{abe ibis. amen Bes on ae ‘ THE eS SIDNEY AND ISLANDS REVIE PUBLISHED BY THE SIDNIEY PRINTING AND PUBLISHING COMPANY, LTD. Issued Every Thursday at Sidney, B. C. Advertising Kutes on Application. Subscription Price, $1.00 per annuin. Notices or advertisements must be in the Review Oflice, corner of Fifth Street and Seacon Avenue, by Wednesday noon to insure publication. IS THE DEPARTMENT TO BLAME? One of the reasons advanced by the majority of the Sidney School Board, and others, for refusing to join with the North Saanich District to construct and maintain a graded school on a site satisfactory to the latter, was that a portion of the grounds on the site pro- posed was lying under water during the winter months and therefore for school purposes was not suitable. This of course was not the only reason advanc- ed by the opponents of the proposed amalgamation, and it is doubtful if the majority registered against the pro- posal was guided altogether by this argument, but it certainly was strongly | argued and was no doubt instrumental in changing many votes. Nearly every- one will agree that school grounds should be dry to insure good health and comfort for the pupils. Now the Sidney Board of School Trustees should be consistent and should not. compel the parents, in order to secure an education for their child- ren, to send them to the building now used by the Board, and presumably sanctioned by the Department of €du- cation, as a Superior School. Surely the Board must be aware that it is puilt on low ground, in fact it is much lower than the surrounding land, and during the wet season is nothing more or less than a mud hole. The building, no doubt, was very suitable for a butcher shop, for which purpose it was constructed, but it never was intended and never sheuld have beeh used as a school building. Now that we have practically decided to ‘‘paddle our own canoe,’’ have the Board taken steps to secure another and more suitable building, or are they cqn- tent to let the matter remain as it is? There is no doubt a better building could be secured on much more suitable grounds until such times as it becomes necessary to secure a permanent site and construct new quarters in keeping with the requirements of a growing community, and the board can rest as- sured that they will pe backed by the ratepayers in any sane scheme for the betterment of educational conditions in Sidney. It has been suggested that the De- partment of Education is at fault, and the probabilities are that it is,. If so, “it is the duty of the Board to lay the facts before the people who elect them and furnish the. money, and they in turn can be trusted to deal with the Department in such manner as will “make them understand that they are not the masters. The people are heart- ily sick of inspectors coming out here every few months and practically tell- ing them what they must, or must not do, and are perfectly aware of the ex- istance of the autocrat hand behind such movements. + The Minister in charge of the depart- ment should be gently informed that it is the opinion of a number of people, and the number is growing larger all the time, that some one else is really running his department, and that it is not being run, at least as far as it af- fects this district, in oa manner that makes for harmony betwren the school district, the interests of education and adequate facilities for such. It is time a sign of improvement. was at least manifest. THE SCHOOL QUESTION. The ratepayers of Sidney while favor- ing the principle of consolidation of schools and the huilding of a joint six- room graded school to fill the needs of the schoo. distri¢t of Noth Saatiich and Sidney, failed to accept the site suggested by Messrs. Clark and McKil- lican and in consequence North Saan- ich will go ahead on a new two-room SIDNEY AND ISLANDS REVIEW ee THURSDAY, AUY$UST 30, 1916. school house on a site acceptable to the majority of their ratepayers. As far as Sidney is concerned things are just as they were in 1914 and the present out- look is none too bright. Having refus- ed to accept the plan suggested it now behooves the trustees or the ratepayers of the district to suggest some method of overcoming the lack of facilities’ for the education of the young. While no one doubts for a minute the oft repeat- ed statement that ‘tmany of the world’s greatest men were educated in a school not one-tenth as much up to date as our present Sidney school house,’ the fact still remains that in‘these times no argument of that nature can be accept- ed or help deter us in working hard to get a school more sanitary and more up to date than the,present one is, par- ticularly the Superior School. We ought to get together and ‘plug hard’’ in order to get at the proper authorit- ies and demand a new school building where our children may have equal ad- vantages with the schools of the larger towns and cities. We have sufficient wealth-in this district on which we pay school taxes to justify us in demanding this as our right. The school question has been more or less a burning one for the past four years and it is high time that some move be made to arrive at a proper solution of the affair, as for every days neglect in arranging for the building of a new school house only adds to the handicap our children have in acquiring an education. ° SIR CLIFFORD SIFTON. The news coming from Ottawa lately that Sir Robert Borden was using Sir Clifford Sifton as his right bower in his negotiations for the organization of a coalition government comes rather as a painful surprise to those who have fol- lowed Mr. Sifton's career. Previous to joining the Laurier administration in 1896, Sifton was a member of the Greenway cabinet of Manitoba and Sir Wilfrid Laurier picked him as,a Mani- toba representative when he organized his fitst cabinet, Sir Clifford getting the portfolio of Minister of the Interior. | Immigration coming under this head Sifton inaugurated a grand advertising campaign to draw the world's atten tion to the unoccupied lands of the Western Provinces and the great pos- sibilities of their development in the production of wheat and other grains. And so Canada soon received recognit- ion as the ‘‘Granary of the Empire,’’ for the Sifton policy encouraged emi- gration from the Old Country, the Un- ited States and Northern Europe, and the great era of prosperity started which lasted more or less up till 1914, and much of the credit is due to Sifton. Brandon, Manitoba, returned him as their representative in 1896 and the thrve following Dominion elections by majorities ranging from seven hundred down to sixty. Owing to difference with his leader over some clauses of the Au- tonomy Bill of 1904, Sifton resigned from the Laurier cabinet, but the gen- eral belief is that Sir Wilfrid Laurier asked him. for his resignation on total- ly different grounds, amd that the auto- nomy question was seized on by Sifton as a timely opportunity to profer his resignation. But, however, Sifton ceas- ed to be a member of the cabinet and although remaining a Liberal until 1311, when he broke away on the reci- procity question and from that time on was recogniged as a member of the Con- servative party, though he did not seek re-elcction in 1911. During the period between 1896, when he entered the Laur- ier Government, and 1911, Sifton had graduated from the poor man’s class into that of the millionaine and his in- terests were identified with the latter. This partly explains why he left the Liberal party. It was gencvrally understood that Sif- ton ceased to be of any great strength after he left the cabinet, though he took the platform on reciprocity against the Liberals, and the latter losing confidence in him, due partly to this action and partly to the fact that he massed great wealth in a very short time, amd with his stable, his summer home and his yacht, he lived like a prince and ceased to display any great amount of energy im public affairs. When he went to Winnipeg to see what inxuence he could bring to bear on the old time Western Liberals to induce them to accept Borden as the leader of a coalition government and_ to side- track Laurier, following up his letter to Senator Bostock on the Conscription Bill, his presence instead of- efferrising an influence favorable to Borden among the delegates, it had the opposite effect The very name of Sifton coupled with the thought of Rogers was more than these old timers could swallow and in- stead of throwing down Laurier they |SANDS FUNERAL FURNISHING CO., backed him to the limit as an all-wise man who always had the best interests of the country at heart. So Sifton returned to Ottawa _ with his feathers badly ruffled and reported to Sir Robert Borden that he could do nothing with the Western Liberals. Sir Robert should have known that he could not drive either Rogers or Sifton singly and maintain the respect of the country, as the people have no confid;, ence in either of them, but when he tried to drive them in double harness he made one of the greatest mistakes of his life. Since the Winnipeg conven- tion Roger® has resigned and Sir Rob- ert Borden, fine man as he is person- ally, would be well advised if he ‘*cut’’ Sifton, who has no following in either party, and who long ago lost the con- fidence of the people of Western Conada and is not thought very much of in Eastern Canada, where he has made his home since 1896. SBN SBOARALAEALALALALACRL AL SERB RAR OLARAACA SAL. BOIIOISKIGIISISISISK SGKICIISISISIICISISE ESE ESE LENSES ENS ENS ENF ESE IN FENG SESE ES EN OY FN EN EN ON Wy E34 Tee \ LIMITED. Our large stock of funeral “supplies makes it easy to select goods at a price within keeping with ones means. Our large, modern, well ventilated funeral chapel is free to our patrons. 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Ke $3 Se 4Oe sa aod cod > + 23 she ate be + ot | Pe EOS 5 OS 208 Ns 208 OE TOE 208 5s HO os 2 Pe 22 208 2G OS FOR 55 OE ROR AE EA | fe RY < ~ ZN of How You Do Enjoy Your dete 3ans Os 5 58 30s EOS n N Nav tax ta YoHSe S YSICK PS OS EOS 50 $2 tas v ICIS ve _ : Breakfast o 46 48) i <> When you get the arema of mak- © “ ing toast and coffee right at the a a table. ris w THE ELFCTRIC TO4STER AND Ye 4} ELECTRIC COFFEE PERCOL- a aE ATOR g * . + | make absolutely perfect toast and ¥ *% coffee. Attach to any electric ba @ light socket. See them at our ye ofiice on Beacon venue. HE “ i YOMOM YORY NAESTENS ESTES oe Ptr" a= WOE NOS 2 3 hn otek we es eo we “crf aie SOIR ISICE n B. C. Electric LIGHT AND POWER DEPT. ~ wins SoA Ne - > t NN NTE ENT INATS, Beacon Avenue, Sidney, B. C. 4 a4 ae she * oa xe VAABALAALS OM UCM AS ote Sas tae XO tas ta KK Agere rare A whe 4o% SACK igi oe BS fete 4 Ke 4 ite wifle <4: ee a 2 - 0 Or OR 504 SO 08 18 Yen WK 1502 50 RACER a ST] Corner Cook and Fort St. Victoria, SIRISRIGICIOIISK FCICICKESEICICICACK a a Age a C4 , THE LONG DISTANCE TELE. ¢ ON Ag rd’ . oe ess de ot POTN SINS 48 7 C PHONE BECOMES .. £ ” tS ~o # t More Popular : * More Fopular : & a a 4 Hl as ; ste : Kwery Day - i Reasons:—Directness of conversat- ee * ion is not reached in the written + * $= K communication; you speak with 4. 5 ve Se the party you want, you receive ne # your answer immediately; no oe Be 46 # journey is required, distance is Ae * 6 ‘ eliminated; the weather does not {& SHOES ros 502 xe; Nu count. oH he # wHAT BETTER SERVICE * £ WOULD YOU DESIRE? Ge Ct « let arta Yas on xe 2s 30 ¢ BRITISH COLUMBIA : TELEPHONE CO. i - | LIMITED t 7 YRIIGIIOISIGIIAICR FICICIIGICIIIICIC Sidney Mills, Limited Manufacturers of all kinds of Rough and Dressed Lumber, Dimension Timbers, Mouldings, Flooring, Ceiling, Etc. Men Wanted at Current Wages. The Local Butchers DEALERS IN Fresh and Cured Meats, Fish, Poultry, Etc. High Grade Butter and Fresh Eggs a Specialty Shamrock Hams, Bacon and Lard Always on Hand Inspection Invited Stores at Sidney and Saanichton 7