October 21, 1920
What was happening a century ago this week from the front page of the Cowichan Leader.
October 21, 1920
The United Farmers of B.C. are the lead story in this issue of The Leader but we’ll start with Duncan Council with Mayor Pitt and Clerk Greig reporting on the “good roads league of B.C.” and the Union of B.C. Municipalities which they’d attended on behalf of the City. Council then approved a recommendation of the UBCM that one per cent per head of each municipality be donated by each municipality towards a fund to assist Victoria in its appeal to to the province to be able to tax church properties.
The Vancouver consultant who’d been hired to examine the City Waterworks was on his way after recovering from appendicitis. His $25 daily fee included all expenses other than the rental of a car. He’d also been engaged by Ladysmith.
Council had been informed that the machine gun citizens had contributed to the war effort was in the possession of the British Army and couldn’t be returned as a war trophy. Council refused to give up and further resolved to ask MP Maj. W.H. Hayward to try to trace the gun down.
The Mayor, Ald. Smithe and the Clerk were appointed a committee to confer with the province on highway matters and cost sharing.
On a final note it was agreed to rent two vacant rooms adjacent to the fire hall for $10 per month each.
The most popular man in Duncan for a day was explorer Cerveth Wells who was in town to speak to school children of his Asian adventures. The Leader was impressed: “Here was real education, garnished with gems of pleasantry and clothed in the magic of one who knows the art of words of value, of pictorial and actual demonstrations. His descriptions of natives, wild animals and plants were breathlessly received...”
A subsequent talk to adults was also popular.
The North Cowichan branch of the Red Cross held its AGM and elected a new slate of officers, Miss Hadway retaining her post of president. Little other business was conducted other than authorizing payment of $350 promised to the Health Centre.
The lead-up to the plebiscite on Prohibition was finally winding down with an audience of 100 attending a Liberty League rally in the opera House. The various arguments pro and con were rehashed by five speakers and, in the pulpit, the Rev. Arthur Bischlager tactfully endorsed neither side but urged temperance education in the home and in the schools.
Popular Lake Cowichan E&N stationmaster F. Griffin and his family were moving to Ladysmith, the district had experienced its first snowfall of the season, and Miss F. Rumming of Nanaimo had spent Thanksgiving with her sister, Miss B. Rumming.
Dr. Primrose Wells had returned to Duncan from a business trip to his Kootenay ranch to join Dr. A.W. Popert in partnership. The latter had just returned to Canada after five years overseas with the Canadian Army.
The Duncan Tennis Club held a popular Thanksgiving Day dance, the Duncan Hospital needed an isolation ward (it had $500 in donations on hand) and staff Dr. H.T. Rurtherford had tendered his resignation. The Genoa Bay mill was loading a million feet of ties for the United Kingdom, and the Women’s Auxiliary of St. Andrews. Cowichan Station, gave a successful “silver tea.”
The Cowichan Creamery was handling tons of butter and 250,000 eggs daily from local farmers, and it was open season on pheasants.
As for North Cowichan, it was going t have to settle for a trench mortar and two machine guns, like it or not.
Upon reconsideration Council approved $175 towards a Westholme Community Hall, and $200 towards Island Highway maintenance on a cost-sharing (25%-75%) arrangement with the province.
Council was awaiting legal advice after being found liable in the two-year-long squabble over a roadway through Swallowfield Farm. As matters stood the Municipality was facing an additional one and a half-mills on 1921 taxes.
Finally, the directors of the United Farmers of B.C. met in Duncan to plan their convention, scheduled for February 1921. While claiming to be a-political their platform included several issues more readily identifiable with local governments:
- Roads
- Water Powers
- Immigration
- Rural Credits
- Civil Service
- Reforestation
In short the farmers were so unhappy with their slight influence on the government that they were thinking of forming their own political party to enter the provincial arena. They were encouraged by the fact that 50 per cent of the B.C. population were farmers who lived on the land. (The UFBC membership stood at just 4500, having started in Duncan in 1916.)
There was also talk of starting a club for boys and girls (a la the latter-day 4-H Club).
At the point of going to press The Leader reported that votes in favour of government control of liquor distribution were leading Prohibition support by a two-to-one majority although not all communities had reported in.
Have a question, comment or suggestion for TW? Use our Contact Page.