February 15: "Government Is To Slash Motor Vehicle Dealers’ Commissions"

1953: The mother of Edna Manley dies in England at the age of 81. She was born at Blenheim near Lucea and is the daughter of Alexander Shearer, an Irish settler who came to Jamaica as a very young man in the latter part of the last century, married a Jamaican and founded a family of his own.

1959: The West Indies maintain their tour of India by beating North Zone by 73 runs. It is the tourists’ 10th victory of the visit, the other seven matches on the programme being drawn. The West Indies now visit Pakistan for six matches, including three Tests.

1963: The Kingston School Board holds an emergency meeting at the Ministry of Education to deal with arrangements for the opening of the Trench Town Senior School. Unlike a normal school board meeting, the session is a private one.

1966: Government recognition of the Civil Service Association as the representational body for all its pensionable employees, including civil servants who were formerly subordinate employees represented by the trade unions, leads to a new jurisdictional issue involving the National Workers Union. The matter is also of interest to the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union.

1970: Principals of grant-aid secondary schools opt for an “enlightened budget system” of financing their schools, discuss proposals for having the Government clear off school debts and get the assurance from Dr Arthur Burt, minister of state in the Ministry of Education that the ministry is “trying to get these things included in the 1970-71 budget”.

1976: The Golden Head Hotel in Oracabessa will open soon, Tourism Minister P.J Patterson announces at a meeting with a delegation of citizens from Oracabessa at his ministry recently. The minister says the necessary arrangements are being made for the hotel to be taken over by Innkeepers International Incorporated, which operates a chain of hotels in the United States.'

1984: The Gibson Relays Committee gains the sponsorship of Edwin Charley, manufactures of Sanatogen Tonic Wine, for the women’s 100 metres and men’s 400 metres events for the Gibson Relays to be held soon at the National Stadium. At a press conference at Wray and Nephew, Sales Manager Bibsy Millwood says athletes in the island are anxious to compete in this prestigious event.

1988: The Government is to slash motor vehicle dealers’ commissions but there will be no reduction in the price of vehicles to the public. The benefit of a reduced mark-up will boost the revenues of the Jamaica Commodity Trading Company and consumers will see none of the benefit.