June 23, 1921
What was happening a century ago this week from the front page of the Cowichan Leader.
June 23, 1921
Of the eight headlines on this front page is the most eye-catching—and the most anticlimactic. MESSAGE FROM MARS is such a letdown—it’s about a performance by the Victoria Dramatic and Operatic Society in the Agricultural Hall. Ho hum...
Representatives of six school boards, from Saanich to Courtenay, met at the invitation of the Duncan Consolidated School Board to discuss “common problems” and to form an Island branch of the B.C. School Trustees’ Assoc. It’s interesting to note that they also discussed a resolution to the effect that “no teacher be engaged, unless such teacher furnishes a satisfactory release from his or her last employers”. What, do you think, would today’s B.C. Teachers Federation have to say about that?
Three teachers had tendered their resignations to the Duncan Consolidated School and two tenders for firewood had been accepted. Depending upon length (ranging from 16 inches to four feet) the firewood would cost from $2.50 to $5.50 per cord respectively.
High school attendance was expected to increase to 75-80 students in the coming year and there were grumblings of discontent from two teachers who’d been holding classes in addition to their own. Dr. Black hinted that improved salaries “would have to be dealt with if [his and his assistant’s] services were to be retained”.
N.T. Corfield, manager of Duncan Garage Ltd. informed the board that busing Westholme students to Chemainus instead of to Duncan would cost another $50 per month. John Kyle, superintendent of manual training, gave glowing praise to Manual Arts teacher John Somerville and suggested that the Board install lighting for night vocational classes. He also praised the work of Miss Sanders, Domestic Sciences teacher.
R.G. Mellin and his crew were making good progress on drilling out and blasting a base for a memorial cairn on Mount Prevost. As yet nothing was visible from the base of the mountain but this would soon change once rock work on the 31-foot-high tower began. There was to be a 41-foot x 11-foot wide viewing platform and, upon completion of the tower it would be painted white so as to stand out against its forested backdrop.
For an estimated $50 outlay a trail could be cleared to the old mining camp on neighbouring Mount Sicker Mountain. (This, likely, is today’s Mines Road that links both mounts.)
Twenty-one children, 16 of whom were under a year old, were brought in to the Cowichan Health Clinic by their mothers for an examination by Miss Jean E. Hardy, district nurse, who weighed and examined them and created a file card for future reference. Dr. Primrose Wells donated two hours of his time to consult with each mother individually. The response was thought to warrant increasing the clinics to twice-monthly by separating those children under a year of age from those who were older.
The first in a series of three evening entertainments by the St. Andrew’s Ladies Guild had to be held indoors because of the unusually cool weather. Dr. D.E. Kerr won “clock golf,” whatever that is, outdoors, but the rest of the program was conducted inside with 60-70 attending. There was singing and violin and Hawaiian guitar solos and recitations, all followed by ice cream.
The first regular shipments of Cowichan strawberries to Nanaimo had begun thanks to the promotion of J.,C.E. Henslow, president of the Cowichan Fruit Growers’ Co-operative. He’d done such a great job of running the Co-op that he was resigning as president because it was taking up too much of his time. A.C. Gulley, Duncan, was his replacement.
W.H. Robinson, provincial horticulturalist, his assistant, Dr. E.W. White, and Mr. Bain, Dominion Fruit Inspector, visited to give packing demonstrations at three Valley farms but the rain cancelled two of their intended calls. Their examination of fruits brought into the Cowichan Creamery Co-op led to a verdict of “good for beginners”.
Only three dozen members of the Creamery Assoc. attended the Co-op’s half-yearly meeting in the K of P Hall to hear a report by John Evans that it had been a good year with sales of butter up by 50 per cent and eggs by 100 per cent. Unfortunately, the sales price of eggs was down, resulting in a lost of $278.70.
“As usually happens,” noted the Leader, “none of the individuals who have grouches were present to air their grievances” when the egg business was discussed. Part of the problem, thought E.W. Neel, was the lack of cooperation between the Co-op’s members. R.W. Tull proposed a coupon system whereby egg purchasers would receive a voucher for other local farm products. Others thought that would be too expensive and suggested advertising—another costly item. However, because of the low attendance, it was decided to postpone further discussion to another time.
As for the egg producers, they’d held their own, well attended meeting in the Agricultural Hall. Concerned that the price of a dozen eggs locally ranged from five to nine cents, their perceived lack of representation on the board of the Cowichan Creamery Co-op, and imported eggs from the U.S. and China, they obviously were challenged. At least the cost of feed had come down. Leading producer LF. Solly, Westholme, thought part of the answer lay in forging alliances with other Island and Mainland farming communities.
W. Paterson wanted a tariff on imported eggs; after protracted discussion this was the consensus. Also agreed to was that the Cowichan Utility Poultry Assoc. remain independent.
The Cowichan Public Library had purchased $50 worth of new books from the Provincial Library, Victoria, and the Rev. F.L. Stephenson spoke on the need of a peacetime program for the Red Cross which, he lamented, many seemed to view as strictly a wartime emergency organization.
Earlier, I dismissed the “Mars” headline as being anticlimactic. So is this one: BRIXTON BURGLARY. It’s about a play.
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