BOLTON archeologists are digging up the past to uncover the mystery of the Roman road in Affetside. They are excavating a half-acre of open land near the Affetside Cross in the hope of finding the exact location of the 2000-years-old Manchester to Ribchester military road.

THE ski-slope at Bolton's Silverwell Street Sports Centre is to be moved because it is taking up too much space. Although a new spot has not yet been fixed for the slope, it could become an outdoor amenity if the right site is available.

PERHAPS it was just as well that only a handful of Bolton Wanderers' supporters followed their favourite team to Wolverhampton on Saturday to see the Burnden Park boys suffer their biggest eclipse in post-war football, when they lost 7-1. Even the staunchest support saw little to encourage him in Bolton's play. One thing in the team's favour, however, was the sportsman-like manner in which they took their beating. It was considered by many spectators to be one of the cleanest games they had seen.

RAIN interfered with the model-car racing at the Leverhulme park track yesterday, when the north-western area championships were decided. Members of the Bolton and District Society of Model Engineers carried off most of the prizes.

ON Thursday, a visit was made to Bolton by members of the Iron and Steel Institute, who are now assembled for their provincial meeting at Manchester. Over one hundred gentlemen availed themselves of the invitation of the local committee to visit some of the larger iron works in the town, as well as one or two cotton spinning, doubling and weaving mills. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company had provided a special train to convey the members to Bolton, and the visitors arrived thereby at around ten o'clock. As they alighted from the train, they were welcomed by Alderman Walmsley, who told them that first they would be shown round the works of the Bolton Iron and Steel Company, and then he would show them his own works, the Rolling Mills, which, he was sorry to inform them, were all but standing. They had a dispute with their men, who struck on Monday last. Such as the works were, however, the Institute were welcome to see. As Englishmen could not work for a long time together without eating and drinking, a glass of wine and a biscuit would be provided between twelve and one o'clock, and then the Soho Iron Works would be visited and one or two cotton mills.