100 years ago

IN reference to a proposition made at the last meeting of the York City Council that the portcullis of Monk Bar might be lowered for inspection by the public on certain days in the year, the Estates and Bridges Committee had deemed it expedient, before making any recommendation to the Council thereon, to take the traffic statistics passing under the Bar between certain hours on some Sunday, and they had given directions for this to be done.

After receiving these particulars they would report to the Council on the matter.


50 years ago

MORE than 30 teenagers had jumped into Amsterdam canals to reach the Beatles when they toured the canals.

Police in three launches gave up attempts to maintain a resemblance of order while bobbing heads of boys and girls marked the progress of the Beatles’ boat through the canals, with an estimated 50,000 people looking on and cheering every teenager who climbed aboard the Beatles’ boat. John Lennon cried: “Gosh, this is the limit,” as he hoisted a grateful 17-year-old girl from the water.

Paul assisted 16-year-old Joost Bos, of the Central Dutch town of Bussum, to climb aboard and went as far as to send off a number of angry cops vainly trying to hit Joost with a truncheon from a police launch. “This is absolutely wonderful - crazy chaos,” said George Harrison.


25 years ago

TADCASTER’s breweries were praised on World Environment Day for working together to prevent their effluent polluting the River Wharfe. They were reminded of the export opportunities opening up in 1992 with the freeing of all trade barriers within Europe.

York’s Euro MP, Edward McMillan-Scott, speaking after a tour of Bass North’s Tower Brewery in Tadcaster, said there was mounting concern throughout Britain and Europe about the environment and its pollution. But at Tadcaster effluent from the three breweries, Bass, John Smith’s and Samuel Smith’s was treated at an extremely advanced water treatment plant.

As a result, discharges into the Wharfe, a popular fishing river, were well above European Community standards of cleanliness. Mr McMillan-Scott also spoke of the opportunities that were opening up for exporting beer to Europe, particularly Germany.

He said a recent European Court ruling had made it illegal for Germany to effectively block foreign imports of beer through its historic purity laws. Another opportunity opening up for the British brewers, it was hoped, could be at the European Parliament, in Brussels.

Mr McMillan-Scott said foreign beers from Guinness to Pilsner were sold but not British brews. “We must change that,” he said.