• The Luton News first edition (left) and 25 years later.

It was on November 12th, 1891, and with a report of the election of that year's Mayor, Edwin Oakley, that the Luton News was first published. In the 25 years since, Luton had seen many changes and Edwin Oakley was one of only two men from 1891 still serving on the Town Council. In its leading article, the Luton News of November 16th, 1916, reflected on its and the town's progress in the following words:

Twenty-five years ago last week, two young journalists, greatly daring, were busily engaged in Luton in producing the first issue of a new paper for which it was felt by many people there was a demand, although there were some fears that it might meet with the same fate that had overtaken certain previous attempts in the same direction.

The week was an auspicious one, witnessing as it did the election of the Mayor, and it is pleasing now to remember with what kindness the newcomers were received by the newly installed occupant of the civic chair, Mr Edwin Oakley. That gentleman is still an honoured member of the Corporation, but nearly all his colleagues of that time have either passed into the seclusion of private life or beyond our ken.

• Luton News founders - Editor George Myers (left) and Alec Gibbs in later life.

There was indeed, in those early days, much to encourage the new enterprise, but there was also a good deal of discouragement. The Luton News, for such it was, met with a very warm welcome from the public generally, but for a long time advertising support was often of a miserably inadequate nature, and the profits on the business did not add greatly to the national revenue by way of income tax.

Perseverance, however, eventually brought its reward. We do not want to sing the praises of the News unnecessarily, but its constantly increasing popularity is sufficient evidence of the fact that it has supplied the people of Luton and the Neighbourhood with the paper they wanted. From a ciculation of three or four thousand, it grew to such an extent that it was, and is, able to boast the largest sale of any weekly newspaper between London and Leicester.

Of course, it made its name as a halfpenny paper, and a halfpenny paper it would have remained but for the war. With the restriction of the imports of paper-making materials, the cost of the finished article doubled and trebled, and consequently it became necessary to charge a penny for the News. Although imperative, the change was naturally regarded with some trepidation. Experience has shown, however, that the penny has made scarcely and appreciable difference in the sale.

What tremendous alterations have taken place in Luton during the quarter of a century in which the News had grown from infancy to lusty age. With the advent of new industries, the borough has developed amazingly. Engineering and other works have been established in all directions, new districts have been opened up, the result being that the town has doubled in size and population.

• Early Luton News offices at 6 Wellington Street (left) and 15 Manchester Street.

Through all this eventful period, the News has supported every movement tending to the improvement of the town and the welfare of the people. Perhaps special mention may be made of the part it took in securing Wardown as a public park. For some time the question of the acquisition of the estate ws trembling in the balance, and whilst, of course, thanks are due in the first place to those public-spirited men who made themselves responsible for the purchase, we have reason to know that the enthusiastic support given to the project by the News had not a little to do with the result.

We have alluded to the fact that the personnel of the Corporation has undergone almost a complete change since November 1891. As a matter of fact there is only one other member left besides Alderman Oakley, and that is Councillor Dillingham.

There has been as great a transformation with the officials, Mr A. E. Slough, the Weights and Measures Inspector, being the only recognised official now remaining, but a youth who was in the Town Clerk's office when the News was launched on its career is now our hard-working and respected Borough Accountant.

There have been changes in other directions, too. Amongst the churches, for instance, there is not a single clergyman or minister who was doing duty in Luton 25 years ago.

Politically, also, the whirligig of time has wrought many alterations. Since Mr Cyril Flower, afterwards Lord Battersea, represented the constituency, we have had three different Members of Parliament, and a still larger number of opposition candidates. Then the old School Board, with its exciting elections and religious animosities, has completely disappeared and in its place we have an Education Committee which discharges its duties in the most prosaic way imaginable. And so we could go on almost indefinitely pointing out changes here, there and everywhere.

Strange it is that amidst all these vicissitudes, the two journalists who came to Luton in 1891 should have had the good fortune to remain together ever since, and that they should have had the satisfaction of seeing the News grow too large first for one home [6 Wellington Street] and then for another [15 Manchester Street], until the present spacious and handsome offices in Manchester Street had to be erected for its accommodation. And from these offices, nearly 25,000 copies of the Luton News and its offspring the Saturday Telegraph are now turned out every week.

• Luton News building erected 1913 and pictured in 1921