Region's Time of Mills and Boon

Yorkshire textile firms were suffering staff shortages, thanks to a welcome boom in the industry in the early spring of 1973.
Ken Holmes pictured by the foot and mouth sign saying the Kiplingcoates Derby is cancelled, Ken came second in the race on Cassius.Ken Holmes pictured by the foot and mouth sign saying the Kiplingcoates Derby is cancelled, Ken came second in the race on Cassius.
Ken Holmes pictured by the foot and mouth sign saying the Kiplingcoates Derby is cancelled, Ken came second in the race on Cassius.

Mills which only a short time previously were under the shadow of potential closure due to a decline in trade were now urging former employees to return.

One company, Joseph Newsome and Sons, of Batley Carr, was appealing to former staff who were now self-employed to come back part-time. An emergency rota of skilled textile workers who were willing to help out was being drawn up.

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Hundreds of animals used for research died in a fire at York University’s biology laboratories this week. The blaze destroyed two floors, including the animal house, where hundreds of rats, mice, rabbits and guinea pigs were kept.

Valuable papers relating to agricultural and medical research were also destroyed.

Britain’s railways were in chaos and urgent talks at ending the deadlock between three unions and the British Railways Board over drivers’ pay were now needed.

Board chairman Richard Marsh invited leaders of the National Union of Railwaymen, drivers’ union Aslef and the Transport Salaried Staff Associates back to the table after their non-co-operation policy and one-day strikes had left train services in disarray across the country for three weeks.

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Meanwhile, finance ministers from the world’s wealthiest non-Communist nations met in Paris for talks on the future of the dollar and the international monetary system. The conference followed a decision by six Common Market nations to allow their currencies to float jointly against the dollar, with Britain, Ireland and Italy floating theirs individually.

Anti-pornography peer Lord Longford paid £1 for a stalls seat to see the controversial film Last Tango In Paris this week – and afterwards urged local authorities to ban it.

He said: “What I disliked most was the sadistic approach to sex. If they had cut out the dirt they might have made a reasonable film, but then there would not be much of the film left.” Lady Longford also saw the film and said she did not find it offensive, although it contained “a lot of unpleasant language”.

According to a new report based on observations of children at play in six urban areas including Sheffield, youngsters should not be brought up high up in blocks of flats but on a ground floor where they could have access to conventional outdoor play areas with swings and roundabouts.

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In a bulletin published by the Department of the Environment Housing Directorate aimed at housing managers and designers, researchers added that playgrounds were no substitute for play areas within housing developments.

They recommended that estates should be planned with children’s needs in mind, and with more attention paid to keeping them safe from traffic.

Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe and the former Countess of Harewood Marion Stein flew off on a French Riviera honeymoon this week, following a quiet wedding at Paddington Register Office and Holy Communion at St Faith’s Chapel at Westminster Abbey.

Mr Thorpe’s first wife Caroline had been killed in a car crash in 1970. Their three-year old son Rupert attended the ceremonies, as did the bride’s three sons, Viscount Lascelles, the Hon James Lascelles and the Hon Jeremy Lascelles.

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When the couple were blessed after Communion, Rupert joined them before the altar and asked if his teddy bear could also receive a blessing. Archdeacon of Westminster the Venerable Edward Carpenter happily obliged.

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