How to help the unemployed in March 1922

[Reproduced from my 'Way Back Then' contribution to the Leamington FC programme]

In March 1922 it was reported that ‘an ambitious scheme for the adaptation of Welch’s Meadow as a park and recreation ground is being contemplated by Leamington Town Council.  Alderman W. Davis has offered a sum of money, running into four figures, as a practical contribution to the schemes in which he is a prime mover.  If the project matures, it will mean that ornamental and pleasure grounds will extend from the west to east boundaries of the borough with attractive open spaces as the “lungs” of the town.   

One of the designs is to provide a nice walk for the residents of the Spa, this to run along the river side and to wend its way into Radford Road.  The river would also be widened, thus opening up a sheet of water admirably suited for carnivals and regattas.  The park would cover an area of from 24 to 25 acres, a site large enough to accommodate an agricultural show, and to allow of cricket and football pitches, together with tennis courts.’

Outdoor relief

The comparative cost of ‘outdoor relief’ in Leamington, Kenilworth and Warwick preoccupied the Board of Guardians at a long and acrimonious meeting.    Captain Percy told the Board that they were in arrears which could imply a considerable addition to the poor rate.   At present the rate was 11d in the pound [of rateable value] and ratepayers had considerable difficulty in meeting the demands.  In the last week for which figures were available £136 was spent on this in Leamington, in Warwick it was £13 and in Kenilworth £3.   This implied an annual figure of £7,124 for Leamington (£431,000 in today’s prices), £700 for Warwick (£42k) and for Kenilworth only £170 (just over £10k).

A range of views were expressed by the members.  Mr Gardiner said ‘Look at the difference in numbers. In Leamington there are 700 unemployed, and in Warwick there are only 400.   These people are unemployed through no fault of their own, and until we in Leamington can find them employment near home, there will always be unemployment.    The Reverend Broadway took a less generous view: ‘It looks as if something very extraordinary is happening in the amount given.   Something is wrong somewhere.  I have heard that cases are being dealt with very generously in Leamington.’ 

Mr Duffield took a contrary view: ‘If there are 400 people unemployed in Warwick and 700 in Leamington, surely we in Warwick are not treating our unemployed in a proper manner.  I consider that the relief in Warwick is inadequate.   It does not seem a case of decreasing the relief in Leamington, but increasing it in Warwick.’  It was suggested that a committee be formed to look into the matter, but Mr Canning pointed out that this would make no difference.  ‘”I take this as an attack on the Leamington Committee”, he declared, “and we at Leamington are doing our duty”’.

The supply of free bread

The committee then fell out over the question of supplying bread.   ‘The Leamington Out-relief Committee recommended that no tenders should be invited for the supply of bread and that bakers should be treated the same way as grocers and provision dealers.   Mr Albert England said that under the present system of contract, some of the people receiving bread in out-relief had to walk a considerable distance to the shop of the contracting baker.’  

Alderman Baker spoke about the virtues of competition and said that its absence might lead bakers to increase their prices.  Challenged by Mr Ballinger, Alderman Davis accused him of abusing his position as a businessman. An eventual compromise was that there should be no tenders for six months.

 

Referees called for early form of VAR in 1922

I have been unable to get to the Your Co-op Community Stadium for several weeks because of a minor but persistent problem that has impaired my mobility, although I am now on the road to recovery.

In the meantime, I am reproducing my contribution to yesterday's programme:

As I have noted in earlier articles, tensions between football crowds and referees were on the increase in 1922.  In the Leamington area the police had to be called on more than one occasion to evict spectators who had abused the referee.  It was also claimed that crowds had started chants which questioned the capacity of the referee to officiate.   

The Football Association was so concerned that they launched an overall review, but as a first step they decided to ban referees who wore glasses, following a number of complaints about the poor eyesight of some officials.   This caused some confusion at the meeting of the Birmingham FA. Should all referees who had been seen wearing spectacles be struck off the list?  It was eventually decided that it should only apply to new officials.

Writing in one newspaper, referee ‘Solo Whistle’ argued that some sort of X-ray machine might help to resolve disputes on the field of play, clearly anticipating VAR.    What was needed was some scientific means of determining what was intentional and what was accidental.  

Among the incidents where an authoritative decision was needed was ‘when a ball goes to hand, when a player kicks an opponent in playing the ball, and when a player goes down apparently injured, or may be only pretending to be hurt so as to give his side an advantage by temporarily stopping the game.  There is a wide margin of contrast in the attitude of different officials in cases of injury, or supposed injury.  One spectator writes describing an incident in which two opponents went for the ball together, one clearing the ball, and, as he drew his foot back, accidentally kicking the other man in the wind [sic], placing him hors de combat.   The referee’s attention was called, but he ordered play to proceed.  The ball went out of play, whereupon he called the trainer and had the player carried off.  

  I am reminded of another case in which a referee ordered play to proceed to the extent of the ball being worked up and down the field, passing the prostate body of the injured man three times before he called a halt after the ball passed over the line.’   Solo Whistle’s conclusion was that ‘Accidents are inseparable from the game of football, and are all in the game.’

In some cases referees were attacked by spectators.   At a game in Scotland between Tullibody and Tulliallan football clubs ‘the referee had an exciting experience.  Attacked by a spectator at the interval, he collapsed in the second half at the game and had to be carried off the field.’   The spectator appeared at Alloa Sheriff Court.  ‘It appeared that he was a supporter of the Tulliallan club, and was evidently dissatisfied with the ruling of the referee.   When the interval came he took the referee by surprise, butted him with his head, broke his artificial teeth and lacerated his mouth.’  It is no surprise that when the referee tried to carry on he collapsed.   The Sheriff told the defendant that he lacked a sporting instinct and fined him £5 or 30 days in prison.   This is £300 in today’s prices, beyond the pocket of a labourer.

The big game in Herefordshire in March 1922 was between Bromyard Town and Hereford Thistle, founded in 1885 and described as a ‘crack Hereford team’.   There was a large crowd which it was hoped would boost Bromyard’s ‘Shilling Fund’.   The home team played uphill in the first half and went 1-0 behind, the Hereford team winning 2-1

Was the Leamington accent 'appalling'?

Local accents were the subject of discussion in the Leamington Courier in February 1922 with local residents seemingly impervious to received pronunciation.    The Courier acidly remarked, ‘It has been said that the Leamington Education Committee never discusses education.   The members got within range of that subject, however, on Tuesday when they considered how to best improve the pronunciation of the schoolchildren.   “Appalling” was the description applied by Capt. H.P. Smith to the boys’ pronunciation of their mother tongue.   We certainly dislike the local account which converts “saw” into “sore”; but we must not forget that Warwickshire people not only “speak the tongue that Shakespeare spake” but that probably his accents are theirs.    It has been said of the great dramatist, “The Warwickshire burr is like an afterwards of thunder when he’s angry in his speech.”’

A deputation of the local unemployed had a meeting with the Out-Relief Committee.    The chairman of the deputation ‘frankly expressed disappointment at what had occurred.   The deputation asked the committee to state a single case where adequate relief was being given, but no answer was provided.   The Committee also refused to consider the adoption of any scale of relief.  Mr Allonby declared that the Guardians appeared to base their relief on the wages of agricultural workers, which in the district amounted to 31 shillings a week [approximately £90 a week in current prices], but the unemployed of Leamington had a right to be treated as industrial workers.  It was impossible to live as cheaply in Leamington as in the country.   “This only confirms the suspicion that the Farmers’ Union are behind this affair, they are trying to treat us like they did the farm labourer,” said the speaker.   Mr Allonby also said they got to very high words in places.  “I was told they weren’t deaf,” he said, “but I couldn’t help it.   I had got my back up.”’

The Society of Warwickshire Folk in London held its annual dinner.    Mr L S Amery said that the society was doing a great work in keeping friends together and keeping alive the old county feeling even in a great city like London.   It was a wonderful thing in this country how we were able to have many patriotisms, the patriotism of the county feeling, the patriotism of England and of the British Empire.   The Mayor of Leamington invited the Warwickshire folk ‘who are making their fortunes in London’ to spend their retirement in Leamington.

[Written for the Leamington FC programme]

Horse sense

 

The horse fan at Leamington has attracted a lot of attention.  Here is Shaun's interview with Talksport: https://soundcloud.com/leamington-fc/brakes-on-talksport?si=df5f2e615f7949cc9ed70679dc3633a2&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

He forgot to mention that the horse could be a spy from Racing Club Warwick!

March's fantastic goal

Josh March scored his first goal for Forest Green Rovers yesterday in their 2-0 win over Stevenage.  Taking advantage of the absence of Covid-hit top scorer Matty Stevens he scored with a header on 57 minutes.

Boss Rob Edwards said: 'I'm pleased for Josh. He had Covid early on and he's found it difficult with the front two in such good form.  it was stop-start for him through no fault of his own and he's always the hardest working player.'

'It was a fantastic goal as he came short for the ball.   Kane Wilson's first-time cross was brilliant and March span and got in the box and it was a brilliant header'

Courtney Baker-Richardson was denied a goal at Walsall by a superb save by the keeper.

Scott speaks out

Leamington chairman Jim Scott has told The Non-League Paper that Leamington would only be able to play without crowds in the very short term - and believes that the country is at a crossroads as to whether to carry on with life.

'If it's short term we would probably ride it out but if it's going to last any significant period of time then it will be a problem.  We are at home on December 28th and January 2nd.  It will be two of our bigger gates of the season and it'll probably hit us £6,000 or £7,000 per game.'

'When you take that as a percentage of our overall gates for the season it's probably 15 per cent disappearing in two matches.  Then it will come down to whether we get any financial support or not or fight our way through it.'

'At what point is enough, enough?  My gut instinct is that where possible we need to get on with life but you've still got to heed the data and where it's at.  I think we're getting to the tipping point where we may have to learn to live with it.'

Cost of living crisis in 1921

The Courier was preoccupied with the cost of living crisis and high prices in Leamington at the end of October 1921.  ‘It is generally agreed that in Leamington, as elsewhere, the housewife is being charged far too much for meat and other articles of food, and the time has arrived when a substantial drop will have to be made.  People simply cannot afford to pay, and it is a question as to how much longer they will be able to hold out.’

‘That butchers are demanding prices of the average housewife which, when compared with the wholesale charges, are unwarranted, was illustrated at the meeting of the Warwick Joint Hospital Board on Wednesday, when it was reported that good quality was being supplied to the Heathcote Hospital at 1s 6d a lb.  (£3.75 in 2020 prices).  The housewife would be glad to receive similar treatment. It may be argued by the butcher that public institutions get a preference owing to their requiring large quantities, but this cannot apply to Heathcote where there are six patients – the size of an average family. 

It is clear that some butchers are not as desirous of grabbing the last penny as others, and there are shops in Leamington where meat can be had at fairly reasonable prices.  The housewife is advised to seek them out.   Enquiry will soon show, and it it worthwhile – if indeed it is not a public duty to do so.  Bring the butchers into closer competition.   Where prices are obviously too high, why not transfer custom elsewhere?’

The Mayor, Councillor England, intervened in the debate: ‘I feel very strongly so long as the prices of foodstuffs are kept up we cannot expect a drop in the standard of wages, and until we get a fall in wages, we shall continue to have unemployment.’    [1921 saw a severe post-war recession and unemployment was at 11.3 per cent.  After rising by over 15 per cent in 1920, inflation fell in 1921].

‘Mr Leonard Lees of the Master Butcher’s Association was cynical when we told him this morning that the farmers might conceivably help consumers in the fight against high prices by arranging a direct supply.  “They would find there is not so much in it after all,” he said.  “The butchers lost money after control went off, and we had a shocking time for six months.”   The farmer’s point of view is quite reasonable, however, and as a consumer he naturally expects retail prices to bear some relation to what he gets for his cattle in the market.’

‘The failure of retail prices to move in line with producers’ prices costs the consumers 2.25d per lb on his beef, 5d per pound on his mutton, and 2.5d on his loaf.  Or, put in another way, had the consumer benefitted to that extent, the Ministry of Labour cost of living index on October 1^st, instead of being 110 per cent, would have only been 103 per cent above the 1914 level.  At Banbury the fight has had beneficial results.  Yesterday well-fed English mutton was sold at 8d a lb (£1.65 in 2020 prices) and the vendor’s stall was cleared in an hour.   

The reduction in the price of bread in Leamington has come to pass, so that the quarter loaf now cost 11.5d over the counter and one shilling if delivered.  (£2.50 at 2020 prices).   The Birmingham and District Master Bakers’ Association last night decided to reduce the price to 11d at the counter from Monday.  Why cannot Leamington bakers follow suit?

[From the Leamington v. Kettering programme]