Papermaking Reunion
2002/27 Reunion of people who worked in the papermaking industry, held at the Water of Leith Visitor Centre, Edinburgh on the 27th of June 2002. Chaired by David Finkelstein, Alistair McCleery and Sarah Bromage
000 Observations on the decline of the industry. Investment was too late. Companies not willing to invest and take a loss for year when not family mill
038 Companies were by this time run by accountants
049 1960s were at some times boom times. Woodhall mill started continuous shifts
060 Rationing of orders; could not make enough
070 Orders; many but very small
083 Couldn’t hold stock
096 Problems with marketing strategy
101 Change to litho, needed high quality paper. Mills just not good enough.
114 Print industry more technically advanced than the papermaking industry
123 Too many people operating machines
133 Conditions of work. 36 hours if the next shift did not turn up
148 Double shifts common, no union control.
158 Would stay on and do an extra half shift. Mill never shut
166 Not well paid in comparison to printers
173 Moved into different mills and roles
178 All mills generally same pay
187 Worked nights and evenings
196 Shop floor and management. All would muck in if there was a break in the machine.
210 Not friendly with managing directors
216 Workers committee in mills
222 No strikes; if you did not do what they said you wouldn’t have a job
236 Work study in Galloways to do the finishing house in 1948. Time study and bonus system
253 Forward thinking in work study
259 Cost study analysing cost
266 Women in salle on bonus piece work. Would strike if you were always on big sheet as could not get bonus
276 Lumping when women wouldn’t count individual sheets
281 What we want to achieve from the project
315 Miller and Co
322 Looking to attract interested parties
329 Hillside Crescent bowling club
343 Locating possible interviewees
352 Sources of information
356 Community experience of employment
362 People who worked for a long time. 80 years at work
373Esk Valley College teaching. Identifying people
383 Possible sources of ephemeral material
End