100 years ago

THE Admiral of the Humber’s flag - the valuable old flag which the Mayors of Hull were permitted to fly - had had a narrow escape from destruction by fire the previous evening.

It was included in a scheme of decoration for the visit of the King and Queen placed opposite the Guildhall. A spark from the overhead trolley of an electric tramcar had ignited the rope of artificial flowers attached to the flag, and the flame ran up. The corner of the flag was burned, but the charred festoon was pulled down, otherwise the decorations might have suffered.

 

50 years ago

THE froth on the top of a glass of Guinness was part of the pint, it had been decided by three judges in the High Court in London. They dismissed with costs the appeal of a weights and measures inspector asking them to rule that a pint of Guinness should consist of a pint of liquid.

The froth on top of the glass said Mr J T Molony QC, for the inspector, should not be counted in measuring it. The inspector, Mr George Wreford Marshall, had appealed to the Queen’s Bench Divisional Court against the dismissal by Bristol magistrates of summonses alleging that a Bristol landlord had sold short measures when two pint glasses of Guinness with “heads” were given to an inspector who had ordered pints.

Mr Molony had said the two glasses given to the inspector were six per cent short of a pint because of the head. The magistrates had found that Guinness was advertised as having a head of about ten per cent.

 

25 years ago

NORTH Yorkshire finance chiefs were being urged to pump “a substantial financial contribution” into the campaign to save Linton Lock.

A total of £105,000 was needed for urgent repairs to the structure, which was in danger of collapse. A detailed survey by experts had revealed serious structural defects in the lock, a Grade II listed building, which was regarded as a key point on the Ouse and Ure waterway. North Yorkshire Finance Sub-Committee was being asked to hand over the equivalent of 50 per cent of the combined total contributed by Hambleton and Harrogate District Councils.

Harrogate had already agreed to allocate £2,500 for emergency repairs, with the likelihood of a further £30,000. Hambleton had given an initial £1,500 and was to consider an extra contribution.