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Orchard, Chauncey Donald, 1893-1973 British Columbia--Politics and government--1941-1952
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Gordon and Jack Gibson interview

CALL NUMBER: T2719:0001 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Gordon and Jack Gibson : the Gibson family (part 1) PERIOD COVERED: 1886-1939 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1977 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mother's and father's personal background. Mother to Vancouver in 1886, father in 1896. Family's economic situation. Father (William F. Gibson) involved in Bridge River gold rush. Family in Yukon, 1903-05. G. Gibson born in Yukon, 1904. Family to Vancouver in 1906. Father's work history. Father a timber staker and cruiser. TRACK 2: Comments on the Vancouver real estate boom, 1912. Father; joined Forestry Corps, 1914. Odd jobs for young brothers. Father rejected for overseas service, 1915. G. Gibson goes logging with his father, 1917. Logging aircraft spruce during WW I. Building their first mill after WW I. Gibson family moves to Ahousat in early 1920s. The Gibson's on the West Coast of Vancouver Island: boats, the pilchard industry, 1925-32. Ahousat during the Depression.; CALL NUMBER: T2719:0002 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Gordon and Jack Gibson : the Gibson family (part 2) PERIOD COVERED: 1932-1952 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1977 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Description of Ahousat and the Native people. The purchase of the SS "Malahat". Anecdotes about the "Malahat". Hauling logs on the Queen Charlottes. TRACK 2: More anecdotes about the "Malahat". The end of the "Malahat". Logging airplane spruce during WW II. Dividing the work between the four brothers. Built sawmill at Tahsis after WW II. Building Tahsis. The Gibsons amalgamate with the East Asiatic Co. The Gibsons in the whaling business at Coal Harbour. CALL NUMBER: T2719:0003 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Gordon and Jack Gibson : the Sommers case (part 1) PERIOD COVERED: 1945-1960 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1977 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Continuation of the story of the Gibsons' involvement in the whaling industry. Gibsons sell out completely to the East Asiatic Company, 1952. Relations between the Gibsons and East Asiatic, 1948-52. Jack Gibson's political career: Gibson's predecessor A.W. Neill; 1945 nominating convention; Gibson MP, 1945-53; Gibson sat as an independent; comments on his communist seat-mate Fred Rose. How Gordon Gibson came to run in 1953 provincial election. G. Gibson's position before the Sloan Commission. Anecdotes about the 1953 election campaign. TRACK 2: Improper granting of FMLs under the Coalition government, 1947-52. The role of campaign funds. Discussion of the Sommers case. Gibson's resignation over the Sommers case. Gibson's defeat in 1955 by-election. Gibson feels Social Credit party involved in FML scandal. Discussion of the "money talks" speech, 1955. Sammy Craig and BCFP incident. Story of G. Gibson's address to UBC forestry class. CALL NUMBER: T2719:0004 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Gordon and Jack Gibson : the Sommers case (part 2) PERIOD COVERED: 1948-1958 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1977 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Comments on the Sloan Commission hearings. Bob Filberg of Canadian Western Forest Industries was the campaign funds "collector" for the Coalition from the forest industries. Circumstances surrounding the granting of FML #2. Why the Gibson brothers did not apply for an FML. Comments on R. Sommers' gambling. Gambling with people in the forest industry. Gordon Gibson recalls discussing FMLs with W.A.C. Bennett. H.R. MacMillan opposed to FMLs at one time. Anecdote about Gordon Gibson being ejected from the B.C. Legislature, 1955. The Lord Commission, 1955, discussed. The people involved in the hearings: Arthur Lord, Alfred Bull, T.W. Brown. TRACK 2: Ron Howard, Gibson's lawyer. G. Gibson's reaction to the findings of the Lord Commission. Comments on Bonner's role. Positive assessment; of Judge Arthur Lord. The Lillooet by-election, 1955. Anecdotes about the by-election campaign. The Gibsons' connection with David Sturdy. Discussion of Sturdy and Charles Eversfield. Meetings to discuss the Eversfield evidence with the Gibson brothers, Ron Howard, Tommy Gold, Stuart Keate and Donald Cromie. Payments to Sturdy. Comments on Sturdy's judgement. Comments on Eversfield. RCMP Inspector W.J. Butler. CALL NUMBER: T2719:0005 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Gordon and Jack Gibson : the Sommers case (part 3) PERIOD COVERED: 1953-1958 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1977 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Comments on the "money talks" speech. Discussion of the presentation of the Eversfield evidence to the Sloan Commission, Dec. 1955. The role of Charles Locke, the Sloan Commission counsel. The Gibsons have never seen the Butler Report. J. Gibson asked federal Justice Minister Stuart Garson to see the Butler Report but was refused. Discussion of the Tahsis Company in the Butler Report. The role of C.D. Orchard and the Forest Service. Davie Fulton, federal Justice Minister, put pressure on the Sommers case. Implications of Sommers case for Jack Gibson's role as a Liberal party fund-raiser. TRACK 2: Payments from Gibson to Sturdy. Peripheral involvement of James Sinclair, Johnny Fairburn and Sid Smith. Gibson has no specific knowledge of the alleged payoffs to keep Sommers out of the country. Gibson did not attend trial. Comments on the role of C.D. Scultz. Gibson did not know the Gray brothers. No ministers other than Sommers benefited personally from the bribery scheme. The Gibson brothers considered applying for an FML. Gibson cannot recall details of meeting with Sommers prior to famous speech. Miscellaneous comments. (End of interview);

C.D. Orchard : [reminiscences]

CALL NUMBER: T1887:0001 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): C.D. Orchard : forestry in British Columbia, 1920-1958 (part 1) PERIOD COVERED: 1893-1925 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1961 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Orchard born 1893 in Wakefield, N.B. Became a teacher in N.B. Comments on the development of forestry education. Entered forestry at UNB. In Canadian Armed Forces, 1914-19. Returned to forestry at UNB. Obtained job in BCFS in 1920. Met forester Charles S. Cowan and Chief Forester M.A. Grainger. Orchard's introduction to the Forest Branch. Early survey and cruising methods. Field work in Vernon. Working conditions in the Forest Branch. Cruise of the Kelowna watershed, 1920. Work along the Nass River, 1921. TRACK 2: More on cruising in the Nass River area, 1921022. Forest Branch work. Indians in the Nass country. Aiyansh. Comments on timber sales and forest management. Orchard put in charge of all forest surveys. Timber cruising methods. The development of forestry education. CALL NUMBER: T1887:0002 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): C.D. Orchard : forestry in British Columbia, 1920-1958 (part 2) PERIOD COVERED: 1912-1961 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1961 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: History of the B.C. Forest Branch: H.R. MacMillan, the first Chief Forester, 1912; early personnel; early forest inventories in B.C.; early organization of the Forest Service. Orchard becomes; District Forester in Cranbrook in 1924. Conditions in Cranbrook. Assistant District Forester in Nelson, 1925. Comments on Chief Forester P.Z. Caverhill. Forestry conditions in B.C., 1910-40. Early timber leases. Comments on the Fulton Commission, 1909-10. Comments on Martin A. Grainger, secretary to the commission and later Chief Forester. Letter from H.R. MacMillan about Grainger and A.W. Ross, Minister of Lands. The Nelson Forest District in the mid-1920s. TRACK 2: More on the forest district especially about forest fires. Orchard becomes District Forester in Prince George, 1927. Transportation in the Prince George district. A forester's problems: fires and accounts. Attempted political interference in the Forest Branch. Patronage in the Public Service. Conditions in Prince George. Internal Forest Branch matters. Orchard moved to Victoria office, 1930. Patronage appointments of some staff. Orchard's duties. CALL NUMBER: T1887:0003 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): C.D. Orchard : forestry in British Columbia, 1920-1958 (part 3) PERIOD COVERED: 1912-1958 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1961 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Forest Branch finances: Forest Protection Fund and annual allotments. Changes in Forest Branch function: forest protection before 1940 and forest management afterwards. Problems of the Depression. Staff shortages. Forest Branch equipment. Fire pumps. Orchard become head of Forest Service research, 1932. More on Depression problems. Chief Forester P.Z. Caverhill dies, 1935. E.C. Manning becomes Chief Forester and Orchard Deputy Chief Forester, January 1936. Comments on Caverhill and Manning. Manning a promoter of parks. Parks turned over to Forest Branch in 1939. Parks to Recreation and Conservation in 1957. More on Manning. Manning dies in an air crash and Orchard becomes Chief Forester, 1941. Problems presented by WW II. The new job. TRACK 2: Problems of WW II. Forest industry profiteering. Labour problems. The perception of management problems in the early 1940s. The idea of sustained yield develops in the 1940s. Experiments in small log production. Role of Bob Filberg in these experiments. Political pressures on the Forest Service. Socreds susceptible to industry pressure. More on sustained yield. Orchard's memorandum on sustained yield, 1942. Private debate on forest management, 1942-43. Gordon Sloan appointed Royal Commissioner to look into forest management, 1943. The Sloan Commission. CALL NUMBER: T1887:0004 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): C.D. Orchard : forestry in British Columbia, 1920-1958 (part 4) PERIOD COVERED: 1943-1958 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1961 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Sloan Commission hearings, 1943-45. Orchard becomes Deputy Minister of Forests, 1945. Orchard continues as Chief Forester. Problems of wartime. Sloan's report in 1945 supports sustained yield. Evolution of the Forest Management License concept. E.T. Kenney becomes Minister of Lands and Forests, 1944. Comments on Kenney. Amendments to the Forest Act, 1946 and 1947. Disagreements with J.V. Fisher, Deputy Minister of Finance. Opposition to FMLs. Problems with the license system. Negotiations for early FMLs. TRACK 2: Forest management experiences elsewhere. Orchard's faith in the forest management system. The second Sloan Commission, 1955-56. Forest Service takes returning WW II veterans. Comments on UBC Faculty of Forestry. Ranger school at Green Timbers. Construction of ranger school. Comments on Fred Mulholland. Progress in the forest industry. Integration in the forest industry and reasons for it. Post-war production trends. Defense of forest management policies. Forest Service roads. CALL NUMBER: T1887:0005 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): C.D. Orchard : forestry in British Columbia, 1920-1958 (part 5) PERIOD COVERED: 1912-[no date] RECORDED: [location unknown], 1961 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Forestry work under the Silvicultural Fund. Fund ended in 1956. The second Sloan Commission into forestry, 1955-56. The Socred takeover, 1952. Orchard's opinions of the Socred government. The Sommers case from Orchard's point of view. Summary of the accomplishments of the Forest Service from 1912. (End of interview)