PROVINCIAL II; No. 10. An Independent Wotkly Nowspopot Devoted to the Interests of �S ol j^nce George, B.C., Thursday, March 4,4 94? ond Northern British Columbia jn|< of Commerce To pen Branch in City Supervisor Announces � Establishment Within Two nths; Three Lots Aro Purchased For Business Premises In the future7 of Prince $2.50 a Yeor which is shared in 'by business interest? through-jgh Columb.la and the rest Dominion, has been forc-pre^sed by the fact that anadi'an Hank of Commerce thortly re-open a branch in y This fact has become " diiring the past week, there had been many ru recently that this might Halize. Confirmation of the however, was received in -,nal wire to H. G. T. Perry, fher of the Citizen, from R. lacKay, supervisor of the fat Vancouver Tuesday. Mac Kay announces that ik has purchased three the corner of Brunswick and Third Avenue, on the bank will be located. i meantime, however,- tem-premises will be found in former Scout Hall building is on the third lot now by the bank. It is inti-ttiat the temporary pre-of the Canadian Bank of nerce will be opened for bus-| within two months. lots purchased by the bank it of lots 11 and 12 of block rhich were acquired from Moffat, Northern Hardware jrniture Company, the third aving previously been pur- from the city. Price of operty is stated to run well Ifive figures. ] announcing the opening of ranch and the purchase of for that purpose, the Bank of Commerce ex-the strong conviction that | is a splendid future In store George and district.. \ firm of J. N. Deiell and" at present estimating the [of the alterations necessary |�e establishment of the bank that the temporary pre-i may be ready for the open-[the branch here at an early establishment of a branch Canadian Bank of Com-i here will now give the busmen and citizens the ser-|of four banks, the others belie Bank of Montreal, the Three Leap Year Babes Enter World February 29 At Pr. George Hospital One of the joys of parenthood, that of giving birthday presents to their children, will not occur very often in the lives of three Prince George and district couples, for on Sunday they found themselves parents of newly-born infants. Sunday, moreover, was February 29� and therefore the new arrivals will not have many actual birthdays. ? The proud parents whose sons and daughters entered this world Leap Year Day were Mr. and Mrs. Jack Bond, Mr. and Mrs. "Wallace Wade, and Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Harasmuick, the last-mentioned of Sinclair Mills. Breaking, Entering Charges Dismissed Charges laid last week against Alfred Wilson, 18, and Charles David, 25, of breaking and entering by night into a local Chinese cafe were dismissed Tuesday afternoon by County Court Judge E. D. Woodburn after a two-day hearing of the case had convinced his honor that prosecution evidence was unsubstantial. The two men, alleged to have broken into the premises of the Chunking Cafe last Wednesday night. Pleaded .no�guilty and.evidence of tbe theft of a chicken from the premises was not proven. Crown prosecutor was P. E. Wilson, K.C., while the accused were undefended. Hon. Byron Johnson, premier of British Columbia, who heads the provincial government in his first session since election to leadership. Polish Treasure Is Reported Seized Lawbreakers Pay For Their Misdemeanors An offender who was charged with the obstruction of law and order was brought before the local n , . r magistrate this week and, failing Bank of Canada and the t0 pay the imposed fine of $50, is ot Nova Scotia, thus dem- -�.- i-~.ui.iw-d at was taken last when a council was e Efe,p"b�c meeting held "ateW s^ff at wh*h aP* ^ qu,te ff, h*h aP citizens were pre- those P**entre- organizations, but e a large propor- ^r keenly interest. fU! France of a civic PUrpose of ^ the was some of those <*Mre, but It was forc- ibly pointed out that the meeting was an organizational one and that a council, "When elected, would carry on the work and formulate plans for future public meetings at which the council would report and receive suggestions from organizations and individuals. To bring the matter to a head a motion was proposed by P. H. Dunne, and seconded by C. O. W. Hyslop that a council of 10 members be appointed, with power to add to their number, and on this being passed a nominating committee brought in names of those proposed. Other names being proposed from the floor, the mover of the resolution suggested that all those, 12 in number, be elected to the council, and this was agreed to. The 12 persons elected to the community centre council were 88 follows: Jerry Clark, Mrs. L. T. Maxwell, Rev. N. Dermott Mc-Innes, Charles East, Harry Bow-(See COM'ITY CENTRE, Page 8) (Canadian Press) OTTAWA�A tangled mass of political intrigue has been revived with confirmation of the report that part of a $1,000,000 Polish treasure, missing since 1946, has been seized by the Quebec government. The treasure was stored at Hotel Dleu, Quebec Hospital and Catholic Church Institution, before being impounded by the Quebec government. R.C.M.P. last night issued a statement saying that officers "made no demand to enter�much less search" Hotel Dleu. The statement was Issued in reply to a story In I/Action Catholique which said Premier Duplessls "gave liberate sisters in Hotel bleu from grave and disgraceful annoyance" by R.C.M.P. officers who forced them to open "cloister doors." The treasure, consisting of ancient tapestries, goblets and swords, is being held "pending decision of ownership." Czech Minister Resigns OTTAWA�Dr. Frantisek Ne-mec, Czech minister to Canada, announced Tuesday that he has resigned his post and will remain in Canada as a private citizen. At the same time, Jurav Slavik, Czech ambassador to the United States, announced his resignation to "fight for free Czechoslovakia." Nemec said practically all his staff has resigned and will remain in Canada. Slavik said he was convinced that Dr. Eduard Benes, Czech president, was under "duress and terror" when he agreed to formation of the new Communist government headed by Premier Klement Gottwald. Opposes Communism VICTORIA�L. >. Stevenson. Coalition member for Vancouver Point Grey, said in the legislature Wednesday the world, was still a ong way from peace and declared the blame lay with "a country which now defeats almost univer sal effort to bring the worJd baok o a fit condition in which to live.' He did not mention Russia by name, but urged veterans organ-zations to keep themselves from tommunistic influences. Mrs Nancy Hodges, Victoria Coalition member, urged the government to introduce early legislation to meet the growing problem of rising social security costs and suggest-of provincial pensions and ed revision of the whole system ances. His First Session I Waifpr U Dies in Vancouver Well Known Citizen Passes In South, Funeral Friday Much regret was felt in Prince George this week when the death of Walter Henry Lamb was learned. Mr. Lamb passed away at the Vancouver General Hospital February 29 after a brief illness and a short spell in the Prince George and District Hospital, being sent from there to Vancouver a little over a week ago. The deceased was born in Ux-bridge, Ontario, in 1878, and in 1904 was married to Clara Shank, who, along with five sons, two daughters and six grandchildren, survive him. Mr. and Mrs. Lamb1 came west to Manitoba where they resided for a number of years. Prior to coming to Prince George in 1946 he had been in the lumbering business in Saskatchewan, and since coming here had purchased the Alexander Sawmills. Besides his widow, who resides in Prince George, his five surviving sons are Eldon of Calgary; Ira, Gordon, Delmar and Bruce, all of Prince George; and his two surviving daughters are Mrs. C. Henderson of this city and Mrs. P. Faris of Vancouver. He is also survived by one sister, Mrs. F. Wagg of Stouffville, Ontario, and two brothers, George of Margaret, Manitoba, and Arthur, also of Stouffville. The remains of the late Mr. Lamb were brought back from Vancouver and funeral will be held in' Knox service United Highways, Public Works Figure in King's Speech Relief to Municipalities ond Education Costs Mentioned; Revision of Provincial Labor Laws Forecast Tuesday Fame of Prince George Spreads to Michigan By Rotary Friendship Mementos, of Prince George will shortly find their way to the State of Michigan in the United States, and the. fame of the city and district will be spread through the efforts of the Prince George Rotary Club. Acceding to the request of the Rotary Club of Mount Pleasant in that state, for some token from the Prince George club, a copy of "The History of Prince George" by Rev. F. E. Runnalls, was autographed by every member present at Friday's luncheon meeting, and will be forwarded shortly. Another souvenir, however, will also be sent to the Mount Pleasant club, in the form of a lamp-stand composed of every type of timber found in the Prince George district, thus publicizing the varieties that can be found in this district. Church tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. Rev. N. Dermott Mclnnes will officiate. Reckless Driving Nets Offender $50 and Costs A fine of $50 and costs was police court Tuesday after he had entered a plea of not guilty to charges of reckless driving laid last December. P. E. Wilson, K.C., acted on behalf of the crown and H. R. Fret-well appeared as attorney for the defense., JERUSALEM�Arabs ambushed an Hanana patrol near Ramal-lah today and police said 17 ish militiamen were killed. There was no estimate of Arab casualties. Reserves Said Placed On P.G. District Lots A reserve is reported to have been placed by the provincial government upon district lots 2061, 2062, and 2063. These properties comprise the peninsula northeasi of and across from the big steel bridge. The lots were purchased about 1922 by the former Fraser River Timber Syndicate to be used as the" site for a proposed 300-ton pulp and paper plant. Following the death of the or ganizers, however, and the consequent dissolution of the syndi cate, the property fell to the gov erriment. It is believed that the syndicate had spent, and lost, sum in the vicinity of $1,500,000 on timber and power holdings during its operation and owner ship of the land. A further reserve is also stated to have been placed on government-owned property in the South Fort George townsite district, ots 913-4, and on the subdivided properties of D.L. 931, 932 and 117. The latter three lots adjoin the city limits to the south. G. A. Kenney Re-elected President Of Canadian Legion For Coining Year Annual Meeting of Prince George Branch Indicates Progress; Will Send Delegate to Dominion Convention While no definite reference was made in the speech from the throne by Lieut-Governor Charles A. Banks at the opening of the third session of the twenty-first parliament of British Columbia Tuesday to the establishment of a pulp mill in Prince George area or to the extension of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway, there was indication in parliamentary circles in Victoria that these two matters, vital to Prince George, might be dealt with by the provincial government during the current session. Two matters, mention of which were made in the lieutenant-governor's speech, of vast importance to all cities and municipalities throughout the province, are, however, the serious condition of the hospital situation and the further improvement of the main highways. Completion of "major public works projects already undertaken" was also promised in the speech, which stated that ample provision would be made by the government for these matters. There were also indications that assistance would be given to municipalities, particular reference being made to the question of the costs of education. Revision of labor legislation, in addition to several other important items of government policy, were indicated in the speech from * the throne. COST OP SOCIAL SECURITY Careful study, it was stated, had been given to a number of provincial-municipal problems as well as to the rising cost of social security and other important public services. _ "My government," stated the lieutenant-governor, "is aware of To Stem Communism BRUSSELS�Five countries begin talks today on a suggested western union to stem Communist expansion. Representatives of Great Britain, France, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg met at the foreign ministry. Soys Abdication Forced LONDON"�Former King Michael of Roumanla said today his abdication was forced upon him-He does not consider himself bound by it. He claimed he was forced to sign the abdication act or be held responsible for bloodshed which would follow his refusal. Gerald A. Kenney will again direct the affairs of the Prince Jeorge Branch of the Canadian Legion for a further year, having jeen re-elected president of the organization at its annual meet ng held in the Legion Hall Mon day night. Mr. Kenney was re-elected by acclamation, there be- ng no opposition to his re-nomin ation for 1948-49. In response to a large number of members he had agreed to allow his name to be put before the meeting for reelection, much satisfaction being expressed at his administration of the Legion during the past year. Other officers elected at a well attended meeting were R. E. Archibald and A. J. Lenehan as first and second vice-presidents respectively. Executive of three members chosen consist of Miss A. Drlnkwater, W. B. Kyle and F. T. Gray. It is probably the first time a woman member has been elected to an executive position of the local branch. The newly-elected first vice-president won out in a contest with two other nominations, and the second vice was opposed by one other nominee. There were four nominations for the executive, one of whom was eliminated In the voting. The retiring president, G. A. Kenney, rendered a most heartening report for the past year and outlined the many activities which had taken place. Reference to the war-time housing scheme indicated that the branch was making every effort to find a solution, and that it. had reques-ed the city council to try and get a further 50 houses, over and above the 100 already being provided for. He pointed out that there were about 15 of the first 50 now occupied, leaving 85 still being constructed, but that there were approximately 160 applications in the hands of the housing administrator,,P. E. Robertson. Under the direction of Mr. Kenney and his outgoing committee it transpired that the branch had become one of the most progressive in the province and that membership had increased steadily throughout the year. Monday night a further 11 new members were admitted, three of whom were transfers from other branches, and eight new applications. The transfers were R. C. C. Jack, A. B. Nielson and H. R. Fretwell. New applications accepted en bloc were A. J. Werkel, K. W. Hooper, D. H. Truitt, W. Scott, T. Mc-Tague, T. Hoibak, W. J. Moxley and Miss B. A. Huble. DOMINION CONVENTION Importance of the forthcoming Dominion convention, to be held In Saskatoon May 23 was considered sufficient by a majority of votes to justify the branch sending one delegate to represent it there. After some discussion as the wisdom of having the branch represented at the annual convention, in which discussion it was argued that there were many mportant matters likely to come up which would affect the welfare of veterans of both wars, resolution to send one delegate was carried. The choice of the delegate, however, will be left open until the April meeting, (See KENNEY, Page 4) the situation created thereby and proposes to place before you measures designated to alleviate this situation." The speech indicated that it was the intention of the government to submit for approval legislation revising1 and amending he labor laws, thereby bringing* ntp effect further improvements n employer-employee relations, which were stated to be desirable. !*urther benefits would be extend-d through increases in certain llowances granted those coming vithin the scope of the Workmen's Compensation Act. Important amendments to the orest Act were announced to l>e ubmitted, which would improve the economy of that important industry and which would widen the scope of the sustained yield program. Amending, legislation governing agricultural matters was slated to be submitted to the legislature with a view to improving the industry, fhe lieutenant-governor announced. MENTAL CASES REFORM "You will be asked," he continued, "to give approval to legislation, the main purpose of which will be to introduce a new method of admission to our mental hospitals and to provide a clinic for treatment of patients who may be saved thereby from the stigma of being committed to a mental institution." Other legislation affecting welfare matters would also be placed before the legislation, the lieutenant-governor stated, and advice as to steps to be taken to provide new technical personnel and facilities for the JB.C. Scientific and Industrial Research Council in order to deal with problems relating to industrial chemistry, physics, applied biology, mining and other important fields of research would be given. "The establishment of a new biological laboratory to develop our fishing industry," said the lieutenant-governor, "I am sure will commend itself to you." The Weather Exhibiting a wide range in temperatures here this week, the mercury dropped from the week's bigf! of 32 degrees last Thursday to the-Jow Wednesday of 29 degrees below and again took a turn for the better as it climbed to 30 degrees above this morning.