The Morning Sun

In 1917, Colonel J.W.Stewart left the running of the Morning Sun newspaper to his accountant, Robert Cromie, while Stewart went overseas to become a general. Cromie emerged as the owner of the paper - how is the basis of many legends but has never been proven - and began to make his mark on Vancouver.
Veteran Province editor, D.A. McGregor noted that Cromie "was never afraid to make mistakes".

It only took a few years for Sidney Walker, the historian of North American newspapers, to call Cromie "the last of the great individual publishers." Cromie was eccentric, bold, ruthless, resourceful and was determined to identify the Sun with Vancouver and Vancouver with the Sun. This was a success in many ways especially after Nichols disposed of the Province to the Southam newspaper chain in 1923, making the older newspaper subject to reproach for being foreign controlled. A year later, the Sun absorbed the World and issued morning and evening editions.

It wasn't long though before the evening edition of the Sun was challenged by the Evening Star. This new paper was managed by General Victor W. Odlum.

In 1926. a deal was made. The Star shifted to morning circulation and took over the Morning Sun's circulation. The Evening Sun absorbed the Evening Star's circulation and became known as the Sun. The Star continued on until publication was suspended and the staff replaced the paper with the Herald. It later became the News-Herald and soon went out of business - one of the few failures of the Roy Thompson chain - and made a negligible factor in the city although it was a good training ground for beginning in newspapermen.

After Cromie's death, the Sun maintained his policies in a less stringent form and surpassed the Province in circulation during the strike of the International Typographical Union against the Southam chain in the late 40's. It maintained it's superiority until 1957 when, along with the negotiated demise of the News-Herald, the two papers joined forces in the Pacific Press, the Province taking over the deserted morning field and the Sun continuing as the only evening paper. 

But that was in the future. A future which was a long ways off from Robert Cromie in the 1920's when he was establishing his paper. He would continually hammer and provincial and federal governments to facilitate the grain trade of the port by cutting the mountain freight differential  and improving Port facilities and to "open up" the Peace River Block by extending the PGE - the Pacific Great Eastern Railway.

Locally, he was all for the large projects such as a bridge over the First Narrows, a civic centre and auditorium, a civic airport and construction of the University of BC in Point Grey. The Province was less vociferous than the Sun and, to be realistic, the Province was less concerned in seeking advantages for the city. This measured deliberation of tone probably carried greater weight both locally and abroad.

In any case, the period between the two World Wars was a time of vigorous press and diverse editorial personalities such as Jim Butterfield, Francis Bursill (Felix Penne), Bob Bouchette, Lukin Johnston and cartoonist J.B. Fitzmaurice entertained the city's population.

Thanks to Alan Morley and his book, Vancouver, From Milltown to Metropolis for the above information.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Karen Magill

A Collusion

During the 40's and the 50's there were three major daily newspapers in Vancouver: the Province, the Sun and the Herald. The Province had the most circulation with the Sun following and the Herald lagging behind the other two. All three were slashing ad rates and pushing the editorials to stay ahead of the others.

Southam Press from Toronto owned the Province and one day in 1956, Robert's son, Don Cromie of the Sun, arranged to go on a fishing trip with the general manager. Somewhere in Howe Sound, the two made a deal. The two larger papers would unite and buy out the Herald. The partnership was now known as the Pacific Press. 

Both papers were produced at the Sun's facilities. If an advertiser wanted to by an ad in one paper, they had to pay for a corresponding ad in the other paper. Ad prices were raised dramatically. The two papers quietly consolidated operations even though they were being investigated.

Not everyone was happy with this partnership, especially Canada’s Restrictive Trade Practices Commission, known as the anti-combines commission, began an investigation. The two papers had created a monopoly and the commission found the 'merger' was illegal.

Cromie and the Southam representative argued it was necessary for the two publications to unite in order for them to stay in business. They said it was financially necessary and didn't use the legally binding word 'merger', the businessmen danced around it. In their words, both papers would have folded if the two hadn't joined forces. Somewhere along the line, the demise of the Herald due to the uniting of the Province and the Sun was conveniently forgotten.

The anti-combines commission saw things a different way: “Pacific Press Limited is a combine in that it is a merger, trust or monopoly,” reads a statement of evidence presented to both companies. The document adds this competition-stifling monopoly “is likely to operate to the detriment of the public.”

This decision wasn't reached until 1960 though and by then it was too late to separate the mutual assets of the two papers. And the argument Cromie and his partner had made about combining the papers for financial necessity was now true.

The commission accepted the amalgamation and recommended that no further combination or collusion be pursued. That recommendation was forgotten when Southam purchased the Sun in 1980.

I would like to thank The Dependent.ca for the above information.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Using the Sun

The Vancouver Sun newspaper got its start on February 12, 1912 and the debut articles were somewhat amusing though I wonder about the veracity. Japanese fisherman were accused of poisoning sea creatures with "slime and blood". Another headline read: “Hindu captures half-breed thief”, with a subheading: “Turkey tempts Native Son who falls to attraction of succulent roast.”

Reminds me of the tabloid magazines we see at the supermarket checkout today. But then again, perhaps reporting the news wasn't the main objective of the Sun. Originally, the paper started out as a mouthpiece for the Liberal party. Newspapers were started by political parties to promote their candidates and platforms.

The Sun Tower, formerly the World Building, in the 1930s. I got this photo from The Dependent.ca and they got it from the Vancouver Public Library.

And here are two photos of the Sun Tower taken in 2010. They appear in a previous blog entry, Here's the Sun and Other Oddities.

The Sun wasn't around long before it was involved with a railway scandal. The Pacific Great Eastern Line went south and $25 million in government bail outs disappeared. One player in the railway game, Scottish contractor Colonel Jack Stewart bought the paper from its Liberal owners. His plan was to use the paper to  shape public opinion in his favour. Meanwhile, he was also picking the public's pockets. For good measure, Stewart paid off the Conservative Party, the Province newspaper and the North Shore Press.

Then, Stewart made a retreat to Europe. He thought his investment would be safe because he left it in the hands of an assistant, Robert Cromie. Cromie had been a bellhop at a Winnipeg hotel before Stewart hired him. But when Stewart returned to Vancouver, Cromie didn't want to give the paper back so he didn't.

Some stories say Cromie found company stock in a trashcan and other state the paper was given to him in lieu of wages. Whatever the true story is, with little newspaper knowledge and no previous experience, Cromie built a media empire. 

Colonel Stewart on the other hand faced a $6.9 million lawsuit from the province. It was reduced to $1.1 million.

Cromie was eccentric and loved to travel. He was also a little naive, I feel. In 1933, he travelled to Joseph Stalin's Russia where roughly six million people were starving due to forced collectivism. When he returned to Vancouver, he told his staff:

“I ask you to please don’t worry any more about Russia. If Stalin and his group were such monsters, why did not the people turn on them? Why would they stand for it?” I guess he was unaware of the intimidation tactics used or how difficult it is to revolt when a person is concerned about how they are going to get enough to eat.

Front page of the Vancouver Sun read, "Russia makes the Grade!"

“Mr. Cromie told of his visits to Moscow and Leningrad, his inspections of factories and public institutions, his visits to race courses and soccer fields and his interviews with people in various walks of life,” reads page one Aug. 14. “He came away impressed by the sincerity of the Russian experiment.”

Friday, I will tell you more about the Sun's not so illustrious years. I want to thank The Dependent.ca for the information.

I hope you find the beauty around you.