Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Howe Sound Company Britannia Division fonds
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Fonds
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Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
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Physical description area
Physical description
55.78 m of textual records
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Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Copper mining activities began at Britannia Beach, B.C. in 1898 under the auspices of the Britannia Syndicate. In 1908 control of the property passed to the Howe Sound Company of New York which operated the mine as a wholly-owned subsidiary, Britannia Beach Mining and Smelting Company Ltd.. The scale of operations expanded until, in the late 1920s, the mine produced the largest copper output in the British Empire. Mining continued on a reduced scale during the Depression while, by comparison, many other copper mines were forced to close entirely. The Britannia Beach Mining and Smelting Company was finally placed in voluntary liquidation in 1958 as a result of rising production costs and declining ore grades. Shortly thereafter, the Howe Sound Company reopened the mines and operated them as a division of the parent company until the property was sold to Anaconda Copper. Mining operations finally ceased at Britannia Beach in 1974.
Name of creator
Biographical history
Copper mining activities began at Britannia Beach, B.C. in 1898 under the auspices of the Britannia Syndicate. In 1908 control of the property passed to the Howe Sound Company of New York which operated the mine as a wholly-owned subsidiary, Britannia Beach Mining and Smelting Company Ltd.. The scale of operations expanded until, in the late 1920s, the mine produced the largest copper output in the British Empire. Mining continued on a reduced scale during the Depression while, by comparison, many other copper mines were forced to close entirely. The Britannia Beach Mining and Smelting Company was finally placed in voluntary liquidation in 1958 as a result of rising production costs and declining ore grades. Shortly thereafter, the Howe Sound Company reopened the mines and operated them as a division of the parent company until the property was sold to Anaconda Copper. Mining operations finally ceased at Britannia Beach in 1974.
Custodial history
Scope and content
The fonds consists of records of the Howe Sound Company Britannia Division and the Britannia Mining and Smelting Company which document a variety of functions including personnel, payroll and accounting, financial and income tax reporting, accident reporting, insurance planning, mineral exploration, and negotiations with the International Mine Mill Workers' Union and the International Mine Metal and Smelter Workers' Union. There are also a few records from the Howe Sound Power Company and the Torbit Mining Company.
Notes area
Physical condition
The condition is overall very good for the majority of materials. In some cases where the binding was rusted or otherwise in poor condition, the archivist unbound the ledgers and transferred them to acid free archival housing.
Immediate source of acquisition
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Script of material
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Finding aids
RBSC staff created an inventory for the first accession of the fonds in 1993 (see attached PDF). In 2021 an accrual of backlogged materials was added to the fonds, and a finding aid for this has been added as an addendum to the original finding aid, available as attached PDF.
Associated materials
Accruals
Fall/winter of 2021. Further accruals are expected.
General note
Journals and Ledgers, listed on p.45 of the attached finding aid, are located in aisle 85A.
Employment record cards, listed on p.46 of the finding aid, are also located in aisle 85A.
Journals and ledgers processed in 2021 are located in the ASRS.
Alternative identifier(s)
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Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
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Name access points
- Howe Sound Power Company (Subject)
- Torbit Mining Company (Subject)
- International Mine Mill Workers' Union (Subject)
- International Mine Metal and Smelter Workers' Union (Subject)
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Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Addendum created and finding aid updated by Claire Williams in December 2021.