LOOKING BACK

The Herald 100 years ago

SALISBURY, 13 November 1919. — The first anniversary of the signing of the Armistice was celebrated with all honour and dignity in Salisbury. The town was gay with a fine display of national emblems and at one o’clock the stores closed their doors for the day.

In response to the King’s message that two minutes’ silence should be observed at 11 o’clock throughout the Empire, elaborate arrangements were made to announce generally to the citizens the approach of the “pause.”

Guns were fired from the Police Camp, the Volunteer Drill and from the Kopje, and the town automatically ceased all activities.

Traffic was completely suspended and all business was held up for the brief space of two minutes, while the townspeople paid reverent tribute, to the memory of the Empire’s heroes who, not counting the cost, gallantly laid down their lives for the cause of freedom and liberty. In almost perfect stillness the town devoted its thoughts on “reverent remembrance of the glorious dead,” and not only the town, but the outside districts as well.

The Herald 75 years ago

SALISBURY, 13 November 1944. — The Electricity Supply Commission states that the 88 000 000 units mentioned were supplied to the mines, which are by far the largest of the Commission’s consumers — about 85 percent.

The Salisbury City Electricity Engineer states that 6 260 000 units were supplied by the municipality to the Commission during 1943-44 at an average of 0.51d per unit.

This is the general costs plus 10 percent.

The power is delivered in bulk at the power station from which point the Commission runs its own lines for distribution in its own area of supply. The proposed surcharge of 25 percent, does not apply since the agreement with the Commission was entered into in the past.

Special tariffs, the City Electrical Engineer continued, were given to the Government for supplies of power to military, air force and internment camps for the length of the war.

The Herald 50 years ago

SALISBURY, 13 November 1969. — A new marketing company, Shell and BP Marketing Services (Pvt.) Ltd, is being formed to handle all the marketing functions of the two oil companies in Rhodesia.

Shell and BP will continue to operate as separate suppliers and retailers of petroleum products and the retail outlets will retain their brand identities.

The new company will be jointly owned by Shell Rhodesia (Pvt.) Ltd and BP Rhodesia (Pvt.) Ltd and will be accommodated in Shell House, Jameson Avenue, Salisbury.

The chairman and managing director will be Mr. R. F. Barrie, who hold the same positions in Shell Rhodesia.

It is understood that BP employees will move to Shell House by the end of the month and that BP House on the corner of Jameson Avenue and Moffat Street will lose its identity.

Employees of both companies are being slotted into positions in the administrative and financial departments of the new company, which is expected to be in operation in December.

The Herald 25 years ago

CHITUNGWIZA, 13 November 1994. — Chitungwiza Town Council will appeal to the Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development for help to service stands at the Korsent Village in Seke, Chitungwiza.

Council chairman Mr Andrew Jiri said at the weekend that a council delegation will soon call on Joseph Msika after the senior minister agreed to see them on the issue.

Mr Jiri said the council, which cannot service the Korsten Village stands because it has no money, wants to discuss the issue with the senior minister and establish in what way the Government could resolve the situation.

The council had failed to secure funds to service the hundreds of stands at the village, the oldest in Chitungwiza which came into being in 1962 after Zimbabwean members of the Apostolic Faith Church settled there from South Africa.

As Chitungwiza town began developing around them, the religiously fervent residents of the village did not build better houses because they waited for authorities to service the stands.