100 years ago

A telegram had revealed that the cinema theatre in Trieste had been showing pictures of the campaign in Serbia which were intended to be patriotic, but which unconsciously revealed the revolting atrocities committed by Austrian soldiers.

After scenes of an Archduchess visiting the wounded, of camp life, and other ordinary incidents of the war, some films showing the martyrdom of a Serbian priest suspected of espionage, the burning alive of a Serbian family in their home by Imperial troops because they were reported to have fired on soldiers from the house, also of Austrian soldiers killing off the wounded on the battlefield were shown several times before the authorities realised what they really portrayed, when they were immediately destroyed.


50 years ago

A call for the unanimous choice of one day for the closing of shops in York was made by Miss Molly Coates, president of York Chamber of Trade.

Miss Coates, who was speaking at the annual dinner of the York Boot Trades Association, also attacked the “appalling new traffic plan looming in front of us.”

A great deal of harm was being done to trade in general in the city through the confusion on Mondays and some on Wednesdays, said Miss Coates.

These days appeared to be becoming rather dead. Customers would not come into town because they thought the shops they wanted to visit would be closed.

“I would like to see the unanimous choice of one day for closing. I am sure we would all benefit,” she said.
 

25 years ago

A new railway station in Haxby could attract around 600 passengers a day and pay for itself within three years, a public meeting had been told.

The chairman of the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority Michael Sim¬mons said: “lf Haxby and Strensall were in West Yorkshire the passenger transport authority would certainly be wanting to build stations there.”

Councillor Simmons, who was on Labour’s shortlist of candidates to fight the York seat at the next General Election, was speaking at a meeting at York’s Guildhall, organised by pressure group Transport 2000.

He said campaigners should be pressing for a new station at Haxby as the first step in the battle for stations in both areas. “If you want to be successful you want initially to concentrate on Haxby,” he said.

“Having achieved that success it would be easier to go on to make a case for other stations.” Councillor Simmons said he believed Haxby station could achieve 600 passengers a day, meeting its £150,000 cost in three years. Strensall would pay for itself in around five years. British Rail’s provincial manager, Mr David Wharton Street, said there were a number of areas in North Yorkshire pressing for new stations.