THE ARCHIVES

100 years ago

A letter was read at a meeting of Arbroath Town Council yesterday from the Local Government Board asking whether the local authority were prepared to proceed immediately with the preparation of an adequate housing scheme, having in view that in the schedule report of October it was stated that 30 new houses were required. Bailie Dundas, convener of the Streets Committee, remarked that his opinion of the housing business was that the whole thing was a ridiculous monstrosity.

50 years ago

A new factory at Leven should soon provide jobs for 20 men. That was the good news given yesterday by Provost Charles Gardner, who confirmed reports that the Town Council and Swilken Golf Clubs Ltd, Argyle Street, St Andrews, have been negotiating over a new factory site for the last five months. Mr Norman Brown, who has joined the Swilken Golf Company, will be manager of the new “feeder” factory. For many years he was with the Leven firm of George Nicoll of Scotland, who also manufacture golf clubs.

25 years ago

The Government gave its blessing to wide-ranging proposals to reshape the provision of acute healthcare throughout Tayside – plans which mean the closure of Dundee Royal Infirmary and Meigle Cottage Hospital. The closures are among a package of developments contained in Tayside Health Board’s acute services review, formally approved by Scottish Secretary Ian Lang after months of consultation. The package also includes a £30 million plan for two new community hospitals in Forfar and Montrose.

One year ago

A shake-up of health provision in Angus will result in the permanent removal of in-patient services at Brechin and Montrose infirmaries. Health bosses have been forced to implement plans to address a situation where almost a third of Angus hospital beds can lie empty. Health chiefs say a new model of care is needed because current provision is “unsustainable in the long term”. The plans include a role for the Mulberry adult mental health ward at Stracathro.