FROM this newspaper 100 years ago. - Every pig in England has been born into swine fever restrictions, and their parents and grandparents, uncles, cousins and aunts, and all collateral relations, have wallowed and grunted under regulations and enactments of greater and less severity. Notwithstanding this, swine fever is as rife as ever, and the whole system stands confessed, in the eyes of all but the most prejudiced, a complete and gigantic failure. The harm these restrictions have done locally is almost incredible. Twenty years ago Darlington was one of the best pig markets in the district. Today this market is non-existent. It has been killed, not by swine fever, but by ill-advised restrictions.

From this newspaper 50 years ago. - Passengers in a double-decker bus travelling from Durham to Darlington were saved by the presence of mind of the driver who violently swung his bus out of the path of a trailer which had become detached from its towing vehicle. About 400 biscuit tins were smashed up with the trailer, and a large crowd of children soon gathered to have a most unusual treat eating the hundreds of biscuits strewn around the wreckage.

From this newspaper 25 years ago. - The row over the ventilation system or lack of it in the kitchens at North Tees General Hospital, Stockton, has boiled up again. Contractors who were due to start work on a cooling system on Wednesday failed to turn up. One member of staff said: "It's like being in a mine.