Toll bridge issue raised...calf dies on New Forest road
75 YEARS AGO
THE matter of the Lymington Toll Bridge was raised at this week’s meeting of the County Council, when the Roads and Bridges Committee reported that the only tolls in the County were those at Lymington, Hayling Island and Eling Mill.
Some time ago the Minister of Transport had intimated that he was taking active steps to eliminate toll bridges in Great Britain and was anxious that Highway Authorities should proceed to do this in their own areas as soon as possible, and grants were to be made towards approved expenditure incurred.
However, the Minister made it clear that this was not so, and Hampshire would be required to find 40% of the cost, and the balance would be found by the means of a grant.
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THE complete skeleton of a mouse which was electrocuted while investigating the interior of a wireless set was shown me this week by Mr John Easte, of New Milton.
The set was being overhauled by Mr Easte, the owner having complained of strange noises coming from it. On looking inside, he found the complete skeleton of the mouse, the creature having apparently taken the full force of 700 volts by making a contact across the anode and cathode of the rectifier.
Maggots had made a clean job of the remnants, leaving the skeleton lying bare where the animal had died.
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ON Friday in last week, the New Milton Young Conservatives held a Model Parliament and debated the motion “That the death penalty for murder be retained in the penal code of this country.”
The chair, as speaker, was taken by Miss Ann Collyer, and the motion was proposed by Mr Eric Ostley and seconded by Mr Donald McIntyre.
In his speech, Mr Ostley traced the history of the death penalty through past ages, from the days when the only law was that of the survival of the fittest, the Middle Ages when simple thefts were punished by death, to present day laws.
The opposition speech was seconded by Mr Peter Morrish, who deprecated the dramatic portrayal of a murder as given by the preceding speaker and said that much time could elapse between a murderer’s conviction and the end of his prison sentence. In that time, the world would have forgotten. The sentence advocated was to be approximately 25 years.
The issue was put to the vote. The speaker then announced that as a result of the count submitted by the tellers, the motion had been gained by a majority of eight.
50 YEARS AGO
THERE were well over twice as many jobs going in Lymington on May 9th this year that at the same period last year. Job vacancies at the Department of Employment totalled 337, against last year’s total at this time of 136. The vacancies were made up of 208 jobs for men, and 129 for women. At Christchurch opportunities for employment were also much increased, job vacancies totalling 331 on May 9th compared to last year’s figure at this time of 97. The vacancies at Christchurch were for 186 men and 145 women.
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RINGWOOD and Fordingbridge RDC’s highest ever housing list of 540 includes 34 engaged couples, chairman of the Housing Committee, Mr H. W. Brooks, told the Council last week. He said that 34 couples, who would not be in a position to get a mortgage, had come on to the housing list in the last six months. The figures included 230 from the Ringwood area.
The Housing Committee’s progress report revealed 100 houses are under construction with 147 yet to be commenced. Mr J. Vernon said this seemed totally inadequate in view of the housing list.
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BOTTLES left behind by visitors to the New Forest are creating a serious problem, chairman, Mr Keith Buckett told Lyndhurst, Emery Down and Bank Residents’ Association at a general meeting last week.
The matter was raised by a member who referred to danger to animals and children from broken bottles in the area of the Bench.
Mrs June Irvine said Mrs Jean Cobb had made a presentment at the Verderers’ Court about the broken bottles at the Bench which, she had said, were hidden by gorse and later burst with the sun’s heat.
It was agreed to write to the Forestry Commission to see what could be done.
25 YEARS AGO
Debt was the major problem faced by people visiting the Citizens Advice Bureau in Lymington with the number of issues they faced increasing three-fold.
The annual report recorded 4,869 clients having visited the bureau over the last twelve months. Previously about 90% of cases was about a client’s gas bill but now people were coming to the CAB with “a whole range of debts.”
A spokesperson said: “There is a feeling that getting into debt is your own fault but generally we find that there are three, or four difference reasons for it whether it be marriage break-up, sickness, or redundancy.”
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The millennium bug has been predicted to cost Southampton hospitals £3-4 million, but no extra money will be released by the government to handle the problem.
Speaking to a Special Policy and Resources meeting of New Forest District Council David Moss, chief executive of Southampton Universities Hospitals Trust said that if the hospital’s computers and complex medical equipment were affected “then we would have a real problem.”
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A month-old donkey, a birthday present from a New Forest agister to his niece was among animals to die on Forest roads last week.
The foal had to be put down after being hit by a callous non-stop driver at Latchmoor, between Brockenhurst and Sway.
Only three days earlier agister Andrew Napthine had given the donkey to his niece Laura Rangecroft from Marchwood as a second birthday present to encourage her interest in communing
