25 YEARS AGO From the Evening News, March 27, 1976

ACTRESS Marianne Faithfull, signed up by the BBC to present two radio programmes about women in pop, has hit out at "sexist" songs written for girl singers. One of the records she attacks is her own former Top 20 hit "As Tears Go By", written by her ex-lover, Mick Jagger, of the Rolling Stones. She loathes the lyrics, which she says portray women as "hopeless and passive."

MORE than 3,000 union representatives from throughout Britain converged on London today in a bid to fight unemployment. Their assembly was billed as the biggest gathering of the Labour movement for decades.

50 YEARS AGO From the Evening News, March 28, 1951

BOLTON housewives shopping in the Bridge-st. Co-op yesterday afternoon would have nothing at all to do with about 450 meat rations which arrived unexpectedly at the premises. Instead they behaved as though they were scared of this magnificent offer. They walked out - quickly.

And why? The 450 meat rations were very much alive. They belonged to Daisy, a shorthorn cow. Daisy had got tired of being driven along the street outside and had left her friends to take a look at the Co-op's greengrocery department. She only wanted to be friendly, and she caused no damage - but for all that her fate was a sad one. She was driven straight to the slaugherhouse.

(Ironic Note: The 450 meat rations are now eagerly awaited by the housewives who spurned Daisy's charms).

125 YEARS AGO From the Evening News, March 28, 1876

WHEN the President of the Wesleyan Conference spoke at the Albert Hall, Bolton, and declared that there were 2,000 places in England where Wesleyan Methodists were denied religious liberty, it was thought by some that the statement was too sweeping.

But since then numerous cases have been published of the nature referred to by the President, and showing the reality of the grievances complained of.

THE colliery proprietors in the Farnworth, Kearsley, Little Lever, Little Hulton, Outwood and Radcliffe districts have given their employees notice of a reduction of wages to the extent of 2s (10p) per load and 8d (3p) per yard on the straight.

The day wages men are also to be reduced 6d (2p) per day.

The men at all the collieries are now working on the reduction, and as the reduction is strongly denounced as being too excessive, a general strike is expected in a few days.

The reduction will affect about 4,000 miners.