December 15, 1921
What was happening a century ago this week from the front page of the Cowichan Leader.
December 15, 1921
Proof as to how much things have changed in a century is this issue of the Leader’s main headline,
POULTRYMEN’S BUSINESS.
What’s pretty much a yawn to us today was big and important news when most of the Cowichan Valley shared an agricultural economy. But it doesn’t now and I’m going to take the liberty of condensing this story...
The issue of the day was whether or not to establish a “possible working basis” between the locally owned and operated Cowichan Creamery (which, despite its name, also represented poultry farmers) and the B.C. Poultrymen’s Exchange.
Almost 40 attended the special mid-morning meeting in the Great War Veterans’ room to learn more and to discuss the matter, reportedly with some “heat”. Apparently local egg producers couldn’t understand the nuts and bolts of the proposed agreement as presented to them by their own Co-op so two representatives of the BCPE were on hand to answer questions and, hopefully, clear the air.
Maj. E.A. Hudson of the Co-op, chairing the meeting, started things off on a caustic note by remarking that Valley poultrymen weren’t fair to the Co-op as they didn’t register their complaints, they only criticized. The meeting had been called to discuss this alleged antagonism, too.
Westholme poultry farmer L.F. Solly concurred and F. Kennedy said he thought that poultrymen should put their faith in the Co-op to do the right thing by them.
BCPE representative G.E. Kyle then declared he’d just read the Co-op’s handout promoting their groups working together but he had no authority to act on his group’s behalf without consulting with them. He did say that he thought the BCPE should have been given a preview.
There was mention of a rumour that all provincial creameries were going to be merged into one. M.H. Ruttledge, the other BCPE rep on hand, asked why there was so much hostility towards his organization. They were working for the good of all and he defended his group’s having opened an office in Victoria in competition with the Creamery Co-op.
There followed a clause by clause discussion of the Co-op’s proposed meeting of the minds but, in reality, there was little point in continuing. With the president of the Co-op in Victoria on business and two other directors having refused to attend, the meeting had reached an impasse.
After lunch at Leyland’s Restaurant a representative gathering of members of Duncan Branch, Retail Merchants’ Association of Canada “listened with attention” to local MLA Kenneth Duncan expound on recently passed provincial legislation concerning taxation reform.
What it came down to was that the local representatives favoured a general graduated income tax rather than property and poll taxes. He also mentioned increased telephone charges. By the recently approved Income and Personal Property Income Tax Act, the government had the option of taxing one per cent of one’s income or one per cent of one’s personal property—whichever was greater.
MLA Duncan thought income tax should be the primary source of income to the government, not personal property or poll tax. He believed that everyone should have to file a return, employed or otherwise. If so conducted, he said, some who paid little or no tax would pay more and some who currently paid poll tax would pay less.
As matters stood, income tax applied to incomes above $1500 with a $200 exemption for each child. He gave the example of two farmers worth $20,000 each. “One man sells at that price and puts his money in mortgages at eight per cent. If married, with one child, he pays nothing.
“In the unorganized area the other farmer gets exemption of $1000 on personal property and $1500 on improvements, thus making the taxable value of his property $17,500 on which he has to pay one per cent, or $175 a year.”
He gave various other examples and pointed out that in the case of a businessman income tax would be based upon net income. The total amount of personal property tax collected by the province that year, he noted, was $850,000.
Another revision, that of the Succession Duty Tax, had been reduced from $25,000 exemption to $10,000, and automobile licenses had been increased by one-third although cars were no longer taxed as personal property.
There had been a tightening up of the Mothers’ Pension Act, too. Formerly, widows applying had to have been resident in the province for 18 months; this, it was believed, had attracted women from other provinces who’d then bided their time until they were eligible. Forthwith, the deceased man of the house had to have been a resident of B.C. at the time of his death.
(Proving once again that death and taxes are the only sure things in life!)
The big issue facing Consolidated School trustees was that of teachers’ salaries, the latter having submitted a seven-page “plea” for raises and defined work schedules. If granted the new salaries would amount to a further $6000 to ratepayers. Teachers were curtly informed that those who had in fact received increases had done so not because of their submitted request but because trustees had previously decided their cases based solely upon merit.
Mrs. Morton’s wage had been increased from $960 annually to $1020; Mrs. Ruffell, $960 to $1020; Miss Knocker, $900-$960; Miss Wollaston, $840-$900, ditto Miss McInnes.
(Use these teachers’ wages for a scale when you read today’s post on what it would really cost to go Christmas shopping in Duncan in 1921.)
The 1st Cowichan Girl Guides had held a well attended fundraiser in St. John’s Hall. Said the Leader, “It is expected that the new club room fund will be considerably swelled as a result of this sale.”
Realtor H.W. Dickie reported that he’d negotiated the sale of the late Arthur Allen’s commercial greenhouses, on the island Highway near Bazett’s Corners, and Capt. C.D.G. and Mrs. Sprot were off to California for a month or six weeks.
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