From our archives:

85 years ago

One of the best known consultants in the country had been called in to help a special committee with the stupendous task of organising the city’s transport system.

The specialist had been told that the Corporation had an outstanding liability of £150,000 on its tramway system alone, in addition to interest and sinking fund payments totalling £18,500 per year.

One of the first things the Special Committee addressed was the necessity to employ six night staff, at double rates of pay to wash cars, for only 45 tramcars and 12 buses, of which only 20 were used at any one time at the Fulford depot.

Terry’s factory in York, received a very special visitor Zaro Agha, the world’s oldest man, who claimed to be 156 years of age.

50 years ago

In its fourth year Slingsby summer gala was already for another successful event.

The gala which had become an important part of village life, by benefitting the over-60s, taking them on trips to the seaside, planned to make that year’s event even bigger with fancy dress parades, a women’s comic football match, plaiting of the maypole, as well as greyhound racing for the evening all thanks to the landlord of the Grape Inn.

It was a different matter however for Market Weighton as the rain had forced the carnival organisers to transfer the outdoor programme to the assembly hall of Market Weighton County Secondary School.

And York Youth Action group took to the fields near Kingsway North to take part in a major Bank Holiday clear up to remove a rapidly growing pile of bricks, rubble and old bicycle parts.

20 years ago

President Bill Clinton made an historic address to the Cabinet, telling Labour’s new ministers it was good to have a Britain that was “strong in Europe” and one that maintained strong relationships with the United States.

Mr Clinton and Mr Blair, who were on first-name terms, went on to have private talks to discuss Europe, Bosnia and Northern Ireland.

Fans of folk legend Bob Dylan, were anxiously awaiting news of the singer’s health following news of his treatment in a New York hospital for a potentially fatal infection and protesters in York who had campaigned to reopen loos in Front Street were feeling flushed with success, after city councillors had decided to re-think the decision.