Britain at Work
A Pictorial Description of Our National Industries

CLERKS. for juniors in most banks are filled by youths nominated by the directors. In some instances the initial salary is only thirty pounds a year. It is not unusual for the manager of a branch house of an important banking company to draw a salary hardly so good as that of a second-rate music-hall performer. Not often does the bank official reach a salary of a thousand per annum. Municipal clerks are not only well paid, but are, as a rule, accommodated with bright, airy offices and are seldom over- worked. Town clerks, of course, are at the head of this department of the clerical industry. The Town Clerk of the City of London measures his salary by thousands. The town clerks of few important towns 299 draw less than eight or nine hundred pet annum. The London boroughs pay their town clerks handsomely, salaries of a thousand pounds and upwards being quite the rule. In some small county towns, however, the town clerk ekes out a living by combining the practice of a regular profession with his municipal duties. In municipal life a clerk of exceptional ability seems to advance more rapidly to the higher ranks than is the case in other spheres of clerical employment. It is but necessary, however, to look round on the list of leading men in all departments of business, and in some of the professions, to realise that every clerk has hidden some- where in his desk the key to wealth and position. It only needs finding. P. F. William Ryan. Photo : Cassell cr Cø., Lia. CLERKS AT WORK IN A SHIPPING OFFICE (ELDER, DEMPSTER AND CO., LIVERPOOL).