Monday, May 30, 2005

100 years ago

At a meeting of the House of Commons Select Committee, appointed to consider the National Telephone Agreement, the solicitor to the Post Office said that the Telephone Company's licence expired in six years, in 1911, and if no arrangement were come to by then the telephonic business would be practically at a standstill outside London. It would take six or seven years for the Post Office to construct a new system and a large waste of material would arise. The solicitor said he understood the company considered the agreement would enable them to raise sufficient demand for an extended service before the expiry of the licence. Asked whether the agreement would not be prejudiced towards municipalities in the country, he replied that the municipalities had not availed themselves of the opportunities to obtain licences except in a very few instances.

50 years ago

Mr Pastry (Richard Hearne) returned to British television in Face The Music straight from a great triumph on America's small screens. He was invited to take part in an Ed Sullivan show, The Toast Of The Town, but the programme was so successful he was booked for two more performances and did a 20,000 mile personal appearance tour of the States. Also joining Henry Hall were Joy Nichols, who had three songs ready for the occasion, Elsie and Doris Warters, Charlie Chester, Leslie Randall, and the Six Flying De Pauls - an all-woman acrobatic act.

25 years ago

Tadcaster, a town with three breweries, had again turned down the idea of a beer festival. The town council had rejected the idea on a previous occasion when the breweries were said not to support it. The council's Amenities Committee had looked at the idea again and had come to the same conclusion. The chairman, Councillor Bryan Shearsmith, said: "It would be just an excuse for a big booze-up in Tadcaster and would not bring any benefit to the town." He added: "We as a council would be left to organise it, and as the Campaign for Real Ale seems to regard John Smith's Brewery as a target, it could become just a demonstration."

Updated: 08:38 Monday, May 30, 2005