|
1948: Traders Hit by Lack of Message Boys One Aberdeen Firm Stops Deliveries Aberdeen shopkeepers are hard hit by the acute shortage of message boys. Traders interviewed on the subject by a reporter of "The Press and Journal" described the position as "absolutely hopeless." It is so serious, in fact, that a firm of booksellers have been compelled to stop deliveries of newspapers and periodicals. The firm had been advised that only five boys left school at Easter and none of these would accept employment as a messenger. While it is generally agreed that the chief cause for the scarcity of boys is the raising of the school-leaving age, traders say there are many other factors. "These boys are beginning to get high-falutin' ideas and going messages is bit below their dignity", remarked a shop proprietor. "What they don't realise is that if they do their job well, people take notice of them and they have good prospects when they are past the messenger stage. All boys have got good jobs out of it." Another view put forward is that nowadays boys will not take jobs which entail working on Saturday afternoons when there are football matches to watch. Source : The Press and Journal Monday March 29th, 1948
|
