A Great Public Servant

POLICEMEN THROUGHOUT Brit-
ish Columbia heard with a deep sense of
personal loss of the death on March 28th
of the Honourable R. L. Maitland, K.C.,

Attorney-General of the Province of
British Columbia.
Mr. Maitland, who was 57, died in

Vancouver after a brief illness and his
passing is a distinct loss to the public
life of British Columbia.

3orn in Ingersoll, Ontario, he came
to British Columbia with his parents
when he was a year old and spent his
boyhood in Nanaimo and Vancouver.
Styled “Pat” by his school chums, he
carried the nickname throughout his life.

As a young man he took up the study
of law, and in July, 1913, he was called
to the British Columbia bar. He won
his spurs in criminal defence work and
had a distinguished career as a barrister.
He entered the political field in the pro-
vincial elections of 1924 and represented
his constituency for 22 years. At his
death he had been Conservative party
leader in British Columbia for eight
years and Attorney-General in the Coali-
tion government since 1941.

Noted as a witty and entertaining
speaker, Mr. Maitland was one of the
province’s best-known orators.

In his early boyhood he developed a
fondness for sailing and lacrosse. His
love for lacrosse as a youth led him back
to the game during his active campaign-
ing years. He was one of the first men
to introduce box lacrosse in Vancouver,
and he drew up the Inter-City Lacrosse
League constitution. He was a member
of the Lacrosse Commission from 1934
and ‘he served four years—from 1935 to
1939—as its chairman.

Lacrosse’s Maitland Trophy was an-
other of his contributions to the game.

His two sons, William and Robert,
served in the forces during the war. The
death of the former, who had won the
D.F.M. with the R.C.A.F. overseas, was
a hard blow to his father. Bob Maitland,
who served as a lieutenant in the Royal
Canadian Navy, is now with his father’s
old law firm in Vancouver.

The blunt-spoken ‘man with a smile”
throughout his career had been an oral
bulwark of Empire, and a man constantly
envisioning a greater British Columbia.
Often he had moved between this coast
and Ottawa to confer on political mat-
ters or carry a case before the Supreme
Court of Canada. Wherever he went
“Pat” Maitland’s opinion and_ ability
were respected. He had the privilege on

one occasion of appearing before the
Privy Council in London.

Tributes from every walk of life mark
the passing of the late Attorney-General,
and Premier John Hart, who was deeply
affected by the news of his colleague's
death, spoke in the Legislative Assembly
of the great loss the House had sustained,
before he adjourned the session.

Mr. Harold Winch, Leader of the Op-
position, said, “The sudden passing of
the Honourable R. L. Maitland comes as
a distinct shock to members of the Legis-
lature and the people of the province.
Everyone, irrespective of political affilia-
tions, recognizes the late Mr. Maitland’s
many years of public service as a private
member, as leader of the opposition,
and as a cabinet minister. . . In his
passing the Legislature loses a keen de-
bater and the province an efficient public
servant. The C.C.F. members extend to
Mrs. Maitland and the members of her
family their sincere sympathy.”

Said the Hon. Herbert Anscomb,
Minister of Public Works:

“Mr. Maitland’s record in the public
life of British Columbia has been out-

standing indeed. His services as At-
torney-General were marked in many
ways and will long be remembered.

Whatever the problem facing him, he
dealt with it with one thought in mind—
the good of all the people. He never
hesitated to do good for those less
fortunate.

“I deeply deplore his passing and ex-
tend, as countless thousands will do, very
deep sympathy to Mrs. Maitland and the
family.”

Mr. Justice Coady of the Supreme
Court said:

“The Attorney-General was an out-
standing member of the bar, a former
president of the Canadian Bar Associa-
tion and one who has been held in high
esteem by citizens in general and par-
ticularly by those who knew him best.
His death is a great blow to the bar of
this province and the bar of Canada.”

From the editorial columns of a Van-
couver paper comes the following mark
ot respect:

“Vancouver which knew him as a boy
and man and British Columbia which
knew him as a hard-hitting politician and
a capable administrator, are both sad-
dened by the death of Hon. R. L. Mait-
land. The end came after a courageous
battle against ill health which ran over
several years—years filled with constant
toil in one of the government's most
onerous posts.

“Mr. Maitland was one of the mo
popular as well as one of the harde.
working members of the Coalition 0)
ernment. As Attorney-General he was ;
charge of the enforcement of the law ;
British Columbia and the minister ;
charge of the Provincial Police. They
was nothing of the grim, law-enfore
ment officer about him, however. He wa
friendly and co-operative and his smil
was infectious.

“In his younger days, he had hee
one of the most desired after-dinne
speakers in the province, always ready
always gaily humorous. On the husting:
through many a hard-fought campaig:
he bore his party standard boldly an
effectively. None could strike mor
vigorously or parry more shrewdly tha
he. And to political friend and foe alik
he was ‘Pat’. Personal foes he had none.

Not the least of the tributes to M:
Maitland’s sterling qualities as an ad
munistrator and law enforcement chiei
came from Commissioner T. W. S
Parsons of the B. C. Police. Said Com
missioner Parsons:

“The force has lost a very great
friend in the passing of Mr. Mait-
land. His ready and quick recogni-
tion of the problems confronting the
police from time to time was always
a source of great encouragement to
those of us who serve in this branch
of British Columbia's public service.
Fle was the inspiration of many of
the more modern features introduced
into the police service in the last
few years. He had a keen apprecia-
tion of the value of police training
and his interest in this respect ts
evidenced by the recent extension of
our training programme. All matters
that touched upon the police officers’
individual welfare found warm sup-
port in Mr. Maitland, and in all his
dealings he was invariably the most
understanding and considerate of

men. This force, in fact all police
forces, were constantly in his mind
and whenever it lay within his power
to advance the common interest, no
body of public servants had a more
loyal or consistent supporter. Ie
shall not soon forget Royal Lething-
fon Maitland—Attorney-General of
British Columbia.”