[56] Apprenticeship is still common in vellum-sewing where skill and intelligence are required, and in places where women are doing more than supplementary work, e.g. Edinburgh, a regular period of training varying from two to four years is agreed upon. Apprenticeship seems to be most common in Scotland. In London our investigation into vellum work, printers' folding, and bookwork only discovered seven indentured women apprentices, two of these being engaged in vellum work. Curiously enough in paper-staining firms, although the processes are practically unskilled, indentures are signed for two years; the girl receives 4s. a week for the first year and a portion of her piece earnings for the second year. At the end of two years she is a full wage-earner and is paid by piece rates. What her earnings are it is difficult to discover; 12s. 6d. was given as an average, but this is probably too high. It is reported that she may make 6d. in less than an hour when the colours are mixed and she is finishing a job, whereas next day she will spend the whole morning before she earns her 6d.

[57] E.g., one of the large stationery firms in London reports regarding machine ruling: "Girls come in and feed the machinery, and afterwards rise to wet the flannel. They never mind the machines, e.g., arrange pens and so on." Another interesting note is, "Men nearly always do illuminating, e.g., stamping crests, etc., in more than one colour, on notepaper, as the process requires more skill than women possess. If the women did it, the ladies would not like their notepaper." An employer defended the employment of women on the grounds of his own experience of one woman who "had been working at a secret process for years, and there is no fear of the secret being betrayed as she is without understanding or interest for the machine."

The question of how much a girl learns during her time is a vital one. Much depends on the forewoman. As one of the workers put it, "How much you learn depends on the forelady, and whether she takes a fancy to you; some girls will have a turn at everything, others only learn sewing or folding. Dress makes a great difference; the poorer you are, the less chance you have of getting on."

The obverse of this from the forewoman's point of view is that "girls if quick are taught all branches, but with some girls it is all you can do to teach them one." It seems the general opinion amongst all the older hands that the "training is not what it used to be;" and, certainly, the few instances we have come across of women who can do bookwork, vellum work, and also stationery work, are amongst the older hands. The complaint, however, that the trade was not properly taught, occurs in the evidence given to the Commission of 1843, when it seemed to be one of the principal grievances complained of. Masters, it was said by one worker, often took girls, pretended to teach them, and discharged them at the end of their time, when they had to go elsewhere to learn. Three girls gave evidence that they were tricked into serving from three to eight months for nothing, and came away no wiser. At another shop the employer expatiated on the thoroughness of the training offered by him; but seven of his journeywomen, aged nineteen, eighteen, seventeen, and sixteen, declared indignantly that they had not learnt their business thoroughly, and would never have gone to him if they had known his methods. The truth apparently is that in 1843, as to-day, some firms are better for apprentices than others, and that a generation ago a good firm doing general work offered better opportunities for training than good firms conducted under up-to-date conditions can now give.

The following table shows the changes that have been made in the conditions of apprenticeship by certain leading London firms.

TABLE SHOWING CHANGES IN PERIOD, ETC., OF TRAINING IN
PARTICULAR FIRMS IN LONDON.[x]

[x] This information was procured in 1901.

PeriodPremium
and
Indentures.		Wages (per week)
during
Apprenticeship.
1. STATIONER'S.
1867 Commission2 years——
25 years ago2 yearsNo premium12 months no pay.
15 years ago1½ yearsNo premium;
no indentures		6 months no pay,
12 months half pay.
At present time[x]1½ yearsNo premium;
no indentures		6 months 2s.,
12 months half pay.
2.STATIONER'S.
20 years ago2 yearsNo premium;
no indentures		1 year no pay,
1 year half pay.
Till recently1 yearNo premium;
no indentures		6 months no pay,
6 months half pay
At present time15 monthsNo premium;
no indentures		6 months 2s.,
9 months half pay.
3. PUBLISHER'S.
Till recently2 yearsNo premium;
no indentures		6 months 1s.,
6 months 2s. 6d.,
6 months 4s.,
6 months half pay.
At present time1½ yearsNo premium;
no indentures		6 months 2s. 6d.,
6 months 4s.,
6 months half pay.
4. BOOKBINDER'S.
21 years ago3 yearsNo premium;
no indentures		6 months 1s.,
12 months 3s.,
18 months 6s.
At present time1½ yearsNo premium;
no indentures		6 months 1s.,
12 months 3s.
5. PRINTER'S.
25 years ago3 yearsNo premium;
no indentures		18 months 2s.,
18 months half pay.
At present time 1½ yearsNo premium;
no indentures		1 month no pay,
5 month 2s.,
12 months half pay.
6. STATIONER'S.
40 years ago 2 yearsNo premium;
no indentures		12 months half pay,
12 months three-quarter pay.
At present time1½ yearsNo premium;
no indentures		12 months half pay,
6 months three-quarter pay.
7. PUBLISHER'S.
40 years ago 2 yearsNo premium;
no indentures		12 months half pay,
12 months three-quarter pay.
30 years ago 2 yearsNo premium;
no indentures		No pay part,
2s. 6d. remainder.
At present time 2 yearsNo premium;
no indentures		Half pay.
8. BOOKBINDER'S.
20 years ago 1½ yearsNo information1 year 1s.,
6 months half pay.
At present time2 yearsNo premium;
no indentures		12 months 3s.,
12 months 4s.
9. PUBLISHER'S.
22 years ago 1 yearNo premium;
no indentures		3 months no pay,
9 months 1s.
At present time2 yearsNo premium;
no indentures		6 months 2s.,
18 months half pay.
10. PRINTER'S.
25 years ago 1 yearNo premium;
no indentures		1 year no pay.
At present time1 yearNo premium;
no indentures		6 months 1s.,
6 months 2s. or 3s.
11. BOOKBINDER'S.
10 years ago 1½ yearsNo premium;
no indentures		6 months no pay,
1 year half pay.
At present time1½ yearsNo premium;
no indentures		9 months 2s. 6d.,
9 months 5s.

The important point, however, is not so much the nominal length of apprenticeship, but the fact that the work which an "apprentice" now does is less educative than it was, and that wage-earning considerations now enter at an earlier stage into the apprentice's thoughts.