LEFT PICTURE: It is January 1970 and disc parking has been introduced in Richmond Market Place. Two new traffic wardens have been appointed of which one, Miss Mary Elizabeth Ness, is pictured above. The D&S reported that the new wardens were to "assist and advise motorists" with the scheme and they would carry a supply of the discs to hand out to residents and visitors.

From this newspaper 150 years ago. The mechanic is “a very clubbable man.” The man of wealth and leisure joins a club for luxury’s sake; the middle-class man, for the most part, does not belong to one at all, as his life is pretty nearly divided between his place of business and his family; but the working man is almost sure to be a member of some benefit society, or other body, which requires a place of meeting, and he has a natural and proper appetite for social intercourse, which cannot be indulged in his small home. Practically, he has always had his club, holding his business meetings and jovial reunions at a public-house.

This has led to a great deal of unnecessary drinking, and the object of workingmen’s clubs is to provide every facility offered by the public-house, without the temptations inseparable from the landlord’s rooms. This club-house contains a common room for conversation, newspapers, refreshments, and games; a library, a smoking-room, and rooms for educational classes, for the business meetings of the committee, for transacting the affairs of friendly societies, etc, for lectures, concerts, parties, and miscellaneous amusements. In the country, a cricket-ground is often attached, and, even in London, space is sometimes found for skittles and ninepins.

From this newspaper 100 years ago. – The annual report of Dr W M Yeoman (Medical Officer to the Stokesley Rural District Council) shows that during 1913 births registered in the district numbered 268, an increase of 37 as compared with the previous year, the corrected birth-rate being 22.2 per 1,000. Deaths numbered 150, and with one exception (in 1907, when it was 148) this was the lowest number for the last 20 years. The corrected death-rate was 13.45 per 1,000. The largest number of deaths took place at Great Ayton, in which area 36 occurred, and this was partially due to the number of deaths over 65 years. Yarm had the highest death-rate of 18.54 with 30 deaths, and this was owing to the number of deaths under two years of age, viz., 11.

Darlington and Stockton Times:

The details with the rates in the other areas are given as follows: Stokesley 21 deaths, rate 12.93; Broughton, Kirby and Ingleby Greenhow, 14 and 11.37; Hutton Rudby and Crathorne, 15 and 12.53; Whorlton, Potto and Ingleby Arncliffe, 11 and 13.63; remainder of district (excluding Ayton and Yarm), 36 and 10.85. There were seven deaths from zymotic disease against five in the previous year, the rate being 0.57 per 1,000. Tuberculosis disease accounted for 14 deaths, against 16 in 1912, and cancer was responsible for a similar number. Sixty-one cases of infectious disease were notified, a decrease of 22; and 13 cases of scarlet fever, as compared with 45 last year. Ten of the scarlet fever cases occurred at Nunthorpe, nine being members of one family, and the doctor ascribes the origin of the infection to Middlesbrough.

From this newspaper 50 years ago. – A saving of £8,500 a year of taxpayers' money in the North Riding school meals bill has resulted from the introduction of full cream, dried milk powder used for school meals instead of liquid milk.

The processed milk powder is made by Dried Milk Products Ltd., Northallerton, from milk supplied by North Riding farmers. As it is a produce of our own farms, North Riding educationalists were puzzled on Monday how the county’s farmers could be angry about the change-over, for the result of the experiment in using the full cream dried milk powder is that the children prefer it. A misleading report that the dried milk was imported may have disturbed them but Mr Frank Barraclough, County Education secretary, said that this was untrue.

Darlington and Stockton Times:

The change-over means that the dried cream milk powder used in the schools meals service, at the equivalent of 2s 6d a gallon, replaces the 600 gallons of liquid milk used in a day at about 5s a gallon. The saving represents about 1/4d a meal on the 8.1/4m school meals served in a year by the education authority. It in no way affects the school milk supplies through which North Riding school children drink about 2,200 gallons of liquid milk a day. Mr Barraclough explained that for 22 years skimmed dried milk had been used in the school meals’ services throughout England and Wales on the advice of dieticians of the Ministry, the aim being to increase the protein content of the school meal.