25 Years Ago

August 20, 1976

Fare dues

CUMBRIA County Council's decision to cut its transport subsidy this year by £100,000 could mean that children may have to pay full fares on their journeys to and from school, South Lakeland District Council's transport sub-committee heard on Tuesday.

Reporting on a meeting between members of the sub-committee, and representatives of the Cumbria County Council's public transport sub-committee, the chairman, Coun R.S.

Harrison, said that however desirable reduced rates were for children, bus companies were under no legal obligation to carry children at reduced rates.

"It is about time we stopped giving too many hand-outs," said Coun R.

Long.

"It is about time people started standing on their own feet and paid their own way.

We get far too much for nothing these days and we cannot afford to go on doing this any longer."

Coun Harrison pointed out that he knew of one family with three children who would be faced with a £7 weekly bus fare bill to send the children to school.

"I am not happy about this," he said.

Coun Long said low-income families could reclaim their children's bus fares from the social services.

50 Years Ago

August 18, 1951

Close shave

MR E.

B.

Totty, of High Wray, Ambleside, had a close encounter with Soviet Guards on the 'Iron Curtain' frontier, while spending a holiday with friends on the continent, from which he had recently returned.

They had spent an adventurous time canoeing on Austrian rivers.

"When within five miles of the Russian Frontier," Mr Totty told the Gazette this week, "we decided upon a car ride to have a look at the Iron Curtain, but we got a little too close.

On realising that we had entered 'No Man's Land' we tried to turn round but were prevented by two Russian sentries.

The sentries questioned us in German and asked us to go into the Russian office inside the Zone.

When we did not do so, the sentries sent for an officer who examined our passports and then let us return to Austria.

We were questioned for about half-an-hour during which time the Russians wanted to take the ignition key from our car to prevent us escaping.

Earlier in the day a Swiss car had tried to cross into the Russian Zone and the sentries thought we were the Swiss in disguise.

Mr Totty who is a cashier at an Ambleside bank, joined the British slalom team taking part in the world championship at Steyr.

100 Years Ago

August 16, 1901

Steel strike

A Reuters telegram from Pittsburgh, Wednesday, says: "It is estimated that the number of men who have struck in compliance with Mr Shaffer's last order now amounts to 20,000, bringing the total number to under the three orders to 65,000.

The Steel Corporation today re-opened two mills - the Painter plant here and the demolition of the works at Chartiers has begun, in pursuance of the policy of removing them from the communities hostile to the Steel Corporation.

At McKeesport, 3,000 men and boys of the National Tubes mills here joined the strikers in tying up the plant.

The leaders of the Amalgamated Association predict that they will be able to close the Carnegie plant here before the end of the week."

150 Years Ago

August 26, 1851

Labour of love

OUR readers are aware that shortly after the death of the poet Wordsworth, a committee was formed among his friends and more immediate admirers to the purpose of setting up a tablet to his memory in Grasmere Church, where he lies buried.

This work, the execution of which was entrusted to Mr Thomas Woolner, has now been completed and is thus described by the Spectator:

"Surrounded by a band of laurel leaves in the inscription written by Professor Keble; under which the poet's head is sculpted in relief.

The likeness to the man has received decisive praise from persons whose verdict is final, the intellectual likeness to the poet will be more widely appreciated, and recognised with as cordial an admiration.

The medative likeness of the face, the thoughtful forehead, the compressed sensitive mouth, are rendered with fine intelligence.

In two narrow spaces at each side of the head are introduced the crocus and celandine and the snowdrop and violet treated with rare union of natural beauty and sculptureque method and subordination.

Throughout, the delicately studied execution shows the work has been a labour of love."