kanishka/babylm2-subset · Datasets at Hugging Face

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No.
this be?
Well, probably nineteen fourteen.
And er I think it was er in the election in er perhaps twenty two er got in.
Previously they'd always been er very staunch liberal, well know intellectuals, Sir James , and he represented the teachers.
That was, that was in that union.
Very very er able, capable man, but anyway, and he was in for years, but er beat him.
were he he he was a an ex-West councillor.
I I don't know whether he went to jail over the job you know, in East and West .
And er I I think they they were, most of them went to jail and I think did, but when he came down here he, he beat .
One of his chief claims to fame was that he got about thirteen kids, you know,, but a very very capable bloke.
So did the Labour Party have staunch working class support in
They did yeah .
In then?
Oh yeah,be in , and yeah.
N nobody strange well this is strange to relate.
Nobody ever stood a chance of getting in in unless they were Labour.
You know I mean after the after the the liberals had er lost the m main support er and the Labour Party came into prominence nobody w w you know you it'd be almost impossible to put up in and .
But one one time one man put up and I don't know the reason why and I couldn't tell you the year but his name was er the Honour somebody .
And he came he became a prominent Parliamentarian, perhaps in the thirties.
But he got in in this, you know they moved moved w w you know would
Mm.
He was a barrister
A barrister aye probably the greatest that's ever lived you know.
Was he a liberal MP in then?
He was a liberal yes.
I heard him a few times, he was very very entertaining, very entertaining, nice bloke really.
Ah.
Now going back to this this strike erm
Yes.
Presumably if if all the finishing companies erm
Supported us.
Had had to come out on strike, then er all the workers be on strike fund, er did you and your father receive strike money?
Well no no member of the staff came of strike that was the understanding you see.
I mean they they stayed in to you know see the work through the processes rather than it all get ruined, because of course you know they weren't er they weren't great er individual capitalists and er capitalistic companies.
I mean the bosses hadn't got all that much really, you know, they weren't like they are today.
I mean they got a lot better living what we got and and and they was alright but the the you know you'd never call them bloated capitalists because they weren't bloated really.
Mm.
Er about this strike and er but time went on and it became obvious that er nobody were going to win only the boss like this boss,course he was he was scratching through, and so they called the strike off and every person who worked at er every firm had a meeting and they all decided to take so many and every firm took so many of the workers and so nobody was ever unemployed as a consequence of the strike which was very very good.
Was this a a management decision or a union decision ?
Union decision.
And the union had the meeting and the union went and told the boss that we're having so many more men here and that was it you see.
Mm.
And that that's what operated.
A very fine thing, and you know until er until the day I left in nineteen forty two they always referred to these chaps in the forties like say I was, er a as being er, Ooh he's a man.
You know or f or or you know always it was that they were men cos they came from during the strike.
Mm there's very
After the War, well I know you did military service
Aha.
after you came back from military service did you carry on working art ?
Yes, oh aye.
Did you
Yes
Was it easy to get your job back?
Er ye yes and n no really.
Everybody coming from military service er was er got the job back there were no question about that at all, you got your job back.
But I'll have to tell you a bit of my history.
Nineteen er nineteen eighteen I joined the the Army, compulsory you see.
And I joined up on March the fourth nineteen eighteen.
And er the War ended as you know in November eighteen and er when the War came to an end the the Government introduced a form of service whereas if er we youngsters volunteered say if you volunteered for two year they gave you twenty pound and two months leave you see, if you volunteered for three year they gave you forty pound or was it thirty, thirty forty, and er three months leave.
And if you volunteered for five years I know you got fifty pound for that which was a hell of a lot of money, a year's wage in some peoples' eyes that was you know.
And er so er er I said to my friend, like me pals I said, Well look we we haven't been in the Army a year, so we've got to be in two more years before it comes our turn our turn to be demobilized, so we just might as well sign up for a couple year, get two months leave and twenty quid, because we shall do that if we don't.
So we did this you see.
As a consequence of which well we went to Egypt and the Sudan this business, we came back and er the b the the foreman's brother he ne he never liked me ever this forema when I were a kid you know, he never liked me at all, I never got on with him and and er mind you there's a long story about that but it's a silly little thing that er that I really upset him with.
It'd it'd be no interest to this but er
Go on, go on
you see We was working together and you know a a few benches from each other and of course as I told you the the lads worked with a man.
And in the Football Post er cos everybody used to have the Football Post then, not like now, and so everybody knew what was in it and er there was like a Who and Why column in the Football Post and one of these was, Who will stop County now, you see because they was at top of the second division or something like that, and the team that was next to them was City in them days you see.
And so er and somebody wrote back and said to them, A Yorkshire team with the same ambitions you see.
Well this bloke this boss's brother er his his his brother was the mayor of for several years, the only one that's been during the War, the First World War,.
And he said er, Well ha it isn't in Yorkshire, says, Well er it is, he said, It isn't it's in Lincolnshire.
And so we had a proper argument about this, of course he was a grown up man, I were only a kid you know.
And er so one bloke brought a map the next day to prove as it was in, he says, He's right it's in Yorkshire.
And he never forgive me for this you see because he were a big noise you know, he he'd got a big business in .
And er so when I came back after the War he says er, I object to him starting, he's not come f direct from conscription, he volunteered for the Army.
So you can't volunteer and then come back like that and Well that was that.
But of course he he was the only one who thought this, everybody else said, Ah how ridiculous, have him back.
So that was the end to it you see.
Mm.
So
Yeah and so had wages increased in ?
Ooh aye was wages increased.
You know I would think we'd be the first er industry to my knowledge to have a cost of living bonus.
And as the cost of living wen went up our wages went up.
A but seeing that the official figures were published every month our wages went up or down every month.
And and or or remained stationary but they mostly went up a copper or so every and this was er a real thorn in the side of the employers you know, they wanted to get rid of this and they couldn't.
And er when I left, about seventy two, they were still every year they come to try and get rid of this cost of living, but we did er er concede that we'd only move annually.
And so the wages went up and down annually like as distinct from monthly, which was a bit of a job for the employers to adjust every month.
When so when was this introduced,
when was the cost of living intro
Oh nin i during the First World War.
Was this did this occur for the whole hosiery industry not just
Oh yes.
the finishing?
Oh finishing.
Finishing er finishing only.
Finishing only.
Finishing only, and er then after a few years the manufacturing side of the industry adopted the cost of living different from ours but they adopted a cost of living bonus in in a degree rather different from our.
How were the employers persuaded to introduce this through threatened
Well

No.

this be?

Well, probably nineteen fourteen.

And er I think it was er in the election in er perhaps twenty two er got in.

Previously they'd always been er very staunch liberal, well know intellectuals, Sir James , and he represented the teachers.

That was, that was in that union.

Very very er able, capable man, but anyway, and he was in for years, but er beat him.

were he he he was a an ex-West councillor.

I I don't know whether he went to jail over the job you know, in East and West .

And er I I think they they were, most of them went to jail and I think did, but when he came down here he, he beat .

One of his chief claims to fame was that he got about thirteen kids, you know,, but a very very capable bloke.

So did the Labour Party have staunch working class support in

They did yeah .

In then?

Oh yeah,be in , and yeah.

N nobody strange well this is strange to relate.

Nobody ever stood a chance of getting in in unless they were Labour.

You know I mean after the after the the liberals had er lost the m main support er and the Labour Party came into prominence nobody w w you know you it'd be almost impossible to put up in and .

But one one time one man put up and I don't know the reason why and I couldn't tell you the year but his name was er the Honour somebody .

And he came he became a prominent Parliamentarian, perhaps in the thirties.

But he got in in this, you know they moved moved w w you know would

Mm.

He was a barrister

A barrister aye probably the greatest that's ever lived you know.

Was he a liberal MP in then?

He was a liberal yes.

I heard him a few times, he was very very entertaining, very entertaining, nice bloke really.

Ah.

Now going back to this this strike erm

Yes.

Presumably if if all the finishing companies erm

Supported us.

Had had to come out on strike, then er all the workers be on strike fund, er did you and your father receive strike money?

Well no no member of the staff came of strike that was the understanding you see.

I mean they they stayed in to you know see the work through the processes rather than it all get ruined, because of course you know they weren't er they weren't great er individual capitalists and er capitalistic companies.

I mean the bosses hadn't got all that much really, you know, they weren't like they are today.

I mean they got a lot better living what we got and and and they was alright but the the you know you'd never call them bloated capitalists because they weren't bloated really.

Mm.

Er about this strike and er but time went on and it became obvious that er nobody were going to win only the boss like this boss,course he was he was scratching through, and so they called the strike off and every person who worked at er every firm had a meeting and they all decided to take so many and every firm took so many of the workers and so nobody was ever unemployed as a consequence of the strike which was very very good.

Was this a a management decision or a union decision ?

Union decision.

And the union had the meeting and the union went and told the boss that we're having so many more men here and that was it you see.

Mm.

And that that's what operated.

A very fine thing, and you know until er until the day I left in nineteen forty two they always referred to these chaps in the forties like say I was, er a as being er, Ooh he's a man.

You know or f or or you know always it was that they were men cos they came from during the strike.

Mm there's very

After the War, well I know you did military service

Aha.

after you came back from military service did you carry on working art ?

Yes, oh aye.

Did you

Yes

Was it easy to get your job back?

Er ye yes and n no really.

Everybody coming from military service er was er got the job back there were no question about that at all, you got your job back.

But I'll have to tell you a bit of my history.

Nineteen er nineteen eighteen I joined the the Army, compulsory you see.

And I joined up on March the fourth nineteen eighteen.

And er the War ended as you know in November eighteen and er when the War came to an end the the Government introduced a form of service whereas if er we youngsters volunteered say if you volunteered for two year they gave you twenty pound and two months leave you see, if you volunteered for three year they gave you forty pound or was it thirty, thirty forty, and er three months leave.

And if you volunteered for five years I know you got fifty pound for that which was a hell of a lot of money, a year's wage in some peoples' eyes that was you know.

And er so er er I said to my friend, like me pals I said, Well look we we haven't been in the Army a year, so we've got to be in two more years before it comes our turn our turn to be demobilized, so we just might as well sign up for a couple year, get two months leave and twenty quid, because we shall do that if we don't.

So we did this you see.

As a consequence of which well we went to Egypt and the Sudan this business, we came back and er the b the the foreman's brother he ne he never liked me ever this forema when I were a kid you know, he never liked me at all, I never got on with him and and er mind you there's a long story about that but it's a silly little thing that er that I really upset him with.

It'd it'd be no interest to this but er

Go on, go on

you see We was working together and you know a a few benches from each other and of course as I told you the the lads worked with a man.

And in the Football Post er cos everybody used to have the Football Post then, not like now, and so everybody knew what was in it and er there was like a Who and Why column in the Football Post and one of these was, Who will stop County now, you see because they was at top of the second division or something like that, and the team that was next to them was City in them days you see.

And so er and somebody wrote back and said to them, A Yorkshire team with the same ambitions you see.

Well this bloke this boss's brother er his his his brother was the mayor of for several years, the only one that's been during the War, the First World War,.

And he said er, Well ha it isn't in Yorkshire, says, Well er it is, he said, It isn't it's in Lincolnshire.

And so we had a proper argument about this, of course he was a grown up man, I were only a kid you know.

And er so one bloke brought a map the next day to prove as it was in, he says, He's right it's in Yorkshire.

And he never forgive me for this you see because he were a big noise you know, he he'd got a big business in .

And er so when I came back after the War he says er, I object to him starting, he's not come f direct from conscription, he volunteered for the Army.

So you can't volunteer and then come back like that and Well that was that.

But of course he he was the only one who thought this, everybody else said, Ah how ridiculous, have him back.

So that was the end to it you see.

Mm.

So

Yeah and so had wages increased in ?

Ooh aye was wages increased.

You know I would think we'd be the first er industry to my knowledge to have a cost of living bonus.

And as the cost of living wen went up our wages went up.

A but seeing that the official figures were published every month our wages went up or down every month.

And and or or remained stationary but they mostly went up a copper or so every and this was er a real thorn in the side of the employers you know, they wanted to get rid of this and they couldn't.

And er when I left, about seventy two, they were still every year they come to try and get rid of this cost of living, but we did er er concede that we'd only move annually.

And so the wages went up and down annually like as distinct from monthly, which was a bit of a job for the employers to adjust every month.

When so when was this introduced,

when was the cost of living intro

Oh nin i during the First World War.

Was this did this occur for the whole hosiery industry not just

Oh yes.

the finishing?

Oh finishing.

Finishing er finishing only.

Finishing only.

Finishing only, and er then after a few years the manufacturing side of the industry adopted the cost of living different from ours but they adopted a cost of living bonus in in a degree rather different from our.

How were the employers persuaded to introduce this through threatened

Well