Morecambe Guardian 14 April 1949:-
Scouts’ National Bob-a-Job Week
The Chief Scout, Lord Rowallan, has called upon every Wolf Cub, Scout, Senior Scout, Rover Scout and Scouter in Great Britain and Northern Ireland to earn the sum of at least one shilling for Scout Funds during the week April 18th to April 23rd.
This step has been made necessary by a reduction of investment income during recent years and by the expenses incurred in the re-building of Scouting since the War. Our Movement, with a membership in the United Kingdom alone of nearly half a million, has won the support of your readers in the past, and it is with confidence that I appeal to them to find jobs for Scouts during next week. Any odd job they consider to be within that the capabilities of boys will be welcome – household or garden work such as chopping wood, cleaning brass, tree felling, mowing the lawn, hedge clipping, weeding, creosoting fences, cleaning bicycles and cars, running errands, bathing the dog etc. These are but a few examples of the great variety of jobs which can be undertaken.
It is a principle of Scouting that, as far as possible, the boys shall earn their own funds, and I have no hesitation in asking the public through your columns to support their efforts. In these days when there is a great danger of the rising generation growing up with the idea that some mysterious “they” will hand everything to them on a plate, it is of the utmost importance that young people be taught the satisfaction of achieving something through honest labour.
Each Scout will be in possession of a card authorising him to work on behalf of the Movement. On this card the “Employer” is asked to enter the nature of the work carried out by the boy and the amount paid to him.
You will be doing Scouting a very good turn, Sir, if you will be good enough to publish this letter.
Lancaster Guardian 06 April 1950:-
DISTRICT Commissioner Hector Todd, South Lonsdale Boy Scouts Association, writes: – It is almost twelve months since the first National “Bob-a-Job” Week was launched by the Boy Scouts Association. This method of raising funds is the Scouts’ own way of helping to keep their organisation free from debt. The novelty of the scheme captured the public’s imagination to such an extent last year that not only were the Scouts able to top the target of £20,000 required for Central funds, but in many parts of the country the surplus over and above the requested shilling per head, resulted in useful sums being added to Group and District funds.
As most people know by now, the reason for this scheme of self-help is to make good the reduction of investment income during recent years and to replace the heavy run on expenditure incurred in the rebuilding of Scouting since the war.
This year’s “Bob-a-Job” Week has been fixed for the period April 10th to 15th, when once again every Cub and Scout is to be encouraged to do a job of work in return for which a minimum of One Shilling will be asked. And once again I would ask my fellow townsfolk to respond as they did last year by looking round for an odd job to give to a boy and to pay whatever they consider his services are worth, remembering perhaps, the cause for which he works.
If and when someone calls at your door offering his services, please ascertain that he is a genuine Cub or Scout and not an impostor. He should be in possession of an official Job Card which, in addition to being his authority to call, also provides space for a householder to record the nature of the task and the amount paid in return for it.
I am sure that you will fully appreciate the wisdom of teaching the rising generation to EARN their keep.
Lancashire Evening Post 01 April 1955:
Bob-a-job week labels scheme
FOUR million yellow labels will, it is hoped, solve the Boy Scouts and bob-a-job problem this year. The problem: how to prevent a housewife being bothered by further calls from Scouts once she has helped the cause by giving a job.
Every Scout and Cub in the country will be issued with a supply of these labels. They are being instructed to give one of them to the householder when the job has been done and their job card signed.
A note on the label asks that if no further calls are required the label be displayed in a prominent position. In addition to this, Scout leaders are being asked to adopt a system of allocating definite areas within districts to avoid overlapping.
A warning is issued against bogus Scouts “cashing in” on the scheme. Genuine Scouts will have an official green job card signed by their scoutmaster.
About 500,000 Cubs and Scouts will be taking part in this year’s effort towards national and local funds.
Some of the more unusual jobs done in previous years were: a cub in Norwich was asked by a terrified woman to take a mouse from a trap; entry on job card of Scout from Croydon- “recovering dentures from drain- 1s.; a Scout clipped the hedge of the Russian Embassy in London -and got 2s.6d.; a Bristol Scout washed down an elephant at Clifton zoo.
