100 Years Ago

ANDREW Carnegie, the American millionaire philanthropist had given £3,000 towards the construction of a reading room in Skipton High Street - but the cash came with proviso that the town itself find £1,700. However when it came to raising the sum., Skipton was proving distinctly backwards at coming forwards. The Herald commented on "the disgrace attached to the capital of Craven having to reject a nice little nest egg of £3,000 because the wealth of the district can not raise £1,700. Surely Skipton has not come to such a pass". The appeal worked, and what is now Skipton library was built, a plaque on the wall commemorating Mr Carnegie's gift.

The Skipton branch of the Power Loom Overlookers Association held their Christmas dinner in the Devonshire. Union spokesmen commented on the happy relations between employer and unions in the Skipton district and Skipton official CP Charlesworth drew applause when "he impressed upon the audience the necessity of moderation and that they should take care not to use their power to cause injury to the community in which they lived.

50 Years Ago

THE first boxing event of the new season organised by Skipton Boxing Club was staged in the town hall. Skipton Heavyweight Don McCall won the prize for best performance on the night and other Skipton boxers on the bill were featherweight C Roughley, who won, and lightweight J Stewart, who was forced to retire in the first round with a cut eye.

Guest speaker at Ermysted's Old Boys Association dinner was Ronald Harker, a Telegraph and Argus reporter who can be said to have caused the abdication of King Edward VIII, or as one national newspaper put it, "was the cigarette end which started the abdication blaze". In 1936 Mr Harker had been covering a speech by the Bishop of Bradford in which he prayed for the King's need for God's grace, a comment which was reported in the Telegraph and Argus and then picked up by the national newspapers. The bishop was referring to the King's relationship with American divorcee Wallis Simpson, a relationship which had, until then, been glossed over by the press.

Global warming was not heard of in 1953, but the Herald reported on the unseasonally mild weather which had led to wallflowers in bloom and apple blossom on the trees.

25 Years Ago

A STRIKE at Rolls Royce was to continue after workers voted overwhelmingly to support their union's pay claim. Local shop steward George Hale had travelled to London for talks and there was a hint that a settlement could be found as the union agreed to "genuine" productivity talks.

Settle Town Council agreed to look at the prospect of providing a laundrette in the town as the existing business had decided to close leaving nowhere for many residents to do their washing. However, they warned that they could not subsidise a laundrette indefinitely and would have to obey the "hard facts of commerce".

Parish councils in South Craven were hoping to get railway stations reopened. Cononley and Steeton Parish Council had already agreed to campaign for the opening of their stations and Glusburn parish council wrote to Sutton parish council seeking its support for reopening Kildwick and Cross Hills stations.

Television masts were being considered in Grassington and Conistone to boost reception in the upper parts of the Dales. The Herald called on the Yorkshire Dales National Park to approve the plans. Areas such as Littondale could only receive BBC 1 on obsolete sets which could not be replaced and other channels had no reception at all, or, on a good day, with "snowstorms" across the picture.

10 Years Ago

JUST as today, local government was under review with talk of unitary authorities being created. Craven had opened talks with Ribble Valley about a merger and a link with Harrogate was dismissed by MP David Curry - who just happened to be the minister in charge of the exercise.

There was a major boost for the Settle to Carlisle railway line after British Gypsum agreed to run the first freight trains on the line for more than a decade. Waste gypsum from the Drax power station would be transported to a recycling plant in Cumbria using the railway, rather than lorries, to transport the material.

Wharfedale were hoping to draw one of rugby's giants clubs as they went into the hat for round four of the Pilkington Cup after their shock win over Sheffield, two divisions above them. They were reasonably pleased to be away to Otley, although they had been hoping bring the mighty Bath to Threshfield. Meanwhile rugby league scouts confirmed that they were keeping an eye on forward Hedley Verity and an unnamed back. Leeds, St Helens, Castleford and Keighley Cougars were all linked with the pair. Peter Roe, the Keighley coach said he thought Verity was not big enough to be a league back row forward, but he would make a superb hooker.