The Month That Was January 1932

All articles originally appeared in the Oshawa Daily Times – Browse issues here: https://news.ourontario.ca/oshawa/3517730/issues/1932

2 Jan 1932, p. 3
Many Attend Firemen’s Ball
Over one thousand people attended the annual New Year’s Eve ball given by the Firemen of the Oshawa Fire Department. Oshawa people composed a greater part of the huge crowd of guests, but others came from Toronto, Whitby, Pickering and Dunbarton to attend this annual ball. The firemen showed excellent taste in their choice of decorations, and the armouries has never appeared to be better advantage in its festive appearance created by streamers of red and blue forming a roof over the dance floor, while brilliant ribbons like tongues of flame fell from every chandelier…

Oshawa Daily Times, 4 Jan 1932, p. 3

5 Jan 1932, p. 3
Completely Spoiled
There was one ballot cast for the mayoralty in the College Hill subdivision yesterday which was completely spoiled. The voter who put this ballot in the box apparently had a dislike for both of the candidates, for he wrote across the face of the ballot, in large letters, the single word, “Boloney.”

5 Jan 1932, p. 8
Heavy Snowfall
Belleville. – Nine inches of snow fell here on New Year’s Day over a period of six hours. Automobile traffic was slow, but no damage to power or telephone services was reported. Gangs of unemployed workers were put to work cleaning the streets.

Oshawa Daily Times, 5 Jan 1932, p. 3

6 Jan 1932, p. 5
Successful Year Public Library
Seven Books Per Capita Issues During 1931
The year 1931 proved to be a very successful one for the Oshawa Public Library. The total of 170,334 books used was the greatest in the history of the library. This was approximately 7 books per capita. In 1930, 147,943 books were circulated, thus 1931 showed an increase of 22,391 books over the previous year.

The most popular reading matter was of course, fiction with 108,322 books borrowed in the adult department and 24,370 in the Boys’ and Girls’ Library…

New readers for the year numbered 1899 as compared with 1,716 in 1930.

A total of 2,594 new books were added to the library…

7 Jan 1932, p. 1
Bomb is found on C.N.R track by Toronto man
Toronto – A bomb, described by police officers as lightly explosive, was found late yesterday between two sets of C.N.R tracks where they run under the Prince Edward viaduct. Loaded with chunks of metal, screws, nails, and what was thought to be TNT powder, a nine and a half-inch length of pipe, two inches in diameter, with a screw cap over one end and fitted with a detonator was picked up by an unemployed man, who was taking a short cut home…

Oshawa Daily Times, 8 Jan 1932, p. 8

8 Jan 1932, p. 3
Ukrainians of Oshawa Observed Christmas Festival Yesterday
Yesterday the Ukrainians of Oshawa were observing their Christmas festival. In scores of little homes, nestling down in the Ukrainian section of the city, Christmas Trees, with colorful decorations, were erected on Wednesday as Christmas Eve brought joy and happiness. The candles were lit, and with prayerful ceremony, the natal day of the Christ-child to them, was ushered in…

The Times was privileged to attend the Christmas festival in one of these homes. It was a typical Christmas feast, in a typical Ukrainian home, with the grave host presiding over the festivities and the smiling faced hostess assiduous in taking care of the wants of her Canadian guests. An Ukrainian prayer, sung by the Ukrainians present, was the prelude to a generous repast, with typical Ukrainian Christmas dishes as the outstanding features of the menu. There was the traditional boiled what and honey, beet soup, made without any assistance of meat, stuffed dumplings, fish, Ukrainian Christmas cake, and a great array of other delicacies common to the people of old Ukraine…

Oshawa Daily Times, 9 Jan 1932, p. 4

12 Jan 1932, p. 1
Williams Piano Company Makes an Assignment
Toronto, Jan 12. – The Williams Piano Co., Ltd., of Oshawa made an authorized assignment in bankruptcy before OE Lennox, official receiver at Osgoode Hall today. FM Moffatt was appointed custodian. Total liabilities were estimated at $321,854. Assets listed include stock in trade valued at $275,000 against which is a bond mortgage of $35,000, which is a charge upon real estate and a floating charge upon all assets. Machinery is valued at $62,000; book debts amount to $90,900, of which 80 per cent are deemed collectable.

Oshawa Daily Times, 11 Jan 1932, p. 4

13 Jan 1932, p. 1
Meeting in Hall Without Permit
Unemployed Gatherings in Council Chamber to Stop for Present

The unemployed of the city have recently formed the habit of meeting during the afternoons in the City Council Chamber, for the discussion of the problems with which they are faced.

A large meeting was held yesterday afternoon for this purpose when the principal speaker was, as usual, Eddie McDonald, under whose leadership the unemployed are, apparently, demanding a re-adjustment of the administration of city relief works so that their earnings may be increased.

In future, however, according to instructions issues by the City Property Committee, permission must be obtained through the usual channels before any meeting can be held in the Council Chamber, and it appears as though the unemployed of the city, pending the granting of such permission, must meet elsewhere.

Oshawa Daily Times, 15 Jan 1932, p. 1

16 Jan 1932, p. 7
Boy Scouts Activities
Third Oshawa
Eight of the Third Oshawa Guides passed their posture test taken by Miss Hazelwood at the last meeting.

Thirteen Guides attended the lecture in St. John’s Ambulance work at the Collegiate Institute yesterday.

Every Guide in the Company will be glad to learn that she passed the test in Guide Laws last Wednesday.

Sixth Oshawa
Another Girl Guide company has been started among the Ukrainian girls at their request, and there were 25 out for the first meeting.

20 Jan 1932, p. 3
Stolen Cars Recovered
The automobile which was reported stolen from the Moffatt Motor Sales on Monday night was recovered by Toronto Police yesterday abandoned and will be brought back to the city. Another car stolen in Toronto was recovered some three miles north of the city last night and the owners informed. The thieves evidently wanted spare parts as the block was removed from the car.

Oshawa Daily Times, 23 Jan 1932, p. 6

22 Jan 1932, p. 1
Illicit Still Found in East Whitby
An intensive search carried on yesterday afternoon at the farm of William Forshaw, East Whitby Township, by Edward Floody, Chief Prevention Officer, Dominion Department of Excise, Toronto, resulted in the finding of a still on the premises which it was alleged, Forshaw was using for the manufacture of liquor.

The accused appeared in police court this morning before Magistrate Creighton and was admitted to $600 bail supplied by himself and George Frise for his appearance in court on Thursday, January 28. He did not plead…

23 Jan 1932, p. 3
City and District News
Local Boy Stars
Bill Engel, a former student at the Oshawa Collegiate and Vocational Institute who is now attending University College in Toronto is making quite a name for himself as a track star. In an inter faculty track meet held on Thursday at Hart House Bill scored a notable win in the 50-yard dash over such shining lights in the track work as Johnny Fitzpatrick and Ralph Adams. His time for the distance was 5 2-5 seconds, which tied the Hart House and Canadian records.

28 Jan 1932, p. 1
Automobile Production for 1931 Showed Very Substantial Decline
Production of automobiles in Canada during 1931 at 82,614 cars was 46% under the 153,372 cars of the previous year, according to a report of the Dominion Bureau of Statistics. The record output for the industry was established in 1929 when 262,625 cars were produced. Statists on the Canadian motor car industry which are available since 1917, show that for the fifteen-year period the production was lower than in 1930 only on two occasions, viz., in 1918 output was reported at 82,408 cars and in 1922 at 66,246 cars…

At the close of 1930 a total of 11 firms were engaged in manufacturing or assembling motor cars in Canada but during 1931 a number of new –plants were opened up unto a total of 18 firms reported to the Bureau in December, 1931.

Oshawa Daily Times, 28 Jan 1932, p. 5

30 Jan 1932, p. 1
Proposal Made to Creditors by Williams Co.
If accepted, continuance in production will be possible.

Following the recent announcement regarding the affairs of the Williams Piano Co. Ltd., and the temporary closing of the plant, a more optimistic announcement was made this morning by David B. Carlyle, secretary of the company, when speaking to The Times.

“A proposal has now been made to the creditors of the company which means the raising of new capital and continuance in active production if it is accepted,” said Mr. Carlyle who intimated that the company’s hopes in this direction appeared to be justified…

As far as the manufacture of radios is concerned the prospect for still greater activities in the plant of the Williams Piano Co. also appears bright, with sufficient business actually in sight to keep the local plant active for a long time to come.

The Host Files: Taste and Scent of Community: The Oshawa Bakery and other Eastern European Groceries

By Mia Vujcic, Visitor Host

When we are asked to share something about our heritage or ethnic background, food is often the first thing that springs to mind. In a number of previous blog posts, I explored different aspects of the research behind Leaving Home Finding Home in Oshawa: Displaced Persons and Stories of Immigration (open now in Robinson House!). As the title hints at, this exhibit features some of the communities and institutions which made up the flourishing multicultural landscape in post-World War II Oshawa. Although they were far from family and the once familiar rhythms of their daily lives, newcomers to the city at this time would have had several options to shop for culturally specific delicacies and ingredients.  

One such location was the well-loved and remembered Oshawa Bakery. The Oshawa Bakery was founded in 1920 by Fred and Mary Shelenkoff. The Shelenkoffs (who in one newspaper article are described as Russian immigrants) arrived from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv to Montreal after World War I. Soon afterwards, the family moved to Oshawa where they opened the Oshawa Bakery on the corner of Stacey Ave. and Court St. There they had the space to keep a stable, for their delivery horses, and sheds full of other farm animals. Their five children each helped out in the bakery from a very young age, taking on more responsibility as they grew up. The business grew as steadily as the city did around them, necessitating a move to Olive Ave. 

The Oshawa Bakery; Oshawa Times, 27 January 1982

By 1930, at least another two local businesses in the city specialized in Ukrainian groceries. These co-operative grocery stores were located at 212 Bloor St. E and 598 Albert St. – close to the Ukrainian Orthodox and Ukrainian Catholic churches respectively. During the period of the Great Depression, community-based resources such as these businesses would have been invaluable. Many recent immigrants in the city at this time had been laid off but did not wish to apply for welfare, as they were not naturalized and feared deportation. In order to get by, Oshawa’s Ukrainians (and many others) took on odd jobs, and a number of families grew their own fruits and vegetables. Additionally, the existence of these co-operatives hints at and can be better explained by the deep labour history in the city. 

Ukrainian Co-op Grocery, managed by Fred Yakimchuk, highlighted; 1930 Oshawa City Directory

Despite facing hard times during the Great Depression and shutting down for a time, the Oshawa Bakery also introduced two initiatives to help individuals in need. Due to their store’s proximity to the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks, impoverished travellers, or “hobos” as Shelenkoff daughter Leta remembered calling them as a child, would often stop in. They never turned one away, always giving them some fresh bread. The bakery also arranged to sell bread for six cents (below the cost of production at that time) for two hours each day at six other stores in areas of the city heavily affected by poverty. 

Until the 1970s, the Oshawa Bakery had door-to-door delivery, for which they reserved eight wagons. Leta recalls that she and her sister “would get out [their] little red wagon on Easter Sunday and deliver hot cross buns” to each house. The business progressively expanded, employing 35 full-time and part-time bakers and office staff in the year 1980. Throughout the decades, the bakery was kept in the family. It closed in the year 1990 when two of the Shelenkoff children, Vera and Lida, were too old to be involved any longer. 

Inside the Oshawa Bakery; Oshawa Times, 18 October 1980

A lot of nostalgia is centred around a community hub and neighbourhood landmark like this one – where generations of families worked, visited, and gathered for over half a century. As Leta remembers, “Children were always specially treated, and often sent home with a gift of a roll or sweet bun.” The bakery’s permanent location at Olive Ave. was just across from St. Hedwig’s Polish Catholic Church. The bakery became especially busy after Sunday Mass, as Helen Bajorek-Macdonald recalls from her childhood memories. The bakery would be “jam-crushed with bodies waiting their turn at the counter” in order to buy “bread in the Russian language, Ukrainian, English, or Polish.” 

Oshawa Bakery Ad; Oshawa Times, 30 October 1980, page 17

Today, of course, there are even more numerous options for getting a taste of cultural cuisines in Oshawa. These include multiple other ethnic-inspired bakeries and delis and others which are centered at the city’s multicultural halls – which of course make up the well-loved annual Fiesta Week festival organized by the Oshawa Folk Arts Council. Some of the regular Eastern European originating pavilions include: Lviv (connected to Lviv Hall, next to St. George the Great Martyr Ukrainian Catholic Church on Lviv Blvd.), Odesa (connected to the hall at St John’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church on Bloor St.), Krakow (connected to the hall at General W. Sikorski Polish Veterans’ Association at Stevenson Rd. N.), and Poznan (connected to the Polish Alliance Canada Branch 21 on Olive Ave.). 

During times of celebration, just as in periods of hardship, preparing, consuming, and sharing traditional foods from one’s heritage is a source of comfort. As Ukrainians are again faced with war and displacement, we are reminded of the continued plight and resilience of refugees around the world. 

The Holodomor

By Jennifer Weymark, Archivist

On Monday, July 17^th the Oshawa Museum will be hosting the Holodomor National Awareness Tour mobile classroom exhibit.  The state-of-the-art mobile classroom will be stopped in Lakeview Park to allow members of the community to learn more about this dark time in world history.

What is the Holodomor?  The word Holodomor refers to the genocide of Ukrainian citizens by forced starvation between 1932 and 1933. During this period, Ukrainian villages were forced to provide mass quantities of grain to the Soviet State.  The quotas were set so high that there was nothing left for those who lived in the villages.  When villages were no longer to meet the quotas, they were fined.  The fines took the form of confiscating meat and potatoes, leaving the villagers with nothing for themselves.  These policies resulted in the death of millions of Ukrainians as they were not   permitted to leave the country and were forced to remain to starve to death. It has been referred to as a “man-made famine” and is considered a response by Stalin to a growing democratic movement amongst Ukrainians.

It has been difficult to determine just how many Ukrainians died in the period between 1932 and 1933; however, estimates have placed the number at 3.3 million. Some scholars feel that number is low.

When the Holodomor National Awareness Tour stopped in Ottawa in November 2016, the Honourable Peter Kent noted that Canada became one of the first countries to officially recognize the Holodomor as genocide.  In May 2008 the Federal Government, along with the provinces of Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, proclaimed the fourth Saturday of each November to be Holodomor Remembrance Day.  It has been a long struggle for Ukrainian Canadians to have this dark period in their history recognized and remembered. The mobile exhibit is part of the work being done by members of the Ukrainian community.

Oshawa is home to a large Ukrainian community. By the start of WWII the Ukrainian community in Oshawa had already been established for forty years.  Newspaper articles from 1928 note that there were more than 1000 Ukrainians living in Oshawa and had become an important part of the community as a whole. Census data collected in 1941 shows that that number had grown to over 1600. The largest influx of Ukrainian immigrants came after WWII, when many arrived in Oshawa as Displaced Persons.

This exhibit highlights that history is filled with difficult stories to tell but that each story is important and can help us learn more about how the past has shaped our lives today.  Learn more about the Holodomor on Monday, July 17 when the Holodomor National Awareness Tour stops in Lakeview Park.