ansports and uniforms. He discusses the
question of the kind of horses required, even to the colour, and
indicates ranges of country where horses can be bred that are "strong in
the hindquarters." Quite evidently the new Commissioner had his eye on
everything, and intended to have the corps equipped up to the limit of
efficiency and comfort. He was going to speak out in the interests of
his men and horses, too. For a mounted corps must have regard to both if
the maximum of usefulness is to be attained.

The reports of officers in the Middle West for that year,
Superintendents Deane of MacLeod, Griesbach of Fort Saskatchewan,
Moffatt of Maple Creek, Inspector Wilson of Calgary, Strickland of
Prince Albert, and Demers of Battleford, all indicate a good deal of
cattle-stealing, the most of which, of course, was near the American
boundary line, where outlaws from both sides dodged backwards and
forwards in efforts to escape the authorities on either side, who
co-operated and generally got these robbers in hold, But Deane felt that
the ranchers themselves should exercise a little more intelligent
interest, instead of leaving everything to the Police, who were few in
numbers, and none of whom could be in more than one place at a time.
Referring to the case of a man who had bought some cattle and had left
them unbranded and unwatched in the pasture whence they disappeared in
the night, Deane says, "Daly became very indignant, and has talked
freely about bringing an action against the Mounted Police, but whether
for allowing him to lose his beasts or for failing to find them I know
not." However, Mr. Daly evidently concluded that he had no case against
the Police, for he is not heard from again.

Up in the Yukon that year, as already mentioned, Superintendent Z. T.
Wood was in command of the territory, with Inspector Courtlandt Starnes
in charge at Dawson, and Superintendent P. C. H. Primrose at White
Horse, and Assistant Surgeon Fraser on Dalton Trail. Besides these
officers there were Inspectors J. A. McGibbon, W. H. Routledge, W. H.
Scarth, A. E. C. McDonnell, as well as Assistant Surgeons Pare, Madore
and Hurdman.

It was a time of general and reasonably stable prosperity, as evidenced
by the fact that the men in Starnes' Division collected well up to a
million dollars in royalties in the mining areas, the banner section
being Grand Forks, including Eldorado, Bonanza and tributaries where
Staff-Sergeant (later Inspector)