From Our Files: Rant over rates...sewerage overload...losing the last outfitters

50 YEARS AGO

A PLEA to all ratepayers, both domestic and businesses, to pay their rates although grudgingly was made by the chief executive of New Forest District Council.

Mr Peter Bassett urged everyone to pay their rates punctually although they may be loath to, for those who do not pay on time only serve to put the district council in an awkward financial position.

He explained that because a small percentage of rates are not paid on time the local authority is obliged to borrow funds and incur high interest rates.

Councillor Mr Collier said that if people ran their businesses like the council they would be bankrupt in a month. “This inflation lark is a bit of a bogey, it’s old Wedgie Benn’s idea of getting nationalisation easy. There won’t be any trouble when there aren’t any shops.”

* * * * *

NEW development on the New Milton, Hordle and Everton areas dependent on the proposed Wainsford sewer is to be banned because of overloading of the sewerage system, New Forest District Council’s development committee have decided.

The embargo has been made at the request of the council’s health committee because Southern Water has not included the Wainsford relief sewer scheme in its priority programme.

Plans for new development will be refused on the grounds that the “sewerage system is grossly overloaded as to cause a public health hazard and the proposal would add to drainage flows in the system”.

* * * * *

A FORMER compositor with the A&T Colin Smith (25) has for the last three years been travelling around Europe as a session drummer, playing in concerts, in studios and nightclubs including some of the most exotic nightspots in Switzerland, Germany and France.

He has also played at the Hilton in Bangkok and at Ronnie Scott’s in London. When he called into the A&T offices recently he was on his way to Wales to play for a Des O’Connor concert and he said that at the moment his future looked very bright.

25 YEARS AGO

Picture caption: To mark the Millennium a great many schools throughout Hampshire planted daffodil bulbs last October at the instigation of Lord Lieutenant Mary Fagan, and as a result those school grounds are now a blaze of colour.

Typical is Pennington Infant School where they planted 2,000 bulbs received from the Lord Lieutenant bulb planting scheme. Led by Miss Di O’Cready, their headmistress the 187 youngsters and between five and seven set about planting them.

They have now bloomed and form the shape of the numerals 2000.

———-

A ‘WALKING bus’ for children attending Burton School has been suggested as a way of reducing road danger caused by parents’ parking.

Parish councillor Colin Jamieson told colleagues that the idea has been discussed by the school’s governing body.

The plan would be for pupils to walk to school in line with one adult at the front and another at the rear to keep an eye on them.

“Hopefully that would encourage parents not to just put them in the car which is very easy to do when they are in a rush for work,” Cllr Jamieson said.

* * * * *

CHRISTCHURCH will lose its only remaining gentleman’s outfitters when Baxters closes today after 46 years, now that the shop’s owner, 85 year old William Baxter, has decided to retire.

The closure of the shop also spells the end of an era for 66-year-old John Gilbert who has worked at the shop for 47 years.

He said: “I feel it’s sad, especially as there has been a menswear shop on this site for over 100 years. People used to come into the shop for the service, they knew we weren’t pulling a fast one over them.”

“But people don’t want to be served now, they pull something off the rail and pay for it, without knowing if it fits, or not.”

* * * * *

THE organisers of this year’s Christchurch Festival are set to get the go-ahead to use the Quomps/Quay area despite concerns that it will disturb local residents.

Councillor Jose Spencer said she thought that it had been agreed that the event should be held at the bandstand end to disturb as few residents as possible, adding: “This is precisely the sort of thing we were talking about and I am sure the residents will be horrified to see us permitting this.”

Councillor Colin Bungey said he was not happy there would be a licensed bar at the event, recalling there was no longer a beer tent during regatta week because of the problems caused by all-day drinking.