119_Mouat-Ivan_Richards-Frank_Newspapers.mp3

otter.ai

29.01.2023

no

Unknown Speaker 0:01
We're privileged to serve to doom to our students. So you have to make a change in our program. Initially, our speaker was to be cold party. And he was going to give us a very illustrious talk on the HMS Ganges. Cole, unfortunately can't be with us today. Illness call and he will, hopefully we'll have him back with us in the new year. So fortunately, we were able to call on two of our ever faithful members to give us a talk today. So I would like to call on Ivan and Sue mod to talk to us about the history of newspapers and publishing on Saltspring. Island to buy them.

Unknown Speaker 1:27
Sue and I were discussing not so long ago, when you're talking about programs for the society that we should think about doing one some time on newspapers on Saltspring on. And we thought, well, sometime we'll do that. And then Fred Powell phoned and said, Have you any ideas for a program because we're chat was gonna talk about HMS Ganges is ill and can make it and to have the in the other line. And I don't know why I said to her, she said to me, what about our newspaper? I think probably I said her let's do our newspaper thing. And can we get it together in time? Well, maybe we didn't. But we're going to try. And of course, when we're doing anything, or newspapers and Saltspring, you mainly think of Frank Richardson. I'll introduce him later. He's going to take the latter part of what they're gonna do this afternoon. later part of the greater the greater part. Yes, he's tapped, you know, and I said, Would you speak for a few minutes and he thought I said a few hours. So he prepared two hours versus afternoon. Probably the first publication, certainly one of the first ones that mentioned very much about Salzburg, Ireland, was a British columnist, published Victoria, that it's now of course the it's known as the times call. This became the British colonists Victorian colonists, lots of times colonies. Early reports and Saltspring were noted in the colonists. In March, the March the 13th 1960 issue, the Salisbury stone companies reported to be gathering store selling stolen, pouring it and marketing Victoria. In March, the 18th 1861, Pemberton published the colonial surveyor published the list of people of settlers, who recorded his landholders on salzburgerland, this has been able to get the boat. By the way, I should mention on the side, over there on two tables, or three tables, we've got a lot of copies. And I must thank the archives for letting us and bringing some here today. But the I don't think we've very weird. I know we have the the actual ad Virtus with the Pemberton put in, and it's that I don't think we very much from the colonist. Apart from that the January the fourth, we had the in 1873, we had news of the formation of the court corporation of the township of Salt Spring and the election of its first council, of course, 10 years later having the 13th at 83. It was part of the dissolution of the township as reported and then it quotes one in residence is saying, quote, well rid of what has been a great source of trouble annual theory and a quote

Unknown Speaker 4:26
in going back to June the seventh thinking 64, the British colonists free reporting on the Salzburg Island status on the male steamer was making fairly regular runs to the Soviets Bay and settlers was successfully growing tobacco and there are over 500 cattle on the island. So it is assumed that quite like the copies of the British colonists were got through to the centers here and they read sometimes they read something about the on in those papers. There is also the New Westminster times and the the Photostat of the September 1924 1859. Copy there. And it comments on the letter received from Jonathan bank, a big spill. That's Fernwood settlement. And he, of course, he was a great booster. He was at a chamber of commerce man well before his time, and he was even that's only a month or two months after he got here. And he's written several wonderful place we have here. So those are the early papers that as they say, they weren't published here. And the but we they were read here, and quite likely, some had some people that some of the early settlers had subscriptions to the papers. And Sue will now lead on with other publications for on Saltspring.

Unknown Speaker 5:54
The Victorian papers and at that time at Westminster time, was published in Victoria. The Nanaimo papers carried out an assault. And as early as 1865, the Nanaimo Gazette, had an article on Saltspring. And every week pairing the schedule of the theme to certain themes Douglas wrote, that came after the candela here, Sir James Douglas has a contract for the male. And you can see the schedule how one goes up the inside, which presumably means branwen invergowrie. And then it talks about outside, know, the subarea vertcoin going up and coming back. comes outside I think that says, I'm not sure we, we were trying to do this in a great rush yesterday, we haven't had much time. But it's interesting to read those old schedules that are now more free press started in 1874. And it also carried saucer news was were frequent in context here was our first paper the first monthly we got was our, our church monthly, the one started by the Reverend Francis, you know, every year in front of you, E F. Every France is only published at once a month, and it was only one page of Salisbury news. It was a little adjunct to a diocesan paper that runs through the park. And Mr. Wilson, I've just added this one page. And he came in 1894. And he was a very remarkable man. He not only was a clergyman, he was also a very busy farmer. He was a very good lay medical dispenser and carried the medical problems and killed Dr. Baker King some years later. And he was a very fine artist. He was very good writer. He wrote a number of books. And he's also a great grandfather, two of our members, John Crompton. And he started his parents paper in 1895 and kept it up for 11 years. And when he stopped in 1906 He only did so because he understood there was another paper going to be published that unfortunately didn't happen to families kept their copies of this luckily, none of the church church archives in Victoria had never even heard of it. And JMO kept her copies and the columns brothers kept there. So we have an almost complete set on the island which is nice to have. It gives the people who move here because a lot of farming news, how much people are getting for crops, how many pounds of apples No, no more founded and absolutely a valuable source of material. He charged a yearly subscription of 35 cents for his magazine and 50 cents to be mailed. But he says rather pointedly in his last copy in 1906 that he's owed $35 which is rather a lot when the yearly subscription only 30. There are copies of the early version which was called the church monthly and the later version which is parish and home on the table back there. If you'd like to look out, they're extremely interesting. He also is the one which I'm sure you all know who published the settlers handbooks that we have reprinted and will be on sale today. After he gave up and 96, there wasn't really much local. There were the walkthrough, there was no local reporting, and in 1910, a college leader and have to call us on Saltspring to report one of the corporate and fourth grade who was Mr. Hamilton B Hammonds father, there'll be notes from Romar, and one who we're not sure who it is, the more of them all American leader says is notes from our

Unknown Speaker 10:40
live reporter.

Unknown Speaker 10:47
MacArthur leader with arm from 1910s 1916, and then they find that nobody was buying their newspaper on Saltspring. So they seem to have recorded here. And by that time, the connections and Salt Springs are much greater with the BMS railway going into Victoria from Sydney and the Sydney review seems a pretty well take over them. Unfortunately, the Sydney review, except for the first four years 19 clubs 1916. They're on microfilm in the archives, from 1916 on they are not available on microfilm anywhere. And if you want to see a copy, you'd have to go to the legislative library to see the bound volumes and you're not allowed to photocopy. And you're also only allowed in there in the city. So it's quite, quite difficult to get out. But they're extremely interesting. And I think I was gonna tell you a little bit more about them now.

Unknown Speaker 11:52
Thank you. Because of Sue mentioned because of the change of scheduling, transportation. We had a close connection with city and through Sydney, into Victoria. So the Sydney review became our or our paper in the portal car two liter it was the same so much on Saltspring and cars because I didn't before so from about 1912 Onward, the senior view became the Salzburg mountains weekly paper. And it continued that way for almost 50 years. In early editions there were correspondence from Saltspring delightful records of those far off days and I previously for one purpose I had come to some of them here. And this is delightful you see things like this, and you know what's going on? This is Fulford harbour news and this is written, I think by Mr. Hamilton, and he tells very what's going to happen to Wolford buddies follows in glowing terms. At the end of the harbor, the White House pardon me Friday, June the 13th 1913. At the end of the harbor at the White House, as the new build boarding house, now nearing completion is called will soon be opened and should provide an attraction as ample accommodation for visitors is ensured. Friday the Fourth of July on Friday, July the fourth 1913 the CPR employees held their annual picnic at Ganges on Saturday. And all the weather was not all it might have been Everyone seemed happy. From the committee man full of responsibility to the south gentleman with a cane and without a care in the world who had to sleep in someone's buggy and refused to be around for the order there have demanded his rights. They came into Princess Royal, about 700 of them young and old husbands wives brothers and sisters and other people's brothers and sisters, and they'd asked to haul on rain and the rest of the time they ran races and dance or play games to their heart's content. The excitement of the baseball match between the visitors and the local team, after which the Royals whistle blew and all laughed having spent apparently a very enjoyable day. This is interesting too. This is in July 9013. A baseball match was held during the afternoon, normally between South Salzburg and Ganges so the latter was not a representative team as some of the hands now employed in the new hotel. were numbered among its ranks trust Ganges to do a dirty trick like that. The resulting score was Ganges 17 So salt brigade and on July the fourth return match was played at Burgoyne valley between the two sames clubs gangee this time being a really representative team, the resulting score being Sol Saltspring, 20, Ganges 19. So a pleasant feature of the game was a good feeling shown by both teams each cheering the other to the echo and to conclusion of the match. April 18 9013, Charles Taylor of Charles Taylor then cover has made arrangements to build a hotel on the land adjoining the Trading Company Store at Ganges the new structure will call $15,000 be lighted by electricity and will contain 30 bedrooms and from the same issue to solve payout horses are much excited by the advent of motor cars, of which six have arrived already. The motor cars are This is April the 25th Still later motorcars and it happens now in the fight for to gates seems over and petitioned the Attorney General against some of the things in the past measure mode brothers obtained the agency from Ford cars and are building your garage for accommodation. May the 13th 9013 the first motor car accident the accident occurred on May the 17th when tricker, the favorite dog of measure royal brothers, Razon run over and badly injured. They the 30th 9013 this is headlines, Ganges residents have auto driver arrested. Small headline, his first case of its kind tried in the island and find his imposed Ganges May the 27th the first prosecution under the motor traffic Act was held on Wednesday, last before and attended Colonel Laird JP and certainly attended Colonel beach when they are a bit and card was convicted and fined $50 in costs for allowing his car to be driven at a greater speed than it was reasonable. Having regard to public safety safety measures called on Curtis only narrow the averted a serious accident. And so those were the lovely things that were, you know, you read the 1912 9013 you get a picture of what was happening in the things that were happening here. And so lightheartedly reported by these very keen reporters throughout the 20s, the 30s, the 40s, even the 50s in the city review part of happenings on Salzburg, social events, who was staying here who was staying the week at harborough, so the weekend who visited over the holiday weekend, Herb rose or Rainbow Beach Resort, Garden Parties, election campaigns and so on. There are various correspondence but one of the main ones for Ganges was business, AJ Smith, that Sam Smith's mother in law, and she was a longtime correspondent. I know if you were wanted something to pay for your phone as his fifth and told her went in. But perhaps the face of the most famous report on the mall was the Hamilton who wrote a report on the south end. She was a great chronicler of the island. See, she's a charming person, and among the greats as well as Salzburger correspondents. There's a letter here from the columnist that they wrote to her and and this is dated just 30 years ago, April 27 1964. And it's from the daily calls from the editorial department. Dear Miss Hamilton. In fact, today we have a new island editor me I've been cleaning out the back backlog of material and noticed you ask for return to these items. I believe we use one picture about the hedge. The one on the Cougar was too out of date. Unfortunately, skate, Hames has moved away from the island. Also Merriman tells me but it would be nice if you could send pictures of the viewers so we could have them available for use if and when the Cougars phone. You have noticed that two of your stories, the Coney Island piece and the CO grande were given feature play in the Sunday and Tuesday papers. I don't know if you're aware of the fact that we look forward to your feature stories, which are undoubtedly the best of their kind of banter, Ron, I can't say all the island editors have felt the same, but I love them. And we'll always give them the best way possible on the island pages. So keep them coming by all means, and also keep sending all the other news that you usually said meetings, social events and what have you. I'm wondering if more stressing can be put or rather if you can find more time to report on such events as vintage Commission's school boards in the life. Another thing I can't recall offhand ever reading about crime on your own or for that matter of traffic accidents. I'm sure there'd been some but it might be a perfect feature in your inimitable style of the dearth of crime and accidents on the island. For the record, I consider the best little short that is feature I ever can remember from an island CORRESPONDENT The famous tale about the most golf again on the archbishop. Hello, I wish that would happen more often. Keep up the good work just because I'm sending pictures back don't forget photographs. Our goal is more out on coverage of the quality line from now on. And the copy of the mouse is back there I believe with Jose that will put her picture up here. She was a wonderful person. And actually I thought this was the sorry booth guy there who was editor of the he was the featured editor for the island Dr. Thanks for the call. Yes

Unknown Speaker 19:49
she also there's a letter from the major publishers of earlier publishers of driftwood thanking her for that it's rather interesting, Dear Abby, thanks so much. For the wonderful article that Saturday we'll be sending in. Even though we still can't pay you nearly what you were worth. We want to start sending $10 a month at least, and the extra $2 This time is for photographic photographic cost, gain many thanks, Arlene and Jim I mentioned them later. Now of course for our publications on the island. Starting in 1914, something called the spotlight was 1949 pardoning 1949. The spotlight was published and edited by him at he was published and edited by Myles Atchison. Myles Agins was an Englishman. He came to the island and purchased land from the Koch brothers on Stark road just a few miles down here, and it was about 1938 39. He is employed as a customs officer in China by the Chinese government. And he started building his house in 1939. Lisi hired an architect and builders and so on, and he returned to China. His wife left her two daughters with Hannah, an old family entertainer and went to join Myles in China. They were both interned for three and a half years by the Japanese. The family reunited here in 1945. After a spell on the TV Senate, Trump Hill miles, took a great interest in local affairs and started the spotlight. He published about four or five years and it was a mimeograph three or four sheets. It was stapled together, and in the July 4019 51 issue, the essence is the issue of 15th of July 1951. He states the circulation in the Gulf Islands is 1058. Then came the driftwood. First started by what do you fish in about 1960 he sold it 1965 to James and Arlene Ward was their letter I to be Hamilton, I read up this thing. And they carried on for about three and a half years. And then they sold it to the Richard family. Frank Richards and his wife Barbara Frank was born in Birmingham, his early interested in motorcycles, you see, he still maintains he read his articles in Driftwood, and he joined the RAF and he has become an instrument maker. And he came out to Pat day in World War Two he arrived here in 1942 and stayed till 1944. I think he glimpsed Saltspring from afar at that time and just made up his decision then in the Sydney acre turned to city in 1948. And his wife, Barbara, and there then they had three children he got involved in Sydney review and has been with it for it was with it for about 17 years. And then he came and purchased starting with a volume. The number one issue for 1960 67 He became the publisher and the editor. And so he has could tell you much about our relay Island paper on our current one Golkonda.

Unknown Speaker 23:10
Andrew Yang had lots of warning from this said I was able to prepare a lot of information, which means I knew always nothing. But to me that from the commencement of driftwood, the story I'm not sure how much of what woody Fischer you tell me is really a talker. He was a he came into the Sydney review when I was editor and explained he was starting a newspaper I was offering and he said he was a public relations man in somewhere either Kansas or Kansas City. He said he used to have to commute through the city and he got pretty Brassed off with all this. So he decided he wanted to move. And he said to his wife, I'm gonna get out of this. So she's gonna get out what he said, I'm not going to drive this long distance every morning every evening. He said half the day out on the road. So I said well for him say give it a bit of thought before you jump to anything. So he explained he went to his study, and he did a little studying about now. And so later he went to the kitchen where his wife was there. I've done it. She said What have you done? Because I've sold the house. He says all the goddess all the furniture. So then she saw where you going, where are we going? He said, I'm saying yes, it will get a map. So he looked around the map and he decided that the west coast was a pretty good place to be. And he first of all settled a pre primo I certainly Yeah, that's right. I'm sorry. I need a proper name. He said along fever And he said after he'd been there, for many months, a, he realized he wasn't asleep all the time, and wasn't very much else to do. So he moved to the big city and went to Turner. And he lived on Sedona until once again, he found was too quiet and comparing Kansas. Then he made a big move and went to Galliano and rather enjoying himself on Galliano. And one day, he was talking to one of his cronies and said, Well, I was just starting a paper here on Galliano, and he's grown, he said Is anyone Ireland could possibly support newspaper that would be Saltspring Island. And so he explained he was running short on money. So he started, he moved, he gained his altering Island. And instead of recuperating, he lost his accent, he lost more money, until finally he sold I think he sold up for the debt owed by the paper. And they I came in, as he was trying to clear that debt, I still tried to clear it. Since then, it's been a it's not been a particularly tough road. But it seems saying, I don't recommend anyone going into the business, if they're going to make fortune, want to make a fortune. Thankfully, the towel is Ivan doesn't agree. And he figures I made it. But there have been since that time, about four different papers have started here and have run for a time. And they they didn't they wanted to share the wealth. And they found they were showing the poverty and so they didn't like it. But the when you can to get into the newspaper business, the island is really a reflection of the whole international picture of journalism. And that's if you look back on the A, the developments until about 150 200 years ago, the majority of people were illiterate. There was only a small nucleus of people could read and write. And it didn't matter whether you were keen on producing a newspaper or not. If you hadn't anyone who could read it wasn't as point doing it. So there was no there wasn't much doing in the way of newspapers anywhere in the world. Until a in the 1800s. About the middle 1800s. They really started to get going they had been going for about 200 years first rate fascist, as I remember, was some fellow in England during the pre Cromwellian times about 16. Between 16 116 25 somewhere around that there was one fellow was lampooned and run through a pretty rough time, he was producing a new sheet, and his readers complained too gruesome when it came to reporting murders, but I don't know whose read it would be because about many of that time who could read, but around the 1800s more people read, and I'm not sure where that was more people reading produced more newspapers or more newspapers produce more people reading, but they seem to gain Facebook, they get faced with one another. And up till about 100 150 years ago, if you had a newspaper, the first thing you had to do is learn how to cast type. You first of all, you made your own type, you made your own molds, and then you cast your type. And then hey, in cast, you're tight. You laborious Lee made up into nines and then pages incidentally, that is a stick. That's what used for when you're making up a tape. You put it to the width of the time, and then you build up line after line. And that was a Trump printer gave me that on Saltspring island. He came into the office one day and he said, A he looked around he said, Where's your lighter tires? We use one. So he said or it's like all the other places you said that I retired. So he brought this out and he said you'd better have this. So we use sticks now. He said no. But he said if I leave it, When I die, they won't know what it is and they'll throw it in the garbage. And he said you might as well. Someone who knows what it is might as well hang on to it and I've had it ever since. But that was introduced. When each a letter of the alphabet each letter on the line was laborious ly taken out of the case, put into the A you pick it up and stick it in here and then the next letter you'd pick out of that in the beginning here and so you did line after line after line. Actually I'm not a printer but I have done that it's the most laborious deadly job, but more deadly still is putting it all back because it has to go backwards probably about the end of the In the last century, there had been experimentation with automatic tag setting for years. And Morgan Taylor in the United States, I didn't use German actually had moved to the United States, he devised the first effective system of second type and you had brass, a loads a, just the about so high and very, very thin according to the thickness and the letter you have casting and the idea was you had them in channels, and each channel had a key like a typewriter keyboard. And so you'd got you press the key lightly Aman letter drops one brass, a more drops, it drops into a slot in front of you, as soon as the A you finish the line, the line is full, then you dropped other pieces to compress the time together exactly the words or the line you wanted. The machine then lifted all these little brass fonts in a line carried them over to the other side machine and dropped them into a a a molten lead a or rather in front of the molten lead. The machine lifted a shield the lead ran into this line of time that you just put into it. The Shield came down and is cut off the supply of lead. And then the new cast piece of lead was dropped into a slot in just built up as the operator