From the Northern Times 25, 50 and 100 years ago
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25 YEARS AGO
From the newspaper of December 19, 1997
A DILAPIDATED former garage, described as an eyesore by Lairg residents, who have long wanted to see it demolished, is being investigated as the possible source of an oil spillage into Little Loch Shin. The oil slick spread over 100m of the loch shore before a containment exercise was launched. Samples from the slick will be compared to samples taken from oil drums found in the boarded-up village centre premises of the former Sutherland Transport and Trading Company Ltd.
The chairman of textile firm Hunters of Brora has blamed the Scottish Office for the loss of a lucrative contract which he claimed has led to redundancies amongst the 64-strong workforce. Robert Gibbons accused the Scottish Office of dragging its feet over sanctioning a renegotiated financial deal between Hunters and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. He claimed the delay had prevented Hunters from moving into its new £5.3 million mill and that customers felt the firm could not fulfil contracts in its current premises.
50 YEARS AGO
From the newspaper of December 15, 1972
The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries have approved the tender documents for the second major extension to the county council's white fish pier at Lochinver. Estimated cost about £250,000. That was what Sutherland's Harbours Committee were told at Dornoch last Monday. And there was also authority to proceed with the proposed covered fish market to be built on the extension. The whole job was to go ahead and 13 contractors were to be asked to tender for the work.
If Sutherland was to prosper and all the needs of its people be adequately met, then the population must be increased by 6,000 by the end of 1980. The lack of population was the problem, Mr Robert Maclennan, MP for the constituency, told the North and West Sutherland Council of Social Service at their annual general meeting at Bonar Bridge last Friday and he laid the onus of the solution - finding more jobs - particularly on the Highland Development Board. He said the board had been set up to create jobs.
100 YEARS AGO
From the newspaper of December 14, 1922
At a meeting of Dornoch Town Council last Tuesday, Provost Murray brought up the question of electric light for the burgh. He said he knew that this was a large order and a matter that should be carefully gone into because of the large amount of money that would be involved. It was not a new scheme, as it had been brought up before the war by others in the town, but the war had stopped it, and the reason why he brought it up now was that he understood that the Highland Railway Coy. were going to scrap their present engine owing to its want of power, noise etc, and instal a new one.
He thought this would be an opportune time for the council to approach the H.R. Coy, before they began to lay down their new plant, and find out, if they would cooperate with the town and get the use of their new plant for their lighting, or lay down a new and powerful plant themselves and get the H.R. Coy., hotel and other private establishments to agree to install light from the town. It was agreed a report should be prepared for the January meeting.
