50 years ago

• Pontypridd Road tip for many years the centre of considerable controversy in the town, looks like taking on this role yet again, for there is considerable feeling in the Hawthorn Road - Cwm Barry Way area about the lack of a recreation ground for the many young children who live in the area. Residents of the area are worried about crowds of youngsters playing on the roads and there is talk of a petition to the council.

• During the last week or so there has been a bout of the childhood ailments, measles, mumps and chicken pox in Barry.

• Work started on Monday on a big scheme to improve the Neale-Kent Hospital for Women. Scheduled to be completed within 36 weeks, it will include a new boilerhouse to provide central heating for the two wards, new toilets a day room or solarium for patients and a new nurses’ changing room.

• Barry’s Soccer Queen is 18-year-old Janice Woods of 19 Burns Crescent, Barry who was chosen at a dance at the Barry Town Social Club on Tuesday week. Janice, the sister of Malcolm Woods the Barry Town winger, will now go forward to the South Wales final of the Federation of Supporters’ Club annual competition in March.

• A Local Government inquiry which might mean the end of Cardiff Rural Council as an administrative authority begins in Cardiff on Tuesday next. Cardiff City Council is seeking to enlarge its boundaries and its proposals are so-far reaching that Stanley Lakin of Brynhill, chairman of Cardiff RDC is afraid that if they are approved the authority will no longer be in a position to carry on because it will have such a large area to administer with a small income.

• Although the expenditure of Glamorgan County Council goes up by about £2 million next year, the rate remains unchanged at 8s in the £1. Major factors in preventing an increase in the rate are that during the current year the general grant from the Government increased by £200,000; there was £100,000 underspending and the increase of the product of the rate was £336,000.