FROM this newspaper 100 years ago. - It is a matter of regret that there is no improvement in the attendance record at Northallerton National School.

The average attendance is 423, which shows that there are 141 children absent every day.

The managers contend that, making every allowance for sickness and other causes, there ought to be no more than 56 absent. In a place like Northallerton, where all are within easy distance of the school, there ought to be an average attendance of 90pc instead of 75. Of course this entails a serious loss to the school.

The School Attendance Committee has been appealed to again and again, but the managers feel that nothing adequate has been done.

From this newspaper 50 years ago. - Growing parish needs curate. The increasing population in Haughton le Skerne merited the provision of an assistant curate, said the Rector Canon P J Kirner at the annual sale of work of St Andrew's church, Haughton le Skerne, on Wednesday.

The Rector said that three years ago the estimated population of the parish was 3,500 people and today a modest estimate would put the number at well over 9,000.

"Houses are going up everywhere and we shall have anything from 10,000 to 12,000 people in the parish" he said. "Thus we must have an assistant curate."

The sum of £514 was raised for church funds and the chairman, Major A B Surtees, thanked the people for attending in such large numbers.

From this newspaper 25 years ago. - While a seven-bedroom, three-bathroom country mansion with all mod cons including a burglar alarm system fetched a mere £33,000 at a sale in Darlington, fishing rights on a three-mile stretch of the River Tees were sold for £46,500.

The sale of the Neasham Hill Estate was conducted on Monday by G Tarn Bainbridge at Darlington.

The Association of Teesside and District Angling Clubs bought the rights to the three miles of trout and coarse fishing on the River Tees