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The Royal Lethington "Pat" Maitland family papers are composed of Maitland's personal correspondence, speeches and addresses, Logs of the House (Legislative Assembly of British Columbia), scrapbooks, etc. Also includes correspondence, notes, etc. of Maitland's wife, Ruth Hildred Mills, as well as correspondence of their children Robert Reid, Elizabeth Ruth, William John and Norah Kathleen.

The fonds consists of the records of Herbert Anscomb, who had one of the longest and most important political careers in the history of British Columbia. They document his activities as Reeve of Oak Bay, B.C., Mayor of Victoria, opposition member in the B.C. legislative assembly, cabinet minister in the B.C. government in numerous portfolios, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of British Columbia, and member of the federal Royal Commission on Transportation from 1959 to 1962. Predominantly, the records relate to his political career which began with his election to Oak Bay council in 1924 and ended with his defeat in the provincial election of 1952. The fonds also consists of a relatively small number of records concerning his personal life, family, and his involvement in the wine and brewing industry.

The documentary forms most significant in number include correspondence, photographs, and speeches (in public, in the legislature, and for radio broadcast). In smaller numbers the documentary forms include handwritten notes which were passed from MLAs to Anscomb during sittings in the legislature, magazine articles, and political campaign literature such as brochures, posters and pamphlets. The fonds also includes collected editorial cartoons, caricature drawings and other art work, certificates, reports, guest and visitors books, and ephemera.

The records reflect a wide range of subjects; these include: government, politics and economic policy during the depression and World War II, the province’s coalition government, infrastructure building, political competition against the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF party), the single transferable vote electoral system, the process of appointment to government jobs, hospital insurance, and the history of the Conservative Party in B.C. and its relationship with the federal party.

The fonds consists of six series, as follows:
• Provincial political records
• Municipal political records
• Personal records
• Royal Commission on Transportation records
• Photograph album
• Newspaper clippings scrapbooks

Records of particular note include detailed diaries which Anscomb kept as Minister of Mines, Minister of Trade and Industry, Minister of Public Works, and Minister of Municipal Affairs in the early to mid-1940s. The fonds also consists of a rich collection of photographs which document in particular his career as mayor of Victoria and as a B.C. government cabinet minister.

The fonds also consists of a series of 12 volumes of newspaper clippings dating from 1924 to 1978. These scrapbooks cover Anscomb’s entire political career; subjects include all aspects of government and politics in Oak Bay, Victoria and the province of B.C., and not just articles pertaining to Anscomb himself. The fonds includes a manuscript of an unpublished autobiography Anscomb began in 1953.

Where possible the archivist has arranged records chronologically. Where files clearly had been used together as a group by their creator, that order was maintained.

SUMMARY: R.C. MacDonald was the "Conservative/Coalition" candidate for the Dewdney riding in the provincial election of 1941, and the Coalition candidate in the elections of 1945 and 1949, and was elected thre;e times. This recording is assumed to be from one of those election campaigns; however, no date is available.;

News item. Mr. Stephens will run for the leadership of the BC Conservative Party. His main goal will be to unify the party. "In order to have unity in this party," he says, "the provincial wing must be free and totally independent" from the federal Conservative party. Too many people view the Conservatives as a party for boardroom executives, says Stephens, when in fact it is "a workers' party." The image of the party must be changed.

News item. MLA Scott Wallace says that his main reasons for resigning are: (1) "Lack of success in getting the Conservative party moving"; and (2) "Failure of my leadership to capitalize on the fact the we've got polarized parties in British Columbia -- two main political groups. Yet many of the voters are looking for something in the middle, and I was trying to fill that void." Farewell speech follows, with regrets voiced by NDP House Leader Dave Barrett, who says: "He is the kind of person that we would all like to see come into public life, regardless of party." Wallace will continue as MLA.

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1979-10-24 SUMMARY: An oral history interview with G. Scott Wallace, former leader of the B.C. Progressive Conservative Party.;