Page 2

THE WILLIAMS

LAKE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, June 17, 1959

EDITORIAL PAGE

GLENDALE LOOKS AHEAD

Now that the residents of Glendale have seen what
organization has done for them in the way of provid-
ing a water system, the suggestion that the small
community incorporate as a village will undoubtedly
be a matter of serious consideration.

Like Topsy, Glendale “ just growed,” first into a
collection of clapboard shacks stretched along the
old Soda Creek highway that reflected little credit on
the builders, and then into a more substantial residen-
tial area. It is understandable that the next step in
this development would be a growing demand for ser-
vices—for water, street lights and sidewalks, services
that provision can adequately pe made for if the area
is incorporated.

Overshadowing Glendale with our own community,
we are apt to overlook this growth going on at our
doorstep. Glendale now has around 500 residents, and
back in 1929 when Williams Lake was incorporated
as a village, we could probably boast of no more than
300, and had to count the stray dogs to reach that
figure.

The alternative to incorporation as far as Glendale
is concerned, would be’to petition Williams Lake for
inclusion in our boundaries, an alternative that would
require the approval of Williams Lake taxpayers.

Hither way the property owners of Glendale are
going to get increased tax bills to pay for these ser-
vices they desire, but it would appear from their point
of view that union with Williams Lake would be
cheaper in the long run than independent incorpora-
tion. One way they would share in the cost of admin-
istration of the entire area, the other way they would
have to foot the bill for a separate village office, and
the administrative costs that “go with it.

Whether Williams Lake can, or would, agree to
taking in Glendale is another question. A lot of money
in community services will have fo be expended on this
concentrated area, and once the machinery is set up,
the clamor for these services will be loud and imme-
diate. Our own borrowing power is stretched to the
maximum to supply vitally needed services within the
present boundaries. Inclusion of Glendale would bring
in additional tax revenue, but bow much this would
offset costs in the immediate future would have to be
the subject of serious study. ‘

Undoubtedly from the long range viewpoint, ex-
tending the village poundaries to take in Glendale and
the development on the north side of the main Cariboo
Highway would be good, busines: Unfortunately, no

otter b sound an inyestment is, it takes money, a
“ ai which fast-growing communities like: Wil-
liams La are usually lacking.

A TIME OF ASSESSMENT

This. is the time of year when many parents de-
velop a worried look and start casting around for
reasons to convince their teenagers to stay in school.

In almost every family where this problem arises,
the parents watch their young man weigh the value of
education against the thoughts of ready cash which is
within easy grasp at the nearest mill or other place of
pusiness. To obtain a job, money and the things that
it will buy, to gain a measure of immediate indepen-
dence in an adult world, all the boy has to do is make
what appears now to be a small sacrifice—leave school.

And that the “ sacrifice” is being made at an
alarming rate in the country is borne out by statistics
that show about 30 out of every 100 youngsters who
enter school obtain their junior matriculation, and just
10 or 12 out of 100 receive their senior matriculation.

To project these present percentages into the
future, of the 430,000 pupils who enrolled in grade
one in all elementary schools in Canada in 1957, just
129,000 will obtain their junior matriculation and a
mere 51,600 will successfully complete high school.
country cannot afford this waste of brain
power should be evident to every thinking citizen. We
are living in a complex age, and to be able to meet the
challenge the future will present, we must make full
use of that valuable asset—human resources.

With an extremely transient population, it is diffi-
cult to come up with percentages of “ drop-out ” in our
own high school. However, going back two years in
the case of our graduating class of this year, we find
there were 79 students in grade 10. Of these, 15 trans-
ferred and seven failed in the past two years but are
continuing. Twenty of the current crop of graduates
were in grade 10 here two years ago. Assuming that
the seven failures complete their grade 12, this would
work out to 27 graduates of the original 64 (79 less
transfers) or a percentage of ‘ drop-out ” of 57.8.

A growing awareness of the need for more educa-
tion is reflected in industry where educational stand-
ards over the past 10 years have been becoming
higher and higher. ‘And the trend will continue. The
job that is open today to the youngster with a grade 10
education may be closed tomorrow at this level. It is
true that some men and women with comparatively
little formal education hold high positions, but these
people are usually self-educated, a process which
usually involves great personal sacrifice. They would
also be the first to admit that their road would have
been easier if they had had more formal education.

“Stay in school” is just another adult phrase
to a young person. However, in the adult world he
or she is about to enter, it may take on a new meaning
associated with regret. To avoid this as much as pos-
sible, it would be wise for the young man or woman
who is determined to leave school to seek a job, to
pause for a moment to analyse what this decision will
mean to his or her future. Another year or two at
school might open new doors to desirable job oppor-
tunities now out of reach

That our

Cool view for warm days.
winter scene of the 20’s was taken
at the local PGE yards. Disappeared tower in the background.

AS IT USED TO LOOK

This

from the railroading scene are the
old steam locomotives and the water

Te TEP.

CAlb

mG

BY CLIVE STANGOE

SHADES OF THE CENTENNIAL ISSUE—Via
Ben Clarke comes a letter from Mrs. Ethel Slater,
early Williams Lake resident, containing several
corrections on the history of the town.

The Log Cabin
was not built by_Bill
Smith, Mrs. Slater
writ but by Ar-

chie Campbell. No
mention in the issue
of Rod Mackenzie's
partner, Jim Fraser,
was made, although
Mrs. Slater says that
Fraser ran the store
here first. On the original
Bank of Montreal building,
Mrs. Slater writes that it was
built by Archie Campbell and
her husband at the time the
railway was being constructed
and was used by the bankers
from {the 150 Mile braich for
the rgilway payroll.

Onck when the payrofl was
being’ toted to Williamy Lake,
(about $3,000), the clerks met
up with a well stocked boot-
legger on the road. Result
was the two bank clerks and
the bootlegger “passed out.”
This occurred near a local
store and the proprietor went
to the rescue of the $3,000 but
found enough “moonshine”
left in the bottle to meet the
same fate as the clerks.

Finally Mr. Slater dis-
covered the group and phoned
the 150 Mile bank manager
who came as fast as travel
would permit in those days and
found the money intact.

* * *

Margaret and George Mur-
ray, those indefatigable boost-
ers of the north country, drop-
ped in the office the other day

On Father's
Day

The dandelion once was
selected as the appropriate
flower for Father’s Day be-

cause “the more it is tramp-
led on, the more it grows.”

That about sums up the
plight of Father. Once a year
we throw him a bouquet—or a
tie—and chalk up another
duty well done.

But the old man surely is
worthy of better treatment be-
cause, as the World Book En-
cyclopedia points out, his name
is a title of honor given to
those who establish anything
important in human affairs.

Take George Washington,
for example, known as the
Father of His Country. Wash-
ington shares that title with
such illustrious Romans as
Cicero, Julius Caesar and the
Emperor Augustus.

Homer is called the Father
of Epic Poetry because of his
“Tliad’”” and the ‘“ Odyssey.”
Geoffrey Chaucer whose ‘ Can-
terbury Tales’? established a
standard form of English verse,
is known as the Father of
English Poetry.

That’s enough to put any
father's head in the clouds.
But lest he begin to feel
giddy from these associations,
let him remember that Satan
is called the Father of Lies.

to show us their ex-
tra, extra special
Alaska Highway edi-
tion. The veteran
newspeople have
been working on
this project for the
past year, and they
deserve a lot of
for the 60-
page effort.

The edition was too large
handle on their Alaska
News equipment up

to
Highway
at Fort St. John, so the print-
ing job went to the coast. Ad-
vertising has been kept to a
bare minimum, hence the pxice

for the

ue is a thumpjng

$2. If you wang a history jof
the’ nigtway* aka its pes$ie
though, the money is well
spent.

* * *

This year’s Stampede parade
promises to be something quite
special, but unfortunately the
current waterworks program
will probably foul up the
background.

Work on the Oliver Street
main that is now confined to
the lower end of the street
will be completed, but the en-
tire length must be dug up,
right out to the highway ‘‘ Y.”
Now with a little bit of rain
the mess will be something
to experience.

Letter to the Editor

RESIDENT COMPLAINS
ABOUT CHILCOTIN ROAD

The Editor,
The Williams Lake Tribune.

Dear Sir—With your kind
permission I would like to in-
sert this letter under the edit-
orial column of your fast
growing and valuable paper.

About a year ago I wrote a
letter in your paper comment-
ing on the good work the De-
parment of Public Works were
doing on the Chileotin High-
way. Sorry to say the reverse
is quite in evidence. In my
five years of travelling to and
from the Squadron at Puntzi
Mountain, I have never seen
the road in such bad shape.

It is a disgrace to our Cari-
boo. In fact it is so bad our
wives refuse to drive with us
because the air is blue with
cuss words and dust from the
time we leave until we get
back.

What are our tourists think-
ing?
The cost of upkeep of our
vehicles is tremendous. If
anyone thinks I am exaggerat-
ing, come up and see us some
time, but play it safe, bring
a good supply of spare parts,
tires, ete, for your car and in-
vite a good mechanic to ride
along with you.

STAN RUSHTON

917 Squadron,
Box 112,
Williams Lake, B.C.

ONE YEAR
June 18,

Plans were made

visit of Princess Margaret on

1958
for the

July 18... Total cost of a
proposed high-level suspension
bridge over the Fraser River
to replace the old Sheep Creek
structure was estimated at
$750,000.00 by MLA Bill
Speare Benny Abbott,
prominent hotelman and one
of the town’s best-known citi-
zens, passed away in War
Memorial Hospital at three
o'clock Sunday morning .
Work of installing paved floor
in War Memorial Arena near-
ing completion. The arena
boasts the largest dance floor
in B.C., with dimensions of 85
feet by 185 feet...
FIVE YEARS AGO
June 17, 1954
Cariboo Cattlemen's
ion approve a aggestion to
estab. a feed lot at Wil-
ns Lake. The sew yards
Rito ndid 406! heaa | t
ieeders. This will be the first
feed lot in B.C. to be estab-
lished by a district organiza-
tion Over 400 Roman
Catholics marched in proces-
sion Sunday afternoon to be-
gin the ceremonies honoring
the Blessed Virgin Mary in this
Marian Year . . . Deep sym-
pathy was extended to the
wife and family of Victor
Whelan who was laid to rest
in the Mountain View Ceme-
tery, Horsefly, June 8... In
1954 only 12 students gradu-
ated from Williams Lake High
TEN YEARS AGO
June 16, 1949
Twenty-third annual Wil-
liams Lake Stampede wound
up here Thursday and was
acclaimed “the best ever” in
the history of the association.
New attendance records were
set, between 4,000 and 5,000
Indians and whites taking it
in Angus Maclean was
elected MLA for Cariboo in
yesterday's election. By 9:30
last night, Nicholas Bird, CCF
candidate, had conceded the
victory to his coalition oppo-
nent... D. G. Murray, editor
and owner of the Bridge River-
Lillooet News, announced last
week that the Lillooet Journal
had been sold to Al BE. Hardy,
well-known Vancouver sports-
man and newspaperman . . -
The Indian Department took
advantage of the gathering of
Indians here last week for the
Stampede ,to conduct a chest
clinic on the grounds. Alto-
gether a. total of 579 Indians
and 62 whites were X-rayed
by the portable equipment...
TWENTY YEARS AGO
June 15, 1939
Firefighters battled a spec-
tacular fire at the sawmill of
Tom Greor at Poquette Lake
last Thursday and succeeded
in saving part of the equip-
ment. The sawmill was des-
troyed . . . Blood, sticks and
legs were running freely before
the overtime lacrosse game at
Quesnel last Sunday was called
a draw on a score of 3-3 to
prevent further bloodshed be-
the Quesnel and Williams Lake
teams. . . A meeting of service
organizations decided that the
should offer’ Mount

province
Robson Park to the Federal
Government, and that they
of building a highway from

should accept on the condition
Alberta to Blue River, thus
completing the Trans-Canada
Highway .. . Plums priced at
six tins for 65¢.

THE MACDUFF OTTAWA REPORT

The M.P.s play musical chairs

OTTAWA—As new problems
pile up for our government
and parliament to solve, there

‘is always a danger of forget-

ting about the old basic prob-
lems of parliamentary democ-
Tacy.

One of the most vital of
these is fair representation of
the people in Parliament. We
have all read in history books
at school about the 19th cen-
tury “rotten boroughs” of
Britain, where a handful of
voters could easily be organ-
ized into sending the choice of
the ruling class to the House
of Commons. We have read,
too, about the fight for res-
ponsible government in Canada
and the campaigns for ‘“‘ Rep
by Pop,” representation by
population. Then there was
the fight to give women the
vote until finally, in Canada,
there was universal suffrage
for the election of 1921; that
is, all those over 21 can vote,
with a few exceptions like con-
victs and the insane.

Despite all these advances,
the battle still goes on. Prob-
ably it always will ,for parlia-
mentary democtacy never
seems to run out of ways of
refining and improving itselt.

The main reform sought
over the past century or so has
been a fairer method of “ re-
distribution.” The voters of
the country are “ distributed ”
among constituencies, each of
which elects a Member of Par-
liament to the House of Com-
mons. Naturally, as the popu-
lation grows and shifts, the
number of voters in some con-
stituences becomes much
greater than that in others;

don’t suffer as a result of any
changes which have to be
made. If one province is to
lose one or two seats because
its population has gone down
in relation to that of the rest
of the country, then the object
is to redistribute so that an
opposition member, rather than
a government member..loses in
this game of musical chairs.
This happened to Prime Mini-
ster Diefenbaker himself in
1947 when his riding of Lake
Centre was cut up and dis-
tributed among other neigh-
boring ridings. He had to
move to Prince Albert to get
himself elected.

No wonder that Mr. Diefen-
baker said of the system in
1951: ‘The only reason we
would want to retain it would
be the political advantage of
the party with the majority at
the time.”

No wonder Finance Minister
Fleming said at the time: “It
is no longer entitled to any
respect on the part of the pub-
lic or of this House.”

No wonder Agriculture Min-
ister Harkness said: “I think
the present system can only be
described as a mess.”

With statements like these
on the record, there was good
reason to hope that when the
Conservatives came to power
they would seek to implement
the reform they suggested in
Opposition. This would set up
an independent commission or
committee to tackle the tech-
nical job of political map-
making. The Commons, pos-
sibly with the aid of special
study -by its redistribution
committee, would lay down the

that is, parts of the p
are getting much less represen-
tation than other parts. Thus,
under the British North
America Act of 1867, it was
provided that a redistribution
should take place after each
10-year census in order to re-
draft the political map where
necessary.
MOVES TOO FAST

The trouble with the present
method, which the’ reformers
seek to change, is that it is
carried out in a few weeks by
a committee of the House of
Commons.
ee is dominated py the
mart majority, yeas -
tion develops into a fight. to
see that government members

Now they're opening tourist
resorts in the Arctic. For
only $1,500, a sportsman will
be able to fly up to a fishing
hole in the tundra country,
pursue the Aretie char for a
week, and come home re-
treshed.

There is also talk of
amateur seal hunting in one of
the two resorts that are
scheduled to open north of the
tree-line.

More power to the clever
entrepreneurs who launched
the scheme. I hope the
Eskimos cash in on the new
northern tourist industry, as
guides, motel owners and
operators of
stands.

But the $210-a-day fishing
vacation — excellent value
though it may be for the
money—leaves me gasping for
breath.

I'm primitive enough to
look upon fishing as a quest
for something to eat.

When I push off from the
shore of the lake in the old
rowboat, I go in the hope of
returning with something I can
use instead of bacon and eggs
next morning.

What thoughts pass through
the mind of the man who
plonks down $1,500 for a week
of Arctic fishing?

For this man, I suppose,
fishing has become a mystic
rite, an affirmation of his kin-
ship with nature.

Long fed from the can, the
deep freeze and the plastic
package, sheltered in the air-
conditioned urban cave, he
suifers from a feeling of un-
reality.

Is there truly a world of
living things out there beyond
the glass, concrete and neon?
Is he man enough to outwit
wild creatures, and provide
fodo for his family? Some
such vague ideas may be drift-

muskoxburger *

broad principles of repr
tion, such as assuring that
rural and sparsely settled areas
and the smaller provinces get
adequate representation des-
pite low population. These
principles would be the ‘‘terms
of reference” under which the
independent commission would
recommend changes for final
approval by the House of Com-
mons. f
SHYING FOR REFORM
Systems like this have been
adopted in Britain, Australia,
New Zealand, South Africa and
our own Province agd Mani-
toba; | Bub the C
nowlthar they are er in
Ottawa, seenk to be shying
away from the reform they

With G. E. Mortimore

ing about the city-dweller’s
mind.

After a vast expenditure for
tackle, gasoline and whisky, he
brings home a sardine-sized
fish. But for him, it is worth
every penny of the $95 a
pound it cost, because that
microscopic fish has. restored
his pride and brought him back
to the real world.

I think that’s
works.

become an

once advocated. In a recent
debate on the subject, Tory
MP’s suggested that political
morality had now reached such
a high level that the redistri-
bution committee would no
longer engage in the old politi-
cal horse-trading. They sug-
gested, too, that it would be
dangerous to delegate any
more of the Commons’ auth-
ority to outside agencies.
There was no recognition of

the fact that since 1867
Canada has grown from
3,500,000 to more than

17,000,000 and that redistri-
bution has become a much
bigger task. There was no
recognition that now that we
have a census each five years
we might have redistribution
more often, so that suburban
ridings like Toronto's York-
Scarborough would be divided
after @ growth from 104,297
to 167,310 between the census
of 1951 and that of 1956. In
short, it looks as ‘though the
new government, like the old,
is planning to stand pat, lo let
the country grow and change
without reforming its parlia~.
mentary institutions.

CAPITAL HILL CAPSULES

One MP who wants a change
in the political map right away
is Erik Nielsen, the 35-year-
old lawyer from Whitehorse
who represents Yukon riding
for the Conservatives. He has
introduced a private member's
bill which would create the
new riding of Keewatin-Frank-
lin, covering the Eastern’ Arc-
tic and now part of the riding
of Mackenzie River.

The House of Commons,
bringing together all kinds of
Canadians from all parts of
the country, is a great national
“club.” Latest sign of the
club spirit was the disclosure
that nine of the younger Con-
servative back-benchers who
occupy neighboring desks in
the Commons Chamber now
call themselves the “ GFA ”—

pronounced ‘“ Guifaw ’’— and
standing for Good Fellows
Association. Membership is

kept at nine so they'll have one
more member than the CCF,

with whom they exchange
anter and heckling across
(t¥s Commons aisle. It’s this

“kind of spirit Which, under-
neath the heat of debating
battle, keeps the Commons a
pretty friendly place despite
the political rivalry.

Noel Dorion, the Conserva-
tive MP for Bellechasse, now
seems to be the likely candi-
date from French-speaking
Canada when Prime Minister
Diefenbaker gets around to
that predicted cabinet shuffle
after the session. The former
senior Quebec Crown prose-
cutor, a close ally of Premier
Duplessis, was singled out to
rally the Quebec Tories in a

reply to an attack by Hon.
Lionel Chevrier (Liberal,
Montreal-Laurier) on the

Dominion-Provincial issue. The
present French-speaking cabi-
net ministers took no part in
the debate, but Diefen-
baker was on hand to hear

angler.

the way it Mr. Dorion as he skilfully
But, just as the Man walked the political tight-
who drinks for relaxation may rope,
ic, the man}
who fishes for spiritual com- :
fort may become a compulsive UE FOR TH!
He’s hooked. ESTE UTTING INDUSTRY

PIONEER

To the fishing addict, a trip
to the Arctic then seems the
most natural thing in the|
world. But I would like to
see the face of a man trying
to explain to his wife how he
happened to come home empty-
handed after a $1,500 week of
fishing.

GOVERNMENT ..« -

It is a very easy thing to
devise good laws; the diffi-
culty is to make them effec-
tive—Lord Bolingbroke.

He who best governs him-
self is best fitted to govern
others—John Caird.

_
THE WILLIAMS LAKE
TRIBUNE
Established 1931

Editor, Clive Stangoe

rcs
Published every Wednesday at
Williams Lake, B.C., by the
Cariboo Press Limited.
Subscription per year — $3.00
Outside Canada $4.00
Advertising rates on application

Authorized as Second Class
Mail by the Post Office

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