July 15, 1920
What was happening a century ago this week from the front page of the Cowichan Leader.
July 15, 1920
First on today’s front page was Duncan City Council. W.B. Young and James Duncan, representing the Duncan branch of the Retail Merchants’ Assoc., appeared to ask City fathers to reconsider their proposed bylaw on the sale of beverages containing hops. Vendors of such drinks would need to purchase a license for $200 annually.
Council did agree to send ‘Beverages Bylaw No. 1’ back to committee for further consideration even though the license fee applied only to drinks consumed on the premises; a smaller fee would apply to vendors of bottled spirits.
City Clerk James Greig was pleased to report that the City was in good financial shape, having collected $6962.27 in the previous fiscal year. Although current tax collections were running slower than previous years, the City had a total of $14,858.32 in the bank and in receivables from taxes, license fees, etc. When all bills were paid there’d still be $5000.00 in the bank.
The City’s second electrical engineer, still in training under the returned service men’s plan, had submitted his resignation, the Extraordinary Traffic Bylaw was approved, and commercial suppliers were reminded to submit written invoices and to have the Clerk’s written authority for same.
At the annual general meeting of the Koksilah School (still with us as an historic site) the appropriation for the coming year was fixed at $100.
The Victoria Lawn Tennis Club whipped both teams of the South Cowichan Lawn Tennis Club in 18 of 24 matches. American and Canadian rowing teams were to compete on Shawnnigan Lake in the 24th regatta of the North Pacific Assoc of Amateur Oarsmen, Miss Archer of Cowichan Bay was one of the first eight in the Pacific Northwest Golf Assoc. Tournament, and Duncan defeated Chemainus on the baseball diamond.
In Vancouver, former Cowichan Leader editor Lukin Johnston was elected president of the B.C. Institute of Journalists.
Representatives for the school boards of the Valley were to meet in the Agricultural Hall to discuss the appointment of two nurses “with the use of a motor car” to operate the Cowichan Health Centre.
The previous Saturday’s Tag Day had netted the King’s Daughters Hospital $150 in aid of the Queen Alexander’s (sic) Home for Crippled Girls.
The Cowichan Ladies Institute were busy, too, despite many members being away on vacations. Dressmaking and millinery classes were on the agenda and Miss Wilson gave a “most interesting” talk on laundry work! Her talk, in fact, was said to have been the best ever “as for the first time ever everyone in the audience gave some useful hint either in washing or ironing”.
The Leader was displaying a beautiful array of sweet peas in its window courtesy of the Crossland Bros.’ Cedar Creek Farm, Duncan, who had six acres of the flower in seed for their overseas trade with Great Britain.
A representative of the CPR’s tourist department was in town from England, John Kyle had returned to his old occupation as conductor on the E&aN’s Lake Cowichan line, and the city’s sixth Dollar Day the previous Saturday was declared to be the best yet.
Consolidated School Board trustees were presented with a petition urging that the salary of the high school principal be raised significantly as it was “totally inadequate and should be raised to an amount more commensurate with the present cost of living”.
The petition had been prompted by he resignation of Principal Thorp. As part of their argument they cited the tangible benefits to the community of having a sound, stable education system.
When Chairman Dwyer noted that 34 of the 93 petitioners who purported to be ratepayers lived outside Duncan it was pointed out that some of the signatories were “big tax payers”.
The issue had come to the fore with Principal Thorp’s resignation which the Board had accepted and had already advertised the position. Dwyer said that if Thorp were to re-apply he’d be considered with the other candidates.
Yet another teacher’s resignation, that of Miss Annie M. Wilson, Division II. Chemainus, was received without public comment. Hers was the ninth resignation to date.
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