100 & 50 years ago today
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO TODAY IN KELOWNA Soft fruit growers convene in Kelowna
Delegates from throughout the Okanagan attended a meeting of the soft fruit growers in Kelowna.
The possibility of securing Sunday boat service on Okanagan Lake was discussed, as was a better way of keeping fruit cool during shipment on the lake steamers and the handling of fruit by express and car lots.
There was also discussion about whether it would be advisable to employ travellers who would call on the retail trade as a means of securing more orders for fruit.
Foot racing track improvements touted
City council considered the idea of laying down ashes to improve the foot racing track at the Recreation Ground. But city superintendent Blakeborough said the ashes obtainable here would make for a dirty track after a rain, and he recommended a top dressing. Ald. Meikle suggested the C.P..R. be ap-proached for a carload of cinders.
Kelowna fruit off to Hong Kong
Hong Kong is to see what fine fruit can be grown in B.C. Mr. D. Sherman has recently accepted a position with a shipping firm in that colony, and he has taken a representative assortment of fruit grown in this province for display.
FIFTY YEARS AGO TODAY Trustees please referendums out
An NDP move to free B.C. school boards from having to conduct referendums on school construction plans has been welcomed by Kelowna educators.
The move is “long overdue”, SD 23 secretary-treasurer Harvey Peatman said.
Voters had shown little appetite for casting ballots in such referendums, Peatman said.
“From the results of our last referendum, it appears people are not interested anyway,” he said.
School board vice-chairman Janet Harland also hailed the move as a “great step” for local school boards.
Bennetts aplenty at banquet
A banquet in appreciation of W.A.C. Bennett’s 32 years of service to the South Okanagan constituency will be held March 16 at Weninger’s Post House in Rutland. Special guests will include his son, Bill Bennett, and Kelowna Mayor W.C.. Bennett.
W.A.C. Bennett, a former hardware store owner, was first elected as an MLA in 1941 and continued as an MLA until his retirement from politics in June 1973. He was premier of the province from 1952 and held that position until 1972, when the governing So-creds were defeated by the NDP.
Deadline day for Autoplan
Today is the last day for drivers to apply for their 1974 vehicle insurance and registration under the compulsory provincial Autoplan scheme. Business was reported brisk, but not overwhelming, both at the Motor Vehicle Branch office in Kelowna, and at several local insurance agencies. Voters had shown little interest in such referendums, Peatman said.