25 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, October 22, 1975

PEOPLE living on isolated moors at Edgworth kept their children from school today. They were protesting at new bus timetables introduced on Monday which they say mean that the children get to school up to 45 minutes before lessons start. The changes on the Edgworth-Bolton service are part of a series of revisions and cuts introduced in a bid to save about £77,000 a year on Bolton area bus routes.

50 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News , October 23, 1950

BOLTON libraries now possess the finest Whitman collection in England, if not in the world. At yesterday's meeting of the Libraries Committee, Mr Harold Hamer, Chief Librarian, reported that the already substantial collection had been greatly enhanced by the addition of copies of every letter in the correspondence between Whitman and a Bolton man, J.W. Wallace, a cup and saucer which Whitman sent to Bolton, and a stuffed canary, to which, when it was alive, Whitman dedicated one of his poems. The collection was the personal gift to the town of Mrs Whiteside, housekeeper and friend of Wallace for about 20 years.

125 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, October 22, 1875

MR Thomas Beech, chief constable, presented his report to the Watch Committee on Wednesday evening. Among the details he gave were that the number of persons proceeded against this and last year for drunkenness were 890 and 715 respectively, or an increase of 175 this year. The number of inhabitants to each drunkard is one in 107.

'The disposal of drunkards this year has been in the following manner:- 36 were discharged, 8 committed to prison for one month, 386 for fourteen days and under, 459 fined, and one ordered to find sureties to keep the peace.

'There were 14 cases of breaking into houses, shops and warehouses last year, against five this year. The number of riotous prostitutes summarily dealt with last year was 75, this year there were 88 of this class of offender. There were also seven riotous prostitutes sent to the quarter sessions, against two in the present year.'