6 - Wednesday, July 5, 1985 - North Shore News

Editorial Page
‘News Viewpoint

6.C.’s loss

s of July 1, B.C. no ionger had an Om-

budsman to champion frustrated

citizens in their battles against
bureaucratic red tape and the power of big
government.

The six-year term of the province's first and
only holder of the office, Karl Friedmaan, ex-
pired June 30. And the all-party committee of
the Legislature charged with appointing a suc-
cessor — or reappointing the incumbent —
has to be unanimous in its decision.

Since the Socred committee members were
determined to get rid of Karl Friedmann at all
costs, over the wishes of other parties’
members to retain him at least as a caretaker
Ombudsman pending a final appointment, the
office became vacant on Canada Day.

It could stay vacant for an extended perind,
since the Socred majority on the committee
has indicated that it intends to take its time
over a Canada-wide search for a successor.
Meanwhile, B.C. citizens now have no avenue
for the redress of grievances against Victoria.

Mr. Friedmann’s sin was that he did his job
too well. Socreds (notable among them West
Van MLA John Reynolds) complained that he
meddied too often in political areas of govern-
ment policy. The fact that a conscientious
Ombudsman, who reports to the legislature as
a whole, often cannot avoid such areas if he is
to carry out his mandate was seen as in-
tolerable by the Socred majority.

We’re left to wonder whether any truly in-
dependent Ombudsman is possible under the
present B.C. system. Mr. Friedmann’s abrupt
loss of his job, even on a caretaker basis,
represents an infinitely greater loss to B.C.
citizens as a whole.

Way to go, Ed!

‘ubilant at the NDP’s recent jump up-
ward in the polls, Ed Broadbent now
says he wants to make the party the Of-

ficial Opposition — despite warnings by his
leftwing fringe not to abandon its public
ownership policy in the process. It CAN be
done, but he’d better first get together for 2
few lessons with M. Pierre Elliott Trudeau on
what the smart politician wears, and also
check out John Turner’s size im suits.
Socialism dressed in Liberal clothing — the
way to go, Ed!

‘Tees VOOR ey mana ane WET vrecmEnER

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THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE

PART ONE OF A SERIES

Lords of 100

you’ve never heard of them, you’ve never

Bracers neve OF DIVINE LIGHT. If

visited 100 Mile House.

The Emissaries, so folk in
that attractive little
“downtown” hub of the
central Cariboo ranching
and logging country will tll
you, run 100 Mile House.

“Run” is somehow not
quite the right word. But the
influence exercised by the
150-200 active adherents of
the group on the everyday
life of the community is un-
questionable. And many,
though not all, 100 Milers
say it’s for the good.

Superficially, in this
region dominated by for-
ward-looking young families
busy building their own
freewheeling traditions, the
most remarkable feature of
the group is its resident
leaders -- two genuine 24-
carat English lords who
make no bones about their
noble lineage. The title
“Lord” is even used in the
local phone book listing.

The story began 73 years
ago when 100 Mile House,
then called Bridge Creek,
was literally a single *‘stopp-
ing house’’ built during the
19th century Cariboo gold
rush to serve stagecoaches

and wagons on their way to
Barkerville. In 1912
England’s Marquess of Ex-
eter bought some 15,000
acres of cattle and sheep
raising land there, known
today as Bridge Creek
Ranch.

In that distant colonial era

such absentee ownership of
Canadian property by the
English nobility wasn’t un-
common. And if you've ever
wondered .why the BC Rail
whistlestop is still called Ex-
eter, now you know.

Came World War One,
the Roaring Twenties and
the start of the Depression.
It was at this point that the
family decided to get into its
Canadian act in a more per-
sonal way.

Thus, in 1930, the Mar-
quess’s son Martin Cecil,
aged 2] and fresh from a
stint in the Royal Navy, ar-
rived in 160 Mile House to
take charge of the operation,
armed only with ‘ta good
dea! of inexperience’’. It was
rough going on the ranch in
those early days and the
primitive old stopping house
contrasted starkly with the
comforts of the ancestral

LETTER GF THE DAY

Aldermen doing ‘pocr’ job

Dear Editor:

Having sat through
District council meetings of
June 17th and 24th, [ am
apalled by the lack of
preparation of most of our
elected representatives in
regard to the night’s agenda.

On June i7th 1 listened
with amazement to Deep

Cove residents expressing
their frustration caused by
council’s obvious lack of
consideration over the
period of several years, in-
cluding their discourtesy in
not rplying to letters dating
back as far as 198].

The following week | was
again astounded by the
closed minds of some of

Noel Wright
Fa a

home in faraway England.
But the navy had toughened
the. young Lord Martin's
moral and physical fibre,
and he hung in -- succeeding
as a rancher, building the
100 Mile landmark known as
“The Lodge’’ and gradually
developing the tiny. settle-
ment around it.

Meanwhile, during the
early 1940s, he had met and

council, or their deliberate
ignorance of presented facts.
In fact, it reminds me of the
old saying ‘‘Don't confuse
me with facts, | have made
up my mind.’’ Indeed, dur-
ing .one vote, one of the
members had to ask for
clarification as to what they
were voting on, These people
are electec’ by us and are

House

been deeply impressed by
Lloyd Meeker, the American
founder of the Emissary
movement and its Colorado
community.

In 1948, a convert to the
lifestyle Meeker preached, he
persuaded several Emissaries
to settle in his own Cariboo
village. On Mecker’s death
six years later he assumed
leadership of the mevement
and the 100 Mile ‘“‘Lodge’’
became its world head--
quarters. Today, the
organization claims about
3,000 names on its interna-
tional mailing list, with some
200 centres around the
globe, 150 of them in North
America.

Martin Cecil, himself now
Marquess of Exeter, is still
active as the spiritua! head
of the movement. But for a
number of years past its
administrative head, respon-
sible for coordinating the
overall Emissary program,
has been his son Michael
Cecil, a.k.a Lord Burghley.

Just what that program is,
how its followers have subtly
shaped the whole develop-
ment of 100 Mile House
and, led by a couple of
English lords, are stil! shap-
ing it, we'll examine next
week,

supposedly working for the
betterment of the communi-
ty. | feel that we are being
poorly represented.

I must compliment Mayor
Baker for her forebearance
with this type of council
which we have given her to
work with.

J.M.Langdon
North Vancouver