Monday, June 27, 2005

100 years ago

The Chief inspector of Factories had just issued a report giving evidence that life in the factories had become far more congenial than was originally the case through the operations of "that most beneficent Act". There was no longer huddling together of women and girls, or men and boys, in small, dirty, ill-ventilated or badly-lighted workrooms. Considering factory workers numbered approximately five million, it spoke volumes for the precautions taken for the safety of employees that the number of accidents during the last year totalled only 92,968, whereas fatal accidents showed a reduction from 1,047 to 1,018. In Yorkshire, it was pleasing to note that there were now very few half-time workers, for very little was gained out of such method by employers whilst it placed the boys who were taken away from school, under a great disadvantage when compared with their more fortunate full-time classmates. Not only was there recorded a reduction in the number of half-time workers, but the thousands of children who were formerly employed in the spinning of worsted, had dwindled down to at most a few hundred. This was to a large degree, due to the recent improvements of machinery, which had resulted in a reduction of manual labour.

50 years ago

Trouble had been caused in York by Teddy Boys who had created "scenes", and reports had been made to the police. During the weekend, the police, it was understood, received a complaint of a gang making a nuisance of themselves at Mary MacPherson's local dance hall. The police stated that, while the danger was "not really serious", nevertheless the Teddy boys got "far too lively". The Evening Press understood that charges arising out of damage done at the dancing school would be heard at the magistrates' court.

25 years ago

York Chamber of Trade and Commerce accused planners of missing the chance to provide much needed parking space, over the redevelopment of the Piccadilly-Coppergate site. The decision to develop the car park site in Piccadilly together with the Viking dig site in Coppergate gave the city a golden opportunity to tackle "one of the major headaches facing planners in recent years", said the latest issue of the chamber's journal. "That opportunity is not only in danger of being missed but the situation is in danger of being further aggravated because too little emphasis has been placed on its importance by the Planning Department."

Updated: 12:43 Saturday, June 25, 2005