From our Files: Estate vandalism...missing iguana...Lottery condemnation
75 YEARS AGO
A THREATENED increase of a 3d. rate for this year and one of 5d. for a full year, owing to an increase in workman’s wages coupled with a reduction in the number of hours worked, caused some serious discussion at Wednesday’s meeting of the Borough Council, and led Ald. A. F. Dinham to remark “If they keep reducing working hours until we get no work at all, then God help old England.”
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THOSE of my readers who have cats that are always “the wrong side of the door”, may be interested to hear of an answer to the problem.
The solution to the difficulty has been carried out by Mr G. Platen, of New Milton. He has removed a pane of glass from one of his ground floor windows and replaced it with a hinged flap.
In order to get the animal to use the new entrance, the flap was wedged half open with a piece of wood, it being lowered a little each day when the cat gives the door a push and goes in or out without human assistance.
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SMOKERS supported a resolution, carried by Lymington Borough Council on Wednesday, to ban smoking during meetings.
Major H. W. Hall, the mover, said that one Councillor, taken out from the last meeting bordering on collapse, had stated that his indisposition was due to lack of oxygen in the Council Chamber, aggravated by dense clouds of nicotine fumes, which almost hid the Mayor.
50 YEARS AGO
VANDALISM by children, many reported to be below the age of criminal responsibility, is causing grave concern to the builders of the new Council houses on the Milton North Council Estate. Damage over the past year, which reached a climax last weekend with the attack on a near completed block of four houses, has resulted not only in extra expense and wasted time for the contractors and the Council, but also in delays for occupation by families at a time when there is a serious shortage of inexpensive housing in this area.
A spokesman for Drew’s, giving a short history of the troubles on North Milton Estate, said that foundation concrete had been disturbed, windows smashed, radiators stolen – although probably not by children – completed buildings broken into, tiles broken on roofs and external cladding, foundation ducts and manholes filled up and knocked over, and partially built screen walls pushed over.
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LYMINGTON branch of the Royal British Legion held a special party in their clubroom for certain branch members – and stipulation was that they should be at least 90 years of age. Two had “defaulted on the exercise,” said Brig. K. Pearce Smith, for both Freddie Fryer and Charlie Shave had died since the party.
The three who attended relished being feted as their glasses were topped up, refreshments served, and the rest of the company sang “Old soldiers never die.”
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OVER 600 workers at Wellworthy Ltd, Ringwood, downed tools on Tuesday morning over a pay dispute. The trouble was over phase three of the company’s pay agreement, parts of which the union did not find acceptable. Soon after clocking in for work, there was a meeting of employees and they stopped work while union officials met the management.
A spokesman for the union said phase three menat a £1 increase, plus four per cent and production bonuses. He said agreement could not be reached over the way parts of the agreement should be interpreted.
25 YEARS AGO
THE National Lottery, introduced by the Conservatives, has been condemned by Tory MP for New Forest East, Julian Lewis, who in a Commons debate said he had believed from the start that it would be a somewhat corrupting force in society, and that it was now corrupting the Government.
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“RIZLA”, the two foot long iguana from New Milton, reported missing in last week’s “A&T” has been found.
Missing from his home in Moluyneux Road for six days, Rizla’s owner Patricia Wilkins was worried he would die during the cold nights as iguanas need constant heat.
Rizla was found at the top of a five foot hedge on Friday last week in an “A&T staff member’s garden, but the cheeky reptile had not travelled far; he lives next door.
Margaret Hodder, who works for the “A&T advertising department,said her brother-in-law, Reg Hodder found Rizla when he was trimming the privet hedge.
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A DEPUTATION of thirteen youngsters made a plea to Lyndhurst parish councillors, on Tuesday evening, for a skateboard ramp on the recreation ground. The councillors leant sympathetic ears, but the £6,000 cost for a modest detachable ramp, and high insurance premiums, could prove stumbling blocks.
Spokesman for the boys was 16-year-old Max Kennard of Wellands Road, who pointed out that notices have now gone up banning skateboarding in the village car park, people complained of the skateboards’ noise, “and it costs £4.10 to go to Southampton, which is quite expensive for young people. Our parents would be more pleased if we could stay in our own village.
