138 Community

Hotel but, for the most part, the streets of Souris are, except when the moon shines bright, in utter darkness. This ought not to be in this age of coal oil, electricity and gas...

For a beginning, Souris bought used iron lamp posts from Charlottetown c. 1887 and William Mellett made tin holders for gas lamps to hang on them. Mellett was an accomplished tinsmith who made teapots, coal scuttles, and many other articles.

In October of 1887, there were four lights in Souris: one at the wharf, one at each end of the bridge and one at the railway track, presumably where it crossed Chapel Avenue.“B

Most of the improvements in the Village at this time were there because of public-minded citizens and organizations who planned activities to raise money to pay for them. But by 1909, Souris was the third largest center on the Island and the community demands could no longer be provided for in this way. The 1899 Act allowed the assessors to raise up to $3,000. by debentures but they could not “enter any contract over $100. without a public meeting.”“9 It was time to incorporate. It was time for the village to become a town with a firm guiding hand and a sense of direction. But not everyone was in favor of this move. It would mean higher taxes.

An organization of benefit to Souris and all of Eastern King’s County was the Souris Board of Trade, formed in 1900. It was an influential organiza- tion which had the backing of other Boards on the Island and in the other Maritime Provinces. It requested lower freight rates on the railway and on the regular packet that travelled between Souris and Pictou. It lobbied for a telephone line to East Point and a whistling buoy at the end of the break- water to warn vessels in foggy weather. The Board was quite capable of changing with changing times. After asking in 1908 that the Island Government make motor traffic on the Island illegal, they requested in 1915 (for the benefit of tourists) that cars be permitted to run between Souris and Charlottetown for the summer months only, on week days or on certain days of the week.

The Souris Board of Trade at this time consisted of J .J . Hughes M.P., President; J .C. Underhay, Vice-president and Archibald Currie, Secretary. Members as follows:

John McLean H.H. Acorn James Lanigan George B. McEachem John D. Lavie Thomas Kickham C.I'I. Stems Charles MacKinnon John Keays

F.E. Morrow J .W. McKie Edwin McFarlane R.F. MacDonald F.S. MacDonald Allan MacDonald William MacDonald Ephraim McKenzie William Mellett James McEachem Thomas Mullally Alex R. MacDonald J .G. Stems Andrew Mooney 00. Carlton Henry Squarebriggs Wm. J. Paquet A.W. Carlton Michael McCormack

This early Souris Board of Trade appears to be the first large organiza- tion united for the commercial benefit of the area. Although its mandate was for all of Eastern King’s, it probably served to show what could be accomplished through a united front. In this way, it smoothed the path towards incorporation.