Welland History .ca

Historic EVENTS in and around Welland

THE TAX ON THE TRANSFER OF LAND

[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 24 May 1921]

The Tribune and Telegraph has been requested by Mr. Crow, the Registrar of Deeds, to draw the attention of the public to a law passed at the recent session of the Legislature which is of special interest to everybody who deals in real estate, and to the lawyers and conveyancers who draw the deeds of transfer.

The title of the new law is: “The Land Transfer Tax Act,” and it purpose is to provide another source of revenue for the Provincial Treasury by imposing a tax on transfers of land.

The pith of the act is found in the sections quoted below viz:-

2-A tax of one-fifth of one per centum upon the amount of the purchase price shall be paid by the party registering same upon every transfer, conveyance, deed. Instrument, or writing whereby any land, tenements or other realty sold shall be granted, assigned, transferred or otherwise conveyed to or vested in the purchaser or purchasers, or in any other person or persons by his, her or their direction.

3-Such tax shall be collected by the registrar –before he registers such transfer-, and any registrar-shall be entitled to retain to his own use two per centum of the moneys collected by him under Section 2 hereof.

5-The registrar-shall, within the first week of each month, send to the Treasurer of Ontario a statement of the amount collected during the previous month-and shall pay over the amount thereof less the percentage provided for in Section 3 hereof, to the Treasurer of Ontario for the uses of Ontario.

It will be noticed that the tax is not to be computed upon the amount, namely in the transfer as the consideration, which often is only a nominal sum, but on the actual purchase price as sworn to by the purchaser in a special affidavit which Section 6 requires him to make and file with the registrar and that the tax must be paid before the deed is registered.

The Act does not apply to any transfer where an agreement for sale of the land has already been registered.

It comes into force and takes effect on the first day of June next, which leaves but little time in which to become familiar with its provisions. Registrar Crow is sending complete copies of the Act to the lawyers and conveyancers throughout the county.

Hon. Peter Smith, the Provincial Treasurer, is the author of the measure, and it will be interesting to follow it in its operation and to observe how much it augments his strong box.

Registrar Crow says that last year the number of transfers registered in this county was 3465. Averaging the consideration in these at say $1000 each, the tax (which is one-fifth of one per cent, or $2.00 per thousand) would be $2.00 on each deed, or on the whole 3465 instruments $6,930.00. Multiply this by 67, the number of registry divisions in the Province, we get the tidy sum of $464,310.00 no small addition to the provincial revenue.

BANK OF TORONTO TO HAVE A MODEL HOME

W.J. Hickey Has Contract for Changes in O’Neal Block

[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 14 June 1921]

Work was commenced on Thursday on what is to be one of the nicest places of business on the Main streets of Welland. The block formerly occupied by J.S. O’Neil as a grocery store and which was recently purchased by the Bank of Toronto, is to be converted into a modern and up-to-date bank building.

W.J. Hickey, general contractor, has been awarded the contract, and now has a gang of men working on the building.

The front of the building is to be one of the finest. It is to be a complete cut stone design with carved columns from the ground to the top of the building.

The entrance will be on the west side of the building, while two large windows will occupy the front of the bank. The entrance will lead into a vestibule, which in turn leads into the bank and to the floors upstairs.

The building will be ready for occupancy in the early autumn.

A.E. Nicholson, O.A.A., of St. Catharines was the designer of the plans, and they are truly a work of art. Mr. Nicholson will be remembered for his work in this city previously. He designed the First Street School, the Queen Street School and the new Empire School in the east end.

GOLF COURSE WILL HAVE 18 HOLES

[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 24 May 1921]

The success which has attended the Lookout Point Country Club in its aim to establish a country club and golf course on Pelham Heights has been so encouraging that last week the club decided to alter its plans. Now instead of a nine-hole course it will be eighteen. This decision will increase the capital outlay to nearly one hundred thousand dollars and it is the intention to increase the present membership of one hundred and fifty to three hundred.

The highest authorities have pronounced the projected golf course upon which work is now going forward, as one which for its landscape beauty, its contour and its soil as one having no superior and it is the expectation that Lookout Point will be the mecca of the golfers of the continent.

DENTISTS ARE PROGRESSIVE

“Prevention” Was Slogan of Big Convention

[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 17 May 1921]

By far the most important gathering of professional men ever held in Canada concluded its sessions recently in Toronto. This was the 54th Annual Convention of the Ontario Dental Association called into being to project intensified study in prevention of dental disease and the alleviation of suffering due to neglect of the teeth. A particular effort was made this year to get together all the most active men in the profession residing in Ontario; and that this effort was successful can be gathered from the fact that some half a thousand practising dentists left their homes and travelled many miles to get the latest curative message.

PREVENTION THE REAL NEED

“Prevention” was the real slogan of the whole convention. There were present some very fine exhibits of mechanical and other devices aiming to prevent dental disease; and the convention itself was fairly saturated with the one idea of relieving pain by anticipating and hindering disease. Some very fine lessons in prevention were taught by Professor Wallace Secombe in his lantern slide lecture on this subject; and the progressive clinic on preventative Dentistry was particularly fine. The importance of diet is particular received a great deal of attention.

The Convention put itself on record as being out and out for modern preventive measures with their saving of human suffering. The splendid work of Dr. F.J. Conboy in inaugurating a provincial school dental service was highly commended by prominent members of the profession; and in order that his valuable services be not lost to the province, the dentists decided to set aside $1000 to supplement the $4000 salary offered to Dr. Conboy to act as Director of Dental Services for the Province of Ontario.

TO RELIEVE SUFFERING

All branches of dental science were thoroughly reviewed. Not only was prevention strongly stressed, but the best restorative methods were explained and demonstrated by experts, the progressive clinics enabling the attending dentists to get a real knowledge of the best practice in the shortest possible time. The importance of the X-Ray in diagnosis was clearly pointed out; and the way to correctly interpret X-Ray photographs, shown in the minutest detail. The Hamilton Clinic Club put on a very fine clinic dealing with artificial dentures; and the correct and incorrect methods of reparative dentistry were clearly differentiated.

The Anaesthesia Clinic aimed to take the pain out of all dental operations in the future. Dr. James Cotton told of a special ether administration by means of which many major operations had been performed with the patient fully conscious but suffering no pain whatever. The application of these new methods to dental operations was made quite plain.

Dr. F.P. Moore of Hamilton, was elected president for the ensuing year, and Dr. R.J. Sprott of Barrie, vice-president with Dr. J. Fleming of Prescott moving up as honorary president. Drs. J.A. Bothwell and C.A. Kennedy of Toronto were re-elected secretary-treasurer and archivist respectively. Drs. W.L. Chalmers, C.E. Brookes, F.J. Conboy, E.L. Gausby, O.G. Plaxton, and M.W. Rutherford were re-elected Governors of the Association.

FIRE DEPT. THERE WITH THE SPEED

Quick Response to Call from Ice Cream Factory

[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 17 May 1921]

The Welland Fire Department lost no time in getting to the scene of action. Last Saturday evening about half-past seven a motor burned out at Kabelin’s Ice Cream Factory, on Patterson Ave.

The siren sounded a quarter to seven and blew steadily for a few minutes and the trucks would have been at the fire if it hadn’t been for a train crossing on the Grand Trunk which held them up for a few minutes. When they arrived the chemicals soon extinguished the blaze and all there was to be seen was the smoke from the smoulderings.

Mr. Kabelin arrived on the scene a short time after the fire and found that there wasn’t a great deal of damage done.

FALLS BRIDGES MAY BE CLOSED ON SUNDAYS

U.S. Court Denies Injunction Asked by Falls Bridge Companies Against Order Issued by Customs Collector.

[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 26 April 1921]

The United States Circuit Court of Appeals at New York City has handed down a decision affirming the order of United States Judge John R. Hazel of Buffalo, which denied the motion of the International Railway Company, owner of the upper steel arch bridge and the Queenston Lewiston suspension bridge and the similar motion of the Niagara Falls International Bridge Company, owner of the lower steel arch bridge for an injunction restraining Customs Collector Geo. C. Davidson, of Buffalo, and his agents here from closing the international bridges Sundays and holidays. The litigation followed Collector Davidson’s threat to withdraw Customs inspectors from service on the bridges Sundays and holidays unless the bridge owners would pay the inspectors for such overtime work. The bridge companies contended that payment of the inspectors for this work was up to the United States Treasury Department and that any claim which might be against the bridge companies in the matter must lie in an action by the Treasury against the bridge companies for reimbursement.

The order of Collector Davidson for closing the bridges, which was issued but suspended during the litigation of the case, provided that all trolley, automobile or other vehicle traffic, as well as foot traffic across the bridges on Sunday and holidays should be permitted to continue only on the regulation that all automobiles and other vehicles hand baggage and other dutiable things in possession of those crossing the bridges be left at the United States Customs Office in this city until the day following such Sunday or holiday for inspection. This in effect would be a virtual closing of the bridges to the bulk of their customary traffic.

DONATED MILK FINDS ITS WAY TO CENTRAL SCHOOL

[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 5 May 1921]

A representative of the Tribune and Telegraph had the pleasure to witness the innovation of the scheme for the distribution of the eight hundred gallons of milk, which is being donated to the children by the Welland District Producers Association, at the central School on Tuesday afternoon.

SOMERVILLE & DILWORTH

[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 24 March 1921]

Somerville & Dilworth, contractors, have commenced the construction of a two storey brick store for George Jarvis. The store will be located on the north side of east Main street, between Patterson and Myrtle Avenues, and will be occupied when completer by Mr. Jarvis.

TROLLEY SERVICE ON WEST SIDE NEXT WEDNESDAY

Cars Will Not Cross Canal Bridge-Passengers Will Take Transfers

[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 5 May 1921]

“The street car service on the west side of the canal will be inaugurated on Wednesday of next week,” so stated Alex. Griffiths, one of the prominent shareholders of the Niagara, Welland and Lake Erie Railway Company, to the Tribune-Telegraph yesterday.

“The contractors tell us,” continued Mr. Griffiths, “the tracks will be completed to the bridge next Tuesday. The cars are ready, and the motors which were found to be defective have been replaced.”

The car service on the west side has been long deferred, and not a few have given up all hope of ever seeing it in being.

At the council meeting on Tuesday night Mayor Diffin brought in a report that indicated he was entirely without hope.

Ald. Scott in view of the general symptoms was somewhat more hopeful and the proposal to apply to the Railway Commission for an order to compel the Company to inaugurate the service was laid over to await developments.

In view of the statement of Mr. Griffiths, immediate action seems likely.

It will be of interest to patrons of the trolley to learn that cars are not going to run over the canal bridge. North ward cars will stop at the bridge shanty. The bridge is thought to be too narrow and traffic too congested to permit of operation of cars on it.

PAVEMENT FOR N. MAIN

[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 5 May 1921]

A motion was passed at the meeting of the City Council on Tuesday instructing the City Engineer to get estimates on the cost of paving North Main Street from West Main Street to Mill.

Alderman Scott stated that it was an injustice to patch up the road as the city had been doing in the past. The majority of the citizens in the city would get the benefit from the road. Concrete was the only system.

“Welland has fallen behind in permanent paving,” continued Alderman Scott, “and the residents of this part of North Main Street are very much in favor of paving the section of the road.”

He favored putting down a concrete pavement and indicated that he would take action to have future pavements put down on the 100 per cent basis.

Solicitor Gross explained that to do this a vote of the people would be necessary.