Item 04: Memoirs of a Colonial Boy by Robert Joseph Stewart, ca. 1971 - Page 59
Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 59]
29
marched down Oxford St to the Domain, each particular trade preceeded [preceded] by their big square banner, and the Bakers and Pastrycooks throwing buns and small cakes to the onlookers; Empire Day, and Queen Victoria's birthday on the 24th May. Soon afterwards the trades unionists got their own special holiday in October, and named the Eight-Hour Day to commemorate the legalising of this reform, their slogan being "8 hours work, 8 hours sleep, 8 hours play, for every working day".
Employees received annual vacations of a week or perhaps a fortnight, quite an act of grace by their employers; there was no legal compulsion. Only the wealthy had the time, and the money, to make sea voyages "home" to the British Isles: the very rich also made at least one tour in the Continent. Trips to Britain by Premiers and Prime Ministers (only ones attempting them) at the taxpayers' expense, were severely curtailed, and engendered widespread criticism by press and public: politicians were very sensitive of public opinion in those days.
Girls or women were not employed as clerks in banks or other offices, though a few of the first crudely designed typewriters were beginning to be installed in lawyers' offices and the head offices of the bigger commercial companies, and were mostly operated by seasoned women as well as by men. The recognised employment for women was as nurses, school teachers, barmaids, domestic and hotel servants, waitresses, laundry workers, and as counter hands in the appropriate sections of the departmental stores.
Daily newspapers had only about half a dozen sheets, with comparatively few advertisements, no magazine sections or photographs, merely some line-drawings or cartoon sketches. The news paragraphs were not unduly elaborated, and only the most important sporting and social activities were reported. The news columns were not jumbled up so much with the advertising.
The two morning newspapers, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Daily Telegraph, and one afternoon paper, The Evening News, catered fully for Sydney's readers. The one and only Sunday newspaper was The Sunday Times printed on pink paper and giving