100 years ago, 1913
Bliss College Notes — Average daily attendance this week 129. New students this week, seven. Six calls for office assistants this week. Our class in stenography is progressing nicely. After two weeks’ study they are able to write ninety net words per minute, matter taken from lesson drills. Miss Lord of Auburn will enter the shorthand department Monday. Several government positions have recently been filled by Bliss graduates at salaries ranging from $900 to $1200 per year. Our night class is doing fine work and much interest is shown.

50 years ago, 1963
The pollution situation in the Androscoggin River has shown a marked improvement in the past year, according to Dr. Walter A. Lawrence of Bates College, court-appointed rivermaster, and he expects conditions to become even better in the next five years. “This has been the best summer so far.” said Dr. Lawrence. “The river is better than any time in the past 23 years, and probably before that.” The rivermaster noted that there was no objectionable odor from the river this past summer. He remarked that this is the fourth year in which no sodium nitrate has been added to the water to control pollution. The chemical is no longer needed, Dr. Lawrence said. “We are now reaping the benefits of in-mill changes,” he said. In 1941 industries along the Androscoggin were dumping 5,000 tons of waste a week into the river, Dr. Lawrence reported. This waste discharge is down to 100 tons a week at the present time. He noted that the summer months see little waste discharge into the river.

25 years ago, 1988
Maine’s county officials this morning examined Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maine’s proposed 50 percent rate hike in 1989 for county employees and said they needed more explanation from the company. Robert Howe, executive secretary of the Maine County Commissioners Association, first waited for members to let out “gasps and sighs,” before saying, “we expected a big hit, based on what we heard from other groups, but this is a bit higher.” About 20 members of the MCAA met today for its monthly meeting. Other topics of discussion were prisoner health care and insurance pooling for county public officials.

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