From the Evening News, October 2, 1976

25 YEARS AGO

TRAVELLING showmen are to be told that they cannot use spare land at Waterloo Street, Bolton, as a winter caravan site, following mass protest from local councillors, residents and traders, even though Bolton's Planning Committee had agreed to give the request from the Showman's Guild "sympathetic" consideration.

DAMAGE estimated at thousands of pounds was caused when fire swept through a warehouse at the Horwich paper converting firm of Sterling Mansell yesterday. Firemen from Bolton, Horwich and Chorley fought for almost three hours to bring the blaze under control.

50 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, October 3, 1951

ARE farmers in the Bolton area prosperous? Mr Clyde Higgs, farming expert who addressed the local agricultural discussion society last night, thought they looked "an amazing prosperous lot".

But the farmers were not having that. They denied it.

"Why," said secretary R. Scowcroft, "there are many farms near here that can't keep one man going." Some people he knew were weekend farmers - working on their land at weekends and doing some other job during the week.

More light on the mystery of Bolton's well-dressed farmers was thrown by Mr John Pendlebury, of Stonehouse Farm, Lostock.

"We turned ourselves out well specially for the occasion," he assured Mr Higgs.

125 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, October 3, 1876

THE Ratepayers and Owners of Property in the Borough are suddenly placed in a great dilemma. Without any adequate discussion or explanation, and therefore minus sufficient data for forming an opinion, they are being called upon to say Yes or No, to one of the most important questions ever submitted to them.

They are asked to vote for or against a Resolution to promote a Bill in the ensuing Session of Parliament, which, among other objects, is to extend our Municipal Boundaries.

How many of the 12,000 or 15,000 persons to whom the questions will be put know anything about its merits. The meeting at the Borough Court on Wednesday was attended by about 150 persons, who voted for themselves and for thousands of other persons who were not present.

The issue was very imperfectly understood by those who attended the Town's Meeting; how much more are thousands upon thousands to whom voting papers will shortly be distributed. Probably not one in ten throughout the Borough has even heard the question at all; while probably not one in a hundred knows enough of the facts to form an opinion on the subject.

This being so, we feel that a great farce is about to be enacted. Of the 20,000 voting papers shortly to be distributed a very large proportion will never be collected at all, or if collected they will be found blank.