In its early years, New Westminster took pride in its position on the mainland, not only as the capital but also for the services it provided. For those passing through on their way to the goldfields, seeking land on which to homestead, setting up a business or perhaps seeking a job, New Westminster was the place to start.
There were always challenges to its position, and one of these occurred in early 1862 when Mr. Ballou, prominent in the stagecoach and shipping business, according to The Colonist, a Victoria newspaper, said that there was no accommodation for non-resident people in the mainland colony. The New Westminster paper, The British Columbian, took great offence to this and set out to right the perceived wrong.
They said that the Ballou suggestion was "calculated to make the impression that there is no accommodation for travellers in this Colony and warning people against leaving Victoria for at least 12 or 15 days." The British Columbian stated further, "We take the liberty of stating for the information of those who are huddled together in Victoria, like so many herrings in a barrel, that, so far as New Westminster is concerned, this is far from correct."
It's easy to imagine what happened next. Someone from the paper, a reporter or perhaps even the editor, donned their suit jacket, grabbed paper and pencil, and took to the street to interview those Royal City establishments involved in the hostelry trade. They subsequently informed their readers that "we have taken the trouble to ascertain from each hotel and boarding house the exact number they are prepared to accommodate in addition to those already here."
Quite apart from being able to witness, 150 years later, a bit of a squabble between the papers and the concerns of two growing colonial cities, this local survey supplies some very enlightening information. The reported community survey included the following businesses: Hardies, Columbia, Colonial, Cameron's Mansion House, Oro, and the New Westminster Boarding House for a total of 400 spaces available at rates of from $7.50 to $12 per week. Four hundred people could find a place to stay in New Westminster's hotels and boarding houses in 1862!
The article proceeded to offer the opinion that New Westminster hotels were equal to or better than Victoria's, and that "gentlemen, who speak from experience, say it (New Westminster) is superior."
There was little up river in the Fraser Valley at this time in our history with amenities at places like Hope and Yale just getting started. The article from 1862 noted, however, that Port Douglas, at the head of Harrison Lake, "had plenty of provisions and good hotel accommodation."
New Westminster of 150 years ago was trying hard to become a "big city," and their newspaper and businesses were ready and willing to defend their town from any slight to its position.
