July 9th,1923
The Secretary
Department of the Interior
Ottawa
Sir
I am requested by my Board to place the following matter before your Department. -
Some years ago Charles McCusker (a returned Soldier) filed on
SE10-54-4-5
which was, then, in our School District. His child was educated by us, last year.
The S.S.B. stocked his Farm
The S.S.B. paid me the 1920 Tax, but I have received no Taxes since, although repeated application has been made. This farm was put to the Beaudry S.D. last year but the 1921 & 1922 Taxes ($37.90) are stiil owing to us. I placed this matter in the hands of our Education Department.
I beg to enclose letters from this Department which please return to me. C. McCusker would not even take advantage of this generous offer of the S.S.B. (end of p.118)
I understand C. McCuskers Wife recently bought a house at Lac Ste Anne and that his furniture and goods, not bought by the Dominion Government are removed there. It appears that none of the personal property paid for by the S.S.B can be distrained upon. And the house at Lac Ste Anne owned by McCuskers Wife, is away from the Farm.
This man, I am told, still receives a good monthly pension from the Dominion Government and he does not attempt to pay us a cent. What is to be done, Sir? We must have this money. Ours is a terribly poor Rural District. The Taxes are not coming in. Our Board has been very lenient with C. McCusker but the non-payment of these arrears is having a bad effect.
Yours respectfully
Thomas Street
(119)
(NOTE: The S.S.B. is the Soldier Settlement Board, established by the Dominion Government after WWI to help returning members of the C.E.F.)
July 28th, 1924
The Deputy Minister
Department of Education - Ed
Sir
My Board met last Saturday, and I was requested, by resolution, to respectfully ask you to transfer the South half of 34-53-4-5 from the Rexboro School District, to our School District.
The whole of Section 34 is owned by Messrs. J.W. Stobart & Sons. The North half has, always, belonged to us. I believe Mr. stobart wrote to you, last March, requesting this transfer. Mr. Stobart lives only 1 1/2 miles from our School, in which he takes a great interest, and he would, certainly, take advantage of our School, in the event of having Children to educate. Rexboro School is 5 miles from his Home, and he has nothing whatever to do with Rexboro. He is very anxious to have the whole of his Farm belonging to Sylvan S.D. (end of p. 125)
Allow me to remind you, Sir, that you, in 1922, took away from us, without giving us any equivalent, 3 Farms, one a C.P.R. This, notwithstanding our strong protest. And you know ours is a poor District. You gave as the reason for this action that the Owners of these 3 Farms wished to be transferred from us.
Allow me also to remind you of your letters to me, dated May 22nd 1922 File No. 0-25228-22.
You have, recently, considerably increased the Rexboro School District by adding the Lakeside Coal Mine Property. -
Yours respectfully
Thomas Street
(126)
November 13th, 1924
The Deputy Minister
Department of Education - Ed
Sir (38977)
I received your letter of August 27th, re Mr. Stobart's request. We have held no Board Meeting since, until November 6th, when the following resolution was unanimously passed.
"That the Secretary writes a further letter to the Department emphasizing the importance of this transfer."
In your letter, Sir, you state that Mr. Stobart was asked, by you, to get the written views of the Rexboro District. But, of course, like every other Board, they are dead against the mutilation of their District, and will not write to you, unless you first write to them, requesting their views on this matter.
I may say that Mr. Stobart mentioned the matter to one of the Rexboro Trustees, and he quickly received a vulgar, lewd answer.(end of p. 128)
2) To Education Deputy Minister
In the early part of 1922 you treated us in a different way, when it came to taking away, from our small poor District NE9-54-4-5, and the South 1/2 of 10-54-4-5.
We received no communication from Loyngaard, McCusker and the C.P.R. No, Sir - you wrote to us, asking for our views on the matter. We implored you not to make our strugggling, small District still smaller and begged you not to take these Farms away from us, unless you gave us the equivalent.
But our beseechings were of no avail. These 3 Farms were torn from us, and we received no equivalent, although there are several unoccupied Farms (once belonging to Sylvan) in adjacent Districts, which are considerably nearer to our School than to the other Schools. When the Sylvan District had no School, it did not matter much. Now, it is a matter of "Life or Death" to us.(end of p. 129)
3) To Education Deputy Minister
May I remind you, Sir, of your letter to us, dated May 2nd, 1922, File No. 0-25228-22)?
"regarding transferring certain lands from the Wabamun to the Sylvan District. I beg to state that if it is found that certain of these lands would be better served by the School in the Sylvan District than by that in the Wabamun District, the Department is prepared to consider the question."
In this case it is Rexboro, not Wabamun. As to this case, Sir, I don't think it is possible for me to effectively add to what I said to you on July 28th.
I am not a Sylvan Taxpayer. I belong to Wabamun. But it appears to me, that by all that is fair and just and right the South half of 34-53-4-5 should be part of the Sylvan District. I am prepared to send you any further information you require.
Yours respectfully
Thomas Street
Sec.
(130)
February 3rd, 1925
The Deputy Minister
Department of Education - Ed
Sir
File No. 0-(11739)-24
I received your letter of December 12th, 1924 - re 34-53-4-5
But, I could do nothing then, as the Board was just dissolving, the Chairman having resigned, and one other Trustee automatically going out of office.
I will say, here, that your letter took all the heart out of me, and drove me to a state of despair.
For nine long years I have worked my hardest for Sylvan, under the greatest difficulties.
We have brought this District out of the deepest depths, and set it on a rock. But, as you know, Sir, this is a very small district, and we badly need more Taxpayers. The School was only operated 6 1/2 months last year.(end of p. 133)
Our new Board has met, and passed the following resolution: -
"That the Secretary again writes to the Department re Mr. Stobart's request, and that he puts the matter strongly before them."
At this Annual Meeting, everybody living in the District was present. And, it was very plainly intimated (re your letter) that this is no question of "Children" at all.
It is simply a question of money, and money we must have, if the School is to be operated.
In fact, it is not only a question of 34-53-4-5, but we also require S 1/2 of 23-53-4-5 and S 1/2 of 24-53-4-5.
These Farms are fairly in our District. They were taken from us in 1916, when the Sylvan Children went away. Now we have new Settlers with Families, it is imperatively necessary that we have our own again, if these Children are to be educated.
Yours respectfully
Thomas Street - Sec.
(134)
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