25 Years Ago

January 23, 1976

SOUTH Lakeland chippies could be facing another crisis because of the national potato shortage.

One fish and chip shop owner warned that he might have to shut up shop temporarily if rocketing wholesale prices soar any higher.

This week a 56lb bag of potatoes was costing about £4.50 wholesale - three times higher than it should at this time of the year, say the chippies.

Stramongate chip shop owner Keith Holland, who described last summer's rocketing prices as "outrageous" and "disastrous," said this week that chippies were hoping prices would stabilise.

Last July Mr Holland was one of a number of fryers who had to close shop during the high price period.

But he does not think he will have to close shop again this winter.

"I think if prices stay where they are now then we will be all right."

Ron Birkett, of Ulverston, said he had paid £4.75 for 56lbs on Monday, which he described as "terrifically high."

"I know it's hitting chippies everywhere.

They are feeling the pinch.

If prices go any higher many will be priced out of business."

He said he had enough potatoes to last for a week or two but if prices shot up drastically he might have to close temporarily.

50 Years Ago

January 27, 1951

WRITING in the current issue of the Carlisle Diocesan Gazette, the Bishop of Carlisle (the Right Rev Thomas Bloomer) states: "Modern wars are not accidents.

Like a boil on the neck, they are symptoms of life where there is a continuous struggle between good and evil in the souls of men and nations.

"The past half century has witnessed two world wars and each was part of a world revolution that is still in full cycle.

Failure to recognise the forces of revolution behind wars has led to much disappointment, for most people assumed that, at the end of each war, peace would restore conditions little different from those which the outbreak of war disturbed.

That is not the way the world works.

History seldom repeats itself and conditions never return to 'normal' after upheaval even when they appear the same.

"It is never easy in any contemporary situation to discern the signs of the times or understand what is the true significance of events.

Six years ago the United States and the British Commonwealth were fighting side by side with Russia, against Germany and Japan, whom we disarmed after their defeat.

Now we are arming both of them and ourselves through fear of Russian aggression.

It looks like sheer stupid insanity.

"It would be easy but foolish to be cynical in the face of all this and the dangers confronting us.

The hard necessities must be accepted.

The 20th century may have ended before any sense of significant purpose is seen in the present perplexing situation."

100 Years Ago

January 26, 1901

SCENE, elementary school in Kendal.

Teacher (giving an object lesson on the potato): "Now, Mary Jane, here is a newspaper paragraph, describing a dance at ...

which says that the supper table occupied a coign of vantage, and was laden with toothsome edibles.

In such a case as that, what is meant by toothsome edibles?" Mary Jane: "Carrots, I should think."

Betsy: "No; it's tripe and onions."

This veracious little dialogue I give as a ghastly warning to paragraphists.

If a dainty supper table is "laden" with oysters and champagne it is better to say so than to have "toothsome edibles" mistaken for tripe and onions.

150 Years Ago

January 25, 1851

A GENTLEMAN in Kirkalky, Scotland, has trained a couple of mice, and invented machinery enabling them to spin cotton yarn.

The work is so constructed that the common house mouse is enabled to twist twine and reel from 100 to 120 threads per day.

To complete this the little pedestrians have to run 10.5 miles.

A halfpennyworth of oatmeal, at 1s 3d per peck, serves one of these treadwheel culprits for the long period of five weeks.

In that time it makes 110 threads per day.

At this rate a mouse earns 7s 6d per annum.

Take off 5d for board, and one shilling for machinery, there will arise 6s, clear for every mouse annually.

The mouse employer was going to make an application for the lease of an old empty house, which would hold 10,000 mouse mills, sufficient room being left for keepers and some hundreds of spectators.