BASIC ECONOMICS FOR A SIX YEAR OLD

this post created for "You know you're a Harrogatonian" facebook page...........
but you could find it interesting!

From It's a Rum Life...Book One “In the Beginning” 1947 to 1960

BASIC ECONOMICS

Back in Harrogate in 1950 I had to travel on the bus to school, in fact two buses; changing at the main bus station in the centre of the town.

Pocket money was always short as it came from my father who I seldom saw.

He did ensure though that I always received the “Eagle” comic by post every week, right from the very first issue, the highlight of my life!

I soon learned that if I was quick enough at the bus station I could catch a different bus from town to school.

Normally all the local buses were run by the West Yorkshire company but just on one route between Harrogate and Bradford the "Ledgard's" company ran double deckers; the route which passed my school.

I could save a half penny on each journey if I could catch the "Ledgard's" bus. It left the station about two minutes ahead of the West Yorkshire, destined for Leeds.

"Ledgard's" were based in Bradford and all their buses were very basic with wooden seats and no upholstery at all. This brought me to think ‘there must be a reason for this; perhaps folk in Bradford were not used to the comfort of upholstered seats?’

I had only been to Bradford once with my mother when she worked for a charity as a fund raiser and had an office in Bradford. My recollections of the city in the late 1940’s were one of smoke and grime but that office on Great Horton Road gave me my very first introduction to Boy Scouts. I had found a cast off book with no covers, discarded in a dusty corner of the office. I read it avidly and cherished it for years.

This was a very early copy of “Scouting for Boys”.

ONE HALF PENNY A DAY

One half penny every day was my target. One I never managed to achieve as frequently my first West Yorkshire bus from Skipton Road arrived as the "Ledgard's" was just leaving. I always tried though and ran desperately the whole uphill length of the Bus Station in the hope that "Ledgard's" bus was late leaving. These early disappointments with my budgeting as a six year old helped me get over even bigger problems in the future!

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