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• 1927 ~ -......;;;::: :. .. lnot Well t is, ~T VEn ' -......: - t lis 0 P. The WEST VAN. NEWS A Weekly Newspaper Circulatittg irt the District ol West Vancouver--Ambleside, Hol/yburn, Cauifeild, Whytecfi/f, Cypress Park, Etc. Weston, Dundarave $1.00 per year. Newsstands 5c per Copy Vol. 1 EIGHT PAGES HOLLYBURN P.O., WEST VANCOUVER. B.C., FRIDAY, MARCH 11th, 1927 o. 52c LIONS' GATE BRIDGE HERE'S THE 6'BUNK" NO BRIDGE PROJEC1' BEI~ORE GOVERNMENT Nothing Submitted Since Rejection of Two Lions' Gate Schemes By Charles Bishop OTTAWA, March 9.-The attitude of the government to- wards a bridge over the First Narrows is none too favorable. As matters now stand there is no definite proposition before the House works department that can be entertained. '1\vo companies filed plans for bridges, and both were rejected by a board of engineers on the ground that the proposed structw·es provided insufficient clearance both laterally and vertically. This puts them out of the question. and no other scheme has been submitted. The larger question arises as to whether any bridge at all ought to be allowed at the point in question, considering the importance of the harbor. Outside of the promoters of the company no representations whatever have been received hero favorable to the structure. While any proposition submitted will be considered, the general atmosphere does not appear friendly to any bridge at all, especially when the information here does not indicate any clamor for such accommodation.- Vancouver Daily Province. J.E. THOMPSON, FORMER M.L.A. TO ADDRESS LOCAL LIBERALS Mr. J. E. Thompson, former member of the Provincial House for Phoenix, will be the specia l speaker at the next general meet- ing of the West Vancouver Lib- eral Associattion. His subject will probably be "Liberal policies from the viewpoint of the manu- facturer," a subject he should be particularly well versed on, as he is president of the Rest- more Manufacturing Co., one of the most important businesses of its kind in Canada. All mem- bers and fri ends are invited to this meeting, which will be held in the New Ambleside Hall next Tuesday at 8 p. m. POOLROOM BY-LAW PASSED The by-law for the regulation and .control of poolrooms in the municipality has been adopted by the Municipal Council. A lic- ense for the first poolroom in the municipality was recently grant- ed and the hy-law was passed to regulate the operation of this and other places which may com- mence business WHYTECLIFF WATER SUPPLY BEFORE COUNCIL The question of the supply of water to the Whytecliff area was gone into very thorough ly by the Council on Monday night, but the matter will be still further discussed. It is possible that the whole question of the municipal water supply will be explored and decid- ed upon before the summer sea- son sets in. PETITION FOR SEWERAGE SYSTEM A petition was received by the Council signed by some twenty property owners in the Amble- side district for a sewerage sys- tem between 14th and 15th Sts. under a local improvement plan. The Engineer was instructed to proceed further in this matter and it is hoped that this much- needed improvement will soon be put into effect. The taxation rate for the ensu- ing year wiU be 45 mills. This was officially recorded when the Council passed a resolution to this effect. BOARD OF TRADE WIRES OTTAWA Charles Bishop's report regarding the Lions' Gate Bridge has created a tremendous hubbub on the North Shore and it seems very evident that somehow, somewhere, Mr. Bishop got his wires crossed. They are being straightened out very effi- ' ciently and very rapidly by other wires. !1'- The West Vancouver Board of Trade immediately called a special meeting of its Executive Council to discuss this most remarkable "inspiration" of the Otta.wa correspondent. The following resolution was unanimously adopted and immediate- ly oispatched to Premier King, the Minister of Public Works and the Minis ter of Marine and Fisheries: " In view of publicity given a press report t hat the consb·uc- tion of the Lions' Gate Bridge is not g~ne.-ally desired, we, the West Vancouver Board of Trade, in special meeting assembled. desireto express our wholehearted support of t he project and our conviction that the ea rly construction of the bridge is a public necess ity." This resolution was mailed to General McRae, M.P., and G. C. McGeer. K.C., wi th requests that they use their influence to ofi'Ret all efforts to defea t the bridge. Copies were also mail- ed to the following bodies for supporting action : The West Vancouver Municipal Council, the West Vnncouver Ratepayers' Association. The Libeml Association, the Conservative Asso- ciation and the North Vancouver Board of 'fl·ade, the last named being asked to take the matter up with theil· ity Council. HERE ARE THEFACTS Rumors have been flying around recently that the oppon- ents of the bridge are trying their utmost in Ottawa to stop the construction of the Lions' Gate Bridge. We use the word "trying" advisedly, because that is about as far as they will get. Further proof of the truth of these rumors is supplied by the above article which appeared on the front page of Wednes- day's Province. It will be noted that it does not come from any of the accredited press agencies, but is written from Ot- tawa by Charles Bishop. The article itself has all the ear- marks of propaganda. Mr. Bishop starts with the bold announcement that the attitude of the government towards the bridge is none too favorable. This may and- may not bt true, but, if so, it is a truly remarkable thing that the Ottawa authorities should have especially singled out Mr. Bishop to impart this very im- portant information. We should havt thought that the mem- bers for the North Shore and Vancouver would have been the first to hear about it. Their silence on the subject proves that such was not the case. The article goes on to say there is no proposition before "the House works department," whatever that may be-prob- ably the Department of Public Works is the correct term for it, but no matter-which can be entertained. The two comp- anies are stated to have filed plans fot· bridges both of which were rejected by a board of engineers on the ground that the proposed structures provided insufficient clearance both late~­ a~ly 'and vertically. This statement is true, but it is also most emphatically stale news, several months old in point of fact . We are therefore much surprised a a man like Mr. Bishop sending in such old stuff. A board of engineers, that is the Board of Inquiry, did sit on the bridg., question in Vancouver, and did not consider the proposect span and clearance sufficient, but they also found that a bridge of 1400 feet span and with a clearance of 190 feet above high water would be ample. Had Mr. Bishop beenas conversant with matters i·elating to the bridge as he ought to be, he would never have said there is no definite proposition ~efore "the House works dep- partment" and that no other scheme has been submitted. Of course there is none-at present. The Dominion Government through their Board of Inquiry have stated that a bridge with a span of 1400 feet and with 190 feet of clearance above high water has their approval. The two contractors have since been occupied in getting private bills put t hrough the Provincial' Legislature for building a bridge of these dimensions. These bills have, we understand. now been passed. The municipali- ties concerned will next be called• upon for their approval, and tlien, and not till then, \\il ll the matter go back to Ottawa for the approval of the governor-general-in-council. It is neces- sary to bear in mind in-all this that Ottawa has approved of the building of a bridge of the dimensions mentioned above. All that they will be concerned with when the question comes up before them again will be that the bridge shall be properly constructed, to those dimensions plu the matter of tolls. The last paragraph of the article C:iscusses in broad terms whether any bridge at all should be built, considering the im- portance of the harbor, no "clamor" from any body having arisen in Ottawa for such a structure. Those who want it, and they include all the citizens of the North Shore and the major- ity of the population in Vancouver , "damm·ed" to the proper persons at the proper time and place, which was the Board of Inquiry sitting in Vancouver. The objectors also "clamored" there, and have been clamoring ever since everywhere else. Those favoring it ceaesd to "clamor" after the Board of In- quil-y had concluded its sitti"ngs, because they had won and knew it .. No Canadian Government has yet gone back on the findings of any commission appointed by it. This bridge commission found that a bridge of certa in dimensions over the Lions' Gate was desirable, and, when they said that, the matter was closed. We know, of course, the Vancouver Merchants Exchange and the Shipping Federation of British Columbia could not get this idea into their heads. so they sent a telegram and now evid- ently they have sent 1·epresentatives to Ottawa. Our answer to Mr. Charles Bishop is a challenge that the above two bodies publish the reply to that telegram, knowing, as we do. it will be a more effective answer to hi s inspirations and their objections than any we could adva nce. ROYAL lo'INANCIAL OFFER WEST VAN. BONDS The Council has received from the Roya l Financinl Corporation, Vancouver, an offer of the fo l- lowing bonds : $6000 West Vancouver 5":. bonds clue 2nd July. 1962, at 99.50. $1000 West Vancouve1· 51_ 0 n bonds due 2nd July, 1945, at $104.14. $500 West Vancouver 51 _ c;, bonds · clue l st March, 1946. at $104.21. Th mat ter was referred to the Finance Commi ttee with power to act. LARGE I CREASE IN FERRY PASSENGERS FOR FEBRUARY There are many indica· tions of the progress bein~ made by West Vancouver. One striking proof of this is shown by the ferry fig- ures for last month, when 49,599 passengers used the ferries as compared with a total of 43,206 for the cor- responding mon !h of 1926. fhis increase of 6.393 shows in no uncertain terms the growing popularity of the ferry system among our growing population. Municipality Plans Survey The board of works committee of the municipal council was granted $36,000 at a recent spec- ial meeting to establish a mill rate. This compares with an actual expenditure of $32,000 for 1926. The council has decided to make a topographical su!lvey of the municipality, the cost of approximately $6000 to be spread over a period of three years. The work will be undertaken by the Town Planning Commission. This year the eastern end of the municipality in the Little Mountain area will be surveyed. Operations will commence at the Capilano river to 11th Street, and south of Mathers Avenue. A special sum of $1500 has been allocated for this work in the 1927 estimates. Harrington, to Address Boards of Trade. Members of the West Vancou- ver Board of Trade are invited by the North Vancouver Board to attend their meeting next Thursday at 8 p.m. in the North Vancouver Council chamber to hear an address by J. L. Bar- rington, Bridge Engineer. who has taken such a prominent part in the matters dealing with the proposed Lions' Gate Bridge. The widespread intl'rest in the construction of the bridge. and the authority. Mr. Barrington is generally recogni ed as being. will ensure a very interesting and educational evening to those pri\·iieged to attend. We would urge upon every member of the West ancouver Board of Trade and every inter- ested res ident the necessity of being pre ent if. for nothing else. than to show that they are ,·ital- ly inte.res ted in getting the Lions' Gate Bridge built . .. Thus showing the opponl'nts of the project that there i a s trong desire to this end. EA 'f E ' 0 RESIDENT RE EIVE A LEGACY . OF £50.000 '! A residen t of the eas t en I is reported to have been leCt the sum of £50,000 by a relat ive in the Old ountry. THE .'E \V found the for bu nnte indiv idual away when they tried to get con- firmation of the report.