WILLIAMS LAKE — On
Oct. 17, 1919, this town’s
first bank opened its rickety
doors.

L.P. Dallaire, manager,
describes it in his report to his su-
perintendent as a shack 12x 14x8
‘and expresses the hope he can
keep it warm cnough in winter.

As he is to write later, he
couldn't for the first three hours
of every business day.

Mr. Dallaire learned much
about cold that winter. He and his
assistant had rented two bedrooms
in a local ranch house, owner not
named,

By November, they were so
perishing cold in bed that they
petitioned the bank to buy them a
tent. They pitched it next door to
the bank office. It was bigger than
the bank, 14x16, but there
less ‘headroom and no place to
hang the King’s photograph. It
cost $78.29 at Jones and Son in
Vancouver,

Thus was launched the Cana-
dian Bank of Commerce in central
Cariboo, and for nine years man-
ager Dallaire was to write reguiar-
ly and usually respectfully to his
superintendent in Vancouver,
teporting his small triumphs of
new savings accounts obtained
and his large difficulties in riding
saddle horse through Chilcotin
trying to get more of them.

Fortunately for us, he occa-
sionally lifted his head from the
tuck of account books and looked
around him with a cold but often
perceptive eye,

“Characteristics of the popula-
tion of this district are their pro-
crastinating habits and their
easy-going way and much as it
chafes us we feel it is not within
our power to change them. ,

“We would not care to take a
chance on coming to grief by try-,
ing to rush them. ... The climatic
conditions seem to numb the peo-
ple.”

The ranchers, he found, hated
Victoria and the PGE in equal
measure and refused invitations to

{RPE
WEST VANCOUVER
DISTRICT COUNCIL

WV honors
broadcaster
BROADCASTER BILL
Good Sr. received a certifi-
cate of appreciation. Mon-
day, April 26, from West
Vancouver District Council
for’. his contribution to
football, curling ‘and his
community.

After West Vancouver Mayor
-Mark Sager had made the pres-

entation, Good expressed his own -

appreciation to the West Van-
couver parks department.

-“] want to thank the parks
board for the seawall, which has
-_kept-not only me, but hundreds of
us relatively happy,’’ said Good.

(REAL ESTATE|

is my business

| ANNA-LISA JONES |
I love the challenge §
986-9321 or 623-7694 (pgr)

Paul
ot. Pierre

PAULITICS & PERSPECTIVES

increase production of beef
because the rotten government
was taking the profit all away in
taxes, an attitude not extinguished
to this day here.

Mr. Dallaire also states that
reports of their wealth are greatly
exaggerated,

He had a confrontation with his
lady janitrix (yes, there were such
words then) in the larger bank
building of 1925. She lived with
the local bootlegger.

“When she was recently con-
victed the writer informed her that
the bank had instructed him to
obtain her resignation.”

However, the lady declined to
take early retirement, pointing out
that while she might not have the
confidence of the Commerce Bank
headquarters she had the futl
sympathy of the citizens of
Williams Lake,

“This, as you know, is a very

KEN BAXTER _

LAWYER

24 Years

s Experience _

Friday, May 7, 1993 — North Shore News ~ 9

&& We cleared about $275 for the Hospital
Fund and our disgust was increased in like
measure. OF

L.P. Dallaire, Cariboo banker (c. 1920)

hard country and Ghough we will
sev it through to the end, we
sometimes almost lose heart,’
manager wrote.

A snob by nature, he writes that
most of the labor here is done by
“Americans, half-breeds and In-
dians.""

“The best and well-to-do peo-
ple are setded in the Chilcotin.
They are Otd Country people and
a bit peculiar."

Even the Brits did not meet his
standards, being peculiar even
though well-to-do.

He rode the Chilcotin ranges by
saddle horse, looking for business,
taking two weeks to cover ground
that with a car could not be
covered in a few hours.

Everything took an unreason-
able amount of time. In 1923, cit-
izens arranged a two-day dance in
the new Fraser and Mackenzie
store to raise money for the hos-
pital. Hran four days.

“Saturday was a big day for the
gamblers; some were very weird
characters playing anything, any-
where: on tables or on the floor,
trading away horses, saddles, fur
cuts, etc.

“Dancing was resumed at 10
o'clock Saturday night and the big
show began at midnight when the
PGE came in bringing a number
of outsiders and a generous supply

‘the

LONSDALE QUAY
NORTH VANCOUVER

988-6321

of liquor.

“One man upon hearing the
train whistle remarked that he had
spenc all his life getting away from
trains and here he was going to
have to move again.

“(Fighters) were locked outside,
and we let them fight it out
among themselves. Nobody was
killed.

“It occurred to us that the pro-
fanity that was being lavished
would set the late Mr. Webster to
revising his dictionary, but we

The North Vancouver

oe lan

were relieved to find out that the
women take this all as a matter of
course.

“We cleared about $275 for the
Hospital Fund and our disgust
was increased in like measure.”’

Poor Mr. Dallaire was never
quite a fit for the country.

At one time he wrote a grov-
elling apology for a note to head
office not included in this file:
“We have given a graceless exhib-
ition of impropriety and imper-
tinence and we pray you (o accept
our very humble apologies ... we
have perhaps allowed our strange
surroundings ... to influence us ...
and we quite appreciate the situa-
tion from the point of view of
outside civilization.”’

Later he writes, ‘it has been a
liberal education to us to meet
these people who area kind all by
themselves.”

Scholarships

Teachers’ Association

recognizes the importance of the grade 12 year.

The Association offers scholarships totalling $9,000
for the education of future teachers.

Although the NVTA is

in job action with School

District No. 44, teachers are continuing to work on
scholarship committees, grade 12 marks, and

provincial exams.

Scholarships in the amount of $750 each are offered
in high schools enrolling grade 12 students.

Graduating students should contact their
high schoel counsellor for application detalls.

/“\/\ North Vancouver Teachers! “Association |

British Columbia Teachers’ Pederation Local No. 44
160 - 133 W. 7th Street, North Vancouver. V7M ivs-

TEACHERS’ ASSOCCATION

Phone 988-3224

Fax 980-8092

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