THE ARCHIVES

100 years ago

According to the Exchange correspondent the Dutch Government have allowed the ex-Kaiser to remain in Holland on terms similar to those of the internment of high officers. These terms have not been made public. The ex-Kaiser has accepted the terms on parole, and will remain until further notice at Castle Amerongen, at Maarn, and will probably buy a large estate in Holland and settle there. The Kaiser is travelling under the name of Count Wm Hohenzollern.

50 years ago

A computer is to help in shaping the telephone of the future by aiding research into “human factors,” the GPO has announced. “Among its first jobs will be experiments, using volunteers, aimed at showing the best design for a push-button telephone – still years in the future. “Knowledge gained about the duration of each keying ‘contact’ and the time lapse between them will be invaluable to engineers designing future electronic exchanges,” says the announcement.

25 years ago

Stunned customers thought a leading Scottish supermarket had adopted a new policy over fresh meat when they arrived to do their shopping at a Perth store. For they found a live chicken running about in the car park of William Low’s Victoria Street branch in the city centre. Brian Cowing, of the SSPCA, had been called in by flustered staff who had spent an hour unsuccessfully trying to round up the bird. After manoeuvres with a shopping trolley, he caught the runaway.

One year ago

A drive to combat the waste of empty classrooms in Angus has been launched as the council admits it has too many schools. Twelve of the county’s 53 primary schools are more than half empty, with two schools having no pupils at all. There are more than 2,950 unfilled spaces at Angus primary schools and 2,111 at eight secondaries. Public consultations are under way as the local authority plans the long-term future of its schools. The council insists it is not looking to close schools.