THE news from Pontypool on January 2, 1970

A struggle was on in Pontypool to persuade a Midlands firm to build its £30,000 factory in the area following hints it may have to cancel its land reservation.

The unnamed firm had its grant application to the Board of Trade referred back so that a further report can be made. Because of the delay, the firm lost its opportunity of selling the Birmingham factory. It took on lots of orders in anticipation of the move to Pontypool and had to rent additional space in Birmingham to cope with them.

Pontypool council agreed to loan the firm £12,000 to build the factory, which will create around 100 jobs. The council says it is still working hard to get the firm to come to the area.

Another firm asked for the site to be reserved for them in Pontnewynydd. The firm manufactures small electronic parts and undertakes repair and rewinding of electrical machinery.

The merger of two Welsh soft toy firms was announced. The merger was between Gwentoys and Dean's Rag Brook Co. Ltd, of Rye, one of the oldest and best know toy manufacturers. The merger with the Pontnewynydd firm will make it part of one of the largest groups of its kind in the country, and should lead to considerable expansion for the factory.

New Year for eleven Blaenavon families will mean life in a new home as they become the first to move into the new council estate at Avon Road. The first houses to be occupied are the old age pensioners' bungalows. Occupation of the family houses will not start for about a fortnight when three families will take up the tenancies. Once they are filled up the council expect to hold an opening ceremony.

The unofficial work-to-rule and overtime ban by 180 installation and maintenance men at the Electricity Board's Cwmbran depot has not so far disrupted power supplies to the Eastern Valley area, said a SWEB spokesman. The work-to-rule and ban will remain in force until January 12, said a spokesman for the men. A 10 per cent increase in pay offered by the Board was not enough.

After a decade in charge of the development of Cwmbran new town during which time he has seen more than 7,000 dwellings built, an entire town centre constructed and 90 new factories set up, Rear Admiral St John A Micklethwait is to retire as chairman of the Development Corporation.

Pontypool lost both their Christmastide games - to Ebbw Vale at Pontypool Park on Boxing Day, and to Gloucester at Kingsholm on Saturday - but the return of skipper Terry Cobner meant a big improvement in the attacking potential of the pack, and in the game with Ebbw Vale, Pontypool scored four excellent tries to Vale's five, which was a better measure of the difference between the sides than the points total.