WAR WEALTH FOR THE YOUNG - Jan 22, 1916

The young people of Northampton are reaping the spoils of war.  Money is flowing into their pockets

at an extraordinary rate and we shall be lucky if in the near future we do not see the demoralising

influence of the influx.  The wages of children of fifteen to seventeen are earning, or perhaps it would

be better to say are receiving, is really a disquieting feature of the war.  I heard of a case of girl not

yet seventeen who last week drew 36/- for a purely mechanical operation, in one of the local munition

factories.  Boys leaving school are offered 15/- a week and boys of 15 are able to command in some cases

18/- to £1 a week.  Surely such a state of affairs if bad for the child and bad for the nation.

NOT TOO OLD AT SEVENTY - Jan 2, 1915

There never  was such a time when so many old men were employed in the boot trade as at

present, in fact the old men are having the time of their lives.  The shortage of labour in the

staple trade is such that men of seventy, who had long since been forced to retire from the

industrial struggle, are now getting as much work as they can do.  One old man who will never

see 69 again is a the moment employed in a large Northampton factory and his average earnings

are in the region of £3 a week.  Many old rivetters, some of whom have been away from the

bench for 20 years, are earning a like amount "nailing" army boots and these are by no means

isolated cases.  There are many old age pensioners now employed on the land doing just enough

work to escape losing their pensions.  They do three days work a week for 8/-, and could habe more

if they would do it.