__ ABBOTSFORD, SUMAS

‘AND MATSQUI_NEWS

NO ENCOURAGEMENT GIVEN BY BARROW

Says Owners Legally Liable for Entire Cost. Sidesteps News Questions.

Costs of the Sumas reclamation

work are still mounting, the total at
the ond of 1924 standing at $3,359
279.48 according to the report of Col.
Latta, of the Land Settlement Board,
at a mocting called by the Dyking
Commissioners in Whatcom road hall
last Friday. This amount is some
$200,000 more than reported at the
Property Owners’ meeting recently
by A. Campbell. Interest for this
yoar will add another $200,000 to the
total and work is not yet completed.
In addition to considerable ditching
work yet to be done, damage to Ved-
dor river protection canal by the storia
last September has to be made good,
and another dyke must be constructed
along the west side of the Vedder to
to care for small seepage.

Practically one and a half million
dollars of the Sumas reclamation cost
which exceeded the original estimates
was itemized as follows by Col- Latta:
Vedder Canal and Dykes, $95,000;
North and South Vedder Dykes, $13,-
935; Vedder Canal and Protection,
$18,626; Fraser River Dyke, $30,112;
Atchelitz- Dyke, $13,105; Sumas River
Dyke, $28,135; Ditching, $31,000; Su-
mas River Canal and Dykes, $141,904;

“Lake Canal, $13,601; Detail Work,
$101,240; Sumas ‘Temporary Dam,
$45,920; Right of Way, $50,562; Dams,
$508,909; Interest (not figured in
engineer’s original estimates) $205,000.
Sinclair Sues Governmment

Col. Latta, submitting costs of the

being less than the government—that
to safeguard the investment of public
monies it was absolutely necessary to
carry the project to a,suceessful com-
pletion, It would not have been prac-
ticable at that time he said to stop
work and call a meeting for further
authority,

Engineer Moo, in answer to ques
tions, stated the rate charged for
power for the pumps was one-half
cent per kilowatt hour, which averag-
ed $18,000 a year. His salary was
$350 a month, and he got no share of
construction profits.

Despite all arguments used by the
farmers to the effect that the present
dyking taxation assessed against the
reclaimed lands would end in the
ruination of the whole municipality,

Board, Mr. Barrow said the Govero-
ment was not seeking excuse for
avoiding responsibility, and the prop-
erty owners were not wise to search
‘for technicalities in the agreement.’
A request was made to Mr. Latta
for a printed statement of reclama-
tion costs, so that the property owners
could study it more conyeniontly, Jf
the property owners were to pay, thoy
should be properly informed as to the
details of their liability. Mr, Latta
promised to have statements prepared
and circulated immediately.

The general opinion of the meeting
was that the present uncertainties were
retarding development. One farmer
likened the whole proposition to the
Home Bank affair in its application
to the property owners. **Nobody will
come into the area and pay $175 sn
acre for wild land when they ean buy
improved farms as closé as Matsqui
prairie for $100 an aere,’’ said an-
other,
To Cannery

the Minister of A

ed the stand that the Government

ycould not provide financial assistance.

“T tell you right now,’? said Mr.
Barrow, ‘‘I have no sympathy with
anyone who objects to the assessmment
of $125 per acre for good low lands.’”

As to the unfortunate position of
old-timers, brought emphatically to his
attention during the meeting, Mr.
Barrow said he was “very much con-
cerned, but am not in a position to
Buggest what might or might not he
done.’?

Mr. Barrow stated negotiations
Were in progress to establish a veget-
able cannery in the district,

Mr. Barrow’s statement that the
cropping of 400 acres of lake lands
Inst year to oats by the Governmemnt
had resulted in net profit of $1300, wos
not favorably accepted by the farm-
ers,

K. Steward, one of the largest land
owners in the area, asserted that it
was impossible to secure such a profit
as stated from the low lands with

Ho regretted the hardships the
charges would work on the victins
of speculators and who had paid up to
$200 per acre for lands. He intimated

project, reported that the
was facing a legal suit instituted by
Engineer Sinclair, formerly in charge
of the scheme, who claimed $60,000
compensation for the use of his plans.
‘The settlement of the Marsh Con-
struction Company’s claims, amonnt-
ing to $2,450,000, was not yet completed,
an item of $69,000 being in dispute.

Bot the work could not have been
done cheaper by any concern able to
handle it, was the opinion expressed
by Hon, E. D. Barrow after Col. Latta
liad completed his report.

He -considered the job well done,
and in reiterating the stand of the
Provincial government that the land
owners must pay the extra bill, the
Minister of Agriculture intimated the
government was under no Jegal obliga-
tion to meet part of the cost, as ex-
pected by the farmers, neither had
the government authority to assume
any proportion of the expense. Mr.
Barrow was quite firm in his attitude
and made no definite concessions to
the worried farmers who had assembl-
ed to go into facts and figures with
the Dyking Commissioners and plead
their case for a reduction.

Work Had To Be Prosecuted

How could it haye been financed,
he asked, had the government not
taken ‘a hand. A bond issue? Who
would buy dyking bonds? When the
governmemnt found the job would
cost more than expected, the work
was so far advanced, and the province
deeply entangled the interest of indiv-
idual property owners at that stage

in this » that adj 8
of assessments may be made to relieve
high lands of burdensome taxation by
placing it om the low lands.

Says Farmers Have No Legal Claim

The Minister stated the Government
had no legal authority to sssume any
proportion of expenses, He said, in
reply to the question as to why the
Government should not assume respon-
sibility of costs which exceeded tlie
amount authorized by the Property
Owners that the scheme was effected
under the Dyking and Drainage Act,
which made the owners interested re-
sponsible for all reclamation costs ir-
respective of engineer’s estimates.

Col. Latta deplored the newspaper
publicity the dispute was receiving
and asked the press ‘‘to let us down
easy.’? Mr. Barrow, in reply to cer-
tain questions asked in the A. S. and
M. News, did not commit himself in
any way, declaring that whatever his
personal opinions might be it was not
politie for him as a cabinet minister
to. express them at that time. He
thanked the News for fair treatment
in past reports.

The plans adopted in the work wero
common in general features to all cu-
gineering projects, said Mr. Barrow.
Engineer Sinclair had assisted in their
preparation, but had been paid a sal-
ary at the time, and the plans were
the original property of the Govern-
ment, and not Mr, Sinclair, as some
present would have him admit.

Replying to further questions re-
garding legal status of the Advisory

You are cordially

will
ting with a

(CS A
Invitation

our store during the visit of

Mrs. M. L. McDermid

Graduate Corsetiere of

The Canadian H. W. Gossard Co., Lid.

We feel that many of our customers
appreciate the

invited to come to

opportunity of
ex 74

and take

to give.

advantage
services Mrs, McDermid will be pleased

of the fitting

R. DesMazes

PIONEER STORE

Phonels § 2310

the dyking charges levied
against them.

He had paid $150 an acre for his
lands 10 years ago, and his neighbors
had paid proportionately the same.
He recited the plight of a woman in
his neighborhood who was paying
$200 an acre for 80 acres, mainly by
means of a herd of cows, Her land,
with dyking assessments, would cost
her over $375 an acre. How could
these lands be farmed properly, he
asked.

J. Bowman living near the east
prairie, said he had lived since a boy
in the lake area, and had always ob-
tained valuable hay crops from mar-

;
Best Stock in the
District
You will never be disappointed with the
stock at Kings. No matter if its sum-
mer or winter, ovorything is fresh and
of dependable quality, Fresh and Cur-
ed Meats, Fish, Poultry, Dripping, Lard
Hams, Bacon, Balogna, sausages, in
fact if its anything in the meat line,
you can get it at King’s the permanent

meat market,

A.M. King

The Butcher

Phone 43

Yarwood & Durrant
Barristers and Solicitors
Notaries Public
Vancouver office— 703-4 Holden Blag.
Branch office at Abbotsford open every
Friday.

Cameron & Cameron
Barristers and Soliciters
Gommisaioner, Notary Public, Etc.

A B.C.
Every Tuesday
Phone 36

v BO
818 Rogers Bldg.
Phone Sey. 846

is going well,

price of Flour, it doesn’t pay you to

Phone us ang we will delive

bake. Our Pastry |

too.

r it in time for you. ; 3

Baker, Grocer and

ALBERT LEE

General Merchant

DR. F. J. Van KIRK
Special Practice Limited to
EYE, DAR, NOSE, THROAT
Bellingham National Bonk Bldg.
BELLINGHAM, WASH.

Thos. H. Ingram
A ‘ANT

——

Cheapest Service

The most expensive job is the
one you must have done over.

The cheapest job is the one
done by a man who understands
his business.

You’ve too much money tied
up in your auto to trust it to
Tom, Dick or Harry. If it’s worth
repairing it is certainly worth
repairing right.

We stand on our reputation
and our reputation depends on
how well we fix autos.

Radio Sets and
Supplies

Weir’s Garage

Complete Wrecking Truck and
Outfit

‘Phone Abbotsford 36

Draying, Team

Transfer Wor ck

Quick Service Reasgnable 0 a
No Job Too Large To Be Und

None Too Small To Be Apprect
Garden Plowing and General D;

G. A. McKAY _

hone 13M McCallum Rd. near oll y

- SYNOPSIS OF «
LAND ACT AMENDMENTS

PRE-EMPTIONS
Vacant,

Be?

and ‘by aliens on declarin,
“to become British subjects,
tional upon residence, oct
and improvement for
pun

OHA:
AUDITOR

P.O, Box 85
Abbotsford, B.0.

601 Crewn Bldg.
Vancouver, B.C.

Accounting Systems Installed

ginal lands, although the g
asserted these lands were worthless
before the dyke. He sympathized
with the lady referred to by Mr.
Stewart, as she was his sister.

Mr. Steward proposed that tempor-
ary relief could be provided by the
assessments being suspended for a
five-year period during which the pro-
ductive value of the land could be
judged.

Court of Revision Offers No Relief
Municipal Clerk Courtman brought
out the point, by question, that the
Court of Revision could not consider
complaints upon grounds of excessive
cost of the work, but mierely upon
seales of assessment. Without engin-
eering advice individual owners were
thus unable to make any specific ap-
peal, therefore the Court of Revision
was inadequate to provide any relict
for the general conditions protested
against. In answer to the direct ques-
tion of Mr. Courtman did the govern-
ment intend to stick to its expressed
attitude in the matter, Mr, Barrow re-
plied that the Government had no
power to relieve the settlers; only the

Stocktaking Time

Inventories Made. Booky Balanced
for the year.

Start the New Year Right!

THOS. MORLEY
Accountant :

R E1 ABBOTSFORD, B.C.

apesesesesesesesebesesesesesescsead

J. H. JONES
Funeral Director and

Just Instruct us
We do the rest

No freight bills to fill out, ro search-
ing of tariffs, no uncertainty of ship-
ment, risk of spoilage, no :ocal truck-
ing to depot, no petty worrles or an-
noyanees to contend with—just call
our man, he does the rest.

And at the other end the goods are
delivered on time, in good condition,
at low cost and to the fatisfaction of
everybody concerned. That’s why
truck express is the popular way.

pos Valley
Motor Express

H, A. THORNTON
Phone 36

E
Phone 4903 MISSION, B.0.

(Special service arrangements
for south side of river.)

legislature had this authority.

Following the dyking commissioners’
meeting, the property owners got to-
gether in an effort to formulate some
definite proposal to present to “the
government,

D

DR. F. H. QUINN

Dental Surgeon

M:D:

Office Hours: 9.30 a.m to 6 p.m.

Evenings by Appointment only

HADDRELL BLOGEK, ABBOTSFORD

PHONE 68

[NSURE Those New Buildings

OFFERED

In Winter Time Travel in Comfort

All Luxuries of Home

ON THE

Sationd regarding prv-emptio a .
He nig Bulletin No. 1, Land #

‘ow to Pre-empt Land, neat t
which can be obtained free of ghar rs
Db; (dressing the epartment
Lands, Victoria, B.C., or to Feet c
ernment pxents

Records will be granted coy
fonly land suitable for
and which is «
ing over 8,000 Board
fect yer acre west of the Coast R
‘and 6,000 feet per acre east

ie Arieereeeeny
aie coples othe which can
from the Ceommissione
a Pre- emptions must be oocupii
ive

spleen: and Cultivating at at least fiv
ee before a Crown Grant can bd
peck ;
For more detailed Tatormaaoy
the Bulletin “How Pre-em|
(Lana.”
PURCHASE ©

|2
Applications are
chase vacant

It’s Cheaper
to buy
THE, BEST

AT
SUMNER’S
MEAT

MARKET
Phone 7

Te,
of Crown lands is giv
oes =e Land Series, “Burehase,

tf Crown Lands.”
Pen, Prantery, ‘or industrial sites
it ding 40 d

HOMESITE LEASES
| Unsurveyed areas, not exceedin
» may be i as homes
lconditional upon a dwelling b
(erected in the first yesr.titis b
obtainable after residence and |
‘provemént conditions wate
land has been surveyed.

Note Change in Prices

Men’s Hair Cut 50c¢|

Children 35c
Shave 25c

JOE SANDERSON

Abbotsford’s Pioneer Barber

GRAZING —
Under the Grazing Act the
ince is divided into grazing dis
the range ater tered
ner.

head,

Big Shipment of 1925 models

space.

HALF

now in transit. We need tho

For a short time we offer our stock of used cars at—

PRICE

Over 30 Used Cars

oF aE Rin

RRR EET

CONTINENTAL LIMITED

Eastbound leayes Vancouyer 9.50 p.m
THIS 18 THE POPULAR SERVIOR

The man who does not seo the economy
of carrying COMPLETE INSURANOB
is a poor businessman. Fire may come
at any place and at any time, and the
absolute destitution it often causes is
a dear price as against a few dollars a
year paid toa RELIABLE {nsurance
company for ‘coverage’?
REAL

ESTATE A. McCALLUM INSURANCE

NOTARY PUBLIO MARRIAGE LICENSES
INVESTMENTS POULTRY, DAIRY FARMS and FRUIT LAND

in our shops for you to choose jf
from. You cannot beat our
prices.

On very Easy Terms

HARGITT MOTORS, LTD.

MISSION -

For information Apply—
627 GRANVILLE STREET OR

CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAYS

ON.B, DEPOT