FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (22nd - 28th JUNE 1970)
This week's 21 stories include the Kiln Lane residents accused of being selfish, the Daktari boy of Billinge, the landlord of the Royal watches a Westfield Street robbery at 2am, Rockware design a "lighta pinta" milk bottle, the Haydock Donkey Derby and the "massacre" of Carr Mill Dam is blamed mainly on the weather.
We begin on the 22nd at a Windle Parish Council meeting where councillors were told that garages and gardens in St George's Avenue and Hartington Road were being flooded. The solution was to run an 18-inch pipe through the back gardens of houses in Kiln Lane. However some residents were refusing to allow access, as they did not want their gardens disturbed or did not like the idea of sewage passing through.
Councillor John Rimmer was highly critical, saying their refusal was "little short of a catastrophe", and adding: "Because of these selfish people who refuse to have their back gardens disturbed, others might suffer pounds worth of damage – especially if flood water got into their homes."
However after the meeting Ruth Dewitt of Kiln Lane said: "I think it is shocking for a councillor to say we are selfish. This is completely untrue. We are not immune from this flooding. We have it as bad as those in Hartington Road and St George's Avenue when it rains. But I don't think any of those people would want a sewage pipe going through their gardens."
Billinge Council also held their monthly meeting on the 22nd and considered the possibility of selling their council houses to tenants. Cllr. Fred Garner revealed that he had been trying to pioneer such a policy for some time because people would take greater care of their homes if they owned them. However Cllr. William Cowley was against the idea, saying: "We have built the houses for people who can't afford to buy their own and we need as many as possible for them. Every house we sell is one less for our pool." They decided to seek the opinion of the Ministry of Housing and then set up a sub-committee to investigate the implications of selling off their council house stock.
Rainford Council also held their meeting on the 22nd and their members expressed concerns that the village could be swallowed up in a massive "brick jungle". A Local Government reform was planned and councillors were worried that they would be forced to amalgamate into a governing council that included St Helens, Skelmersdale and Kirkby. Cllr. Robert Rose called for the village to join Ormskirk and West Lancashire instead, arguing that was the only way that Rainford could be sure of retaining its green belt areas.
The last member of the original St Helens fire service retired this week. The brigade had been formed in 1941 and in the following year Wilfred Atherton was awarded the Kings Police and Fire Service Medal for Gallantry. The then 27-year-old had battled his way into a burning bedroom in Union Street to save a disabled girl. At the time of his retirement, Wilfred was the only St Helens fireman to be decorated for bravery in a fire.
A church mission for children was held throughout the week at St David's Church Hall in Folds Lane, Carr Mill, with the focus very much on Space. The 7 to 11-year-olds made rockets, communication charts and Space Club bookmarks and took part in a Space quiz. The children were also taught verses from the Bible. Rev. Peter Gompertz led the mission and explained that youngsters' fascination with Space in the wake of Apollo 11 had been a great attraction for the sessions: "Eighty children came along on Monday and the following evening there were one hundred", he said.
At 2:10am on the morning of the 23rd, Robert Banks – the landlord of the Royal Hotel in Westfield Street (pictured above on the left) – heard a window smash. The 52-year-old looked across the road and saw thieves stealing 35 leather suits and coats worth £1,000 from Suede Fayre. The robbers had first attempted to gain access through a fanlight on the roof. Then they attempted to rip out a rear window and finally resorted to the tried and tested brick through the window approach. Soon insurance companies would be insisting that shops install protective grills and roller shutters but in 1970 most traders were still unprotected.
Later that morning 400 pensioners, who had formerly worked at UG Containers, went on their annual trip to Blackpool. Also on the 23rd Pilkingtons employee Chris Langley from Borough Road was handed a cheque for £750 after winning the glass giant's Bright Ideas competition. Workers were encouraged to suggest improvements for processes and in 1969 more than 5,000 ideas had been submitted from Pilkington employees throughout their Group.
Chris had already received £250 for his proposal to improve control of the air-cooling of molten glass. The 42-year-old tank operator at Cowley Hill could have chosen a car as his prize but instead plumped for cash, with his £1,000 total award being worth around £18,000 in today's money.
On the 24th W. A. Sharrock from Clock Face had a letter published in the Daily Mirror in which he said that his uncle Bill Cannon was a champion clog dancer, who had topped the bill all over the country. He also claimed that his grandfather Robert Sharrock was the only man ever to swim Lake Tahoe in Nevada.
On the 25th Pilkingtons announced that after 144 years as a private concern, the glass giant intended to go public within the next year. The firm's 34,000 workers – including 12,000 in St Helens – were told that they would be given a priority rating to buy shares.
A special feature on Green Shield Stamps was in the Reporter on the 26th. Advertisers included The Model Shop in Duke Street, Walter Hughes TV and Radio of Ormskirk Street and Moulton's Greengrocer's of Ormskirk Road, Rainford. There was also Fairway Motors of Junction Lane in Sutton, Harold Spencer's handyman's store in Church Road, Haydock and Claytons Butchers of Greenfield Road.
The paper also stated that Jubilee Hall in Borough Road – which had been closed for six months for "mammoth renovations and extensions" – was to reopen soon as a parish centre for Sacred Heart Church.
Two years ago the Reporter described how Rockware Glass's St Helens factory (pictured above) was pioneering non-returnable, no-deposit bottles. These were given the name "one trip" as purchasers of bottled beer or soft drinks would no longer have to make a second journey to the shop to return the empty bottles and retrieve their deposits. Now the Reporter wrote that Rockware's Atlas Works site had designed a "lighta pinta" milk bottle. Weighing just 8ozs, it was less than half the weight of the old bottles and could mean a reduction of 20% in costs to the dairy industry.
The paper also profiled Terence Berry from London Fields in Billinge who they dubbed "Daktari boy". However the 10-year-old "animal boy of Billinge" had had a lot of bad luck – or, as the Reporter put it – "when it comes to his own pet kingdom he's something of a jinx". That was because Terence's seagull had eaten his four goldfish, his budgerigar had been swept up by a vacuum cleaner and his dog had swallowed some of his 15 pet mice!
Kes the crow was the latest addition to the menagerie, after Terence had nursed the bird back to health after it had fallen out of its nest. "I brought him home and fed him on little pieces of bread soaked in milk", Terence told the Reporter. "Now he eats anything – especially boiled eggs. And he likes steak, liver and bacon."
Sutton Manor Colliery's fire-fighting team was pictured in the paper after winning three cups and being judged best team of the day in a recent contest. The seven-man crew had competed against thirty other teams and qualified for the Great Britain finals to be held in London in September.
The Reporter also revealed that the recent "massacre of Carr Mill Dam" was being blamed mainly on the dry weather rather than pollution. A report by the Mersey and Weaver River Authority into the loss of hundreds of fish at Carr Mill four weeks ago stated that the hot weather and lack of rain had cut off the fish's oxygen supply. However the St Helens Angling Association rejected their findings and still believed that sewage discharges from Billinge and other pollution had been responsible.
The 27th was the annual Haydock Donkey Derby and Gala Day. There were heavy showers but 3,000 spectators braved the weather to enjoy the donkey race, whippet championship and five-a-side football tournament. The Haydock and Ashton Youth Band played on in raincoats and the boys of Lowe House Boxing Club gave a demonstration. The event was in aid of the Old Folks Treat Fund, which provided a party and concert each year for Haydock pensioners.
St Helens Tech Students Union had a coup during the evening of the 27th. They had not one but two top prog rock outfits performing. These were Peter Hammill's Van der Graaf Generator and The Groundhogs led by Tony McPhee, along with a light show and disco featuring a top DJ from London – all for 10 bob! Tickets were available from Rothery Records.
There was also a star act at the Theatre Royal on the 28th. It was Jimmy Ruffin, with the Tamla Motown singer's latest hit, 'Farewell Is a Lonely Sound', recently being at number 8 in the charts. On the same day 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford began 7 days of screenings at the ABC Savoy in Bridge Street.
And finally 150 paperboys were taken in three coaches to Trentham Gardens on the 28th as a "thank you" from St Helens newsagents for delivering their papers in all weathers.
Next week's stories will include the "I'm alright, Jack" attitude of factory workers in St Helens, the town's ambulance crews go on strike, St Helens pubs call new fruit machine laws "diabolical" and there is a feature on garages in the Reporter.
We begin on the 22nd at a Windle Parish Council meeting where councillors were told that garages and gardens in St George's Avenue and Hartington Road were being flooded. The solution was to run an 18-inch pipe through the back gardens of houses in Kiln Lane. However some residents were refusing to allow access, as they did not want their gardens disturbed or did not like the idea of sewage passing through.
Councillor John Rimmer was highly critical, saying their refusal was "little short of a catastrophe", and adding: "Because of these selfish people who refuse to have their back gardens disturbed, others might suffer pounds worth of damage – especially if flood water got into their homes."
However after the meeting Ruth Dewitt of Kiln Lane said: "I think it is shocking for a councillor to say we are selfish. This is completely untrue. We are not immune from this flooding. We have it as bad as those in Hartington Road and St George's Avenue when it rains. But I don't think any of those people would want a sewage pipe going through their gardens."
Billinge Council also held their monthly meeting on the 22nd and considered the possibility of selling their council houses to tenants. Cllr. Fred Garner revealed that he had been trying to pioneer such a policy for some time because people would take greater care of their homes if they owned them. However Cllr. William Cowley was against the idea, saying: "We have built the houses for people who can't afford to buy their own and we need as many as possible for them. Every house we sell is one less for our pool." They decided to seek the opinion of the Ministry of Housing and then set up a sub-committee to investigate the implications of selling off their council house stock.
Rainford Council also held their meeting on the 22nd and their members expressed concerns that the village could be swallowed up in a massive "brick jungle". A Local Government reform was planned and councillors were worried that they would be forced to amalgamate into a governing council that included St Helens, Skelmersdale and Kirkby. Cllr. Robert Rose called for the village to join Ormskirk and West Lancashire instead, arguing that was the only way that Rainford could be sure of retaining its green belt areas.
The last member of the original St Helens fire service retired this week. The brigade had been formed in 1941 and in the following year Wilfred Atherton was awarded the Kings Police and Fire Service Medal for Gallantry. The then 27-year-old had battled his way into a burning bedroom in Union Street to save a disabled girl. At the time of his retirement, Wilfred was the only St Helens fireman to be decorated for bravery in a fire.
A church mission for children was held throughout the week at St David's Church Hall in Folds Lane, Carr Mill, with the focus very much on Space. The 7 to 11-year-olds made rockets, communication charts and Space Club bookmarks and took part in a Space quiz. The children were also taught verses from the Bible. Rev. Peter Gompertz led the mission and explained that youngsters' fascination with Space in the wake of Apollo 11 had been a great attraction for the sessions: "Eighty children came along on Monday and the following evening there were one hundred", he said.
Later that morning 400 pensioners, who had formerly worked at UG Containers, went on their annual trip to Blackpool. Also on the 23rd Pilkingtons employee Chris Langley from Borough Road was handed a cheque for £750 after winning the glass giant's Bright Ideas competition. Workers were encouraged to suggest improvements for processes and in 1969 more than 5,000 ideas had been submitted from Pilkington employees throughout their Group.
Chris had already received £250 for his proposal to improve control of the air-cooling of molten glass. The 42-year-old tank operator at Cowley Hill could have chosen a car as his prize but instead plumped for cash, with his £1,000 total award being worth around £18,000 in today's money.
On the 24th W. A. Sharrock from Clock Face had a letter published in the Daily Mirror in which he said that his uncle Bill Cannon was a champion clog dancer, who had topped the bill all over the country. He also claimed that his grandfather Robert Sharrock was the only man ever to swim Lake Tahoe in Nevada.
On the 25th Pilkingtons announced that after 144 years as a private concern, the glass giant intended to go public within the next year. The firm's 34,000 workers – including 12,000 in St Helens – were told that they would be given a priority rating to buy shares.
A special feature on Green Shield Stamps was in the Reporter on the 26th. Advertisers included The Model Shop in Duke Street, Walter Hughes TV and Radio of Ormskirk Street and Moulton's Greengrocer's of Ormskirk Road, Rainford. There was also Fairway Motors of Junction Lane in Sutton, Harold Spencer's handyman's store in Church Road, Haydock and Claytons Butchers of Greenfield Road.
The paper also stated that Jubilee Hall in Borough Road – which had been closed for six months for "mammoth renovations and extensions" – was to reopen soon as a parish centre for Sacred Heart Church.
The paper also profiled Terence Berry from London Fields in Billinge who they dubbed "Daktari boy". However the 10-year-old "animal boy of Billinge" had had a lot of bad luck – or, as the Reporter put it – "when it comes to his own pet kingdom he's something of a jinx". That was because Terence's seagull had eaten his four goldfish, his budgerigar had been swept up by a vacuum cleaner and his dog had swallowed some of his 15 pet mice!
Kes the crow was the latest addition to the menagerie, after Terence had nursed the bird back to health after it had fallen out of its nest. "I brought him home and fed him on little pieces of bread soaked in milk", Terence told the Reporter. "Now he eats anything – especially boiled eggs. And he likes steak, liver and bacon."
Sutton Manor Colliery's fire-fighting team was pictured in the paper after winning three cups and being judged best team of the day in a recent contest. The seven-man crew had competed against thirty other teams and qualified for the Great Britain finals to be held in London in September.
The Reporter also revealed that the recent "massacre of Carr Mill Dam" was being blamed mainly on the dry weather rather than pollution. A report by the Mersey and Weaver River Authority into the loss of hundreds of fish at Carr Mill four weeks ago stated that the hot weather and lack of rain had cut off the fish's oxygen supply. However the St Helens Angling Association rejected their findings and still believed that sewage discharges from Billinge and other pollution had been responsible.
The 27th was the annual Haydock Donkey Derby and Gala Day. There were heavy showers but 3,000 spectators braved the weather to enjoy the donkey race, whippet championship and five-a-side football tournament. The Haydock and Ashton Youth Band played on in raincoats and the boys of Lowe House Boxing Club gave a demonstration. The event was in aid of the Old Folks Treat Fund, which provided a party and concert each year for Haydock pensioners.
St Helens Tech Students Union had a coup during the evening of the 27th. They had not one but two top prog rock outfits performing. These were Peter Hammill's Van der Graaf Generator and The Groundhogs led by Tony McPhee, along with a light show and disco featuring a top DJ from London – all for 10 bob! Tickets were available from Rothery Records.
There was also a star act at the Theatre Royal on the 28th. It was Jimmy Ruffin, with the Tamla Motown singer's latest hit, 'Farewell Is a Lonely Sound', recently being at number 8 in the charts. On the same day 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford began 7 days of screenings at the ABC Savoy in Bridge Street.
And finally 150 paperboys were taken in three coaches to Trentham Gardens on the 28th as a "thank you" from St Helens newsagents for delivering their papers in all weathers.
Next week's stories will include the "I'm alright, Jack" attitude of factory workers in St Helens, the town's ambulance crews go on strike, St Helens pubs call new fruit machine laws "diabolical" and there is a feature on garages in the Reporter.
This week's 21 stories include the Kiln Lane residents accused of being selfish, the Daktari boy of Billinge, the landlord of the Royal watches a Westfield Street robbery at 2am, Rockware design a "lighta pinta" milk bottle, the Haydock Donkey Derby and the "massacre" of Carr Mill Dam is blamed mainly on the weather.
We begin on the 22nd at a Windle Parish Council meeting where councillors were told that garages and gardens in St George's Avenue and Hartington Road were being flooded.
The solution was to run an 18-inch pipe through the back gardens of houses in Kiln Lane.
However some residents were refusing to allow access, as they did not want their gardens disturbed or did not like the idea of sewage passing through.
Councillor John Rimmer was highly critical, saying their refusal was "little short of a catastrophe", and adding:
"Because of these selfish people who refuse to have their back gardens disturbed, others might suffer pounds worth of damage – especially if flood water got into their homes."
However after the meeting Ruth Dewitt of Kiln Lane said:
"I think it is shocking for a councillor to say we are selfish. This is completely untrue. We are not immune from this flooding. We have it as bad as those in Hartington Road and St George's Avenue when it rains. But I don't think any of those people would want a sewage pipe going through their gardens."
Billinge Council also held their monthly meeting on the 22nd and considered the possibility of selling their council houses to tenants.
Cllr. Fred Garner revealed that he had been trying to pioneer such a policy for some time because people would take greater care of their homes if they owned them.
However Cllr. William Cowley was against the idea, saying: "We have built the houses for people who can't afford to buy their own and we need as many as possible for them. Every house we sell is one less for our pool."
They decided to seek the opinion of the Ministry of Housing and then set up a sub-committee to investigate the implications of selling off their council house stock.
Rainford Council also held their meeting on the 22nd and their members expressed concerns that the village could be swallowed up in a massive "brick jungle".
A Local Government reform was planned and councillors were worried that they would be forced to amalgamate into a governing council that included St Helens, Skelmersdale and Kirkby.
Cllr. Robert Rose called for the village to join Ormskirk and West Lancashire instead, arguing that was the only way that Rainford could be sure of retaining its green belt areas.
The last member of the original St Helens fire service retired this week.
The brigade had been formed in 1941 and in the following year Wilfred Atherton was awarded the Kings Police and Fire Service Medal for Gallantry.
The then 27-year-old had battled his way into a burning bedroom in Union Street to save a disabled girl.
At the time of his retirement, Wilfred was the only St Helens fireman to be decorated for bravery in a fire.
A church mission for children was held throughout the week at St David's Church Hall in Folds Lane, Carr Mill, with the focus very much on Space.
The 7 to 11-year-olds made rockets, communication charts and Space Club bookmarks and took part in a Space quiz. The children were also taught verses from the Bible.
Rev. Peter Gompertz led the mission and explained that youngsters' fascination with Space in the wake of Apollo 11 had been a great attraction for the sessions:
"Eighty children came along on Monday and the following evening there were one hundred", he said.
At 2:10am on the morning of the 23rd, Robert Banks – the landlord of the Royal Hotel in Westfield Street (pictured above on the left) – heard a window smash.
The 52-year-old looked across the road and saw thieves stealing 35 leather suits and coats worth £1,000 from Suede Fayre.
The robbers had first attempted to gain access through a fanlight on the roof.
Then they attempted to rip out a rear window and finally resorted to the tried and tested brick through the window approach.
Soon insurance companies would be insisting that shops install protective grills and roller shutters but in 1970 most traders were still unprotected.
Later that morning 400 pensioners, who had formerly worked at UG Containers, went on their annual trip to Blackpool.
Also on the 23rd Pilkingtons employee Chris Langley from Borough Road was handed a cheque for £750 after winning the glass giant's Bright Ideas competition.
Workers were encouraged to suggest improvements for processes and in 1969 more than 5,000 ideas had been submitted from Pilkington employees throughout their Group.
Chris had already received £250 for his proposal to improve control of the air-cooling of molten glass.
The 42-year-old tank operator at Cowley Hill could have chosen a car as his prize but instead plumped for cash, with his £1,000 total award being worth around £18,000 in today's money.
On the 24th W. A. Sharrock from Clock Face had a letter published in the Daily Mirror in which he said that his uncle Bill Cannon was a champion clog dancer, who had topped the bill all over the country.
He also claimed that his grandfather Robert Sharrock was the only man ever to swim Lake Tahoe in Nevada.
On the 25th Pilkingtons announced that after 144 years as a private concern, the glass giant intended to go public within the next year.
The firm's 34,000 workers – including 12,000 in St Helens – were told that they would be given a priority rating to buy shares.
A special feature on Green Shield Stamps was in the Reporter on the 26th.
Advertisers included The Model Shop in Duke Street, Walter Hughes TV and Radio of Ormskirk Street and Moulton's Greengrocer's of Ormskirk Road, Rainford.
There was also Fairway Motors of Junction Lane in Sutton, Harold Spencer's handyman's store in Church Road, Haydock and Claytons Butchers of Greenfield Road.
The paper also stated that Jubilee Hall in Borough Road – which had been closed for 6 months for "mammoth renovations and extensions" – was to reopen soon as a parish centre for Sacred Heart Church.
Two years ago the Reporter described how Rockware Glass's St Helens factory (pictured above) was pioneering non-returnable, no-deposit bottles.
These were given the name "one trip" as purchasers of bottled beer or soft drinks would no longer have to make a second journey to the shop to return the empty bottles and retrieve their deposits.
Now the Reporter wrote that Rockware's Atlas Works site had designed a "lighta pinta" milk bottle.
Weighing just 8ozs, it was less than half the weight of the old bottles and could mean a reduction of 20% in costs to the dairy industry.
The paper also profiled Terence Berry from London Fields in Billinge who they dubbed "Daktari boy".
However the 10-year-old "animal boy of Billinge" had had a lot of bad luck – or, as the Reporter put it – "when it comes to his own pet kingdom he's something of a jinx".
That was because Terence's seagull had eaten his four goldfish, his budgerigar had been swept up by a vacuum cleaner and his dog had swallowed some of his 15 pet mice!
Kes the crow was the latest addition to the menagerie, after Terence had nursed the bird back to health after it had fallen out of its nest.
"I brought him home and fed him on little pieces of bread soaked in milk", Terence told the Reporter.
"Now he eats anything – especially boiled eggs. And he likes steak, liver and bacon."
Sutton Manor Colliery's fire-fighting team was pictured in the paper after winning three cups and being judged best team of the day in a recent contest.
The seven-man crew had competed against thirty other teams and qualified for the Great Britain finals to be held in London in September.
The Reporter also revealed that the recent "massacre of Carr Mill Dam" was being blamed mainly on the dry weather rather than pollution.
A report by the Mersey and Weaver River Authority into the loss of hundreds of fish at Carr Mill four weeks ago stated that the hot weather and lack of rain had cut off the fish's oxygen supply.
However the St Helens Angling Association rejected their findings and still believed that sewage discharges from Billinge and other pollution had been responsible.
The 27th was the annual Haydock Donkey Derby and Gala Day. There were heavy showers but 3,000 spectators braved the weather to enjoy the donkey race, whippet championship and five-a-side football tournament.
The Haydock and Ashton Youth Band played on in raincoats and the boys of Lowe House Boxing Club gave a demonstration.
The event was in aid of the Old Folks Treat Fund, which provided a party and concert each year for Haydock pensioners.
St Helens Tech Students Union had a coup during the evening of the 27th. They had not one but two top prog rock outfits performing.
These were Peter Hammill's Van der Graaf Generator and The Groundhogs led by Tony McPhee, along with a light show and disco featuring a top DJ from London – all for 10 bob! Tickets were available from Rothery Records.
There was also a star act at the Theatre Royal on the 28th.
It was Jimmy Ruffin, with the Tamla Motown singer's latest hit, 'Farewell Is a Lonely Sound', recently being at number 8 in the charts.
On the same day 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford began 7 days of screenings at the ABC Savoy in Bridge Street.
And finally 150 paperboys were taken in three coaches to Trentham Gardens on the 28th as a "thank you" from St Helens newsagents for delivering their papers in all weathers.
Next week's stories will include the "I'm alright, Jack" attitude of factory workers in St Helens, the town's ambulance crews go on strike, St Helens pubs call new fruit machine laws "diabolical" and there is a feature on garages in the Reporter.
We begin on the 22nd at a Windle Parish Council meeting where councillors were told that garages and gardens in St George's Avenue and Hartington Road were being flooded.
The solution was to run an 18-inch pipe through the back gardens of houses in Kiln Lane.
However some residents were refusing to allow access, as they did not want their gardens disturbed or did not like the idea of sewage passing through.
Councillor John Rimmer was highly critical, saying their refusal was "little short of a catastrophe", and adding:
"Because of these selfish people who refuse to have their back gardens disturbed, others might suffer pounds worth of damage – especially if flood water got into their homes."
However after the meeting Ruth Dewitt of Kiln Lane said:
"I think it is shocking for a councillor to say we are selfish. This is completely untrue. We are not immune from this flooding. We have it as bad as those in Hartington Road and St George's Avenue when it rains. But I don't think any of those people would want a sewage pipe going through their gardens."
Billinge Council also held their monthly meeting on the 22nd and considered the possibility of selling their council houses to tenants.
Cllr. Fred Garner revealed that he had been trying to pioneer such a policy for some time because people would take greater care of their homes if they owned them.
However Cllr. William Cowley was against the idea, saying: "We have built the houses for people who can't afford to buy their own and we need as many as possible for them. Every house we sell is one less for our pool."
They decided to seek the opinion of the Ministry of Housing and then set up a sub-committee to investigate the implications of selling off their council house stock.
Rainford Council also held their meeting on the 22nd and their members expressed concerns that the village could be swallowed up in a massive "brick jungle".
A Local Government reform was planned and councillors were worried that they would be forced to amalgamate into a governing council that included St Helens, Skelmersdale and Kirkby.
Cllr. Robert Rose called for the village to join Ormskirk and West Lancashire instead, arguing that was the only way that Rainford could be sure of retaining its green belt areas.
The last member of the original St Helens fire service retired this week.
The brigade had been formed in 1941 and in the following year Wilfred Atherton was awarded the Kings Police and Fire Service Medal for Gallantry.
The then 27-year-old had battled his way into a burning bedroom in Union Street to save a disabled girl.
At the time of his retirement, Wilfred was the only St Helens fireman to be decorated for bravery in a fire.
A church mission for children was held throughout the week at St David's Church Hall in Folds Lane, Carr Mill, with the focus very much on Space.
The 7 to 11-year-olds made rockets, communication charts and Space Club bookmarks and took part in a Space quiz. The children were also taught verses from the Bible.
Rev. Peter Gompertz led the mission and explained that youngsters' fascination with Space in the wake of Apollo 11 had been a great attraction for the sessions:
"Eighty children came along on Monday and the following evening there were one hundred", he said.
The 52-year-old looked across the road and saw thieves stealing 35 leather suits and coats worth £1,000 from Suede Fayre.
The robbers had first attempted to gain access through a fanlight on the roof.
Then they attempted to rip out a rear window and finally resorted to the tried and tested brick through the window approach.
Soon insurance companies would be insisting that shops install protective grills and roller shutters but in 1970 most traders were still unprotected.
Later that morning 400 pensioners, who had formerly worked at UG Containers, went on their annual trip to Blackpool.
Also on the 23rd Pilkingtons employee Chris Langley from Borough Road was handed a cheque for £750 after winning the glass giant's Bright Ideas competition.
Workers were encouraged to suggest improvements for processes and in 1969 more than 5,000 ideas had been submitted from Pilkington employees throughout their Group.
Chris had already received £250 for his proposal to improve control of the air-cooling of molten glass.
The 42-year-old tank operator at Cowley Hill could have chosen a car as his prize but instead plumped for cash, with his £1,000 total award being worth around £18,000 in today's money.
On the 24th W. A. Sharrock from Clock Face had a letter published in the Daily Mirror in which he said that his uncle Bill Cannon was a champion clog dancer, who had topped the bill all over the country.
He also claimed that his grandfather Robert Sharrock was the only man ever to swim Lake Tahoe in Nevada.
On the 25th Pilkingtons announced that after 144 years as a private concern, the glass giant intended to go public within the next year.
The firm's 34,000 workers – including 12,000 in St Helens – were told that they would be given a priority rating to buy shares.
A special feature on Green Shield Stamps was in the Reporter on the 26th.
Advertisers included The Model Shop in Duke Street, Walter Hughes TV and Radio of Ormskirk Street and Moulton's Greengrocer's of Ormskirk Road, Rainford.
There was also Fairway Motors of Junction Lane in Sutton, Harold Spencer's handyman's store in Church Road, Haydock and Claytons Butchers of Greenfield Road.
The paper also stated that Jubilee Hall in Borough Road – which had been closed for 6 months for "mammoth renovations and extensions" – was to reopen soon as a parish centre for Sacred Heart Church.
These were given the name "one trip" as purchasers of bottled beer or soft drinks would no longer have to make a second journey to the shop to return the empty bottles and retrieve their deposits.
Now the Reporter wrote that Rockware's Atlas Works site had designed a "lighta pinta" milk bottle.
Weighing just 8ozs, it was less than half the weight of the old bottles and could mean a reduction of 20% in costs to the dairy industry.
The paper also profiled Terence Berry from London Fields in Billinge who they dubbed "Daktari boy".
However the 10-year-old "animal boy of Billinge" had had a lot of bad luck – or, as the Reporter put it – "when it comes to his own pet kingdom he's something of a jinx".
That was because Terence's seagull had eaten his four goldfish, his budgerigar had been swept up by a vacuum cleaner and his dog had swallowed some of his 15 pet mice!
Kes the crow was the latest addition to the menagerie, after Terence had nursed the bird back to health after it had fallen out of its nest.
"I brought him home and fed him on little pieces of bread soaked in milk", Terence told the Reporter.
"Now he eats anything – especially boiled eggs. And he likes steak, liver and bacon."
Sutton Manor Colliery's fire-fighting team was pictured in the paper after winning three cups and being judged best team of the day in a recent contest.
The seven-man crew had competed against thirty other teams and qualified for the Great Britain finals to be held in London in September.
The Reporter also revealed that the recent "massacre of Carr Mill Dam" was being blamed mainly on the dry weather rather than pollution.
A report by the Mersey and Weaver River Authority into the loss of hundreds of fish at Carr Mill four weeks ago stated that the hot weather and lack of rain had cut off the fish's oxygen supply.
However the St Helens Angling Association rejected their findings and still believed that sewage discharges from Billinge and other pollution had been responsible.
The 27th was the annual Haydock Donkey Derby and Gala Day. There were heavy showers but 3,000 spectators braved the weather to enjoy the donkey race, whippet championship and five-a-side football tournament.
The Haydock and Ashton Youth Band played on in raincoats and the boys of Lowe House Boxing Club gave a demonstration.
The event was in aid of the Old Folks Treat Fund, which provided a party and concert each year for Haydock pensioners.
St Helens Tech Students Union had a coup during the evening of the 27th. They had not one but two top prog rock outfits performing.
These were Peter Hammill's Van der Graaf Generator and The Groundhogs led by Tony McPhee, along with a light show and disco featuring a top DJ from London – all for 10 bob! Tickets were available from Rothery Records.
There was also a star act at the Theatre Royal on the 28th.
It was Jimmy Ruffin, with the Tamla Motown singer's latest hit, 'Farewell Is a Lonely Sound', recently being at number 8 in the charts.
On the same day 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford began 7 days of screenings at the ABC Savoy in Bridge Street.
And finally 150 paperboys were taken in three coaches to Trentham Gardens on the 28th as a "thank you" from St Helens newsagents for delivering their papers in all weathers.
Next week's stories will include the "I'm alright, Jack" attitude of factory workers in St Helens, the town's ambulance crews go on strike, St Helens pubs call new fruit machine laws "diabolical" and there is a feature on garages in the Reporter.