Independent Weekly Newspaper Devoted to the Interests of Centra Prince George, B.C.,'-Thursday,. Maj leavy Rains Assist Irews Fighting 65 ires North of Here alii* heavy rains drenched the ii slope of the Rockies and showers helped firefighters of the Rockies, the forest fire is still serious today with 'under way to secure reinforce-to be flown North, rain enables B.C. Forest ice officials to concentrate their ts on specific fires unaffected t\e rain. \^ � D. Grepgori district forest-was asked today for reln-rcements and has arranged to further small groups of sold-� volunteers to Fort Grahame. th firefi^htera also being seat Fort St. John. he first party will Join crews now Mie Aide and Poleschi Rivers and Ens Creek, the strength of the ties being restricted by plane ations. FIRES ews fighting the Turnagaln i now report that instead of two have six to contend with, re-ring aid from Fort St. John to clayed via Watson Lake. ! 40 big fires reported east of the jes in the Peace River Block j the Alaska Highway as far as fyukon border, 26 were "big-lea-he Sweetwater blaze near Rolla 20 miles northwest of Pouce destroyed an estimated 21.-board feet of timber in five his compares with 21,605,298 b.f. awlogs cut by 148 mills in the, tie of Fort George Forest dist-In the first quarter of 1944. It ents 700 carloads, or more the combined shipments an-jlly of Prince George city mills. fires were located over a 75,-|square mile area. FLOWN IN lrough co-operation of North-Staging Route officials the nabout River fires were speedily atted by relays being flown in-two blazes from Watson Lake. illes away. ie fight at Hudson Hope was by rain. reive fires between Vanderhoof Port St. James were speedily Jished while a crew of six got along an Indian trail to the Beaver Lake fire 25 miles (See FIRES, Page Five) PEACH STONES BURIED LAST WINTER SPROUT Buried last winter, the mildest in 14 years, eight peach stones In the garden of Mrs. Andy G. Campbell on Eleventh Avenue are today sprout-Ing nicely. Such cold as there was failed to penetrate the heavy outer shell, enabling the stones to germinate to the stage that now some have sprouted four Inches. Soldier Pays *75 In Court Fines . A total of $75 was paid by Pte. Arthur Twlng Borgal when he was fined by Magistrate P. J. Moran in Police Court, $50 for using one of three permits in his possession made out to persons other than himself; and $25 on a minor charge of being in possession of stolen property under $25 in value. Three paid court costs and fines totalling $80 on charges of being intoxicated, while an Indian paid $15 on a similar charge under the Indian Act. Two motorists each paid $25 and costs on charges of driving in a manner dangerous to the public. owers Held For is* Jessie Bond shower was held last Thursday ss Jessie Bond, bride-elect, at I home of Mr. and Mrs. S. J. Clare lie Cache. The shower was spon- " by Mrs. P. Brine, Mrs. M. Ol- uxi Mrs. Clare. The honored It received many useful gifts. Tiose invited were Mrs. H. H. Bias. Miss. Ruth Douglas, Miss V Douglas, Miss L Knight, Mrs. Range, Mrs. J. Nicholson, Mrs. Isk. Mrs. H. Hewlett, Mrs. J. E. a. Mrs. c. Ewert, Mrs. J. Jardlne. � J. McKenzie, Mrs. G. Foster, � George Tapping, Mrs. G. Gib-Mrs. D. G. Fraser, Mrs. W. G. r, Mrs. C. Olds, Mrs. C. Van �er, Mrs. r. Smiley, Mrs. Herbert er, Mrs. strand, Mrs. Bud Jones, George Bond, Mrs. A, McDon-tfrs- Pateman. Mrs. M. Bur-Mrs. W. Hughes, Mrs. Chim-_Mrs. V. M. Morgan, Mrs. Ol-Mrs. Brine and Mrs. Clare, of "" George, and Mrs. J. Cain, of Rupert. DELEGATES TO >$IONS OF SYNOD Cutler; rator of St. Milburn Q*orge May3O-31 a sessIon of tb of Cariboo. ^ Douglas, W. XL attend the Cutler will proceed to Vancouver for prayer at . *:� . sun- Discuss Friday Hours For Stores Full discussion of closing hours by retail merchants Is scheduled to be held at the Board of Trade meeting Friday at 6:46 p.m. In the Prince George Hotel ballroom. A meeting of merchants Tuesday at the City Hall was not representative of all merchants in town and no decision was reached, particularly in regard to hours of closing on Saturdays. Miners to Renew Their Certificates Provincial Department of Mines draws to the attention of all mining Interests that renewal of free miners' certificates must be made, by May 31. All certificates representing property held under the Mineral Act, Placer-mining Act and Free Miners' Exemption Act must be renewed. The fees are $5 for Individual miners and $50 and $100 for incorporated companies. The provisional free miner's certificate is not to be confused with the ordinary free miners' certificate. Provisional free miners' certificates, Issued free under the Provisional Free Miners* Certificate (Placer) Act, are good for staking a placer claim and recording same without fee. _________________________A Charles Semerad Best Plowman At the E. J. Down farm, Woodpecker, Wednesday, three judges declared Charles Semerad winner of the annual Farmers' Institute plow-Ing match. Semerad scored 86 points to win possession of the Kelly Shield and a $5 prize. Othgf contestants finished in the foUowin^order: GeorgeScorgie, 83 points; H. Lock-yer, 81 points; V. Fleck, 80vpoints, and J. Lucas, 77 points. In the junior event Earl Thorpe scored 79 points to win from Chester Atkenson by two points. H. Lockyer was awarded a prize for best turnout. Ideal weather prevailed for the event and there was a good attendance of district fanners. Among the Interested spectators were William Coulter, former match winner, and Mrs. Coulter, who are visiting In the district. The Farmers' Institute desires to express appreciation < to dor iors of prize monies. City Population Shown as 4759 Figures just released of ration book totals compiled In Issuance of Book Four show that, exclusive of armed forces, Prince George has a population of 4759, compared with 4271 last August; For Prince George area the total is 7032 compared with 7548 Issued In August, 1943, including territory east from Prince George to Just west of Dome Creek, west to and not Including Finmoore, south to the Prince George district line, including Woodpecker, and north to latitude 55. How Did You Do It,J.C.C? Build a better mouse trap and the world will flock to your door Is a saying now appreciated by Prince George Junior Chamber of Commerce. W. J. Sheridan of Montreal, vice-president on the national executive of the Junior -Chamber of Commerce of Canada, would like to have the help of local Jay-Cees. He Is preparing a "Get Out the Vote" manual for use by Jay-Cee organizations across Canada, and he wants to know how it was achieved here. Accordingly, Harry Bollason, the chairman of the school committee largely responsible for success of the recent bylaw campaign, is drafting a letter to advise Easterners how it Is done in the West. Members present Tuesday at the dinner meeting in the Prince George Hotel ballroom stated that \ West Vancouver and Pentlcton are likewise interested. Bond Sale Total Ndw $349,850 The McBride, Prince George and Pinchi Lake unit was the first in northern Division 7 to go over the top in the Sixth Victory Loan, leading Williams Lake-Quesnel and the Vanderhoof-Prince Rupert units. Before leaving for Vancouver on Wednesday, Thomas Dawson, unit organizer announced a fin~l total of $349,850 for this unit. The people of the district subscribed $69,850 over the pledged quota of $280,000. Mr. Dawson termed it a magnificent patriotic response as he pointed out that "we subscribed 125 per cent of our quota.". �� � Army personnel here subscribed $195,000 and R.C.A.F. $12,000. Mayor A. M. Patterson, general campaign chairman, and A. B. Mof-fat, his assistant, reiterated their praise of all committee workers and volunteer canvassers. They paid special tribute to Mr. Dawson for his work during this campaign, and praised the effort of H. "Joe" Hewlett, local salesman. $2.00 Year WO DELINQUENCY' Civic Groups Will Form Clearing-House of Ideas J And Programs For Youth COUNCIL SELLS FOUR CITY LOTS FOR $420 Four lots were sold for $420.42 by the City Council Monday night. Purchasers and lots were: A. M. Killy, lot 21, block 78. $38.50; Mrs. 1W. L. Hughes, lot 19, block 174, $146.55; Peter Malcolm, lot 20, block 174, $134.23; John Mclnnls. lot 22, block 175, $101.14. Licences to keep one cow each within the city limits were renewed for Mike Mutz and Steve Struck. SMART DRILL "There Is no Juvenile delinquency in Prince George, cut�" was the unfinished concensus of a fully re-j presentatlve forum on Monday at which action for a clearing-house of ideas and projects for youth was approved. The lively Interest and stimulating discussion by the audience bespoke a general awareness of the urgency for some means to meet the needs of those who normally would have i older brothers or sisters to rely on. ! A. J. Kitchen,, a comparative newcomer to Prince George, was nominated temporary chairman, with Jack Ratledge, acting secretary, to officially contact church, fraternal, civic, service clubs and other organizations toward a meeting of authorized delegates. 'Purpose of this later session will be the co-ordlnattng of plans and Ideas for a unity of action. MOVING POPULATION Sergt. George H. Clark, in charge of Fort George sub-division, B.C. Police, who called the meeting after discussion with Harold Stafford, school inspector, opened the discussions. Mr. Stafford described how in both Canada and the United States juvenile delinquency has developed through mobility of population and lowering of normal standards of conventions through war changes. He submitted that where juveniles are delinquent they are superficially at fault, the real cause being the (See DELINQUENCY. Page Five) Provincial Commandant Praises Red Cross Corps Card of Thanks We wish to thank all our friends and relatives for kindnesses shown during our recent bereavement, and for floral tributes. �Merle E. Alderson and children. A small, dynamic sergeant�a veteran of the Imperial Army in the First World War and a persuasive recruiting N.O.O. in this war�virtually glowed with pride Monday night as the local Red Cross went through tiie routine of precision drill before the provincial commandant, Mrs. R. C. J. deSatge, of Vancouver. Twice, the young women, without commands and directed only by whistle, moved through their intricate drill in the Ritz-Kifer Hall. Each time the entire corps moved as one woman, without a hitch or fault SPECTACULAR It was a spectacular demonstration of precision drill at Its best, reflecting high credit on the corps and its volunteer Instructor Sergt. D. C. Smith. It compensated for many hours of practice, and it drew from the provincial commandant fulsome praise. Nowhere this side of Vancouver had precision drill been so ably demonstrated, said Mrs. deSatge. Turning to Sergt. D. C. Smith she congratulated him on the result of his work. She also congratulated the local commandant, Mrs. C A. Warner, and officers. She told corps members she considered this -unit her own as she had beep instrumental In.its formation, and it had lived up to her highest expectations. LIKE VETERANS It was only the second time the corps had been visited by the provincial commandant, but they went through the march past and general salute "with the ease and efficiency of veterans. Mayor A. M. Patterson took a part in the program, swearing in Lieut. Hazel Straw and Volunteers Mable Kisstner, Phyllis Nielsen, Lorna � Tweed, Sheila Cawley, Kathleen, Kay, Anne Matthews, Betty Hope, Walvve Nlsbet, Hazel Munrp and j Wanda Young. Following the inspection a reception for all Corps ranks was held at the residence of Mrs. H. H. Douglas. Former District Residents Meet In Cairo Hotel Earlier days of Prince George and South Fort George were recalled in Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo recently when that World-famous hostel was the scene of an unique meeting between Miss Inga Andersen, celebrated actress-daughter of A. P. Andersen of Prince George, and Ma- Squirrel Comes To Golfer's Aid QUESNEL � George Johnston, Quesnel Golf Club president, dug up a treasure trove off the fairway near the 9th hole where a mystery Iwi baffled members In recent weeks. A store of 24 valuable' golf balls was retrieved by the gleeful prexy from the winter supply base of a ground squirrel that had nibbled two of the balls into an � oval shape In trying to get at the kernel. Now members are after that squirrel. Dewey Bullock Hazelton Mine Superintendent Reopening of the old Silver Standard mine, near Hazelton, and now named Hazelton Star Mines, is of particular Interest here as Dewey Bullock, geologist, has been appointed superintendent. Mr. Bullock, who has wide mining experience In the United States, has made his headquarters here for the last two years while he studied the counry north of here. Mr. Bullock has long foreseen a great mining future for this country and is particularly optimistic about the Hazelton Star Mines prospects. HIGH GRADE ORE Discovered in the early construction days of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, the mine was operated for some time by the company of Stewart, Welsh & McLeod, who spent $300,000. on development and took out $500,000 worth of ore. The property produces high grade base metal ores, lead and zinc a& well as silver and gold. The announcement of the appointment of Mr. Bullock, as superintendent was made here Sunday by Frank E Maguire, Vancouver, president of Hazelton Star Mines Ltd., who looks forward to considerable development. Work was done on the property last year but previously had been Idle for 10 yean "A mill will be added to the property this, year," said Mr. Maguire. GREW NEEDED Between 20 and 25 men are needed immediately at the mine, located on Glenn Mountain, seven miles north of Hazelton. "Mr. Bullock is equipped with sufficient machinery to carry on at presentr�about $100,000 worth is now on the job," explained Mr. Maguire. Nechako Bridge Is Now Redecked Work of redecking Nechako River bridge was completed Tuesday by the Provincial Department of Public Works. Approximately 90,000 board feet of lumber were needed for the job. District Engineer J. W. Miers says road work In this area Is restricted due to shortage of labor and Insufficient machinery. Pinchi Lake Mine May Close Down; Men Being Moved Pinchi Lake mercury mine may be closed down in June, according to Information here. Employees are being offered the opportunity ^of being transferred Immediately, to other Consolidated Mining & Smelt-, lng,Co. operations at Klmberley and Trail. Employing at its maximum about 500 men and the centre of a community of 700, Pinchi Lake is expected to become a ghost town until the manpower situation and mercury market improve. Youngsters and Elks Enjoyed Empire Day The following flew to Vancouver from Prince George on Saturday: Mrs. D. T. Wilson and L. Proppe, and Mrs. C. E. Jack of Penny; R. Mutrie, and from Quesnel A. Has-sel-Gren and Mr. Moore, and Judge Eric D. Woodburn. Mrs. A. Moffatt flew south on Monday. From Vancouver by air returned, Vic Blue and Len Proppe. MISS INGA ANDERSEN iiiiraiiiiniiiiiiiiiiniiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiraniiiniinuiiniiiniiimimiiinmiiHiiitiiiiiiiiiii jor Henry E. Johnson, U.S. Army, whose family lived at South years ago. Miss Andersen instantly recognized him, Major Johnson said In a letter to Mr. Andersen. Major Johnson was high in her praise, saying she was doing a great job in entertaining Allied soldiers with her singing and acting. She was at that J ime preparing to go to Italy to sing^ for troops there. Miss Andersen Is now back in England carrying on her soldier concerts. Major Johnson will be remembered by many as one of three sons of John Johnson who ran a blacksmith shop in South Fort George.; His brothers are Carl and George. Henry received his first journalistic experience in the early days of The Citizen. He left here about 1936 and went to Los Angeles where he became manager and later owner of a newspaper. Big Brother Elks made sure that Empire Day was, for Prince George "Children's Day" for some 400 tiny tots and those not so small through a cracker-jack movie show In the Strand Theatre during the afternoon and an exciting masquerade dance in the early evening. To members of B.P.O.E. Lodge No. 122 it was one of the most satisfying "tasks" they have ever assumed, feeding kiddies with ice-cream and keeping an eye- closed when they came back for more. The children ""((fere in their element at the masquerade In C.C.F. Hall, with 200 appearing in costume. Judges found their job by no means an easy one due to the excellence of costumes worn by those vying for prizes. A little old-fashioned girl, Joan McDonald, won the award for best dressed girl, while Dawson Stevens as a "Mcuntie" got his prize as best dressed boy. Dolly Newton's charming Dutch costume was judged most original among the girls, a similar decision going to Jamie Grey as Mahatma Gandhi. Jerry Bailey and Bryan Watt -shared honors as best comics, with special prizes goiny to two bunnies, Bruce Norman ton and Alice Bella-vance, and to Margaret Allen. Best dressed "boy and girl under six years was Gordon Blue and Darlecn Skol-ton respectively. Tiniest partiefpant was Jane Adele Pennington, born May 24 last year, who was attending her first big party. Her costume, although winning no prize, drew much praise. Tiny Jane Adele was dressed as n rose, much originality and work going into the costume. Judges were Mrs. Carl Ewert and Misses I. Callum and W. Elson. A. G. Newton was general chairman with T. S. Carmichael as master of ceremonies, the latter delivering the Empire Day address at thf Strand Theatre. The committee comprised Ernie Knecht, Sam Stevens. Fred Bunton, Vic Blue and Mr. Carmichael aided by A. Taylor. Arthur Gillingwater. Robert McMillan. Lars Strom arid Norman Radley. After the children had their, own dance. Elks continued on from 0 pW with a dance for members and friends.