100 years ago

The official programme in connection with the forthcoming visit of the King to Hull on June 26th when he would open the new Joint Dock, had not yet been completed.

It was hoped that the opening of the new dock would mark the commencement of a new era of commercial prosperity for the port.

The first man to realise the vast possibilities of the port of Hull had been King Edward I, when Hull was an insignificant fishing village. From that time onward the growth of the port had been rapid.

A century before, the population of Hull numbered less than 35,000 but currently the population exceeded 278,000, and with the development of overseas trade, which was bound to come with the opening of such a deep-water dock as the Joint Dock, it was possible the population would be still further increased.


50 years ago

The Australian airline Qantas had placed an order for four Concorde supersonic airliners with British Aircraft Corporation and Sud Aviation.

Qantas was making a substantial down payment against the four aircraft. BAC and Sud Aviation emphasised that the agreement signed with the airline represented a firm undertaking to buy.

It became invalid only if the aircraft failed to meet the criteria laid down for payload range or price.

“This is the significant difference between the orders for Concorde and those for the projected American supersonic transport,” said a BAC spokesman.

“In entering into our agreement with airlines, we as manufacturers are giving assurance of performance and cost, and this is why we feel we have the right to insist that the customer be bound contractually,”

Qantas was the eighth air line to conclude an agreement to buy the Concorde. The others were BOAC (eight), Air France (eight), Pan American (six), Continental (three), American (six), Transworld (six) and Middle East (two).


25 years ago

Fears were growing that the Government was clearing the way for North Yorkshire to be used for nuclear dumping.

The county structure plan’s special section opposing radioactive waste disposal was set to be deleted by Environment Secretary Nicholas Ridley. And a furious row was brewing over Mr Ridley’s “autocratic” decision.

The county council wanted to include in its planning blueprint a new section expressing total opposition to both nuclear dumping and exploration for possible disposal sites.

But Mr Ridley had told the authority that he would delete this policy so as to leave options open for NIREX, the Government’s radioactive waste disposal agency, to use the county if necessary.