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MANCHESTER EYEWITNESS
ISSUE NUMBER 23 SATURDAY, AUGUST 16TH, 1947


Following the anti-Jewish riots in Manchester and Salford last week, 15 men were charged at a court in Salford on Monday with offences arising out of the disturbances.

And at Manchester Juvenile court on Thursday, magistrates refused to consider giving corporal punishment to a boy accused, with his brother, of stealing bugles and hats from the Boys Brigade, Old Trafford.

The mother of the 10 year old boy had pleaded tearfully with the officials to give her son the birch: "I wish they had decided to birch him. It would have made all the difference."

Also present at the hearing was Mrs Alice Titt, who recently protested against the recent birching of two boys in Stretford.

Manchester's civic film "A City Speaks" was shown for the first time at the Odeon Cinema on Monday night - to mixed responses. Many found it too long and too gloomy. Summarising the film, Mr Manchester said in his Manchester Evening News Diary, that people watching the film would get the impression Manchester was a city of "slums, smoke, councillors, speedway racing, all-in wrestling, the "bobs" and John Barbirolli", in that order.

Unemployment fell in the North-west by 3062 to 48,470. In greater Manchester, 6542 people were out of work, or 1.3 per cent of the workforce. This figure is well below the national average.

On Wednesday, temperatures climbed into the 80's, and weather experts at Ringway airport said the spell would last two more days. By three pm on Wednesday, the temperature was 81 degrees, compared with 75 the day before.

On Thursday, thermometer readings were as follows: 10am: 74 degrees; 1pm: 80; 30pm: 81; 4pm: 80. Saturday was the hottest day since July 31st 1943, when the temperature at Ringway reached 87 degrees. There is a strong possibility of thunderstorms, which are forecast to arrive by Monday.

80,000 people from eight towns set off on their holidays mostly without difficulty today. The only delay was when 400 to 500 were left behind at a Liverpool landing stage. But they weren't stranded for long. An extra boat was put on to take them to the Isle of Man. In the Manchester area, towns on holiday this week are: Ashton-Under-Lyne, Dukinfield, Droylsden, Littleborough, Rochdale and Shaw.


India and Pakistan received their independence yesterday. The outgoing Viceroy of India, Earl Mountbatten, has said he will stay in India until next year.

There have been dire predictions about cinemas in Britain as a consequence of a proposed surcharge on American films coming into this country. If the measure is adopted, and Hollywood refuses to supply Britain with films, cinemas may have to close down completely. The ration of American to British films shown in Britain is approximatly ten to one.

More than 50 men are still trapped underground after an explosion a the William pit, Whitehaven, Cumbria. It is now certain that 54 of the original 107 trapped men are dead. Rescue teams have been struggling to get through to possible survivors, as on the ground, women come to terms with the loss, in some cases, of all the male members of their family.


Text by Aidan O'Rourke
Based on reports in the Manchester Evening News

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