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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: stevie922 on Tuesday 20 January 15 19:10 GMT (UK)
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Hi all,
I am arguing the toss with my daughter, and need some second opinions. In the 1960s, how much would it cost to send a 10-word telegram from London to Newcastle? How much did it cost to have a private phone line then? I almost never sent telegrams, and never had a private phone line in the 1960s. We always had a party line, which did irritate me immensely.
From Steven.
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The costs of an ordinary (non press) telegram on 31st March, 1960.
Minimum charge - 3s. 0d.(12 words)
Charge per extra word - 3d.
Surcharge on Sundays, Good Friday, etc. - 1s. 0d.
Porterage charges per mile (or part thereof) outside free delivery area - 6d.
You can work it out for yourselves depending on distance and day.
Cheers
Guy
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Cheers, Guy. Would you know about private phone lines at all? I appreciate that info, now I can prove my daughter wrong.
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As far as I remember (being a child of the 60s), wedding invitations were always sent on cards.
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I don't know how much either a private or party line were in the 1960s. However, I do remember that you didn't have much choice about having a party line. My parents had a phone with a private line, the people over the road wanted a phone too, so my parents were informed that they would have to share their line. They were not amused but there was nothing they could do about it, and I don't think the costs differed substantially, if at all.
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Good evening,
I have only ever seen wedding invitations sent or arrive in the post. The only telegrams involved were the congratulatory ones sent by those who couldn't make it. Usually read out by the best man.
We never had a phone at home, ever, until my father was made redundant. He and mum moved to a council bungalow which had one so they had it reconnected. He was 58 then.
Neither set of grandparents had one either. If phone calls were required you went to the phone box.
John915
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In the 60s wedding invitations were either specially printed or, if that was not affordable, they would be bought pre-printed from a stationers such as W H Smith and the details filled in by hand. Then they'd be sent by post or given out by hand.
Private phones were fairly rare at the beginning of the 60s but became increasingly common as the decade went on. According to http://www.retrowow.co.uk in 1966 it cost £10 to have a phone installed and you rented the actual telephone. By the end of the 60s more than half of all household had one. Party lines were cheaper than solo use ones.
In 1966 the cost of a trunk call (i.e long distance) was 1 shilling to 4 shilling per three minutes, depending on the distance.
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There weren't any invites in the 1960s, they were invitations - that was in the days before our language was corrupted by Americanisms. ;)
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My father had a hobby of printing, using a letter-press printer.
So he printed things like Wedding Invitations at home.
And Orders of Service, Christening invitations, Birthday Invitations, Business Cards, etc., etc. ;D ;D
He did them for friends, neighbours, and basically anyone who asked. And he was much cheaper than the stores!
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I recall that telegrams were often sent to be read out as greetings at the wedding receptions.
The ideal telegram sent good wishes and was amusing, very slightly naughty but always acceptable to a family audience!
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Cheers, Guy. Would you know about private phone lines at all? I appreciate that info, now I can prove my daughter wrong.
According to Hansard the yearly rental fee was £2
See http://www.rootschat.com/links/01ele/
Incidentally in the 1960s people still sent many letters in unsealed envelopes this enabled the letter to be sent for two and a half pence (the same as a postcard) rather than three pence for a sealed letter.
In those days there were 12 pence to the shilling and 20 shillings to the pound.
Giving 240 pence to the pound rather than today's 100 (new) pence to the pound.
(In case your daughter has not been taught about pounds, shillings and pence)
A typical weekly wage before tax was £10 in the early to mid 1960s
Cheers
Guy
PS I have just re-read the Hansard page and it seems I miss-read it at first the £2 was additional to the cost of the party line.
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According to http://www.retrowow.co.uk in 1966 it cost £10 to have a phone installed and you rented the actual telephone
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Thank you. I grew up with a party line, and then lived in the 1960s (a father of two children) on a party line. I remember they were increasingly irritating. We paid nothing, the guy fitted our phone for free. I remember renting the telephone for 3/- a week.
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According to Hansard the yearly rental fee was £2
Awesome, thanks for that info!
A typical weekly wage before tax was £10 in the early to mid 1960s
I was fully aware, I was working in 1960 aged 18 years.
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I have only ever seen wedding invitations sent or arrive in the post. The only telegrams involved were the congratulatory ones sent by those who couldn't make it. Usually read out by the best man.
Oh, I remember it. I was married in August of 1961, but instead we ran out of time (my wife was 4 months pregnant at the time) so I just wrote letters to everyone.
In 1966 the cost of a trunk call (i.e long distance) was 1 shilling to 4 shilling per three minutes, depending on the distance.
Heavens above, I never realized they were that much! That's why our phone bill was a lot.
In those days there were 12 pence to the shilling and 20 shillings to the pound.
Giving 240 pence to the pound rather than today's 100 (new) pence to the pound.
(In case your daughter has not been taught about pounds, shillings and pence)
She is fully aware, she was born in December of 1961.
A typical weekly wage before tax was £10 in the early to mid 1960s
I used to earn £21 a week before tax in the 1960s.
Overall, many thanks to you all!
Steven.
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Wages depended where you lived and how old you were. When I started working in Old Trafford, Manchester aged 17 I earned £3.3s per week and I remember how exited we were when we earned enough to pay tax ??? We were taught shorthand, typing, bookkeeping etc. so I guess in a way with having such low wages we were paying for our tuition fees, especially as for the first 3 months we were in a classroom all day.
In 1962 in Derbyshire my husband earned £7 per week, he used to give it to me and I used to divided it up and put appropriate amounts in jam jars for the electricity and gas bills. Thank goodness I don't have to do that any more.
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Wages depended where you lived and how old you were. When I started working in Old Trafford, Manchester aged 17 I earned £3.3s per week and I remember how exited we were when we earned enough to pay tax ??? We were taught shorthand, typing, bookkeeping etc. so I guess in a way with having such low wages we were paying for our tuition fees, especially as for the first 3 months we were in a classroom all day.
In 1962 in Derbyshire my husband earned £7 per week, he used to give it to me and I used to divided it up and put appropriate amounts in jam jars for the electricity and gas bills. Thank goodness I don't have to do that any more.
That's nearer what I remember LizzieW I got £2 11/6d "live in" & "all found" ;D in 1963
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Good evening,
Just watched flog it earlier, one lady was selling a couple of ugly vases. She said her husband let her spend any left over holiday money and she bought them for about £10 or just under in the 60s. Her husband must have had some wage, when I enlisted in 1966 I was getting about £12 a week.
I remember the surprise my mother had. She said I was earning twice my fathers wage as a cowman. We used to go on camping holidays and mum had just dads wage packet in her purse plus a little extra if we had had a lodger in.
John915