He had the
pleasure of finding that improvements in machinery had led to
improvement in wages. His spinners and weavers are making about
twenty-seven shillings a week. In many instances some of their children
work at the same mill, and in a few instances their wives, and often the
family income reaches from a hundred to a hundred and fifty pounds per
annum. Visiting the homes of some of these men, he has seen with
feelings of disappointment the air of utter discomfort and squalor with
which many are pervaded. Increase of income has led only to increase of
improvidence. The savings bank and the building society are equally
neglected, although at the same mill there are some with no higher
wages, whose homes have every comfort, and who have quite a little
competency laid by. In Bradford, I believe, a munificent employer on one
occasion opened seven hundred accounts with the savings bank for his
operatives, paying in a small deposit for each. The result was not
encouraging. Rapidly was a small portion of the sums drawn out, and very
few remained as the nucleus of further deposits."[1]
[Footnote 1: From Mr. Sikes's excellent little handbook entitled "Good
Times, or the Savings Bank and the Fireside."]
Mr. Sikes suggested that each mechanics' institute should appoint a
preliminary savings bank committee, to attend once a week for the
purpose of receiving deposits from the members and others.
Pages:
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202