FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (28th FEB. - 6th MARCH 1972)
This week's many stories include a hefty fine for selling obscene books in Bickerstaffe Street, the new trial of town centre taxi ranks, the boy "sniper" at a St Helens soldier's wedding, opposition to plans to build homes on a Rainhill pub's bowling green and the Carr Mill Service Station's concern over the monster East Lancs road scheme.
We begin with Silcock's Annual Pleasure Fair, which began this week on land by the fire station in Parr Stocks Road. The event lasted for a fortnight but was closed on Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
1972 was a leap year and on the front page of the February 29th edition of the Daily Mirror was a lovely picture of Martin Moylan carrying his bride Barbara Hosker. This was their brief article under the headline "The Long-Distance Lovers":
"Soldier Martin Moylan met Barbara Hosker for only the third time yesterday . . . and married her. Nineteen-year-old Martin, pictured carrying his bride after the wedding in St. Helens, Lancs, first set eyes on Barbara at a friend's wedding nearly six months ago. From then on, the long-distance lovers kept the telephone lines humming between Martin's Army billet in Belfast and the call box on the corner near Barbara's home in St. Helens. With up to six calls a day. On their second date they bought a ring. And after their third date yesterday Martin said he had spent about £70 on telephone calls. He said: “They were worth every penny.”"
That's the equivalent of around £1,000 in today's money. However, subsequent reports claimed that a sniper may have shot at the couple – and there were fears it could have been an IRA attack. And so a police investigation was launched and the culprit turned out to be a small boy who had been playing with an air rifle in a nearby garden. A stray pellet had ricocheted and struck a guest at the wedding in the back.
Last month it had been announced that taxi ranks would be coming to St Helens. This week it was confirmed that the scheme would start at six locations in the town centre from March – but would only be a trial. And the Hackney Carriage Operators Association were not happy with the charges as laid down by St Helens Corporation.
The taxi drivers wanted their passengers to pay them 15p a mile – but the Corporation would only allow 12p. A new byelaw had been passed enabling the creation of six taxi ranks in St Helens, each with room for between four and six cabs. In order to receive a licence to operate, all taxis would have to pass a test set by the Corporation's Transport Department.
There was disappointment when the road fatality figures for St Helens were released on March 2nd. The total for 1970 had dropped to four and it had been hoped that the low number of deaths would be maintained during the following year. However, the 1971 total rose to fourteen. The Borough Road Safety Officer, Alan Collinson, explained:
"Last year's figure is high, but only compared with 1970, which was an exceptional year. Before that the average number of fatal accidents was around 20. "Despite the number of fatalities, it is encouraging to record that accidents generally fell by about five per cent., from 545 in 1970 to 511 in 1971."
Also on the 2nd, Herbert Andrews was fined £175 by St Helens magistrates after pleading guilty to seven charges of being in possession of obscene books. Inspector David Johnstone told the court that last October the police had made several test purchases from Andrews' bookshop in Bickerstaffe Street. After receiving advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions, the premises were subsequently raided and a large number of books were taken away. Mr Andrews had told the police: "There's a market for this sort of stuff".
The 50-year-old's solicitor told the court that the bookshop had operated for several years and only sold adult books. He emphasised that the premises did not sell sweets, toys or women's magazines and a notice in the shop stated that no person under 18 would be served. The solicitor added that only a small proportion of trade was from men under the age of 25. After announcing the fine, the chairman of the Bench, Jack Woodcock, made orders for some of the books to be destroyed or confiscated – with the rest to be returned to Mr Andrews.
On the 3rd thirty men employed at the St Helens Plastics factory barricaded themselves into a machine room upon learning they were being sacked. The dismissals occurred after the firm on the Reginald Road industrial estate in Sutton was sold to Linpac Plastics. A week later the men were still on site – despite the new owners saying the men could apply for their old jobs and resume work once new equipment was installed.
The St Helens Reporter on the 3rd was looking for a new name for the district of St Helens, once the planned local government shake-up took place. The town – along with Huyton-with-Roby, Kirkby, Rainford, Rainhill, Prescot, Haydock and Newton-le-Willows etc. – was being merged into District 11(C) of the Merseyside Metropolitan County. The newspaper did not fancy becoming the "District 11(C) Reporter" and was offering £5 to the best name that readers suggested.
The Liverpool Echo was also a bit confused about the forthcoming changes, seemingly expecting new place names to emerge from the municipal make-over: "District C will be St. Helens, Haydock, Huyton, Kirkby, Newton-le-Willows, Prescot, and Rainford, and a lot of parochial pride will have to be swallowed before there is agreement on a common name for that amalgam."
The Reporter was also unimpressed with St Helens Council going into secret session to discuss a report into the St Helens Ambulance Service's shortcomings. Four weeks ago their journalist Nick Peake had been told by four whistle-blowers that the twelve ambulances based at the St Helens station (pictured above) had critical equipment failures.
One worker told the Reporter: "When a member of the St. Helens public rides in an ambulance he does not know how close to death he is." The Medical Officer of Health had conducted an investigation into the claims and submitted his report – but the public were not entitled to know its contents. At least not for the time being.
The Reporter also described how anglers had been calling into Spaven's fish merchant's shop in Barrow Street this week enquiring after a "monster" pike. Michael Spaven had laid out the 4ft. long pike weighing 22lb in his window among his plaice and cod and told the paper: "The word got round town, and anglers have been calling in to ask if the fish was caught locally." However, Mr Spaven had to disappoint the fishermen as the pike had been netted in Ireland.
The seven-week long miners' strike ended on the 28th when the men returned to work. But the power cuts continued well into March – as did the wrangling over the dispute in the Reporter's letters column. This week ex-Suttoner "Disgusted" of Rochdale had this blunt message for the miners: "It is your choice of work, so please don't complain let alone punish me and millions more…If you don't like it, get out."
Mrs Richardson from Pentire Avenue in Windle also had some advice for the publicity-seeking Dave Whelan. At a time when people had been urged to cut down on unnecessary use of electricity, she had visited his Baxters Lane supermarket and seen lots of lights burning. "It seems criminal to have such wastage", she added, calling for the prosecution of such businesses.
T. A. Owen was angry at plans by Wimpey to install a "sludge treatment plant", aka sewage farm, at Mill Brow in Eccleston. Another correspondent was upset at President Nixon's trip to China – but as we know he would have his own troubles soon!
It was also reported that the "gypsy" caravan site on Sherdley Road / Dobsons Lane was to have a bath and shower unit added to its communal services block. And individual supplies of electricity were to be connected to each caravan. But it was also revealed that since St Helens Corporation had opened the 12-berth site in February 1971, the members of the travelling community had underused it. Presently only half of its twelve spaces were occupied and the site had never been full. At one point during last summer there were only three occupiers, as the gypsies went hop picking down south.
Last week the Reporter described a "monster scheme" costing £300,000 (around £5m in today's money) to resurface the East Lancs Road with anti-skid properties. The 9-month-long project would begin in three months and while the work was taking place, vehicles would be channelled onto a single carriageway – in sections up to 2½ miles long. Huge traffic jams were predicted at peak times but Michael O’Hara was expecting far worse – bankruptcy.
The tenant of Carr Mill Service Station told the Reporter this week: "It's going to be disastrous. It will drive me into liquidation." That was because Mr O’Hara from Ackers Lane believed his service station – which had recently had a £23,000 facelift – would be isolated from his customers. He said:
"Whether they do one carriageway at a time or in sections, there'll be no entrance and exit to the station for some time. Motorists won't stop anyway – they'll just want to get off the road quickly to get out of the traffic jams." And 57-year-old Mr O’Hara knew what he was talking about. When the central reservation had been laid on the East Lancs in 1962, his petrol sales were reduced to less than half their usual amount.
Concern was also raised this week over plans by Higson's Brewery to build eleven homes and a car park on the Coach and Horses' bowling green in Rainhill. Cllr. Nellie Holley told a meeting of Whiston Council's planning committee that the nearest green would be a mile away at the Ship Inn. Rainhill Parish Council, bowling leagues and pensioners groups were also objecting to the proposals.
Next week's stories will include Pilks' shock announcement of a glass tank closure, the expansion of one-man buses, the Dorothy Street dump, Queen Mary's reign in Taylor Park comes to an end and the Duke of Edinburgh plans a visit to St Helens.
We begin with Silcock's Annual Pleasure Fair, which began this week on land by the fire station in Parr Stocks Road. The event lasted for a fortnight but was closed on Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
"Soldier Martin Moylan met Barbara Hosker for only the third time yesterday . . . and married her. Nineteen-year-old Martin, pictured carrying his bride after the wedding in St. Helens, Lancs, first set eyes on Barbara at a friend's wedding nearly six months ago. From then on, the long-distance lovers kept the telephone lines humming between Martin's Army billet in Belfast and the call box on the corner near Barbara's home in St. Helens. With up to six calls a day. On their second date they bought a ring. And after their third date yesterday Martin said he had spent about £70 on telephone calls. He said: “They were worth every penny.”"
That's the equivalent of around £1,000 in today's money. However, subsequent reports claimed that a sniper may have shot at the couple – and there were fears it could have been an IRA attack. And so a police investigation was launched and the culprit turned out to be a small boy who had been playing with an air rifle in a nearby garden. A stray pellet had ricocheted and struck a guest at the wedding in the back.
Last month it had been announced that taxi ranks would be coming to St Helens. This week it was confirmed that the scheme would start at six locations in the town centre from March – but would only be a trial. And the Hackney Carriage Operators Association were not happy with the charges as laid down by St Helens Corporation.
The taxi drivers wanted their passengers to pay them 15p a mile – but the Corporation would only allow 12p. A new byelaw had been passed enabling the creation of six taxi ranks in St Helens, each with room for between four and six cabs. In order to receive a licence to operate, all taxis would have to pass a test set by the Corporation's Transport Department.
There was disappointment when the road fatality figures for St Helens were released on March 2nd. The total for 1970 had dropped to four and it had been hoped that the low number of deaths would be maintained during the following year. However, the 1971 total rose to fourteen. The Borough Road Safety Officer, Alan Collinson, explained:
"Last year's figure is high, but only compared with 1970, which was an exceptional year. Before that the average number of fatal accidents was around 20. "Despite the number of fatalities, it is encouraging to record that accidents generally fell by about five per cent., from 545 in 1970 to 511 in 1971."
Also on the 2nd, Herbert Andrews was fined £175 by St Helens magistrates after pleading guilty to seven charges of being in possession of obscene books. Inspector David Johnstone told the court that last October the police had made several test purchases from Andrews' bookshop in Bickerstaffe Street. After receiving advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions, the premises were subsequently raided and a large number of books were taken away. Mr Andrews had told the police: "There's a market for this sort of stuff".
The 50-year-old's solicitor told the court that the bookshop had operated for several years and only sold adult books. He emphasised that the premises did not sell sweets, toys or women's magazines and a notice in the shop stated that no person under 18 would be served. The solicitor added that only a small proportion of trade was from men under the age of 25. After announcing the fine, the chairman of the Bench, Jack Woodcock, made orders for some of the books to be destroyed or confiscated – with the rest to be returned to Mr Andrews.
On the 3rd thirty men employed at the St Helens Plastics factory barricaded themselves into a machine room upon learning they were being sacked. The dismissals occurred after the firm on the Reginald Road industrial estate in Sutton was sold to Linpac Plastics. A week later the men were still on site – despite the new owners saying the men could apply for their old jobs and resume work once new equipment was installed.
The St Helens Reporter on the 3rd was looking for a new name for the district of St Helens, once the planned local government shake-up took place. The town – along with Huyton-with-Roby, Kirkby, Rainford, Rainhill, Prescot, Haydock and Newton-le-Willows etc. – was being merged into District 11(C) of the Merseyside Metropolitan County. The newspaper did not fancy becoming the "District 11(C) Reporter" and was offering £5 to the best name that readers suggested.
The Liverpool Echo was also a bit confused about the forthcoming changes, seemingly expecting new place names to emerge from the municipal make-over: "District C will be St. Helens, Haydock, Huyton, Kirkby, Newton-le-Willows, Prescot, and Rainford, and a lot of parochial pride will have to be swallowed before there is agreement on a common name for that amalgam."
One worker told the Reporter: "When a member of the St. Helens public rides in an ambulance he does not know how close to death he is." The Medical Officer of Health had conducted an investigation into the claims and submitted his report – but the public were not entitled to know its contents. At least not for the time being.
The Reporter also described how anglers had been calling into Spaven's fish merchant's shop in Barrow Street this week enquiring after a "monster" pike. Michael Spaven had laid out the 4ft. long pike weighing 22lb in his window among his plaice and cod and told the paper: "The word got round town, and anglers have been calling in to ask if the fish was caught locally." However, Mr Spaven had to disappoint the fishermen as the pike had been netted in Ireland.
The seven-week long miners' strike ended on the 28th when the men returned to work. But the power cuts continued well into March – as did the wrangling over the dispute in the Reporter's letters column. This week ex-Suttoner "Disgusted" of Rochdale had this blunt message for the miners: "It is your choice of work, so please don't complain let alone punish me and millions more…If you don't like it, get out."
Mrs Richardson from Pentire Avenue in Windle also had some advice for the publicity-seeking Dave Whelan. At a time when people had been urged to cut down on unnecessary use of electricity, she had visited his Baxters Lane supermarket and seen lots of lights burning. "It seems criminal to have such wastage", she added, calling for the prosecution of such businesses.
T. A. Owen was angry at plans by Wimpey to install a "sludge treatment plant", aka sewage farm, at Mill Brow in Eccleston. Another correspondent was upset at President Nixon's trip to China – but as we know he would have his own troubles soon!
It was also reported that the "gypsy" caravan site on Sherdley Road / Dobsons Lane was to have a bath and shower unit added to its communal services block. And individual supplies of electricity were to be connected to each caravan. But it was also revealed that since St Helens Corporation had opened the 12-berth site in February 1971, the members of the travelling community had underused it. Presently only half of its twelve spaces were occupied and the site had never been full. At one point during last summer there were only three occupiers, as the gypsies went hop picking down south.
Last week the Reporter described a "monster scheme" costing £300,000 (around £5m in today's money) to resurface the East Lancs Road with anti-skid properties. The 9-month-long project would begin in three months and while the work was taking place, vehicles would be channelled onto a single carriageway – in sections up to 2½ miles long. Huge traffic jams were predicted at peak times but Michael O’Hara was expecting far worse – bankruptcy.
The tenant of Carr Mill Service Station told the Reporter this week: "It's going to be disastrous. It will drive me into liquidation." That was because Mr O’Hara from Ackers Lane believed his service station – which had recently had a £23,000 facelift – would be isolated from his customers. He said:
"Whether they do one carriageway at a time or in sections, there'll be no entrance and exit to the station for some time. Motorists won't stop anyway – they'll just want to get off the road quickly to get out of the traffic jams." And 57-year-old Mr O’Hara knew what he was talking about. When the central reservation had been laid on the East Lancs in 1962, his petrol sales were reduced to less than half their usual amount.
Concern was also raised this week over plans by Higson's Brewery to build eleven homes and a car park on the Coach and Horses' bowling green in Rainhill. Cllr. Nellie Holley told a meeting of Whiston Council's planning committee that the nearest green would be a mile away at the Ship Inn. Rainhill Parish Council, bowling leagues and pensioners groups were also objecting to the proposals.
Next week's stories will include Pilks' shock announcement of a glass tank closure, the expansion of one-man buses, the Dorothy Street dump, Queen Mary's reign in Taylor Park comes to an end and the Duke of Edinburgh plans a visit to St Helens.
This week's many stories include a hefty fine for selling obscene books in Bickerstaffe Street, the new trial of town centre taxi ranks, the boy "sniper" at a St Helens soldier's wedding, opposition to plans to build homes on a Rainhill pub's bowling green and the Carr Mill Service Station's concern over the monster East Lancs road scheme.
We begin with Silcock's Annual Pleasure Fair, which began this week on land by the fire station in Parr Stocks Road.
The event lasted for a fortnight but was closed on Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
1972 was a leap year and on the front page of the February 29th edition of the Daily Mirror was a lovely picture of Martin Moylan carrying his bride Barbara Hosker.
This was their brief article under the headline "The Long-Distance Lovers":
"Soldier Martin Moylan met Barbara Hosker for only the third time yesterday . . . and married her. Nineteen-year-old Martin, pictured carrying his bride after the wedding in St. Helens, Lancs, first set eyes on Barbara at a friend's wedding nearly six months ago.
"From then on, the long-distance lovers kept the telephone lines humming between Martin's Army billet in Belfast and the call box on the corner near Barbara's home in St. Helens. With up to six calls a day. On their second date they bought a ring.
"And after their third date yesterday Martin said he had spent about £70 on telephone calls. He said: “They were worth every penny.”"
That's the equivalent of around £1,000 in today's money. However, subsequent reports claimed that a sniper may have shot at the couple – and there were fears it could have been an IRA attack.
And so a police investigation was launched and the culprit turned out to be a small boy who had been playing with an air rifle in a nearby garden. A stray pellet had ricocheted and struck a guest at the wedding in the back.
Last month it had been announced that taxi ranks would be coming to St Helens.
This week it was confirmed that the scheme would start at six locations in the town centre from March – but would only be a trial.
And the Hackney Carriage Operators Association were not happy with the charges as laid down by St Helens Corporation.
The taxi drivers wanted their passengers to pay them 15p a mile – but the Corporation would only allow 12p.
A new byelaw had been passed enabling the creation of six taxi ranks in St Helens, each with room for between four and six cabs.
In order to receive a licence to operate, all taxis would have to pass a test set by the Corporation's Transport Department.
There was disappointment when the road fatality figures for St Helens were released on March 2nd.
The total for 1970 had dropped to four and it had been hoped that the low number of deaths would be maintained during the following year. However, the 1971 total rose to fourteen.
The Borough Road Safety Officer, Alan Collinson, explained: "Last year's figure is high, but only compared with 1970, which was an exceptional year. Before that the average number of fatal accidents was around 20.
"Despite the number of fatalities, it is encouraging to record that accidents generally fell by about five per cent., from 545 in 1970 to 511 in 1971."
Also on the 2nd, Herbert Andrews was fined £175 by St Helens magistrates after pleading guilty to seven charges of being in possession of obscene books.
Inspector David Johnstone told the court that last October the police had made several test purchases from Andrews' bookshop in Bickerstaffe Street.
After receiving advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions, the premises were subsequently raided and a large number of books were taken away.
Mr Andrews had told the police: "There's a market for this sort of stuff".
The 50-year-old's solicitor told the court that the bookshop had operated for several years and only sold adult books.
He emphasised that the premises did not sell sweets, toys or women's magazines and a notice in the shop stated that no person under 18 would be served.
The solicitor added that only a small proportion of trade was from men under the age of 25.
After announcing the fine, the chairman of the Bench, Jack Woodcock, made orders for some of the books to be destroyed or confiscated – with the rest to be returned to Mr Andrews.
On the 3rd thirty men employed at the St Helens Plastics factory barricaded themselves into a machine room upon learning they were being sacked.
The dismissals occurred after the firm on the Reginald Road industrial estate in Sutton was sold to Linpac Plastics.
A week later the men were still on site – despite the new owners saying the men could apply for their old jobs and resume work once new equipment was installed.
The St Helens Reporter on the 3rd was looking for a new name for the district of St Helens, once the planned local government shake-up took place.
The town – along with Huyton-with-Roby, Kirkby, Rainford, Rainhill, Prescot, Haydock and Newton-le-Willows etc. – was being merged into District 11(C) of the Merseyside Metropolitan County.
The newspaper did not fancy becoming the "District 11(C) Reporter" and was offering £5 to the best name that readers suggested.
The Liverpool Echo was also a bit confused about the forthcoming changes, seemingly expecting new place names to emerge from the municipal make-over:
"District C will be St. Helens, Haydock, Huyton, Kirkby, Newton-le-Willows, Prescot, and Rainford, and a lot of parochial pride will have to be swallowed before there is agreement on a common name for that amalgam."
The Reporter was also unimpressed with St Helens Council going into secret session to discuss a report into the St Helens Ambulance Service's shortcomings.
Four weeks ago their journalist Nick Peake had been told by four whistle-blowers that the twelve ambulances based at the St Helens station (pictured above) had critical equipment failures.
One worker told the Reporter: "When a member of the St. Helens public rides in an ambulance he does not know how close to death he is."
The Medical Officer of Health had conducted an investigation into the claims and submitted his report – but the public were not entitled to know its contents. At least not for the time being.
The Reporter also described how anglers had been calling into Spaven's fish merchant's shop in Barrow Street this week enquiring after a "monster" pike.
Michael Spaven had laid out the 4ft. long pike weighing 22lb in his window among his plaice and cod and told the paper:
"The word got round town, and anglers have been calling in to ask if the fish was caught locally."
However, Mr Spaven had to disappoint the fishermen as the pike had been netted in Ireland.
The seven-week long miners' strike ended on the 28th when the men returned to work.
But the power cuts continued well into March – as did the wrangling over the dispute in the Reporter's letters column.
This week ex-Suttoner "Disgusted" of Rochdale had this blunt message for the miners:
"It is your choice of work, so please don't complain let alone punish me and millions more…If you don't like it, get out."
Mrs Richardson from Pentire Avenue in Windle also had some advice for the publicity-seeking Dave Whelan.
At a time when people had been urged to cut down on unnecessary use of electricity, she had visited his Baxters Lane supermarket and seen lots of lights burning.
"It seems criminal to have such wastage", she added, calling for the prosecution of such businesses.
T. A. Owen was angry at plans by Wimpey to install a "sludge treatment plant", aka sewage farm, at Mill Brow in Eccleston.
Another correspondent was upset at President Nixon's trip to China – but as we know he would have his own troubles soon!
It was also reported that the "gypsy" caravan site on Sherdley Road / Dobsons Lane was to have a bath and shower unit added to its communal services block. And individual supplies of electricity were to be connected to each caravan.
But it was also revealed that since St Helens Corporation had opened the 12-berth site in February 1971, the members of the travelling community had underused it.
Presently only half of its twelve spaces were occupied and the site had never been full. At one point during last summer there were only three occupiers, as the gypsies went hop picking down south.
Last week the Reporter described a "monster scheme" costing £300,000 (around £5m in today's money) to resurface the East Lancs Road with anti-skid properties.
The 9-month-long project would begin in three months and while the work was taking place, vehicles would be channelled onto a single carriageway – in sections up to 2½ miles long.
Huge traffic jams were predicted at peak times but Michael O’Hara was expecting far worse – bankruptcy.
The tenant of Carr Mill Service Station told the Reporter this week: "It's going to be disastrous. It will drive me into liquidation."
That was because Mr O’Hara from Ackers Lane believed his service station – which had recently had a £23,000 facelift – would be isolated from his customers. He said:
"Whether they do one carriageway at a time or in sections, there'll be no entrance and exit to the station for some time. Motorists won't stop anyway – they'll just want to get off the road quickly to get out of the traffic jams."
And 57-year-old Mr O’Hara knew what he was talking about. When the central reservation had been laid on the East Lancs in 1962, his petrol sales were reduced to less than half their usual amount.
Concern was also raised this week over plans by Higson's Brewery to build eleven homes and a car park on the Coach and Horses' bowling green in Rainhill.
Cllr. Nellie Holley told a meeting of Whiston Council's planning committee that the nearest green would be a mile away at the Ship Inn.
Rainhill Parish Council, bowling leagues and pensioners groups were also objecting to the proposals.
Next week's stories will include Pilks' shock announcement of a glass tank closure, the expansion of one-man buses, the Dorothy Street dump, Queen Mary's reign in Taylor Park comes to an end and the Duke of Edinburgh plans a visit to St Helens.
We begin with Silcock's Annual Pleasure Fair, which began this week on land by the fire station in Parr Stocks Road.
The event lasted for a fortnight but was closed on Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
This was their brief article under the headline "The Long-Distance Lovers":
"Soldier Martin Moylan met Barbara Hosker for only the third time yesterday . . . and married her. Nineteen-year-old Martin, pictured carrying his bride after the wedding in St. Helens, Lancs, first set eyes on Barbara at a friend's wedding nearly six months ago.
"From then on, the long-distance lovers kept the telephone lines humming between Martin's Army billet in Belfast and the call box on the corner near Barbara's home in St. Helens. With up to six calls a day. On their second date they bought a ring.
"And after their third date yesterday Martin said he had spent about £70 on telephone calls. He said: “They were worth every penny.”"
That's the equivalent of around £1,000 in today's money. However, subsequent reports claimed that a sniper may have shot at the couple – and there were fears it could have been an IRA attack.
And so a police investigation was launched and the culprit turned out to be a small boy who had been playing with an air rifle in a nearby garden. A stray pellet had ricocheted and struck a guest at the wedding in the back.
Last month it had been announced that taxi ranks would be coming to St Helens.
This week it was confirmed that the scheme would start at six locations in the town centre from March – but would only be a trial.
And the Hackney Carriage Operators Association were not happy with the charges as laid down by St Helens Corporation.
The taxi drivers wanted their passengers to pay them 15p a mile – but the Corporation would only allow 12p.
A new byelaw had been passed enabling the creation of six taxi ranks in St Helens, each with room for between four and six cabs.
In order to receive a licence to operate, all taxis would have to pass a test set by the Corporation's Transport Department.
There was disappointment when the road fatality figures for St Helens were released on March 2nd.
The total for 1970 had dropped to four and it had been hoped that the low number of deaths would be maintained during the following year. However, the 1971 total rose to fourteen.
The Borough Road Safety Officer, Alan Collinson, explained: "Last year's figure is high, but only compared with 1970, which was an exceptional year. Before that the average number of fatal accidents was around 20.
"Despite the number of fatalities, it is encouraging to record that accidents generally fell by about five per cent., from 545 in 1970 to 511 in 1971."
Also on the 2nd, Herbert Andrews was fined £175 by St Helens magistrates after pleading guilty to seven charges of being in possession of obscene books.
Inspector David Johnstone told the court that last October the police had made several test purchases from Andrews' bookshop in Bickerstaffe Street.
After receiving advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions, the premises were subsequently raided and a large number of books were taken away.
Mr Andrews had told the police: "There's a market for this sort of stuff".
The 50-year-old's solicitor told the court that the bookshop had operated for several years and only sold adult books.
He emphasised that the premises did not sell sweets, toys or women's magazines and a notice in the shop stated that no person under 18 would be served.
The solicitor added that only a small proportion of trade was from men under the age of 25.
After announcing the fine, the chairman of the Bench, Jack Woodcock, made orders for some of the books to be destroyed or confiscated – with the rest to be returned to Mr Andrews.
On the 3rd thirty men employed at the St Helens Plastics factory barricaded themselves into a machine room upon learning they were being sacked.
The dismissals occurred after the firm on the Reginald Road industrial estate in Sutton was sold to Linpac Plastics.
A week later the men were still on site – despite the new owners saying the men could apply for their old jobs and resume work once new equipment was installed.
The St Helens Reporter on the 3rd was looking for a new name for the district of St Helens, once the planned local government shake-up took place.
The town – along with Huyton-with-Roby, Kirkby, Rainford, Rainhill, Prescot, Haydock and Newton-le-Willows etc. – was being merged into District 11(C) of the Merseyside Metropolitan County.
The newspaper did not fancy becoming the "District 11(C) Reporter" and was offering £5 to the best name that readers suggested.
The Liverpool Echo was also a bit confused about the forthcoming changes, seemingly expecting new place names to emerge from the municipal make-over:
"District C will be St. Helens, Haydock, Huyton, Kirkby, Newton-le-Willows, Prescot, and Rainford, and a lot of parochial pride will have to be swallowed before there is agreement on a common name for that amalgam."
The Reporter was also unimpressed with St Helens Council going into secret session to discuss a report into the St Helens Ambulance Service's shortcomings.
One worker told the Reporter: "When a member of the St. Helens public rides in an ambulance he does not know how close to death he is."
The Medical Officer of Health had conducted an investigation into the claims and submitted his report – but the public were not entitled to know its contents. At least not for the time being.
The Reporter also described how anglers had been calling into Spaven's fish merchant's shop in Barrow Street this week enquiring after a "monster" pike.
Michael Spaven had laid out the 4ft. long pike weighing 22lb in his window among his plaice and cod and told the paper:
"The word got round town, and anglers have been calling in to ask if the fish was caught locally."
However, Mr Spaven had to disappoint the fishermen as the pike had been netted in Ireland.
The seven-week long miners' strike ended on the 28th when the men returned to work.
But the power cuts continued well into March – as did the wrangling over the dispute in the Reporter's letters column.
This week ex-Suttoner "Disgusted" of Rochdale had this blunt message for the miners:
"It is your choice of work, so please don't complain let alone punish me and millions more…If you don't like it, get out."
Mrs Richardson from Pentire Avenue in Windle also had some advice for the publicity-seeking Dave Whelan.
At a time when people had been urged to cut down on unnecessary use of electricity, she had visited his Baxters Lane supermarket and seen lots of lights burning.
"It seems criminal to have such wastage", she added, calling for the prosecution of such businesses.
T. A. Owen was angry at plans by Wimpey to install a "sludge treatment plant", aka sewage farm, at Mill Brow in Eccleston.
Another correspondent was upset at President Nixon's trip to China – but as we know he would have his own troubles soon!
It was also reported that the "gypsy" caravan site on Sherdley Road / Dobsons Lane was to have a bath and shower unit added to its communal services block. And individual supplies of electricity were to be connected to each caravan.
But it was also revealed that since St Helens Corporation had opened the 12-berth site in February 1971, the members of the travelling community had underused it.
Presently only half of its twelve spaces were occupied and the site had never been full. At one point during last summer there were only three occupiers, as the gypsies went hop picking down south.
Last week the Reporter described a "monster scheme" costing £300,000 (around £5m in today's money) to resurface the East Lancs Road with anti-skid properties.
The 9-month-long project would begin in three months and while the work was taking place, vehicles would be channelled onto a single carriageway – in sections up to 2½ miles long.
Huge traffic jams were predicted at peak times but Michael O’Hara was expecting far worse – bankruptcy.
The tenant of Carr Mill Service Station told the Reporter this week: "It's going to be disastrous. It will drive me into liquidation."
That was because Mr O’Hara from Ackers Lane believed his service station – which had recently had a £23,000 facelift – would be isolated from his customers. He said:
"Whether they do one carriageway at a time or in sections, there'll be no entrance and exit to the station for some time. Motorists won't stop anyway – they'll just want to get off the road quickly to get out of the traffic jams."
And 57-year-old Mr O’Hara knew what he was talking about. When the central reservation had been laid on the East Lancs in 1962, his petrol sales were reduced to less than half their usual amount.
Concern was also raised this week over plans by Higson's Brewery to build eleven homes and a car park on the Coach and Horses' bowling green in Rainhill.
Cllr. Nellie Holley told a meeting of Whiston Council's planning committee that the nearest green would be a mile away at the Ship Inn.
Rainhill Parish Council, bowling leagues and pensioners groups were also objecting to the proposals.
Next week's stories will include Pilks' shock announcement of a glass tank closure, the expansion of one-man buses, the Dorothy Street dump, Queen Mary's reign in Taylor Park comes to an end and the Duke of Edinburgh plans a visit to St Helens.