NORTH WEST MOUNTED

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 21, 25 July 1934, Page 17

NORTH WEST MOUNTED

ORIGIN AND PURPOSE

SIXTY YEARS OF SERVICE

It is sixty years next October that the first detachment of' Canadian North West Mounted Police—a'few years ago changed in name to the: Boyal Canadian Mounted Police—arrived in Alberta to. carry British law and order into the lawless settlements of what then was an unorganised territory, and the event ,has called for the many inter-, esting reminiscences. '■-In' the early seventies ; from the United States had pushed their way across, the border into what now is the province of Alberta, with kegs of whisky as their currency, trading it with the Indians for skins and , pelts and horses. The Indians were demoralised and legitimate traders- all-but ruined. Near the present city of Lethbridge the whisky .traders hact a rendezvous which they called Port Whoopup, where they staged memorable exploits in lawlessness. In 1873 parties from the fort attacked and murdered forty lodges of defenceless Indians. Theso and similar crimes led to the formation of the North West Mounted Police, which had an initial strength of 300 men and now has ; 2500. The first detachments reached Winnipeg in tho spring of 1874 and. the long march westward to Alberta yvaa, undertaken, this being before the railways were built. ■ With headquarters in Northern and Southern Alberta, disorder speedily was put down, tho whisky traders were chased back across the international line, and the tradition of the "Mounties solidly laid in the courage and. perseverance of their originals.

loads, and particularly in mail loads, will permit Imperial Airways to increase the frequency of their services. In its first year (1924-25) Imperial Airways operated over 1,760 miles of Continental Toutes, flying a total of 853,024 miles, and carrying 11.395 passengers, and 26 tons of maiis and freight. During a recent period of twelve months the aircraft of the Company were flying over 14,000 miles of Continental and Empire routes, covering; a total distance of 2,355,834 miles, and carving 59,966 passongers, and 882 tons of mails and freight. Altogether, taking the latest figures available, the Company has carried since its inception more than 300,000 passengers and over 7000 tons of mails and freight; while in regard to the allimportant question of reliability the percentage of flights cancelled has been reduced from 23.25 in 1924 to 1.55 in 1934;