Money collected from Gas meters 1900s

[Ray T]

Not sure which bit of the "1900s" you're looking at but, from the 1960's, the collector took the money to the bank. This was the case with NW gas but I can't be sure about other parts of the UK. If the bank had closed - and they closed early in pre-computer days - the collector took it home and banked it the next morning.

A security risk by today's standards but you won't get that far carrying a bag full of shilling coins!

[jeanc]

Thank you Ray T, my friend and I were thinking of any of 1900s when cash would have been collected from meters. We had thought of it being banked, but wasn't sure, we were talking about how heavy the bag would have been. Maybe there were more than one visit to the bank in a day, especially when the meters took the old copper pennies, as they were quite heavy. How times have changed, in some cases, not even a human being taking the readings.

Regards
JeanC

[hanes teulu]

If you check the job advertisements for "prepayment meter collectors" they included such requirements as "must be fit", "must be strong", "must be able to ride a bicycle". Women began to be recruited at the start of WWI.

[jeanc]

Wow, thank you hanes teulu, you have answered another query as we weren't sure if the collector had a bike or not.

Regards.
JeanC

[Ray T]

Wow, thank you hanes teulu, you have answered another query as we weren't sure if the collector had a bike or not.

Regards.
JeanC

My late father used the bus or walked but penny meters had been phased out by the time he started the job. By the time he finished, in 1983, he drove a van and supervised a gang of collectors meeting up with them to take the money and hand out more work.

Nostalgia simply isn't what it used to be! (Actually it was thought to be a disease suffered by sailors away from home for months/years at a time.)

[jeanc]

Thank you again Ray T, all the information I have received, it's making a picture of how the meter collectors did their work etc.

In my case that disease of Nostaiga is never far away. LOL

Regards.
JeanC