Looking Back – news from the John O'Groat Journal of yesteryear
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Authority sued over boots account
From the Groat of December 14, 1923
Members of the Wick School Management Committee were undecided as to whether they should defend an action from a local boot merchant.
John Leith had supplied boots for needy children under the Wick Harper Boots Fund and was suing the local education authority for the sum of £32 6s.
The authority had offered £16 3s as settlement of the account but Mr Leith had refused this.
Committee members heard that they "no doubt had an excellent case" when it came to defending the action but they were not sure it would be wise to incur the legal expense of doing so.
Chairman John Harper pointed out that "if they decided to defend the case they did so as trustees on behalf of the poor children of the town and the expense must come off the fund; every pound spent in legal action would be a pound less to spend on boots".
Despite a suggestion that the account be paid and the circumstances of the case "be kept in view in relation to future contracts", it was agreed to consult a solicitor before making a decision.
Meanwhile, the people of Wick had voted for the town to remain dry, albeit with a smaller majority than that achieved during the original Temperance Act vote in 1920.
The lessening of support for No-Licence was put down to the strong propaganda employed by the "trade".
No town Christmas tree
From the Groat of December 14, 1973
There was to be no burgh Christmas tree in Wick because of the national fuel restrictions.
Wick Town Council's administration committee decided to dispense with the tree altogether rather than go with one that was decorated but not illuminated.
Normally there would be a switching-on ceremony in the town hall garden and the tree and other street illuminations would remain during the festive period.
Plans for this had been made prior to the fuel crisis but, as it came time to confirm the order for the Christmas tree, the committee decided not to go ahead. Members accepted that the public, and children particularly, would be disappointed.
A motion that the tree be put up but not illuminated as "the general feeling among the public was that they should have a tree, even if there were no lights on it" was defeated in a vote by seven to four.
Elsewhere, a minibus provided in Thurso by voluntary subscription was to be taken over by the county social work department for various welfare services, "particularly in connection with elderly and disabled people".
The council was to spend £500 providing a garage and driver, but there were concerns that the bus would no longer be available to provide free transport for those visiting patients in hospital.
Fishing ban to remain
From the Groat of December 18, 1998
A ban on all fishing within a two-kilometre radius of the radioactive waste outfall at Dounreay was to remain in force indefinitely.
Scotland's health minister Sam Galbraith said he was looking to the UK Atomic Energy Authority for "greater and speedier effort" to track down and eliminate radioactive pollution of the sea and foreshore, and restore the environment to "a clean, pristine condition".
The ruling had been made on the advice of the National Radiological Protection Board and Scottish Environment Protection Agency following a year-long study,
While both agencies concluded that the risk of a particle being digested via the food chain was probably very small, they believed it was sensible to retain the exclusion zone "until the full extent of the contamination is detected and dealt with".
The fishing ban had been announced in October 1997 following the discovery on the seabed of 36 fragments of spent nuclear fuel linked to reprocessing operation at Dounreay in the 1960s.
Elsewhere, Thurso Community Council had called for an extension of the town speed limit on the A9 at Mount Vernon.
The issue had been raised by vice-chairman Arthur Yates, who drew attention to a recent accident at a bend near the cemetery and the fact a children's play area was located behind the wall struck by the vehicle.
