FROM this newspaper 100 years ago. - Vagrancy at Bedale: The efficacy of the Local Government Board regulations with regard to the treatment of vagrants has had a good illustration at Bedale Workhouse. Several years ago Bedale used to be a favourite dumping place (pleasure-resort?) with the gentlemen of the road as they had not to suffer there the monastic solitude of the single cell system but were permitted together, where they could crony and confab and relieve times' tedium by mutual confidences. While the repletion of the cells compelled the sending of great surplus to the common lodging house - the desire of the vagrant soul - and furthermore the discharge of them next day. Sir Henry Beresford-Peirse, Bart, the vigorous chairman, changed this decisively, got passed the solitary cell and engaged a task master and enforced the task and two nights' immurement and the gentlemen of the road cry off and seek other pastures new. In 1894 their legion for the year at Bedale was 6,486, and for the past year ending Michaelmas 1900, they had shrivelled to 1,189 and are still shrivelling.

From this newspaper 50 years ago. - Lord Gort hits out at Modern Art: In a humorous vein, Lord Gort, of Hamsterley Hall, Rowlands Gill, tilted at art trends and art critics when opening Darlington Society of Arts exhibition on Thursday. Contradicting any rumour that he was an authority on art, president of Bowes Museum, Lord Gort said that he was a collector of art, but admitted that when he bought anything he usually regretted it afterwards and when he got it home realised what a mistake he had made. "Admirers of primitive pictures, of which I happen to be one, are rather mentally peculiar people who, perhaps do not like realistic art too well. Critics of primitive art have said to me that they don't like pictures of saints dripping with blood or having their heads cut off. My reply to them is that if the same painters had painted Ginger Rogers, their pictures would have been more popular and worth a lot more money than they are now." Lord Gort recalled when Sir Alfred Munnings, president of the Royal Academy, hit out at the "new art people" during an academy dinner. "It seems to be a peculiar period," he continued, "when your grandfather is painted so that he might look like a rattlesnake or, if he were being complimented, like a good-looking cabhorse. Fortunately this period is passing over. It has not reached Darlington yet, otherwise those sort of pictures would have been seen here."

From this newspaper 25 years ago. - The pollution of East Cleveland's beaches was referred to at the meeting of the Langbaurgh Borough Council environmental health committee on Monday. After a report on oil pollution had been put to the committee, Coun Ben Scott of Loftus told members that nothing had been mentioned about the amount of raw sewage which was being washed back onto the beaches after it had been discharged directly into the sea. "I have had many reports about raw sewage coming down the local streams to Skinningrove and other places," said Coun Scott