From Our Files: Sway Pig Club... outside toilets... pay grumbles... homes shortage
75 YEARS AGO
A PUBLIC meeting was arranged by the Highcliffe Citizens’ Association, on Friday last, on food production.
The speaker, Mr A.C. Hazel from the Central Office of Information, reviewing the economics of the food position, stated that it would take at least five years to overcome shortages.
Many searching questions were asked and comment was made on the lack of public posters urging people to “dig or die” – as one speaker put it.
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THE annual meeting of the Sway Pig Club was held in the Girl Guides’ Hut Sway on Monday evening.
It heard that between 50 and 60 pigs were killed for home consumption by members and approximately 20 went to the Ministry of Food.
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THE Old Malt House in New Street will be converted into a community centre for Lymington.
The old building has not been used for malting within living memory and was occupied by the Third Corps French Artillery, consisting of Royalist refugees from France, in the latter period of the 18th Century.
About 400 of them lived in the Malt House and in some houses and a long row of stables and buildings (since destroyed) opposite it.
50 YEARS AGO
STAFF at the Signals Research and Development Establishment, Christchurch, in their campaign against the closure of the establishment are seeking the help of MPs of all parties, the Commons Select Committee on Science and Technology, local government and Press and broadcast media, to try and bring about “a change of mind and a change of heart in the Minister”.
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A GARDENER at Lymington Hospital was paid £11.11 a week net; a mortuary attendant £15.17; a day port £14.28; and one rotary shift porter £16.42. Giving these figures to Mr Patrick McNair-Wilson, MP for the New Forest, when he visited Lymington Hospital on Saturday, Mr Hugh Cooper, hospital administrator at Lymington, asked: “How can I possibly recruit staff with these sort of wages?”
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THE shortage of small houses available for purchase in Boldre was commented upon by the Vicar, the Rev. John Hayter, that of the nearly 50 couples who had been married at Boldre during the past two years, there might have been nine who would have considered residing in the parish had houses been available.
25 YEARS AGO
THE pupils at Netley Marsh Infant School have never known such luxury – for the first time since the school was opened in 1863, they do not have to endure all weathers when visiting their outside toilets. Last weekend, New Forest East MP Dr Julian Lewis formally opened a long awaited £90,000 extension to the school and told the 84 your pupils: “Yesterday, the Minister for Education, David Blunkett, announced he is going to find funds for a campaign to demolish all outside school toilets. He must have known Netley Marsh has won its battle, and the government will now have to do it for everyone!”
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THE proprietors of Ashley Store have lost the contract to run the post office there and angry customers have started a petition in protest. Since Colin and Meryl McConnachie took over the run-down shop five years ago they have doubled the PO business. But now Post Office Counters have awarded the contract to the nearby Alldays convenience store.
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“UNITED we stand and divided, commoning will fall,” declared Capt. Tim Moore, warning against any breakaway moves amongst the 600-strong New Forest Commoners’ Defence Association.
Stepping down after 21 years as the CDA chairman, the Alderholt vet hit out at some members who were holding the Forestry Commission to ransom to help commoners out of a mounting cash crisis because of a crash in market prices for cattle and ponies.
