October 27, 1921
What was happening a century ago this week from the front page of the Cowichan Leader.
October 27, 1921
There’s no doubt as to the big news story of the day in this issue of the Leader. What makes it unusual is the fact that it’s in-house, so to speak, rather than the usual third-party.
Straddling the middle top of the page, the headline blares,
Why the Leader Is Not Publishing Advertisements of the Conservative Party.
Addressed to the leaders of the national party, the editor explained his newspaper’s non-partisan policy, both editorially and financially: “...The Leader wishes to make it perfectly clear that whatever position it may take editorially in the forthcoming campaign, each of the three political parties will be treated precisely alike so far as the Leader advertising columns are concerned.”
Contending parties and candidates were at liberty to avail themselves of the newspaper’s advertising services at the rates as posted, their ads to be clearly identified as “Political Advertisements.”
(None of this explains the headline but we’re getting there...)
The editor believed his paper was providing a “valuable public service” to its readers.
So what was the problem with the proposed ads for the hybrid ‘National Liberal and Conservative Party’? The Montreal advertising agency they’d hired wanted to be charged regular commercial rates such as those paid by merchants, rather than the premium rates usually charged by Canadian newspapers for political rhetoric.
As it happened, the ad firm insisted on getting a break, the Leader refused and had gone to press without the party’s quarter-page ad which had already been set up.
“The Leader wishes to make it plain that it has no desire to injure the cause of the National Liberal and Conservative Party or any other party in the Nanaimo riding by refusing to open its advertising columns for legitimate propaganda advertising, but it does insist, and will continue to adhere to that position that its space is for sale only on the same terms to everyone, and that neither its business policies or its sense of honesty permit it to give cut rates or special concessions to any person or organization...
“In the present instance it looks as though the Leader may have to forego the advertising in question, but if that is the case, the loss to the local National and Liberal Conservative organization through failure to get proper publicity will probably be far greater than the loss of a few dollars’ worth of advertising to this newspaper.”
So there!
Prospective voters were informed that they had five days, Nov. 23-27, to register.
The Cowichan Women’s Institute had appointed Mrs. G.G. Henderson and Mrs. F.S. Leather to be their delegates at the upcoming Island Conference in Victoria. Two issues of concern were a proposed reduction of others’ pensions and the building of a tuberculosis ward at the Kings Daughters’ Hospital, Duncan. The ladies were strongly opposed to both.
Present and former Duncan High School students held their annual reunion, this one in a crowded and festively decorated St. John’s Hall. In his address Principal Black said he hoped that music would soon be added to the curriculum–once the public could be convinced that “musical education is of as much importance as many other subjects”.
He felt he’d succeeded, during his second year at DHS, in encouraging girls’ sports, “inculcat[ing] a real school spirit,” and establishing a daily 15-minute study period for the purpose of learning how to realistically apply the lessons learned in class. Constructive homework was another of his concerns.
He was followed by a talk about the history of peaceful relations between Canada and the U.S., and a musical program of singing trios, violin, piano (solo and duet), ‘cello, guitar and ukulele.
The Committee of the Cowichan Pubic Library and guests, 80 in all, also enjoyed a program of music, instrumental, vocal and comic, and refreshments, all under the baton of evening master of ceremonies H.R. Punnett.
Miss Denny addressed the Cowichan Chapter, IODE, on the aims and objects of the Girl Guides’ movement and explained the great need for their own meeting place. The Chapter promised to render what assistance they could to help the cause.
C. Wallich, chairman of the legislative committee of the Duncan Board of Trade was congratulated for his efforts in persuading the E&N to keep its station agent at Cowichan Station. He’d pointed out to the railway that its passenger and freight had increased by 34 and 21 per cent, respectively. Shipments of farm and lumber products, particularly telephone poles were also way up.
The matter of increased B.C. Telephone rates also arose, it having been determined through an exchange of correspondence with officials in Ottawa that the permitted rate increase applied only to larger communities and not to rural areas. Hence “proper recourse would be taken” to see that anyone incorrectly charged was reimbursed.
Eighteen mothers and 24 children attended a wellness clinic at the Women’s Institute, only six of them from Duncan; the fact that most of the mothers came from afar (travel was still primitive, remember) was taken to be a good sign.
The Leader commiserated with residents of the Island’s rugged west coast who’d missed mail service because the CPR steamer Princess Maquinna had had to cut her route because of stormy weather. Thank goodness for the telegraph line and the devoted service of agent/lineman David Logan, praised the editor.
There was an outbreak of la grippe at Nitinat and growing dissension between local First Nations, the government-licensed Lummi Bay Canning Co., and individual fishermen over fishing rights. Fisheries Inspector E.G. Taylor was on his way to referee the situation.
A contract had been signed to rebuild the Carmanah lighthouse near Clo-oose. The provincial government had transferred ownership of the Cowichan Bay wharf to the federal government.
The privately operated Tzouhalem post office had closed and that at Deerholme had reopened.
From Genoa Bay another barge-load of 200,000 feet of lumber was off to the U.S. and “prairie points.”
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