulphur fumes in Sutton Park. This acid plant is about 500 yards from St. Helens Hospital. Had the wind been S.E. instead of N.W. on Friday, August 28th, what would have happened at this hospital? Have the plans for the acid plant been followed completely? What about the part that should have been built underground?
"As I look at our garden, which just over a week ago was a mass of colour and beauty, and is now all scorched up and burnt, I feel afraid of the effects it must have had on all the people who were in that area on Friday, August 28. Why has Leathers Chemicals Ltd. not closed down? We were promised 10 per cent less pollution in this area when the acid plant was built. It has not proved true. Has someone been hoodwinked?" The Reporter added that an emergency joint meeting of the St Helens Health and Planning Committees would be held in ten days' time to probe the incident.
This was the introduction to a rare full-page advertisement in the Reporter: "Trolley pushing is gaining popularity in the Clock Face area of St. Helens. Anyone can join in – provided they push their trolleys in the town's first purpose-built discount centre and not on the public roads."
The Clock Face Discount Centre said they would be focussing on consistently low prices, rather than special offers, which were described as confusing for housewives. Offering free parking for 200 cars and with a laundrette, DIY shop and stationers soon to open, the complex in Clock Face Road was described as "truly the area's first out-of-town one stop shopping centre."
Clock collector Fred Hindley of Eliza Street in Sutton was also pictured in the paper, having amassed timepieces of "all ages, all sizes and from all parts of the world". The former Bold Colliery pitman said he had a fascinating hobby but it left him with little time to do anything else. Although it sounds to me like Fred had far too much time on his hands!
Next week's stories will include the troublemakers at the Plaza's strip shows, the obliging Clock Face couple whose garden and garage were destroyed by the council, the knock down sale (literally) in St Mary Street and Marti Caine comes to Sutton.
This week's stories include the tramps in Central Library, the shock job losses at Pilks, St Helens Fire Brigade decide to axe their axes, there's anger over the planned closure of Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital and fury over the fumes escaping from Sutton's notorious sulphuric acid plant.
We begin with a meeting of the council's Building Committee on the 7th when Building Manager Joe Appleton described a number of cock-ups.
Firstly, planned extensions at St Helens "Tech" were eight months behind schedule because the wrong size steel bars that had been delivered in June had yet to be replaced.
Work on a council estate in Kendal Drive was also being delayed because of a bricks shortage.
And work on a block of maisonettes at Peasley Cross had been held up for a month because the consultant engineers had supplied the wrong plans.
Also on that day shop-floor delegates from all over Merseyside met at the British Legion in Liverpool Road in St Helens.
The meeting was called by the breakaway Glassworkers Union to plan a one-day nationwide strike.
This would be part of their campaign to get 250 sacked Pilkington workers reinstated.
"We plan to involve every industry in the country to help the lads get their jobs back," said George Bibby, spokesman for the union.
However Mr Bibby had to admit to the St Helens Reporter that their plans to lobby the TUC conference in Brighton had been a ”bit of a flop".
That was because one of their two cars had broken down in London and as a result their delegates had arrived at the seaside without posters or placards.
In three days time there will be more job cuts announced at Pilks but I'll describe that bolt from the blue shortly.
The St Helens Transport Committee met on the 8th and agreed to build a bus shelter in Carr Mill Road near the Laffak Farm estate.
Although there was only moderate passenger traffic in the area, this was expected to increase as nearby estates expanded.
The council's Water Committee also met on the 8th and decided to lodge a strong objection to Lancashire County Council's proposal to set up a gipsy caravan site in Collins Green.
That was because the site would be within 150 yards of old colliery mine shafts from which water had been pumped into St Helens since 1930.
There were fears of the town's water supply getting contaminated as a result of pollution seeping through the rocks.
The committee members felt that might occur if the travellers dumped rubbish on the land.
St Helens fireman began handing in their hatchets on the 9th at their HQ in Parr Stocks Road (pictured above) after their boss concluded they were no longer needed.
Fire chief George Wilson told the St Helens Reporter:
"We decided that they were unnecessary extra weight to carry around. Once they were used for forcing entry into a building. But now we have more sophisticated equipment, I don't see any necessity for the men to carry axes.
"The axe is not used as often as many people think. A fireman in full kit, including breathing apparatus, is carrying 72lb. of gear. Any reduction we can make is a welcome one."
Mr Wilson added that the only other brigade in the country that had withdrawn their axes – as far as he knew – was at Plymouth.
However the hatchets would not be completely removed from service, as the St Helens brigades' six fire engines would each carry three, with most of the rest sold off.
St Helens Libraries Committee met this week and decided to invest in an "electric copying machine" for use by the public in Central Library.
And what an expensive beast it was! The machine would cost £356 – the equivalent of about £6,000 in today's money.
That did not impress Councillor Bill Shepherd, who said: "I am not convinced of the need to spend £356."
To that Cllr. Jim Hand responded: "For too long this committee has been cheese-paring. Let's have a top class machine".
Although Cllr. Hand did feel it would be better for the copier to be kept behind the counter and for the staff to run off copies for customers at a shilling a time.
The committee also decided to close Central Library's reading room an hour earlier at night because it was being occupied by tramps.
Chief Librarian Herbert Caistor told the councillors:
"This room is not being used in the evening except as a shelter for a few down-and-outs. There are women members of the staff who are scared of going into the room because of the tramps."
Committee chairman Eric Kerr – who was also the Mayor – added: "I have been in there in the mornings and found some of these people fast asleep."
So the newspaper reading room at the Gamble would now close at 7pm during the evening.
On the 9th the council's Health Committee met and chose to lodge a strong protest with the regional health board over their plans to close Cowley Hill maternity hospital.
That would occur when the new Whiston maternity block containing five 28-bed wards was opened – and the new building was already under construction.
Alderman William Burrows, the acting chairman of the committee, said little thought had been given to the inconvenience likely to be caused to St Helens' mothers-to-be having to travel to Whiston.
Councillor Arthur Luther added that many of those living on the opposite side of town would have to catch three buses.
There were also long-term plans to close St Helens Hospital and Cllr. Luther complained that when that occurred, there would be no maternity unit at all within the borough.
The town's Medical Officer of Health – Dr Julian Baines – said it was hoped that post-natal care could be carried out by local clinics and GPs and suggested the committee consider what use Cowley Hill Hospital could be put after it had closed as a maternity unit.
Dr Baines thought the hospital could become an additional health centre, adding that the town badly needed a geriatric unit.
On the 10th Pilkingtons made the shock announcement of 500 job losses due to a profit reduction of £4 million.
Most of those affected would be staff and management positions, although some shop-floor jobs were also likely to go.
However the company stressed that the seven-week-strike earlier in the year had not been the main reason for the job losses.
Although that had been a factor, increased competition was primarily blamed for the staff shedding.
Pilkingtons added that they were finding it harder to remain competitive "in a non-buoyant economy and against rising labour and material costs."
On the front page of the Reporter there was a large picture of a grinning schoolboy from Thatto Heath, with this caption:
"Leon Gilsenan, 13, of Adelaide Avenue, St. Helens, tipped off police when he stumbled across a robbery. And his cool head and quick thinking led to the arrest of two men. Later police and the British Rail Board praised Leon for the day he turned detective – and landed the robbers in court."
The "diddy detective" had spotted two men stealing cable off the railway line and had furiously pedalled to the police station on his bike to let them know.
There were numerous complaints in the Reporter about Sutton pollution after gas from Leathers' sulphuric acid plant had recently choked people in the street.
Pride of place on the front page of the paper was given to this letter from A. Whalley of 195 Robins Lane, who wrote:
"Why was permission given to build a plant which gives out a killer gas occasionally? Two months ago we were overcome by sulphur fumes in Sutton Park. This acid plant is about 500 yards from St. Helens Hospital.
"Had the wind been S.E. instead of N.W. on Friday, August 28th, what would have happened at this hospital? Have the plans for the acid plant been followed completely? What about the part that should have been built underground?
"As I look at our garden, which just over a week ago was a mass of colour and beauty, and is now all scorched up and burnt, I feel afraid of the effects it must have had on all the people who were in that area on Friday, August 28.
"Why has Leathers Chemicals Ltd. not closed down? We were promised 10 per cent less pollution in this area when the acid plant was built. It has not proved true. Has someone been hoodwinked?"
The Reporter added that an emergency joint meeting of the St Helens Health and Planning Committees would be held in ten days' time to probe the incident.
This was the introduction to a rare full-page advertisement in the Reporter:
"Trolley pushing is gaining popularity in the Clock Face area of St. Helens. Anyone can join in – provided they push their trolleys in the town's first purpose-built discount centre and not on the public roads."
The Clock Face Discount Centre said they would be focussing on consistently low prices, rather than special offers, which were described as confusing for housewives.
Offering free parking for 200 cars and with a laundrette, DIY shop and stationers soon to open, the complex in Clock Face Road was described as "truly the area's first out-of-town one stop shopping centre."
Clock collector Fred Hindley of Eliza Street in Sutton was also pictured in the paper, having amassed timepieces of "all ages, all sizes and from all parts of the world".
The former Bold Colliery pitman said he had a fascinating hobby but it left him with little time to do anything else.
Although it sounds to me like Fred had far too much time on his hands!
Next week's stories will include the troublemakers at the Plaza's strip shows, the obliging Clock Face couple whose garden and garage were destroyed by the council, the knock down sale (literally) in St Mary Street and Marti Caine comes to Sutton.
We begin with a meeting of the council's Building Committee on the 7th when Building Manager Joe Appleton described a number of cock-ups.
Firstly, planned extensions at St Helens "Tech" were eight months behind schedule because the wrong size steel bars that had been delivered in June had yet to be replaced.
Work on a council estate in Kendal Drive was also being delayed because of a bricks shortage.
And work on a block of maisonettes at Peasley Cross had been held up for a month because the consultant engineers had supplied the wrong plans.
Also on that day shop-floor delegates from all over Merseyside met at the British Legion in Liverpool Road in St Helens.
The meeting was called by the breakaway Glassworkers Union to plan a one-day nationwide strike.
This would be part of their campaign to get 250 sacked Pilkington workers reinstated.
"We plan to involve every industry in the country to help the lads get their jobs back," said George Bibby, spokesman for the union.
However Mr Bibby had to admit to the St Helens Reporter that their plans to lobby the TUC conference in Brighton had been a ”bit of a flop".
That was because one of their two cars had broken down in London and as a result their delegates had arrived at the seaside without posters or placards.
In three days time there will be more job cuts announced at Pilks but I'll describe that bolt from the blue shortly.
The St Helens Transport Committee met on the 8th and agreed to build a bus shelter in Carr Mill Road near the Laffak Farm estate.
Although there was only moderate passenger traffic in the area, this was expected to increase as nearby estates expanded.
The council's Water Committee also met on the 8th and decided to lodge a strong objection to Lancashire County Council's proposal to set up a gipsy caravan site in Collins Green.
That was because the site would be within 150 yards of old colliery mine shafts from which water had been pumped into St Helens since 1930.
There were fears of the town's water supply getting contaminated as a result of pollution seeping through the rocks.
The committee members felt that might occur if the travellers dumped rubbish on the land.
Fire chief George Wilson told the St Helens Reporter:
"We decided that they were unnecessary extra weight to carry around. Once they were used for forcing entry into a building. But now we have more sophisticated equipment, I don't see any necessity for the men to carry axes.
"The axe is not used as often as many people think. A fireman in full kit, including breathing apparatus, is carrying 72lb. of gear. Any reduction we can make is a welcome one."
Mr Wilson added that the only other brigade in the country that had withdrawn their axes – as far as he knew – was at Plymouth.
However the hatchets would not be completely removed from service, as the St Helens brigades' six fire engines would each carry three, with most of the rest sold off.
St Helens Libraries Committee met this week and decided to invest in an "electric copying machine" for use by the public in Central Library.
And what an expensive beast it was! The machine would cost £356 – the equivalent of about £6,000 in today's money.
That did not impress Councillor Bill Shepherd, who said: "I am not convinced of the need to spend £356."
To that Cllr. Jim Hand responded: "For too long this committee has been cheese-paring. Let's have a top class machine".
Although Cllr. Hand did feel it would be better for the copier to be kept behind the counter and for the staff to run off copies for customers at a shilling a time.
The committee also decided to close Central Library's reading room an hour earlier at night because it was being occupied by tramps.
Chief Librarian Herbert Caistor told the councillors:
"This room is not being used in the evening except as a shelter for a few down-and-outs. There are women members of the staff who are scared of going into the room because of the tramps."
Committee chairman Eric Kerr – who was also the Mayor – added: "I have been in there in the mornings and found some of these people fast asleep."
So the newspaper reading room at the Gamble would now close at 7pm during the evening.
On the 9th the council's Health Committee met and chose to lodge a strong protest with the regional health board over their plans to close Cowley Hill maternity hospital.
That would occur when the new Whiston maternity block containing five 28-bed wards was opened – and the new building was already under construction.
Alderman William Burrows, the acting chairman of the committee, said little thought had been given to the inconvenience likely to be caused to St Helens' mothers-to-be having to travel to Whiston.
Councillor Arthur Luther added that many of those living on the opposite side of town would have to catch three buses.
There were also long-term plans to close St Helens Hospital and Cllr. Luther complained that when that occurred, there would be no maternity unit at all within the borough.
The town's Medical Officer of Health – Dr Julian Baines – said it was hoped that post-natal care could be carried out by local clinics and GPs and suggested the committee consider what use Cowley Hill Hospital could be put after it had closed as a maternity unit.
Dr Baines thought the hospital could become an additional health centre, adding that the town badly needed a geriatric unit.
On the 10th Pilkingtons made the shock announcement of 500 job losses due to a profit reduction of £4 million.
Most of those affected would be staff and management positions, although some shop-floor jobs were also likely to go.
However the company stressed that the seven-week-strike earlier in the year had not been the main reason for the job losses.
Although that had been a factor, increased competition was primarily blamed for the staff shedding.
Pilkingtons added that they were finding it harder to remain competitive "in a non-buoyant economy and against rising labour and material costs."
On the front page of the Reporter there was a large picture of a grinning schoolboy from Thatto Heath, with this caption:
"Leon Gilsenan, 13, of Adelaide Avenue, St. Helens, tipped off police when he stumbled across a robbery. And his cool head and quick thinking led to the arrest of two men. Later police and the British Rail Board praised Leon for the day he turned detective – and landed the robbers in court."
The "diddy detective" had spotted two men stealing cable off the railway line and had furiously pedalled to the police station on his bike to let them know.
There were numerous complaints in the Reporter about Sutton pollution after gas from Leathers' sulphuric acid plant had recently choked people in the street.
Pride of place on the front page of the paper was given to this letter from A. Whalley of 195 Robins Lane, who wrote:
"Why was permission given to build a plant which gives out a killer gas occasionally? Two months ago we were overcome by sulphur fumes in Sutton Park. This acid plant is about 500 yards from St. Helens Hospital.
"Had the wind been S.E. instead of N.W. on Friday, August 28th, what would have happened at this hospital? Have the plans for the acid plant been followed completely? What about the part that should have been built underground?
"As I look at our garden, which just over a week ago was a mass of colour and beauty, and is now all scorched up and burnt, I feel afraid of the effects it must have had on all the people who were in that area on Friday, August 28.
"Why has Leathers Chemicals Ltd. not closed down? We were promised 10 per cent less pollution in this area when the acid plant was built. It has not proved true. Has someone been hoodwinked?"
The Reporter added that an emergency joint meeting of the St Helens Health and Planning Committees would be held in ten days' time to probe the incident.
This was the introduction to a rare full-page advertisement in the Reporter:
"Trolley pushing is gaining popularity in the Clock Face area of St. Helens. Anyone can join in – provided they push their trolleys in the town's first purpose-built discount centre and not on the public roads."
The Clock Face Discount Centre said they would be focussing on consistently low prices, rather than special offers, which were described as confusing for housewives.
Offering free parking for 200 cars and with a laundrette, DIY shop and stationers soon to open, the complex in Clock Face Road was described as "truly the area's first out-of-town one stop shopping centre."
Clock collector Fred Hindley of Eliza Street in Sutton was also pictured in the paper, having amassed timepieces of "all ages, all sizes and from all parts of the world".
The former Bold Colliery pitman said he had a fascinating hobby but it left him with little time to do anything else.
Although it sounds to me like Fred had far too much time on his hands!
Next week's stories will include the troublemakers at the Plaza's strip shows, the obliging Clock Face couple whose garden and garage were destroyed by the council, the knock down sale (literally) in St Mary Street and Marti Caine comes to Sutton.