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This series consists of transcripts of evidence of the Commission on Claims of Settlers in the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway Belt, 1900.

The fonds consists of the records of the British Columbia Cement Company and mainly relates to the company cement plant at Bamberton, B.C. Other locations of company activity and the creation of records were Tod Inlet in Saanich, B.C., Texada Island, B.C. and the Vancouver Island locations of Cobble Hill and Horne Lake. The records were created ca. 1900 to 1982, though predominantly after 1950. The fonds includes records from the 1960s and 1970s when the company became a subsidiary of Ocean Cement Ltd.

From the 1920s to the 1960s, the products of the British Columbia Cement Company were used to build much of the infrastructure of the province. Before 1958 the B.C. Cement Company was virtually the sole supplier of cement in British Columbia.

Most prominently, record types include: technical drawings, maps, plans, diagrams and architectural drawings; correspondence and memoranda; equipment manuals, operating guides, catalogues and bulletins; photographs; research reports and technical studies; cement plant shift log books; weekly and monthly reports on labour, production and manufacturing costs; daily journals for materials purchased (stores received); reports of chemical data regarding cement testing; budget papers and financial reports, and deliveries log books (journal recordings of product sold). Other record types include: company publications and employee newsletters; quotations for goods and services; complete technical journals and magazines, (and individual articles); news clippings; company annual reports; brochures, pamphlets and flyers; committee minutes; conference proceedings; staff lists and seniority lists; org charts; plant operation flow charts and stock certificate books.

A large number of the records (including textual materials, technical drawings, maps and photographs) were generated by the activities of cement production. These include records related to quarrying; rock and materials handling; the kiln, dry mill and wet mill operations; the electrical department; the purchase and consumption of fuel including coal and oil; cement packing; chemical testing, quality control and research; the sale and shipping of cement; the purchase, operation and maintenance of equipment, and environmental monitoring. Records were created in departments of the plant including the laboratory, by the plant chemist and research and quality control staff, at the quarries, the wet mill, the dry mill, the mixing department, the kiln department, electrical department, and the cement packing plant. Other company activities that generated records include mineral exploration, property acquisition and appraisal, and the transition to closing the plant. There are relatively few records from before the 1950s.

The records were also generated by routine business activities including company administration, corporate planning, annual reporting, union agreements and labour-management relations, budgeting, auditing and financial issues, personnel and staff training. Records were created by company executives, by staff in the plant main office, by the plant manager, the plant engineer, the purchasing agent and personnel manager.

A relatively small number of records were inherited from predecessor companies. These include records which originated with the Vancouver Portland Cement Company Limited, founded by Robert Pim Butchart, which produced cement at Tod Inlet. Some records originated with the British company, the Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers (London) and its subsidiary, the Portland Cement Construction Company Limited, which purchased the land and built the Bamberton cement plant ca. 1911-1913.

Records concerning Tod Inlet include photographs ca. 1905-1913, of the first arrival of machinery and early photos of the cement plant. There are also plant technical drawings and maps relating to the Tod Inlet area, and textual records concerning B.C. Cement Company's continuing ownership of property in Saanich. Records for the Bamberton plant and townsite date from 1911; these include photographs of historic value of the first development on the site in 1912-1913. Many photos were taken by professionals, and it appears they were created and maintained by company staff in order to document the history of the company. Records for Blubber Bay on Texada Island (ca. 1929-1949) include photographs, textual material, and technical drawings. Records relating to Cobble Hill, B.C. (ca. 1950-1975) relate to investigation for mineral deposits, company property holdings, mapping, quarry operation, and the building of the private haul road from Cobble Hill to Bamberton.

The fonds also consists of records for locations where the company owned properties or carried out exploration for minerals, aerial photography and mapping. These include Davies Bay on Texada Island, and Vancouver Island locations including Horne Lake, Deep Bay, and Harris Creek in the Cowichan Valley.

The records include a history of British Columbia Cement Company by a long-time company employee, Robert H. (Bob) Moffatt. It was researched, written and updated between 1976 and 1981.

This series contains correspondence relating to roads in the Victoria district. It includes a request for new road construction from the Victoria Driving Club and the Victoria Tourist Association, and correspondence about cows wandering at large in Oak Bay. Also includes a small sketch. Reverse of sketch not on microfilm.

This series contains a specialized volume that pertains only to correspondence relating to applications for Burnaby lots (folio 12), the Vancouver Island Settlers' Rights Act, 1903 (folio 138), and the South African War Land Grant Act, 1901 (folio 158). They includes name of correspondent and letter or file number.

This series contains lists of Vancouver Island settlers who made Crown grant applications under provisions of the Vancouver Island Settlers' Rights Act, 1904, and subsequent amendments. Information includes name, acreage, and legal description of lands.

The fonds consists of an account book entitled "Record of Cost" from 1905. The fonds also includes 30 technical drawings of steamer design plans.

The series consists of four folders of summaries and statements created by the Taxation Branch and its predecessor body the Surveyor of Taxes between 1906 and 1973.

Folder 1 contains compiled statements of ownership and assessment of timbered parcels on Vancouver Island and some adjacent islands, 1930.
Folder 2 contains miscellaneous tax statements showing revenue and estimates of tax on certain types of properties between 1900 and 1930, compiled around 1931.
Folder 3 contains particulars of taxation of timberland class from 1943 to 1969, compiled between 1950 and 1973.
Folder 4 contains an assessment roll of the Fruitland Rural School District from 1906.

This series contains records of the Government Agent from Cumberland relating to coal and petroleum prospecting licences for lands covered by water opposite the foreshore of Denman Island, Comox harbour, and for other lands in the Sayward and Coast Land Districts. The records consist of correspondence, notices, and plans. These records were filed in a transfer case with the Dept. of Lands on which was noted "Documents from Government Agent, Cumberland, December 18, 1939, to be destroyed under Public Documents Disposal Act. To be retained in this box pending decision of Deputy Minister of Lands."

This series contains water licences issued for Victoria Water District, 1909-1912, by W.S. Drewry, Chief Water Commissioner, pursuant to the Water Act, 1909. The records include water notices and approval of plans. This volume was also used by the Board of Investigation to make water rights determinations, ca. 1913-1914.

This series consists of Vancouver Forest District operational records, 1912-1979. The series has been arranged into 11 sub-series: timber sale sketches; special use permit sketches; park use permit letter and sketches for Mount Seymour; scaling and royalty records including timber leases, timer licenses, fee ledgers, records of accounts, crown grants, and other material; statistical graphs; logging inspection legers for various ranger districts; pole and piling return from Anton Pole and Lumber Co.; payroll accounts of Fraser River Repair Station; a variety of disbursement ledgers; scaling and royalty deposit accounts; and general accounts under section 113 of the Forest Act.

Timber sale sketches contain X and A files, in three colour spirit duplication. These show tenure boundaries, physical features, some contour lines and cultural features such as roads and railways and are in file number order. Special use permit and park use permit sketches are similar to the timber sale sketches.

This series contains diaries (1912-1914; 3 vols.), line index books, (4 cols.), and surveyors' field books (11 vols.) from the Strathcona Park Survey.

Records relating to surveys and surveyors field books. Consists of a register of surveyors' field books on Vancouver Island, especially Victoria district; an alphabetical street index to surveyors' field books for the City of Victoria, and miscellaneous correspondence pertaining to surveys. Includes record of surveys done since 1858.

The fonds consists of two photograph albums created by Gladys Beall. The albums document family activities and travels around Victoria and Vancouver Island.

The series consists of records of the 1916 British Columbia Commission to Inquire into the Vancouver Island Riots. Records include an alphabetical index to the claims and a numerical list of claimants (1916); the claims submitted to the commission arranged in numerical order (1916); additional documents and Commissioner Gregory's notes relating to specific claims (1916); transcripts of the commission hearings (1916); reports, statements and translations relating to the claims for damage to Chinese property (1913-1916); documents and proceedings relating to court cases that took place prior to the commission (1913-1916); correspondence (1913-1916); commissioner's report (1916).

The series consists predominantly of fruit and vegetable crop reports and figures for District I, Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands, for the years 1926-1955. Other records included in this series relate to crop production and climate on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Also included in this series is a partial run of the annual Department of Agriculture publication “The Climate of British Columbia” (1924-1945). Some records also document the involvement of the Chinese community in the operation of greenhouses and market gardens.

Some of these records were created by Alan Littler, who served as District Horticulturalist for Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands (District I) between 1952-1971 (from 1971-1981 he served as Supervising Horticulturalist for the Coast). However, the majority of the files were created by Littler’s predecessor, E.H. White, who also served as District Horticulturalist for District I. The District Horticulturalist for Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands was responsible for monitoring and reporting on fruit and vegetable production, primarily on southern Vancouver Island.

Letter to P. Walker from B. Blanchard, Sooke, B.C., June 3, 1915 (1/15) asking permission to keep a fawn he has found.

This series consists of the records of the Commission of Inquiry Into Certain Claims Respecting Lands Situated Within the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway Land Belt, 1916. This commission was also known as Settlers' Rights Commission. Commission records include correspondence, claims submitted by settlers to the Commission and other miscellaneous records. No report has been found.

The series consists of records created by the Superintendent of Provincial Police between 1917 and 1929. The records relate to the Victoria district and "A" division and contain files relating to various acts including the Sheep Protection Act and the Poll Tax Act from 1917 to 1921; vouchers and correspondence re vouchers from 1917 to 1925; and vouchers and miscellaneous letters from 1928 to 1929.

The series consists of Provincial Police Inspector's files created between ca. 1918 and 1923. The files are numbered from 50 to 106 and are subject files containing letters addressed to the Superintendent, Inspector and Chief Constable. The correspondence relates to the Victoria Police District.

This series contains correspondence, statistical returns, and reports of the Public Library Commission (PLC) and its successors, the Library Development Commission and the Library Services Branch. The series includes files of PLC pioneers Helen Gordon Stewart, H.N. Lidster, and C.K. Morison, plus records of PLC members at Provincial Library and Archives. The records also contain documents relating to regional libraries in Fraser Valley, Okanagan district, and Vancouver Island, along with correspondence pertaining to provincial library schools and associations.

The fonds consists of photographs created by Gus A. Maves in his commercial business between ca. 1920 and 1944. At this time Maves, and his wife Margaret, lived in Oak Bay, near Victoria. Maves created most of the negatives using 8 x 10 nitrate film and these were numbered and entered into his index books by number and by subject. He also created two separately numbered negatives series for negative sizes 4 x 5 and 5 x 7. Many of these negatives were copies of the 8 x 10 negatives and were used to create postcards and other commercial products. A selection of copy negatives masked and titled for printing cards, calendars and other commercial products exist within the fonds. Maves created photographic prints and proofs from most of his negatives and arranged many of them in either number or subject order in four albums. These albums, which often include the negative number and caption under the print, may have been used as order or sample books for his commercial business. There are also a considerable number of loose photographs with many duplicates including some glass plate negatives, lantern slides, transparencies, prints and artworks hand coloured by Margaret Maves. The main subject of the photographs are landscapes, particularly Butchart Gardens, Beacon Hill Park, Oak Bay Golf Club and mountain and ocean scenic shots; still life photos of fruit, vegetables and flowers, agricultural and industrial photographs and interior and exterior photographs of homes. Most of the photographs were taken in the Greater Victoria and Vancouver Island area but there are also some photographs taken in the Okanagan. The fonds also includes textual records including three indexes to the 8 x 10 negatives (two arranged by number and one by subject), an order book, publications featuring artwork by Gus and Margaret Maves, miscellaneous advertising signs, two wood printing frames, a stand for darkroom work and a “No parking” stand with coloured transparency of still life with fruit.

The fonds comprises 19 35 mm motion picture prints (and four copies) of films that were circulated to the public by the Victoria and Island Publicity Bureau. The films were produced between 1922 and 1938, mainly by the Canadian Governnment Motion Picture Bureau. They include travel films about Victoria and Vancouver Island, as well as films about British Columbia's logging and fishing industries, sports fishing, mountaineering, and Canadian wildlife and birds. Non-BC titles include films about the Royal Mint in Ottawa, a Guide's Association tournament in Nova Scotia, and log driving in eastern Canada.

This series contains reports (4 vols.) on cruise and logging conditions by Ryan, McIntosh Timber Co., Ltd. for land assessment purposes. Includes character of timber, soil, and surface and information on logging operations, log grades, and general conditions.
The records are arranged by lot and section numbers, Land District, and Assessment District.

The series contains the following volumes:
Vol. 1, Alberni and Comox Assessment Districts;
Vol. 2, Cowichan, Nanaimo, Prince Rupert, Saltspring, and Victoria Assessment Districts;
Vol. 3, Golden, Kettle River, Nelson, Prince George, and Revelstoke Assessment Districts;
Vol. 4, Crow's Nest Pass Lumber Co. lands.

This series consists of accounts ledger of the Nanaimo Ranger Station, for car running costs, launch running costs, tire distribution and telephone accounts. The book also contains an office diary for 1939 and an undated inventory of equipment on hand.

Index for GR-2223, Bankrupts and Authorized Assignment case files handled by the Official Receiver.

Correspondence regarding bankruptcy between the Official Receiver and the Deputy Minister of Justice, 1924-1930; the Superintendent of Bankruptcy, 1933-1937; and inward from the Canadian Credit Men's Trust Association (Trustees in Bankruptcy), 1924-1932. Also, Circular Memoranda to Trustees Nos. 1-3, 5-11 from the Superintendent of Bankruptcy (Ottawa); miscellaneous forms and bankruptcy statistics.

This series consists of experimental forest sample plot studies created by the research division of the Forest Branch from 1924-1938. The records track the growth, inventory, availability and volume of timber in a particular area referred to as a sample plot. This includes tracking the ratio of height and width of a tree relative to its age to estimate growth rates in various types of ecosystems. The records contain descriptive information of the plot’s soil, topography, ground cover, previous logging, location and vegetation.

One study from 1924-1930 referred to as project number 11 or ME 11 which relates to Douglas fir. The other study conducted around 1938 relates to red alder trees. Plots were located around Vancouver Island, the lower mainland, the Gulf Islands, the Sunshine Coast and other areas of the south coast. Records include statistics, tables, graphs and field notes.

This series consists of circular letters from District Forester to field staff pertaining to forest protection, forest management, etc. Includes some circular letters from Chief Forester to District Foresters.

The fonds consists of orders, invoices, records of material distribution, inventories, interdepartmental memos and correspondence of the Western Fuel Corporation of Canada.