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MANCHESTER EYEWITNESS
ISSUE NUMBER 11 SATURDAY, MAY 24TH, 1947


Despite heavy bookings on the twice weekly air service to Paris, the Manchester airways terminus, recently opened in a prefab on St Peters Square, continues to be quiet. On one day recently there were only ten pasengers booked out on the three flights currently operating from Ringway, but nine of them made their own way to the airport. The destinations currently available from Manchester are London, Paris and Belfast via the Isle of Man.

A return fare to the Isle of Man costs £3 14s 6d, and the flight takes 65 minutes. Aer Lingus and KLM are to commence a new air link between Manchester, Holland and Ireland, starting on May the 20th.

A 12 year old boy appeared in the Manchester Juvenile Court on Wednesday accused of causing £80 worth of damage to a railway van at Beswick sidings by setting it on fire. After starting the fire, the boy closed the door and ran off to give a fire warning. When fire engines arrived, he returned to watch. He was sent to a remand home by magistrates.

Huge amounts of fish lay rotting on the stalls at Smithfield Market on Thursday. The quality of the fish is very high, including fine Danish plaice, which is in very abundant supply. The reason for the glut was increased catches due to better fishing weather.

Mr Silkin, Minister for Town and Country Planning, received a report on test borings in the Mobberley area on Thursday. If the borings show no subsidence, he may reverse his ban on development in the area, and a new overspill town may be built there.

Rents have been fixed by Manchester Corporation for houses in the Manchester area, including 15s 8d for non-parlour 2-bedroomed houses, 19s 8d for 3 bedroomed and £1 2s for 4 bedroomed. The charges are inclusive of rates and electricity.

Twenty-two registered packets were stolen from the 5.40 am Crewe to Birmingham train on Friday morning.

Police fear that an organised gang is at work between Crewe and Preston. This is the third mail train robbery in one week.

At the Manchester city Sessions this week, the Recorder, Sir Noel Goldie, QC declared that Manchester was "full of men living on their wits," who for a profit as low as £10, were prepared to run the sort of risks no decent man would dream of running.

Three men in their twenties, two of them soldiers of no fixed address, were given prison sentences after they had been found guilty of offences involving breaking and entering and theft of carpets.

The Manchester Ice Palace is planning many special attractions including a dance band, coloured lighting and spot-lights. They may also keep the ice-rink open beyond the provisional closing date of May 31st. Since it opened for its first post-war season, there have been longer queues than those at the city's cinemas.

As the cricket teams of Lancashire and Yorkshire battled it out in bright sunshine at Old Trafford ground today, less people than expected used Manchester's railway stations. Staff were prepared for a huge Whitsun holiday rush from Manchester, but it never came.

It seems that more people are travelling by motor-coach, bus and private car than before. Due to the heavy volume of cars on the roads, Lancashire County police have been using an aircraft to direct the traffic. The plane is in radio contact with squad cars.

There were the usual week-end queues at London Road Station but they were for the London trains, not the resorts. The busiest station was Exchange. At Victoria, an official reported today that none of the extra engines had been used.

Experts at Ringway Airport say the weather is going to be "generally fair and warm", but there is the possibility of some showers later in the evening. Temperatures at 3 pm today were 66.1 deg., the same as yesterday.


And here are some of the national headlines this week

Four men were arrested on Monday in connection with the murder of Alec De Antiquis.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Mr Dalton is still considering giving old age pensioners the opportunity of getting cheap tobacco, so that men of 65 to 70 who have fought in two world wars can at least have the comfort of a full pipe of tobacco.

And for those interested in purchasing a car, a Ford Prefect (10 h.p.) will cost you £275, plus £77/2/9 purchase tax. A Ford Anglia (8 h.p.) will set you back £229, plus £64/7/3 purchase tax.

Text and photos by Aidan O'Rourke

Based on reports in the Manchester Evening News

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