From the Archives of Western Newspapers

By Samantha Johnson
Southern Alberta Newspapers
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Thursday, August 13, 1914 –
Bassano Mail

A few weeks ago, the Bow River dam at Bassano was formally inaugurated by Sir Thomas Shaughnessy, president of the Canadian Pacific Railway, having been under construction for over three and half years. The event was not marked by any ceremony and was done very quietly. CPR’s irrigation scheme in Alberta embraces a little over 3 million acres and is one of the largest individual projects on the continent.

Next week Bassano will be visited by 60 Scandinavian editors from across the USA. They will arrive on the train from Calgary on Thursday, staying one day only, and the Board of Trade is organizing their entertainment. They publish papers across the United States in the Scandinavian language.

Can you tell us how old is the chauffer if a man can run behind an auto for half a block and the law says the vehicle is allowed to travel at 20 miles an hour?

At the last council meeting the services of the night policemen were dispensed with. Last night, at both the meetings of the Board of Trade and the Fire Brigade, strong resolutions were sent to council asking the service to be recommenced.

Thursday, August 17, 1916 – The Munson Mail

As the Western Provinces have adopted prohibition, the question naturally arises as to what will become of the extensive breweries and distilleries in Canada. A former principal of Regina College has suggested the plants be equipped for the manufacture of commercial alcohol. He also stated that the world’s supply of gasoline was limited and unrenewable. With the increase in the automobile and other gasoline engines, the price will surely rise. A British chemist is quoted as saying that posterity will have to run to alcohol as fuel.

A new campaign will soon start to raise money for the Patriotic Fund and the committee for Southern Alberta has issued a statement as to why the funds are being raised by voluntary subscription rather than taxation. The province has the right to raise money by imposing a property and poll tax, but legislation to that effect has not been passed and could not now be enacted and be made effective to provide the funds needed this year for the soldiers’ dependents. The collection of taxes is so slow that the dependents would starve before money from that source was made available. Finally, the collection of taxes would cost ten times than collecting voluntary donations.

Friday, August 17, 1917 – Bow Island Review

In order to facilitate train movements and to release passenger train crews for other work, the railways of the United States are making drastic reductions. Those in Canada that occurred earlier this year appear mild in comparison. The Pennsylvania Railroad alone has taken off 102 trains, more than double the number removed from all the Canadian railways.

Now that fly time is with us once again, diners at many restaurants are forced to watch fly swatting campaigns while endeavoring to enjoy the food they ordered. Unless one is possessed of more than ordinary poise, such interludes take the joy out of life and make summer dining a debatable pleasure. Why don’t restaurant managers, soda fountain clerks and all others who provide food and drink to the public come to their senses and substitute unobtrusive fly paper?

A serious shortage of wool exists and the days when wool rags were not of much value is behind us. The US Council of National Defense recently took up the matter with clothing manufactures and have eliminated patch pockets, flaring skirts, cuffs on coats and trousers along with all other unnecessary pleats and frills from the 1918 styles in order to save cloth.