From thw Bury Times, September 3, 1974

SMASHING: Robert Hamilton, 18, accidentally walked through the plate glass window of a Holcombe Brook launderette - and landed unhurt on the pavement. "The sun was in my eyes", he said.

CARAVANS: Bury Council was set to provide a second caravan site for itinerants. But Coun John Ethell disagreed with the plan. He said another site would probably fill up with travellers who would then become permanent, as on the existing Fernhill site.

CO-OP: Work started on the Co-op store in Bury's Market Street, to extend its ground floor by 6,000 sq ft.

SUGAR: The sugar shortage was still going on, but MP Michael Fidler was told by the Ministry of Agriculture that supplies were expected to improve.BOTTLE: The unusual hobby of carpenter Michael Lomax of Newington Drive, Bury was throwing bottles into the sea with messages inside. As well as getting replies from foreign parts, he said the hobby enabled him to study ocean tides and currents.

RENT: Bury Council announced a crackdown on rent dodgers. Arrears amounted to £70,000 and one tenant was £300 behind, it was reported. One reason was a shortage of rent collectors.

RESCUE: Paul O'Shaughnessy, 12, was pulled unconscious from a culvert by firemen after falling from a tree rope swing in woods near his Ferngrove home.

SHELTERS: The unsafe 1930-vintage shelters in Kay Gardens were being replaced by three pavement bus shelters plus two pedestrian refuges with seats, like the ones on Blackpool front. The cost: £2,500. HOUSES: After the council decided to demolish 45 wartime houses in Church Street, Ainsworth, the local community association asked whether they could be renovated instead. The council decided to think again, but one councillor doubted whether there was enough cash to pay either for demolition or renewal.CRITIC: A blistering article in the BT accused the town hall of empire building and keeping ratepayers in the dark. Bury once had a housing team of eight to run 5,500 dwellings, it said. Now the new authority with 13,600 houses needed 57 staff.

CASH: A lack of funds forced Bury Council to rent its vehicles in future, from a finance company.

METRIC: The Bury textile firm Edward G. Andrew went metric in one weekend while the workers were off. Yarn, fibre and quality codes were altered, orders re-coded and measuring instruments converted.

ROWDIES: Bury licensees were getting worried about the number of customers who turned nasty after a couple of drinks. They were discussing putting photos of known troublemakers on view behind their bars.

WATER: Jericho residents who complained recently about rusty tap water were to be connected to a different supply, from Oldham.

ADVERTS: After some weeks of ads by the Tories, claiming that the Labour government had caused price rises, the Government ran an ad which claimed Labour was saving families 60p a week on their food bill. This was certainly good news for the BT advertisement department.

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