Picture: In the new tuck shop at Thirsk School in December 1979 are Kathleen Myers and Susan Armstong. While some of the confectionery on sale is still available, can you still buy Bango, Toffo, T-Mints or Tingles?

From this newspaper 150 years ago -

Boat accident on the Tees at Stockton and narrow escape. Soon after six o’clock on Monday evening, an accident occurred on the Tees which might easily have resulted in the loss of the lives of no less than fourteen persons.

The workmen in the employ of Messrs Richardson, Duck and Co., shipbuilders, South Stockton, were leaving work, and as is invariably the case, a rush to the ferry landings was made by those of them who reside at Stockton.

Thirteen men jumped into one of the boats at Ianson’s landing, and the ferryman, John Swallow, rowed towards the opposite bank, but the ebb tide and a strong wind, blowing westsouth- west, drove the frail bark down the stream and caused it to run foul of a keel which was lying moored at a distance of about eight yards from the Stockton shore. The boat lurched to one side. 

Darlington and Stockton Times:

SAILING: Advertisement from this newspaper 150 years ago

The men, who were standing at the time, suddenly moved to the other, and in a moment the boat filled with water.

All the men were precipitated into the river and were struggling for life. Several clung to the mooring chain until they were rescued by two boatmen named William Mason and John Featherstone. Others swam to the shore. One who had missed his hold in grasping the chain was driven along with the stream, and afterwards saved by Kelly the ferryman. That the escape from drowning was indeed a fortunate one may be judged from the fact that the report which rapidly circulated soon after the occurrence, that four or five of the men were missing, was believed by many people to be authentic. Unless the overcrowding of those ferry boats be prevented, either by procuring adequate accommodation or some other effectual remedy, we shall not be surprised if we have yet to record some fatal accident.

From this newspaper 100 years ago –

The newest fad is to enact that a minimum wage be paid to all agricultural landowners. If ever such an Act of Parliament is passed it will have results that few people contemplate at the present moment. For instance, the man who engages at present to have a rent and rate-free house will have to pay a weekly rent and all other perquisites and allowances will be discontinued.

Men will be engaged at so much per week in hard cash, no beer or other foodstuffs being provided. In a word, the agricultural labourer will be on the same footing as an ironworker, cotton spinner, miner, or worker in any other industry.

In nearly all industries outside agriculture the worker has to find his own refreshment if he requires any. There is another side to the minimum wage and that is that a number of men will find no employment at all.

Men getting on in years and men of second-rate ability who are not considered worth the fixed wages will only be able to get a job sometimes as piece work. A good man is worthy of his hire; to set up a cast-iron standard of wages will result in loss to the secondrate workers.

From this newspaper 50 years ago –

North Riding planners do everything possible to plug loopholes whereby luxury homes may be built in the green belt and rural areas, contrary to regulations, reports Peter Cook. A county official stressed this on Monday when asked about allegations from Stokesley about loopholes in the green belt building regulations. It had been alleged that some people were getting houses built by falsely stating adjoining land would be used for agriculture.

Darlington and Stockton Times:

STYLE: Advertisement from this newspaper 50 years ago

In a letter to Stokesley Rural Council, the Clerk of the County Council, Mr R A Wotherspoon, had explained that it was appreciated that a false claim might produce a loophole in planning control. But the County Council would continue to examine closely such applications. A county official pointed out that in a rural area where planning permission would not normally be granted for a house permission could be given to anyone farming the land or buying the land with the intention of farming it. If permission were granted it was subject to the house being occupied by those engaged in agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture was consulted on such applications and if it supported it that was taken into account. If it did not support it then that would influence the Planning Committee to turn down the application.

Once outline approval for planning permission was given, it was difficult to say that “the farmer” should only have a house of such-and-such a type, but every precaution was taken to try and ensure that it was a bona fide application in the interests of agriculture. Mr W J Adlington, chairman of the Stokesley Rural Council, said that if the loophole in the present law were allowed to grow the green belt could be in danger.