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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1957-02-20, Page 2e High Salaries For "Low" Jobs r ANNE 141RST 1 L. Vow& CouotostArt. A DOG'S, BEST FRIEND --Spots, left, looks up wearily as' keeps stubborn vigil with his friend Blackie, killed by an automobile. Spots remained beiide Blackie's body all, through the night. He wouldn't respond to his 1'a-yeat--fold ,rna-ster's pleading to return home and finally had to be pulled, whimpering, awciy .frorn the death scene. eel:n -4. et eeNt. (We4.e HIRONICLIR 1NGERFARM eumd.ol.i.n.e P. Cl&rke ril AT LONG LAST — Pte, Gerald Thomas complained to his girl friend, Barbara Bullock, that her letters were too short. Above, he sits on a barracks roof to display her response to his squawks—a letter 150 feet long. 'Don't you think a brand new year is the most exciting thing that ever was? Just think of it— three hundred and sixty-five un- lived days—and every one of those days can be a new begin- ning, as it were. The old year has passed . . . gone . . . taken with it all the hope, fears, joys and disappointments that be- longed to it. All we can do now is review the past twelve months; throw into the discard the trivial things; the grudge that' we may have felt against this person or that; the hurt that grew and grew in our imagina- tion, although the reason for it didn't really amount to anything anyway. Far more important things belong to our memories of the old year—world affairs, un- rest among nations, our nation- al economy, the agricultural sit- uation, spreading inflation and our own very special family af- fairs. All these matters we can now regard with a detached point of view—they belong to Yesterday — what concerns us now is Today. In that regard Sir William Osler once said — "the chief worries of life arise from the foolish habit of looking be- fore and after . I urge you to accepting—sums like $10 a week (during the depression) and $15 a, week (during the first years 'of the war), The 1941 census reports that in June of that year, the bulk of workers in Ontario aged 14 to 19 were earning less than $450 annually, and the bulk of those aged 20 to 24 were earning less than $950. So it' is safe to say that earnings of unskilled high school graduates (and non- graduates) have, almost tripled in the past 15 years—years during which the average wages of all Ontario workers did little more double. The factors behind this extra- ordinary rise in prices. paid for adolescent labor appear to be purely economic ones, Canada's expanding economy is today creating more new jobs,, at a faster rate, than ever before. This alone would be sufficient reason, for an acute shortage of man- power of every kind. But coupled with it is the declining birth rate of 16, to 20 years ago which, is acting to create, now,, an abnor- 'many acute shortage of new recruits for the labor force, At the same time that the sup- ply of young workers is unusual- ly small, the' amount of work being assigned to their particular group is unsually large. Earlier retirement, for one, thing, is tend- ing to lower the average age of the whole working force. Pen- sion plans, for another, are tend- ing to make it difficult to engage anyone but the very young and the 'very old. These, together with the scarcity of manpower in general—and• of skilled man- power in particular—are forcing the employer to, cut age, skill and experience requirements for his workers, thus upgrading them into jobs which they, in the past, would haVe been thought unable to handle. And through it all, automation is busy making work easier and easier to do. So today the jobs which are open to young, inexperienced people are more varied and numerous than they have been in years—and more remunerative and attractive than they have been at' any time. Yet even at that,, even at $40 and $50 and $60 a week, even with requirements" lowered al- most to the point of inefficiency, companies which hire young people in quantity report that they are continually short of them. One telegraph company says it would hire a dozen boys and girls on the spot, if it could find them. Another firm, ready to hire about 100 girls, ready to pay them about $40 a week, ready to accept them with' four years' less schooling than it really wants, is unable to meet its quota. — by Muriel Snider' in the Toronto Globe & Mail ievenings, Invite mutt.' el S friends in, get to be paet of • the group you knew six * months ago. Your husband * will co-operate in making a * well-balanced life for you * both, and realize you and he are socially attuned in a * pleasurable marriage, * I LTE STOPS COMING "Dear Anne Hirst" What can I do? I'm 21, and love a fellow very much. He says he loves me and hasn't dated any other girl. Now I'm beginning to wondee. I don't hear from him as often as I did; it's been two weeks since I went out with him. If I'd only known him a couple of months, I wouldn't think much of it; but we've gone together over a year, "If he doesn't want to continue *ur relationship, couldn't he• have called me up and told me? Shall I write or call him and see what's what? I just can't pass this off lightly — I love him too much. CONFIDENTIAL" * Don't write to this young * man, and don't call him. No * matter what he says, I'm afraid e you would be just as badly * confused * He knows he has neglected * you, but if you expect him to e explain why, you don't know much about men. They usual- * lY lack such courage. Whether * he's been escorting somebody * else around, or has just grown * bored, doesn't matter; what does matter is that he is not * as interested as he was, and * probably can't find the words * to explain it politely. He takes * it for granted you will get the * idea, * You take it for granted he e is not coming back, and try to interest yourself in other * friends. Sometimes it is wise e to imagine the worst and ac- * cept it; it leaves you free to * keep in circulation. In a little * while, if he does not reappear, * your outlook will brighten and * you will find life is far less * complicated without this • gnawing anxiety. * * Whether you are 17 or 70, you will find. Anne Hirst a warm- hearted friend who will approach your problem with sympathy and understanding. Address her at Box 1, 123 Eighteenth St., New Toronto, Ont. le • ► ► ► ► ► ► ► I 10 r. 110 ► ► 10 ► 110 ► ► 110 ► ► ► Modern Etiquette Empire-Sheath! ► k I On TV, I saw one British movie that wad so old the part of Henry VIII was played by Henry VII, —Red Skelton Under `Help Wanted, Male," a Toronto newspaper recently car- ried a classified advertisement for "young men," 16 to 18 years of age, to act as "truck helpers," No particular education or skill was required. No previous ex- perience of any kind was neces- sary. The job paid $40 fora 35- hour week to start, with time and one-half for overtime. The boy Who took one of these jobs would be earning, before overtime, only $29 a week less than a policeman does, only $26 a week less than a fireman does, and only $14 a week less than a public school teacher does, when they begin work in Toronto. Yet all of these others put in a con- siderably longer week than the truck helper would. And if the boy chose to work overtime he could—as truck helpers are doing —raise his wages by $20 or $25 a week. He could thus be making substantially more than a teach- er; approximately as much as a policeman or fireman. Under "Help Wanted, Female," there •was another advertisement offering $222 a month to young girls who could type 40 words per minute (somewhat less than the average for experienced typists) and were prepared to take tele- graph messages over the phone. Practically next door to it was an advertisement offering a regis- tered nurse with operating room experience the "high salary" of $287 a month. The truck helper's job and the telephone recorder's job are by no means exceptional examples of high wages being offered and paid for inexperienced labor. At the Ford Motor Company plant in Oakville, a mail boy, with junior matriculation or its equi- valent, can earn between $50 and $60 a week to start. If he is willing 'to work in the plant he can earn more than that. (And not just at Ford, but at almost every major factory in and around this city.) At Bell Telephone, operators start at something like $38 a week but, because of shift work, they average $42.50. Railways will hire unskilled boys for about $44 to be mechanical apprentices, and will promise them increases every year. . High Schools report that after four years there (and often after only two) students take jobs which pay an average wage of between $40 and $55. For part- time work last summer, students were earning -an estimated aver- age of $47,50 a week. Further- more, anyone who is willing to deliver telegrams in Toronto can make 85 cents an hour to start,' and can put in as many days' Work as he likes—this in a job which asks no other qualification these days thah that the'employee can walk, It is not many year since jobs such as •these were paying—and youngsters who, took them were letters while the home news is fresh in our minds. (I am really hoping to take my own advice on that one ,-,.- not only to answer family, letters but also those re- ceived from kind readers of this column. You don't know how I appreCiate 'those letters.) '.Well, I think all that remains for me nod' is to wish you all a very Happy New Year. 1 sin- cerely hope that 1957 will bring happiness, good health and good fortune to each 'one of you. It may be a difficult year but re- member, the Good Book says — "As thy' day so shall thy strength be," What more can we want? NEW PRINTED PATTERN Q. When should a dinner guest who has finished eating place his napkin on the table? A. Not until the hostess has placed her napkin on the table. Q. Should each guest seat himself at the dinner table as soon as he arrives there? A. No, until the hostess seats herself, everyone should .stand quietly at his place. Q. I often receive social let- ters in which the writer begins by making excuses for having been too busy to write earlier. Is this good form? A. It is much better taste to avoid this. If you are really em- barrassed about your delay in writing, say you are sorry, then plunge into your letter. Mac Paste "Dear Anne Hirst: I am 17, and. we've been married exactly three months I told my husband, We were too young, but he said he wouldn't wait another day, New he wants to get rid of me! "Last week he told me to leave and grow up (I didn't go; I'm writing you instead) He says I talk too much and nag too much and he's tired of saying where he goes whenever he leaves the house. . "He is right, I do complain and I do ask questions, But it isn't jealousy, really. It's just that I love him so much I want to be with him all the time, and all day I .think about things I need to tell him about. "If he'll only give me another chance,. I could be a better wife! Suddenly I do see what he means, and I aril surprised he has 'stood me for this long, How can I make him see that? He says I've got to go on my own, it's the only way I'll ever set- tic down. Anne Hirst, I've never worked in my life, I didn't even graduate from high school. . . . "I am scared and my heart is breaking. What shall I do? FRANTIC" TEEN-AGE CHALLENGE • Your marriage is being at- * tacked by growing pains, a * natural consequence when two * immature youngsters take on * the manifold obligations of ad- * ults. You have been blind to * all your duties except those e of love, and you couldn't see * that loving your husband in- ' eludes the art of understand- * ing him. ▪ When he was dating you, he * listened to your chatter, but * now it bores him to distrac- * Eon, So he escapes — per- * haps just goes out for cigar- e ettes — but why must he tell * ybu where he goes? If he were * older, he would know that he * should, if only so you wouldn't • worry. But he is too annoyed * to think of that. e Now you begin to see why • he feels that way, and you in- * tend to do what he asks — * grow up, He owes you that * chance, of course. I do not * believe he meant that you go, * for he knows that you cannot * earn a living; he was in a * temper and said the first thing e he thought of. * Why don't you enter a busi- * ness school? It will give you e something real and practical nee,— -tett) -doe "and soon you will un- • derstand your husband's in:- * patience and be more inter- * esting to live with. When he * sees you are, he'll begin talk- * ing of his office problems and * find you a sympathetic listen- * er. Tell him, then, that you * ere staying where you are, * and all you ask is that he be * patient enough to watch you * prove your serious intentions. * None of us has the right * to absorb another's individu- * ality. Each has various facets * of personality to cultivate; as * We do, we mature normally, e develop character, , and dis- * cover provocative ideas to in- * terest those we live with. * Most couples in this way avoid * the boredom which saps the * spirit of so many marriages. * Begin new to make your * home the place where your • husband prefers to spend, his Ha5tens Growth Before long gardeners may be smearing their plants with a magic paste to make them grow to about three times their nor- mal size. The U.S. Department of Agri- culture has developed this paste whose secret is an acid, which was first collected from a fungus called giberella, This extraordinary fungus, much feared in Japan, attacks rice plants, making them grow abnormally tall and lanley, but at the same time redteeing their yield. The U.S. chemists isolated the elongating chemical,from this fungus and smeared. te paste on the stems of planti such as gee- anitire, sunflower, rose, petunia, poinsettia and aster. 'Within four weeks, almost all grew into healthy flowers one-and-a-half to three times their' fleet-nal size. OH, SHOE, SHOEI — Actress Marie Windsor isn't just horsing around for a publicity picture — she really knows how to shoe a • horse. And she can tune up a ccIt like a garage mechanic, She picked up the skills when she lived on her parents' ranch. REIGN AS REINDEER "When is, a burro not burvO? When masquerading as a reindeer fora Christmas parade These IWO buretie pulled Seihta'd and lotee gave) rides, to all the kids Wrice clustered iround for 'a Cia§d-Up of raaI reindeer from the -14Orth Pole". ,i'' . * k JAttt,“. 4.. ksvk. , •11JOinr DAYS, ARE WE' AdA1N . With (bitter Mtilm:ries Of tke terror tend fligilt front eeeohle ti'` Hungary in Ad' bac gro cl, those ung H ngqrian refugees h er fun iri a ha n '0 struck around the groundi of FOklettgaiLL lt.nditUrit, Englandti.. FoRleasei. home of the Girl Guide' trieveritent, is used to houiii some of the many refugee tot/inlet that-sought haven in England,' live with 'day-tight compart- ments' to ensure safety . . . shut out the yesterdays, bury them deep in the oblivion of each night. The load of tomorrow, added to that of yesterday, if carried today, makes the strong- est falter. Shut off the future as tightly as the past. Waste of en- ergy. mental distress,' nervous worries, dog the steps of the man who is too anxious about the fu- ture." That was Dr. Osler's advice as it concerned his day and age. If he were alive today I think he would repeat 'that advice. But definitely. Bring that same philosophy in- to our own everyday lives and what a difference it might make. I was speaking to a woman the other day whose doctor had ad- vised her she must prepare for a major operation somewhere around next April. The- idea is to build up her strength but, from present indications, that same person is undermining her constitution by worrying about the operation to be. Her worry is understandable but it certainly cannot do any good. Planning to meet an emergency is one thing; useless worry is something else again. We can all cite instances of events that have happened in our past — of things we worried about that never happened. I well remember one time when our family doctor called me into his office and warned me that in all probability Partner had only six months to live. That was ten years ago and Partner is with us yet. But you can imagine the needless worry I went through until further tests proved the first diagnosis to be wrong. And last spring, if you recall, we were very concerned about Daughter before the second baby was born, But the baby arrived on sche- dule; Daughter got along fine and the baby was the best ever, More recently 1 was in a dither about Christmas . who wasn't? . . . we were sure nothing would be ready. Well, you know what happened. If anything was miss- ing nobody knew it. There may have been a chair or two that didn't get dusted — but who no- ticed? Everyone was well and happy; the homecomers arrived and also got back again safely— and wasn't , that all tint really mattered? As foe world affairs and what . may happen in the Middle' East and in Hugary, I couldn't hazard a guess. History is being made so rapidly that anything I might say could be sadly out of date by the time it got into print. So I'll leave it at that. You know, and I know, that we are all greatly disturbed about the dark' war, clouds that are gathering to I know you Will not take my lack of cominent as leek be interest, That being understood I will be-Mine my retriarks to matters nearer home. Now it is after Christmas WO find more Or less of a relaxed feeling in almost every eionie.V& heve time now to think and talk about all that happened during the Christmas 'season, And while We ere putting our.house irr order it would' really be. a good idea to put toned of the children's toys away' in a box reserve thetri as Obeidl treat tot iArot, days and siclinAg The tame; thrng itight apply to wI'idt is Idh of the Paeteleee cakes and 'candies, A dose of biagnetta might fie Mere Weladrife than a continua,' tfort fare I And haw about arisWering soiree sins 4789 12-2o PRINTED PATTERN Our new PRINTED PAT- TERN — in the season's liveli- est new silhouette! It's the Etn- pire-Sheath— all long, slender lines; cleverly banded neath the bosom for the new high-waist- ed looked, Pure flattery for your figurer Printed Pattern 4789: Misses' Sizes 12, 14, 16, 18, 20. Size 16 requires 31/2 yards 394tich eabrie, Directions printed on each tissue pattern part, Easy-to-use; accurate, eesUree perfect fit. Send TifiliTV-FIVE CENTS (stamps' cannot be accepted; Use postal note for safety.} for this Pattern,• Print plainly SItEe N A ME, ABDRESS, SIYEE NUMBER:, Send Order tO ANNE ADAMS, 128 ighteeitti St,• Near Toren to,= Ont.