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Knottingley
1962
May 4th 1962
95 Year-Old Industrialist Resigns Chairmanship
Knottingley Firms Merger
Ninety-five-year-old
Mr. John Jackson made his last speech as chairman of the directors of
Jackson Brothers (Knottingley) Ltd., glass bottle manufacturers, at the
company's 49th ordinary general meeting on Monday.
He expressed
his "deep personal satisfaction" that Bagley and Co.
Ltd., another Knottingley glass manufacturing company with whom he had
started work with his brother Tom at the age of 12,were now uniting with
his firm to form one of the largest glass container manufacturers in the
country.
It was
announced that he is to become President of the company, which he had
started with his brother in 1893 and that his only son, Mr. Frank Jackson,
who was the Managing Director, succeeds him as Chairman.
Strengthen
Position
Presiding at
the meeting, Mr. John Jackson said he thought the merger, which follows
offers from Jackson's to buy Bagley's and their associated firm ‘The
Crystal Glass Company’, will strengthen the company's trading
position and produce a useful addition to their profits.
"In
acquiring Bagley's we have not merely acquired additional productive
capacity, but a successful trading company whose name stands high with its
customers and throughout the trade generally," he said of the firm to
which he was indentured for five years as a glass worker, starting at
eight shillings a week.
It was stated
that the group trading profit for the year, after charging all expenses,
was £24,744 higher than the previous year, and was due to the new
production unit and extensive alterations and improvements. He revealed
sales last year were a record, but "there was still scope for
improvements," said Mr. Jackson.
At a
subsequent extraordinary general meeting the proposed increase of nominal
capital from £400,00 to £650,00 was approved. ♣
July 6th 1962
Houses
Foundations Rock When Heavy Lorries Pass
But
Jacksonville Folk Stay
Heavy road
vehicles thunder past, blowing dust and belching soot and grime accumulate
on windows, brickwork, windowsill, while vandals break the remaining glass
panes. Meanwhile, the six remaining occupiers of a terrace of 18 houses at
Hill Top, Knottingley, continue their daily lives as the dwellings
deteriorate into slum property.
And the most
surprising thing is that most of them do not mind too much. That is the
position at these houses - formerly known as Jacksonville - which were
built so close to the pavement that their foundations rock each time a
heavy lorry rumbles past.
For two years
owner-occupiers and tenants have been moving out, leaving the houses
unoccupied as they have been re-housed under Knottingley Urban District
Council's slum clearance scheme.
Owner-occupiers
moved first and now most of the younger families have left. Some of those
remaining have already been offered alternative accommodation by the
Council, but prefer to wait for a better offer.
The Council
has now made Closing orders on the properties and the clerk, Mr. H.B.
Probert, says the remaining tenants appreciate the Council's difficulties.
Negotiations
have not been completed with the owners of three houses, but it is hoped
that all the families will be re-housed by the end of the year. Properties
will then be ready for demolition.
Swimming
Baths
The Council
is considering a proposal to build new swimming baths on land immediately
to the south of Jacksonville.
But still the
traffic rushes past; the dust and fumes increase, the foundations rock and
the houses - which are well over a 100 years old - look more like slums as
each day passes. And the occupiers continue to wait.
"We were
given the chance to get out but we didn't take it, so we are prepared to
wait." said one. ♣
August 24th
1962
Knottingley
Boys Adventures 'Roughing It’ in Scotland
Climbing
Thrills for Campers
Climbing
4,000 feet in pouring rain and having to wade through roaring torrents,
two Knottingley school boys who went camping with the Boys' Brigade in
Scotland found they never had a dull moment.
They were
Arthur Laurence, aged 16, of Eastfield Avenue, a pupil of Selby Technical
School, and Terence Beaumont, aged 15, of Weeland Road, who attends The
Kings School, Pontefract, both of whom have been members of the Boys'
Brigade at Knottingley since they were 12.
Arthur and
Terence were among 60 boys chosen by the Boys Brigade headquarters to
attend a week's course at Glenmore Lodge, in the Cairngorms.
They returned
to Knottingley on Saturday with stories of canoeing, rock-climbing,
dinghy-sailing and bivouac camping.
Describing
some of the highlights of their holiday, Arthur said the course was
"really interesting and educational,'" with a full day devoted
to each subject.
Even though
the course centred on mountain activities, religion - the main theme of
the Brigade - was not forgotten; short services were held each morning and
night.
Nearly Lost
On the last
two days of the course his group went bivouac camping, "This type of
camping is really roughing it" explained Arthur, "and we
certainly had it rough!"
"We
walked ten miles, climbing hills up to 4,000 ft in height, in pouring
rain. The rain was so heavy in fact, that when we came to what should have
been a small stream, it had become a raging torrent which was waist deep,
and we had to wade through it."
''We camped
at night in a shelter, and the next morning we walked back up to the
Lodge, and nearly got lost on top of one hill in the clouds.''
A Ceilidth
(concert) which lasted from Friday night until the early hours of Saturday
rounded off their activities.
"All the
boys and officers were really thrilled by their experiences during the
week, and everyone is now waiting for the next course at the Lodge,"
says Arthur.
Terence, who
was in a different group, spent a similar week to Arthur - with one
difference. He accidentally capsized a sailing dinghy and everyone on
board was soaked.
The boys came
from all parts of the British Isles and the course is regarded as
preliminary training for the Duke of Edinburgh's ‘Outward Bound’
scheme. ♣
October 26th
1962
Aire Street
– The Fight Begins
Aire Street
Traders Form Association
A new group
to protect the interests of Knottingley Aire Street traders was formed on
Monday. An inaugural meeting held in Ropewalk Methodist Hall attracted 38
shopkeepers who appointed officials and formulated policy.
During a
two-hour discussion, the group selected the name ‘Aire Street Traders
Association.’ Mr. W.G. Watt is chairman; Mr. W. Benton, Secretary;
and Mr. L. Cook, Treasurer,
The main aims
are to brighten the appearance of the town's only existing shopping centre
and to oppose Urban Council plans to develop a site at Hilltop, adjoining
the station, for new shops
Three Point
Plan
A three-point
plan was formulated to further the aims: -
FIRST:
Central Ward representatives on the Council will be approached with a view
to improving the slum area adjoining Aire Street.
"The
Association wants to see houses erected on the derelict sites and to
change the area from slums to a presentable shopping centre which will be
better for the town and the tradespeople," explained Mr. Benton.
SECOND: The
association plans to approach the Council itself if plans to lobby Central
Ward representatives fail.
THIRD: If
these approaches are unsatisfactory the Association will nominate its own
candidates for future elections.
'Fighting For
Living'
"In the
past, the Urban Council seems to have demolished old property around Aire
Street and then left it. We are fighting for our living, and if we can't
stop a racket we'll join it," admitted the Secretary.
The
Association's opposition to Council plans for a new centre at Hill Top are
based primarily on two factors;
-
The
dangers to shoppers using the Hill Top area, which adjoins the main
Weeland Road.
-
Their
claim that the Hill Top area is not central.
They believe
the proposed site will be no more central than Aire Street, which is only
half a mile away, and that Aire Street can offer better parking facilities
away from the main road than could be planned for the proposed Hill Top
site. ♣
November 23rd
1962
Traders
Meet Councillors in Private
Over 50
members of Aire Street Traders Association met Knottingley Urban District
Council Housing, Highways, Lighting and Allotments Committee in private at
the Town Hall, on Tuesday.
They heard
the Council's consulting architect, Mr. M. Turner, explain the
controversial plans he has drawn on the Council's instructions, for the
comprehensive re- development of Aire Street, and then put counter
proposals. The chief spokesman for the traders was Mr. W.G. Watt,
(chairman) and the discussion became heated at some stages.
The Committee
promised to consider the counter proposals at its meeting on Wednesday. It
is understood the Committee spent more than two hours discussing the
counter proposals.
Mr. Watt was
not available to tell ‘The Express’ of counter proposals put
forward by the traders, and Mr. W. Benton (secretary) said he did not want
to comment and prejudice the traders case, but he was optimistic of the
outcome.
The Council
Clerk, Mr. H.B. Probert, was not available on Thursday to comment on
either of the meetings. ♣
December 14th
1962
Aire Street
Traders Reject Plan
The Council
plan which includes the erection of 15 shops, two banks, one public house,
176 dwellings and 92 garages, was rejected by the Aire Street Traders
Association, when they met the committee.
"Old
buildings at the rear of Aire Street should be demolished, the site
cleared and houses built to bring more trade to the area," propose
the traders.
They say the
Council should acquire all vacant shops in the street and demolish them
along with the council-owned shops. New shops with flats above should be
erected and let to existing tenant-shopkeepers at a reasonable rent.
A new road
should be constructed to link Chapel Street and Cow Lane with a service
road to meet Aire Street near the Post Office. Both the new road and Aire
Street should be made one-way streets and a bus service provided.
Councillor’s
A. Cardwell and Mr. M. McLauchlan, debated whether the plan would have to
be re-drawn or merely modified. Councillor McLauchlan said he regarded the
proposal as a skeleton plan to which the specialists could make
adjustments.
It would be
for them to decide which properties could be retained, but the answer was
not 15 shops. That may be the idea of Town and Country Planning officials
but it was not his belief.
A cutting
from The Express of November 23rd, showing the architects plan for
Aire Street shopping centre was produced by Councillor W. O'Brien who
claimed that this was the plan - with only 15 shops - which was approved
in principle. Now Mr. McLauchlan was saying old shops could be included.
He agreed that this was possible and had been effective in neighbouring
towns.
Councillor A.
Wood, urged that some form of understanding should be reached with
shopkeepers if the housing development started "at the back of Aire
Street" but Councillor C. Tate objected that this was as good as
referring back to the plan. The Council had plans for the back of Aire
Street before it considered comprehensive re-development.
It may be
best to develop the back of Aire Street first but it would be advisable to
stick to some sort of plan.
Councillor
O'Brien moved and Councillor Cardwell seconded an amendment, "That
the scheme should not be rejected – but should be deleted." The
mover explained this would allow the architect and officials more latitude
to modify the plan, The Council would not be committing itself to ‘x’
numbers of shops. The amendment was carried.
Councillor
O'Brien objected that only members of the Housing, Highways, Lighting and
Allotment Committee had met the Aire Street traders at a special meeting.
He thought all the members of the Council should have been invited to such
an important meeting. ♣
As
reported
in the Pontefract and Castleford Express 1962
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