Lakeshore Hotel, The Sandbanks, Aug. 3, 1945

As a Canadian citizen, I am reporting to you an incident which, I am told, occurred in Picton on Monday, July 30th, and which has caused a great deal of indignation here.

Two young American girls, whose families were staying at Lakeshore Hotel, were much upset by having your police officer whistle at them, and then tell them in an insulting way, that they looked awful, and had no right to be on the streets, and that they had better go home and get some clothes on. (I am repeating, as nearly as possible what the girls told me.)

The girls were fourteen and fifteen, wholesome-looking, well behaved youngsters, very suitably dressed for any sort of warm weather holiday expedition. Needless to say their families were angry, and so were the Canadians who heard about the affair.

Has Picton any by-law which covers this situation, and forbids the wearing of shorts? Would public opinion endorse the action of your officer, or is this his own personal idea of the way to make Picton popular with our American neighbors, or Canadian summer visitors?

Yours sincerely.
B. Delahaye

1945: Value of Town Band Stressed

S. G. Lockyer and Archie Minaker addressed council regarding Picton band. They termed the band a war casualty; we are hoping to have a band again when the boys come home from the services, Mr. Lockyer said. He referred to some towns giving substantial annual grants of $1,000 or more to their bands, sufficient to purchase instruments and music. In Picton, the matter of ownership of instruments is a little complex since we were also a regimental band, and some instruments were purchased from funds allied with the regimental designations. But several of the instruments were privately owned. Mr. Lockyer suggested that training of future bandsmen in the schools is a good answer to the creation of a good band.