25 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, April 1, 1973

VAT was introduced into Britain today. On Saturday, shoppers flooded into town, taking a last chance to buy certain items which will cost more with the new tax. The main targets of the nation's big spenders all last week were clothing and shoes, carpets and lino, cookers, deep-freezers, and even pianos and organs. VAT covers services as well as goods.

50 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, March 31, 1948

BOLTON Electricity Committee discharged its last official duty today by inspecting the recently completed 31,250kw turbo-alternator set at Back-o'th-Bank generating station, and the committee may well feel that tomorrow, the British Electricity Authority will take over from the local authority an undertaking which is thoroughly up-to-date and efficient.

125 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, April 1, 1873

THIS morning, All Fools' Day (1873) was strongly impressed on the minds of scores of working men working away from home, by the action of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company in increasing the fares. Some few of them, unaware of the alteration, had the pleasure of walking to their work, whilst others, short of their 'train money', had the misfortune to lose a quarter. The cry this morning has been by those who have had the luxury of paying 2d per mile third class, that at least the seats should be cushioned, and cleaner third-class carriages provided.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.