FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (30th NOV. - 6th DEC. 1970)
This week's many stories include calls for tougher sentences for those who attacked bar staff, the new gipsy site off Dobson's Lane, a Christmas gifts feature is in the Reporter and the Billinge girl who posted a letter to the States bearing a Toytown stamp.
There was anger this week when a man was only fined £20 by magistrates after admitting throwing a glass at a barmaid and punching her in the face. The incident had taken place at the Cherry Tree Hotel in Fleet Lane and landlord Thomas Polding was not impressed: "It's disgusting," he said. "It's difficult to get barmaids who are trustworthy and reliable and we look to the law to give us protection. The police do their job, but the magistrates are far too soft. When a man has had too much beer he can be a real Jekyll and Hyde character. But when he's hauled off to court, he can even pay his fine on the hire purchase."
Reg Ashburner, the chairman of St Helens Licensed Victuallers Association, agreed, saying: "The courts treat them far too leniently. You can be fined as much for a simple motoring offence as you can for assaulting bar staff. Sentences must be made tougher because of the serious nature of these attacks."
The council's Works Committee met on the 2nd and heard complaints about the allocation of private sessions at the Boundary Road baths. The St Helens Swimming Club was particularly aggrieved that their members were not able to book sufficient time in the water to practice. Cllr. Arthur Luther said: "According to reports, members of some clubs are just splashing about with a ball, and not using their session time properly." There was concern that prospective champion swimmers might desert the baths become they weren't able to spend enough time in the water.
Committee members also heard that the town's first dedicated gipsy site on land off Dobson's Lane, near Sherdley Park, was nearing completion. Accommodation for twelve caravans was being created and talks with the Gipsy Council to allocate places were beginning this week. Water, electricity and toilets were being laid on and concrete platforms installed with the weekly rent set at £2 10 shillings.
Attempts would be made to transfer travellers from other illegal sites in St Helens but it was a sensitive issue, as Cllr. Joseph Mulcrow explained: "We are trying to move these people in a humane way. We must get rid of the festering sore in the Park Road demolition area. People passing through the town must be ashamed of what they see."
A big story in the Reporter on the 4th was the news that Pilkington workers were being offered a new pay deal that would include a streamlining of their wages and conditions. Two working parties set up in the wake of the seven-week strike earlier in the year had now released their findings and the members of the GMWU union would vote on the deal.
However the Reporter's lead story concerned a planned rent rise for almost 12,000 council house tenants. The increase would come into effect next April and would be a shilling for pre-war homes and three shillings for the rest. However the rise could have been as much as four shillings higher but for strike action on a Liverpool Road building site and a delay in completing new houses at Four Acre. As a result the contractors involved would not be getting paid for quite a while yet and so the bigger rent rise could be delayed.
There was a nice picture of Sandra James in the Reporter. The seven-year-old from Gorsey Brow in Billinge had posted a letter to her grandma in the States with a Toytown stamp on the envelope! Neither the British nor American Post Offices had queried what the Reporter called "make-believe mail" bearing a fake penny stamp and the missive had safely arrived at its South Dakota destination within a week. "It took me a night to write the letter", explained Sandra. "I posted it the next morning on my way to school. I used the paper out of my post office, so I thought it would be all right to use one of the stamps."
A Post Office spokesman thought that the British postal staff that had handled the letter had realised it came from a child and had decided to turn a blind eye. And the Americans had done the same and chose not to level any surcharge. In case you're wondering, the normal cost of sending an airmail letter in 1970 using proper stamps was 1s 3d.
The Reporter also described how an anonymous St Helens TV dealer was planning to install colour sets in four old people's homes during the Christmas period. These were the Nutgrove, Moss Bank, The Haven and Ashtons Green homes. The town's Chief Welfare Officer, Alfred Underhill, said: "This is a wonderful idea. Many of our old folk have never seen colour TV and although we have black and white sets in all our homes, this will be so much better." However the generosity of the TV dealer only went so far – as immediately after Christmas the colour sets would be whipped out and the black and white ones connected up again.
The Reporter also warned of a possible blackout at Christmas as workers at Bold Power Station were set to join a national work-to-rule over a pay dispute. This would become a big story in the coming weeks.
There was an advertising feature in the paper on the Bold Miners Institute in Fleet Lane, as a result of a games room extension being converted into a quiet room. This was described as a modern, luxurious lounge that had cost a total of £11,000 to create (about £200,000 in today's money).
A much larger feature in the Reporter was called "We're All Aglow With Christmas", which contained the usual advice on present buying and lots of ads. The writer didn't think much of purchasing practical gifts for women and thought power drills turned men into macho cavemen:
"Gifts that are useful tend to be about as exciting as a wet Monday, at least for women", wrote the Reporter journo. "But give one to the man in your life – a power drill for example – and it will stir his bosom in exactly the same way as his first motor cycle or a new car. It would take a psychiatrist to say just why portable power makes modern man feel as strong and adventurous as a young caveman who has slaughtered his first mammoth – because the machine does all the work."
That said there were no adverts in the Reporter offering power drills – but there were radiograms. You have to be of a certain age to remember these combined record players, radios and big, long lumps of furniture, usually in a nice teak or walnut finish. Harold Stott of Westfield Street was advertising "Fabulous Grams For Those Who Require Quality" with models costing £170 - £180. That's the equivalent of about £3,000 in today's money.
"Come and hear the fabulous miniature electronic organ as advertised on television by Rolf Harris for £8. 18. 6.", said another part of the ad. It was a clear reference to the Stylophone, although the name wasn't mentioned. Transistor radios were also available from Harold Stott – who for many years was the service manager at Rothery Radio – from £5 7s 6d and big, clunky reel-to-reel tape recorders from £37. The more compact cassette machines were "the perfect gift" and Sanyo, Sony, Ferguson and Phillips models were available from £21.
However Bill Lewis Sports of Baldwin Street thought the "ideal Christmas gift" was Subbuteo table soccer – although the "replica of association football" had now extended to cricket and rugby. P. A. White of 56 - 58 North Road was advertising a large selection of men's cosmetics including the inevitable Old Spice, as well as toiletries, perfumes, Instamatic cameras and electric shavers. They were also renting out 8mm films for children's parties.
Haywards children's outfitters of 33 Westfield Street were inviting customers to get "all dressed up for Christmas!". Jack Barnes at 60 Bridge Street was offering "Flared Cords – Famous Makes – All The New Colours" from 59/11. And Sabre knitwear from 59/11 and Ben Sherman Youths Shirts for 49/11.
I would not have thought that wigs were the ideal Christmas present but Helena House's Marcus Wig Boutique on their ground floor had pictures of the latest styles, with some bizarre names. These included 'Pussycat', 'Gipsy', 'Dutch Boy' and 'Issadora Pieces'. I wonder what a woman would make of her husband surprising her with a new wig on Christmas Day? "Don't you like my hair?", might well be the response!
A more welcome surprise on December 25th might be an engagement ring and jewellers Rimmer & Welding of Duke Street and A. Watkinson from Church Street were both advertising their range. Burgess Brothers of East Street were offering a "Wonderful World of Christmas" with toys and gifts for the gardener. "A small deposit secures any article". Not a phrase you hear much, if at all, from shops these days. And finally in the feature, Pimbletts were promoting the usual Christmas party foods from their seven premises in St Helens, with an eighth in Clock Face set to open next week.
During the evenings of the 4th and 5th, more than 150 St Helens Guides celebrated their diamond jubilee by performing a special show at the Theatre Royal. The girls from about twenty companies presented what was described as a "colourful pageant of music and song" called 'The Amber Gate', with 17-year-old Vanessa Martlew from Rainhill as the narrator.
The 1st Rainford Girl Guides Parents and Supporters Group also held a Christmas Fair on the 5th in the Village Hall. The event raised over £100, which went towards their fund for new premises. The guides and brownies then met in the Congregational Church Hall but were hoping to buy some land and obtain a grant for a new building.
Also during the evening of the 5th there was a disco at Moss Lane, with admission at the home of St Helens RUFC costing 3 shillings. And finally a special Toy Service was held on the 6th at St Andrew's church in Dentons Green with all the toys going to needy children in Liverpool.
Next week's stories will include a week of power cuts and misery for St Helens folk, 200 Saints fans fly to France, St Helens soldiers speak of rioting mobs in Northern Ireland and there's criticism of the Catholic church's response to alcoholism.
There was anger this week when a man was only fined £20 by magistrates after admitting throwing a glass at a barmaid and punching her in the face. The incident had taken place at the Cherry Tree Hotel in Fleet Lane and landlord Thomas Polding was not impressed: "It's disgusting," he said. "It's difficult to get barmaids who are trustworthy and reliable and we look to the law to give us protection. The police do their job, but the magistrates are far too soft. When a man has had too much beer he can be a real Jekyll and Hyde character. But when he's hauled off to court, he can even pay his fine on the hire purchase."
Reg Ashburner, the chairman of St Helens Licensed Victuallers Association, agreed, saying: "The courts treat them far too leniently. You can be fined as much for a simple motoring offence as you can for assaulting bar staff. Sentences must be made tougher because of the serious nature of these attacks."
The council's Works Committee met on the 2nd and heard complaints about the allocation of private sessions at the Boundary Road baths. The St Helens Swimming Club was particularly aggrieved that their members were not able to book sufficient time in the water to practice. Cllr. Arthur Luther said: "According to reports, members of some clubs are just splashing about with a ball, and not using their session time properly." There was concern that prospective champion swimmers might desert the baths become they weren't able to spend enough time in the water.
Committee members also heard that the town's first dedicated gipsy site on land off Dobson's Lane, near Sherdley Park, was nearing completion. Accommodation for twelve caravans was being created and talks with the Gipsy Council to allocate places were beginning this week. Water, electricity and toilets were being laid on and concrete platforms installed with the weekly rent set at £2 10 shillings.
Attempts would be made to transfer travellers from other illegal sites in St Helens but it was a sensitive issue, as Cllr. Joseph Mulcrow explained: "We are trying to move these people in a humane way. We must get rid of the festering sore in the Park Road demolition area. People passing through the town must be ashamed of what they see."
A big story in the Reporter on the 4th was the news that Pilkington workers were being offered a new pay deal that would include a streamlining of their wages and conditions. Two working parties set up in the wake of the seven-week strike earlier in the year had now released their findings and the members of the GMWU union would vote on the deal.
However the Reporter's lead story concerned a planned rent rise for almost 12,000 council house tenants. The increase would come into effect next April and would be a shilling for pre-war homes and three shillings for the rest. However the rise could have been as much as four shillings higher but for strike action on a Liverpool Road building site and a delay in completing new houses at Four Acre. As a result the contractors involved would not be getting paid for quite a while yet and so the bigger rent rise could be delayed.
There was a nice picture of Sandra James in the Reporter. The seven-year-old from Gorsey Brow in Billinge had posted a letter to her grandma in the States with a Toytown stamp on the envelope! Neither the British nor American Post Offices had queried what the Reporter called "make-believe mail" bearing a fake penny stamp and the missive had safely arrived at its South Dakota destination within a week. "It took me a night to write the letter", explained Sandra. "I posted it the next morning on my way to school. I used the paper out of my post office, so I thought it would be all right to use one of the stamps."
A Post Office spokesman thought that the British postal staff that had handled the letter had realised it came from a child and had decided to turn a blind eye. And the Americans had done the same and chose not to level any surcharge. In case you're wondering, the normal cost of sending an airmail letter in 1970 using proper stamps was 1s 3d.
The Reporter also described how an anonymous St Helens TV dealer was planning to install colour sets in four old people's homes during the Christmas period. These were the Nutgrove, Moss Bank, The Haven and Ashtons Green homes. The town's Chief Welfare Officer, Alfred Underhill, said: "This is a wonderful idea. Many of our old folk have never seen colour TV and although we have black and white sets in all our homes, this will be so much better." However the generosity of the TV dealer only went so far – as immediately after Christmas the colour sets would be whipped out and the black and white ones connected up again.
The Reporter also warned of a possible blackout at Christmas as workers at Bold Power Station were set to join a national work-to-rule over a pay dispute. This would become a big story in the coming weeks.
There was an advertising feature in the paper on the Bold Miners Institute in Fleet Lane, as a result of a games room extension being converted into a quiet room. This was described as a modern, luxurious lounge that had cost a total of £11,000 to create (about £200,000 in today's money).
A much larger feature in the Reporter was called "We're All Aglow With Christmas", which contained the usual advice on present buying and lots of ads. The writer didn't think much of purchasing practical gifts for women and thought power drills turned men into macho cavemen:
"Gifts that are useful tend to be about as exciting as a wet Monday, at least for women", wrote the Reporter journo. "But give one to the man in your life – a power drill for example – and it will stir his bosom in exactly the same way as his first motor cycle or a new car. It would take a psychiatrist to say just why portable power makes modern man feel as strong and adventurous as a young caveman who has slaughtered his first mammoth – because the machine does all the work."
That said there were no adverts in the Reporter offering power drills – but there were radiograms. You have to be of a certain age to remember these combined record players, radios and big, long lumps of furniture, usually in a nice teak or walnut finish. Harold Stott of Westfield Street was advertising "Fabulous Grams For Those Who Require Quality" with models costing £170 - £180. That's the equivalent of about £3,000 in today's money.
However Bill Lewis Sports of Baldwin Street thought the "ideal Christmas gift" was Subbuteo table soccer – although the "replica of association football" had now extended to cricket and rugby. P. A. White of 56 - 58 North Road was advertising a large selection of men's cosmetics including the inevitable Old Spice, as well as toiletries, perfumes, Instamatic cameras and electric shavers. They were also renting out 8mm films for children's parties.
Haywards children's outfitters of 33 Westfield Street were inviting customers to get "all dressed up for Christmas!". Jack Barnes at 60 Bridge Street was offering "Flared Cords – Famous Makes – All The New Colours" from 59/11. And Sabre knitwear from 59/11 and Ben Sherman Youths Shirts for 49/11.
I would not have thought that wigs were the ideal Christmas present but Helena House's Marcus Wig Boutique on their ground floor had pictures of the latest styles, with some bizarre names. These included 'Pussycat', 'Gipsy', 'Dutch Boy' and 'Issadora Pieces'. I wonder what a woman would make of her husband surprising her with a new wig on Christmas Day? "Don't you like my hair?", might well be the response!
A more welcome surprise on December 25th might be an engagement ring and jewellers Rimmer & Welding of Duke Street and A. Watkinson from Church Street were both advertising their range. Burgess Brothers of East Street were offering a "Wonderful World of Christmas" with toys and gifts for the gardener. "A small deposit secures any article". Not a phrase you hear much, if at all, from shops these days. And finally in the feature, Pimbletts were promoting the usual Christmas party foods from their seven premises in St Helens, with an eighth in Clock Face set to open next week.
During the evenings of the 4th and 5th, more than 150 St Helens Guides celebrated their diamond jubilee by performing a special show at the Theatre Royal. The girls from about twenty companies presented what was described as a "colourful pageant of music and song" called 'The Amber Gate', with 17-year-old Vanessa Martlew from Rainhill as the narrator.
The 1st Rainford Girl Guides Parents and Supporters Group also held a Christmas Fair on the 5th in the Village Hall. The event raised over £100, which went towards their fund for new premises. The guides and brownies then met in the Congregational Church Hall but were hoping to buy some land and obtain a grant for a new building.
Also during the evening of the 5th there was a disco at Moss Lane, with admission at the home of St Helens RUFC costing 3 shillings. And finally a special Toy Service was held on the 6th at St Andrew's church in Dentons Green with all the toys going to needy children in Liverpool.
Next week's stories will include a week of power cuts and misery for St Helens folk, 200 Saints fans fly to France, St Helens soldiers speak of rioting mobs in Northern Ireland and there's criticism of the Catholic church's response to alcoholism.
This week's many stories include calls for tougher sentences for those who attacked bar staff, the new gipsy site off Dobson's Lane, a Christmas gifts feature is in the Reporter and the Billinge girl who posted a letter to the States bearing a Toytown stamp.
There was anger this week when a man was only fined £20 by magistrates after admitting throwing a glass at a barmaid and punching her in the face.
The incident had taken place at the Cherry Tree Hotel in Fleet Lane and landlord Thomas Polding was not impressed:
"It's disgusting," he said. "It's difficult to get barmaids who are trustworthy and reliable and we look to the law to give us protection. The police do their job, but the magistrates are far too soft.
"When a man has had too much beer he can be a real Jekyll and Hyde character. But when he's hauled off to court, he can even pay his fine on the hire purchase."
Reg Ashburner, the chairman of St Helens Licensed Victuallers Association, agreed, saying:
"The courts treat them far too leniently. You can be fined as much for a simple motoring offence as you can for assaulting bar staff. Sentences must be made tougher because of the serious nature of these attacks."
The council's Works Committee met on the 2nd and heard complaints about the allocation of private sessions at the Boundary Road baths.
The St Helens Swimming Club was particularly aggrieved that their members were not able to book sufficient time in the water to practice.
Cllr. Arthur Luther said: "According to reports, members of some clubs are just splashing about with a ball, and not using their session time properly."
There was concern that prospective champion swimmers might desert the baths become they weren't able to spend enough time in the water.
Committee members also heard that the town's first dedicated gipsy site on land off Dobson's Lane, near Sherdley Park, was nearing completion.
Accommodation for twelve caravans was being created and talks with the Gipsy Council to allocate places were beginning this week.
Water, electricity and toilets were being laid on and concrete platforms installed with the weekly rent set at £2 10 shillings.
Attempts would be made to transfer travellers from other illegal sites in St Helens but it was a sensitive issue, as Cllr. Joseph Mulcrow explained:
"We are trying to move these people in a humane way. We must get rid of the festering sore in the Park Road demolition area. People passing through the town must be ashamed of what they see."
A big story in the Reporter on the 4th was the news that Pilkington workers were being offered a new pay deal that would include a streamlining of their wages and conditions.
Two working parties set up in the wake of the seven-week strike earlier in the year had now released their findings and the members of the GMWU union would vote on the deal.
However the Reporter's lead story concerned a planned rent rise for almost 12,000 council house tenants.
The increase would come into effect next April and would be a shilling for pre-war homes and three shillings for the rest.
However the rise could have been as much as four shillings higher but for strike action on a Liverpool Road building site and a delay in completing new houses at Four Acre.
As a result the contractors involved would not be getting paid for quite a while yet and so the bigger rent rise could be delayed.
There was a nice picture of Sandra James in the Reporter. The seven-year-old from Gorsey Brow in Billinge had posted a letter to her grandma in the States with a Toytown stamp on the envelope!
Neither the British nor American Post Offices had queried what the Reporter called "make-believe mail" bearing a fake penny stamp and the missive had safely arrived at its South Dakota destination within a week.
"It took me a night to write the letter", explained Sandra. "I posted it the next morning on my way to school. I used the paper out of my post office, so I thought it would be all right to use one of the stamps."
A Post Office spokesman thought that the British postal staff that had handled the letter had realised it came from a child and had decided to turn a blind eye.
And the Americans had done the same and chose not to level any surcharge.
In case you're wondering, the normal cost of sending an airmail letter in 1970 using proper stamps was 1s 3d.
The Reporter also described how an anonymous St Helens TV dealer was planning to install colour sets in four old people's homes during the Christmas period.
These were the Nutgrove, Moss Bank, The Haven and Ashtons Green homes.
The town's Chief Welfare Officer, Alfred Underhill, said: "This is a wonderful idea. Many of our old folk have never seen colour TV and although we have black and white sets in all our homes, this will be so much better."
However the generosity of the TV dealer only went so far – as immediately after Christmas the colour sets would be whipped out and the black and white ones connected up again.
The Reporter also warned of a possible blackout at Christmas as workers at Bold Power Station were set to join a national work-to-rule over a pay dispute. This would become a big story in the coming weeks.
There was an advertising feature in the paper on the Bold Miners Institute in Fleet Lane, as a result of a games room extension being converted into a quiet room.
This was described as a modern, luxurious lounge that had cost a total of £11,000 to create (about £200,000 in today's money).
A much larger feature in the Reporter was called "We're All Aglow With Christmas", which contained the usual advice on present buying and lots of ads.
The writer didn't think much of purchasing practical gifts for women and thought power drills turned men into macho cavemen:
"Gifts that are useful tend to be about as exciting as a wet Monday, at least for women", wrote the Reporter journo. "But give one to the man in your life – a power drill for example – and it will stir his bosom in exactly the same way as his first motor cycle or a new car.
"It would take a psychiatrist to say just why portable power makes modern man feel as strong and adventurous as a young caveman who has slaughtered his first mammoth – because the machine does all the work."
That said there were no adverts in the Reporter offering power drills – but there were radiograms.
You have to be of a certain age to remember these combined record players, radios and big, long lumps of furniture, usually in a nice teak or walnut finish.
Harold Stott of Westfield Street was advertising "Fabulous Grams For Those Who Require Quality" with models costing £170 - £180. That's the equivalent of about £3,000 in today's money.
"Come and hear the fabulous miniature electronic organ as advertised on television by Rolf Harris for £8. 18. 6.", said another part of the ad.
It was a clear reference to the Stylophone, although the name wasn't mentioned.
Transistor radios were also available from Harold Stott – who for many years was the service manager at Rothery Radio – from £5 7s 6d and big, clunky reel-to-reel tape recorders from £37.
The more compact cassette machines were "the perfect gift" and Sanyo, Sony, Ferguson and Phillips models were available from £21.
However Bill Lewis Sports of Baldwin Street thought the "ideal Christmas gift" was Subbuteo table soccer – although the "replica of association football" had now extended to cricket and rugby.
P. A. White of 56 - 58 North Road was advertising a large selection of men's cosmetics including the inevitable Old Spice, as well as toiletries, perfumes, Instamatic cameras and electric shavers.
They were also renting out 8mm films for children's parties.
Haywards children's outfitters of 33 Westfield Street were inviting customers to get "all dressed up for Christmas!".
Jack Barnes at 60 Bridge Street was offering "Flared Cords – Famous Makes – All The New Colours" from 59/11. And Sabre knitwear from 59/11 and Ben Sherman Youths Shirts for 49/11.
I would not have thought that wigs were the ideal Christmas present but Helena House's Marcus Wig Boutique on their ground floor had pictures of the latest styles, with some bizarre names.
These included 'Pussycat', 'Gipsy', 'Dutch Boy' and 'Issadora Pieces'.
I wonder what a woman would make of her husband surprising her with a new wig on Christmas Day? "Don't you like my hair?", might well be the response!
A more welcome surprise on December 25th might be an engagement ring and jewellers Rimmer & Welding of Duke Street and A. Watkinson from Church Street were both advertising their range.
Burgess Brothers of East Street were offering a "Wonderful World of Christmas" with toys and gifts for the gardener.
"A small deposit secures any article". Not a phrase you hear much, if at all, from shops these days.
And finally in the feature, Pimbletts were promoting the usual Christmas party foods from their seven premises in St Helens, with an eighth in Clock Face set to open next week.
During the evenings of the 4th and 5th, more than 150 St Helens Guides celebrated their diamond jubilee by performing a special show at the Theatre Royal.
The girls from about twenty companies presented what was described as a "colourful pageant of music and song" called 'The Amber Gate', with 17-year-old Vanessa Martlew from Rainhill as the narrator.
The 1st Rainford Girl Guides Parents and Supporters Group also held a Christmas Fair on the 5th in the Village Hall.
The event raised over £100, which went towards their fund for new premises.
The guides and brownies then met in the Congregational Church Hall but were hoping to buy some land and obtain a grant for a new building.
Also during the evening of the 5th there was a disco at Moss Lane, with admission at the home of St Helens RUFC costing 3 shillings.
And finally a special Toy Service was held on the 6th at St Andrew's church in Dentons Green with all the toys going to needy children in Liverpool.
Next week's stories will include a week of power cuts and misery for St Helens folk, 200 Saints fans fly to France, St Helens soldiers speak of rioting mobs in Northern Ireland and there's criticism of the Catholic church's response to alcoholism.
There was anger this week when a man was only fined £20 by magistrates after admitting throwing a glass at a barmaid and punching her in the face.
The incident had taken place at the Cherry Tree Hotel in Fleet Lane and landlord Thomas Polding was not impressed:
"It's disgusting," he said. "It's difficult to get barmaids who are trustworthy and reliable and we look to the law to give us protection. The police do their job, but the magistrates are far too soft.
"When a man has had too much beer he can be a real Jekyll and Hyde character. But when he's hauled off to court, he can even pay his fine on the hire purchase."
Reg Ashburner, the chairman of St Helens Licensed Victuallers Association, agreed, saying:
"The courts treat them far too leniently. You can be fined as much for a simple motoring offence as you can for assaulting bar staff. Sentences must be made tougher because of the serious nature of these attacks."
The council's Works Committee met on the 2nd and heard complaints about the allocation of private sessions at the Boundary Road baths.
The St Helens Swimming Club was particularly aggrieved that their members were not able to book sufficient time in the water to practice.
Cllr. Arthur Luther said: "According to reports, members of some clubs are just splashing about with a ball, and not using their session time properly."
There was concern that prospective champion swimmers might desert the baths become they weren't able to spend enough time in the water.
Committee members also heard that the town's first dedicated gipsy site on land off Dobson's Lane, near Sherdley Park, was nearing completion.
Accommodation for twelve caravans was being created and talks with the Gipsy Council to allocate places were beginning this week.
Water, electricity and toilets were being laid on and concrete platforms installed with the weekly rent set at £2 10 shillings.
Attempts would be made to transfer travellers from other illegal sites in St Helens but it was a sensitive issue, as Cllr. Joseph Mulcrow explained:
"We are trying to move these people in a humane way. We must get rid of the festering sore in the Park Road demolition area. People passing through the town must be ashamed of what they see."
A big story in the Reporter on the 4th was the news that Pilkington workers were being offered a new pay deal that would include a streamlining of their wages and conditions.
Two working parties set up in the wake of the seven-week strike earlier in the year had now released their findings and the members of the GMWU union would vote on the deal.
However the Reporter's lead story concerned a planned rent rise for almost 12,000 council house tenants.
The increase would come into effect next April and would be a shilling for pre-war homes and three shillings for the rest.
However the rise could have been as much as four shillings higher but for strike action on a Liverpool Road building site and a delay in completing new houses at Four Acre.
As a result the contractors involved would not be getting paid for quite a while yet and so the bigger rent rise could be delayed.
There was a nice picture of Sandra James in the Reporter. The seven-year-old from Gorsey Brow in Billinge had posted a letter to her grandma in the States with a Toytown stamp on the envelope!
Neither the British nor American Post Offices had queried what the Reporter called "make-believe mail" bearing a fake penny stamp and the missive had safely arrived at its South Dakota destination within a week.
"It took me a night to write the letter", explained Sandra. "I posted it the next morning on my way to school. I used the paper out of my post office, so I thought it would be all right to use one of the stamps."
A Post Office spokesman thought that the British postal staff that had handled the letter had realised it came from a child and had decided to turn a blind eye.
And the Americans had done the same and chose not to level any surcharge.
In case you're wondering, the normal cost of sending an airmail letter in 1970 using proper stamps was 1s 3d.
The Reporter also described how an anonymous St Helens TV dealer was planning to install colour sets in four old people's homes during the Christmas period.
These were the Nutgrove, Moss Bank, The Haven and Ashtons Green homes.
The town's Chief Welfare Officer, Alfred Underhill, said: "This is a wonderful idea. Many of our old folk have never seen colour TV and although we have black and white sets in all our homes, this will be so much better."
However the generosity of the TV dealer only went so far – as immediately after Christmas the colour sets would be whipped out and the black and white ones connected up again.
The Reporter also warned of a possible blackout at Christmas as workers at Bold Power Station were set to join a national work-to-rule over a pay dispute. This would become a big story in the coming weeks.
There was an advertising feature in the paper on the Bold Miners Institute in Fleet Lane, as a result of a games room extension being converted into a quiet room.
This was described as a modern, luxurious lounge that had cost a total of £11,000 to create (about £200,000 in today's money).
A much larger feature in the Reporter was called "We're All Aglow With Christmas", which contained the usual advice on present buying and lots of ads.
The writer didn't think much of purchasing practical gifts for women and thought power drills turned men into macho cavemen:
"Gifts that are useful tend to be about as exciting as a wet Monday, at least for women", wrote the Reporter journo. "But give one to the man in your life – a power drill for example – and it will stir his bosom in exactly the same way as his first motor cycle or a new car.
"It would take a psychiatrist to say just why portable power makes modern man feel as strong and adventurous as a young caveman who has slaughtered his first mammoth – because the machine does all the work."
That said there were no adverts in the Reporter offering power drills – but there were radiograms.
You have to be of a certain age to remember these combined record players, radios and big, long lumps of furniture, usually in a nice teak or walnut finish.
Harold Stott of Westfield Street was advertising "Fabulous Grams For Those Who Require Quality" with models costing £170 - £180. That's the equivalent of about £3,000 in today's money.
It was a clear reference to the Stylophone, although the name wasn't mentioned.
Transistor radios were also available from Harold Stott – who for many years was the service manager at Rothery Radio – from £5 7s 6d and big, clunky reel-to-reel tape recorders from £37.
The more compact cassette machines were "the perfect gift" and Sanyo, Sony, Ferguson and Phillips models were available from £21.
However Bill Lewis Sports of Baldwin Street thought the "ideal Christmas gift" was Subbuteo table soccer – although the "replica of association football" had now extended to cricket and rugby.
P. A. White of 56 - 58 North Road was advertising a large selection of men's cosmetics including the inevitable Old Spice, as well as toiletries, perfumes, Instamatic cameras and electric shavers.
They were also renting out 8mm films for children's parties.
Haywards children's outfitters of 33 Westfield Street were inviting customers to get "all dressed up for Christmas!".
Jack Barnes at 60 Bridge Street was offering "Flared Cords – Famous Makes – All The New Colours" from 59/11. And Sabre knitwear from 59/11 and Ben Sherman Youths Shirts for 49/11.
I would not have thought that wigs were the ideal Christmas present but Helena House's Marcus Wig Boutique on their ground floor had pictures of the latest styles, with some bizarre names.
These included 'Pussycat', 'Gipsy', 'Dutch Boy' and 'Issadora Pieces'.
I wonder what a woman would make of her husband surprising her with a new wig on Christmas Day? "Don't you like my hair?", might well be the response!
A more welcome surprise on December 25th might be an engagement ring and jewellers Rimmer & Welding of Duke Street and A. Watkinson from Church Street were both advertising their range.
Burgess Brothers of East Street were offering a "Wonderful World of Christmas" with toys and gifts for the gardener.
"A small deposit secures any article". Not a phrase you hear much, if at all, from shops these days.
And finally in the feature, Pimbletts were promoting the usual Christmas party foods from their seven premises in St Helens, with an eighth in Clock Face set to open next week.
During the evenings of the 4th and 5th, more than 150 St Helens Guides celebrated their diamond jubilee by performing a special show at the Theatre Royal.
The girls from about twenty companies presented what was described as a "colourful pageant of music and song" called 'The Amber Gate', with 17-year-old Vanessa Martlew from Rainhill as the narrator.
The 1st Rainford Girl Guides Parents and Supporters Group also held a Christmas Fair on the 5th in the Village Hall.
The event raised over £100, which went towards their fund for new premises.
The guides and brownies then met in the Congregational Church Hall but were hoping to buy some land and obtain a grant for a new building.
Also during the evening of the 5th there was a disco at Moss Lane, with admission at the home of St Helens RUFC costing 3 shillings.
And finally a special Toy Service was held on the 6th at St Andrew's church in Dentons Green with all the toys going to needy children in Liverpool.
Next week's stories will include a week of power cuts and misery for St Helens folk, 200 Saints fans fly to France, St Helens soldiers speak of rioting mobs in Northern Ireland and there's criticism of the Catholic church's response to alcoholism.