eorge Citizen |. Ho. 47 An Independent Weekly Newip�per Devoted fo the Interest of Central ond Northern British Columb Prince George, British Columbia, Thursday; November 18, 1948 a 10c per Copy; $3.0Cl a Year ydro-Project By-Law Comes [p For Vote This Monday [MORROW IS A SCHOOL 3DAY IN HONOR OF |E ROYAL BIRTH. _________________ slhumous Award City Hero v Offjce.- Thomas Wesse or, who was born in Hazelton grew up in Prince George been posthumously awardet jCroix do Guerre by the Belg (Government for distinguished (ice in the war in the lfbera- of Belgium. Flying Officer jlor was killed in a bombing lover enemy territory In 1944 he deceased hero was born [Hazriton in 101$ and spent ; of his life In Prince George he was educated. Dying Officer Taylor was the jofMrs. Hermine Taylor, who i for many years a resident of | central interior. His father, late Hugh Taylor, was with [provincial public works de-jment and died at Prince in 1923. be brevet and Insignia of ; de Guerre reached mother recently from the lister of National Defence of [torn through the embassy Ottawa. J.vlor served with the Thun-�lrd Squadron of the Royal adian Air Force. He was the Igator of a bomber. He was reported missing and a year r was presumed dead. Still t it was ascertained that he been shot down and killed. Pave was found last year at t. Belgium. s a youth at Prince George air hero became a scoutmas-He left Prince George for Mc-d. Alberta, to take employ-11 and it was at the prairie n that he enlisted in 1941. sides his mother, he is surv-by seven brothers and sisters. �Prince Rupert Dally News. omen Curlers Meet Tuesday meeting of all women imer-1 m curling is to be held in ;;�"�� Room of the Club Cafe 1 Tuesday ;at 8 p;m. nas been several years since I *omen have engaged in the ln game, but with const ruc-rof ^e Civic Centre building jessing favorably, in which Mil he six sheets oT ice, it 'hat a new -dlub will bo Mayor Nicholson and City Engineers Affirm Their Faith in Soundness of the Willow River Scheme ' ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST Two important measures come up for the decision of the public on Monday, when polling will take place on the waterworks renewals and hydro by-laws. Of these, the most important is the Hydro By-law. The By-law is to authorize the borrowing of $30,000 for preliminary work in the construction of the Willow River hydro-electric project. The Willow River hydro-electric project aims at the construction of a dam in the Willow River canyon�one of the most beautiful sights in British Columbia�the establishment of a catchment area and by utilization of these natural resources, providing a stefcdy supply of electric power to Prince George and District, enough to meet requirements for many years ahead. Cost of the project is estimated at $1,262,500. 'th 'he growth or the city ai<1 many women here now Prairie points who have curl-piously and it is -expectod J good sized club Will he . sP'-ing a mixed bonspiel ' successful and it has been ml that this season's play "^e with another one. MEETING theOIE.S. Auxiliary d F^iday afternoon, 19, afthe home of Mrs. FOR HYDRO His Worship th<> Mayor, J. Nicholson, urges voters to approve the Bylaw. In a special interview with "The Citizen," he said: � The Hydro Bylaw should bo supported (1) to keep up the progress of the city; (2) to encourage small industry to manufacture our raw products when the market warrants it (when the lumber market has to be readjusted). (3) "In the event of hydro not being put in, we are faced with the immediate expenditure of enlarging our present plant, and, by so doing, still will not give this city the opportunity to take care of the wonderful opportunities that will occur when the Hart Highway and the P.G.E. are . completed. "The Hydro should be here now, not after the&e major projects are. completed ..." (4) "I know of no other way of getting power cheap enough to encourage industry to Prince George, for we must remember. Prince George can only progress through an increase in payrolls." (5) "We always have owned our own public utilities, which have His Worship the Mayor. I. Nicholson, will broadcast on the proposed waterworks and hydro bylaws on Friday at 10.15 p.m. over CKPG. been a financial asset to the ratepayer and I still believe we should -mid on to that utility at any cost." BELIEF IN FUTURE The mayor expressed his belief in this city's future. "Prince George." he declared, "has always been talked about as the hub of the interior. I know it is. and I repeat, I see no reason why with proper progress. Prince George cannot be the Edmonton of Bri-.ish Columbia.* Last year, Mr. Nicholson said, the voters were asked to vote on Bylaw 569, which said on the ballot paper: "Are you in fa-vor of proceeding with the hydro electric plan on the Willow River at a cost not exceeding $1,300,000 for a 6,000 horsepow-er production?" The question was carried with an overwhelming majority�576 for, 211 against. That gave the city per-mission to go ahead. -On the strength of this Bylaw. we managed with the assistance of the department of municipal!: ies to get a private bill passed in he house for borrowing powers of ;i 300 000. The Bill will be proclaimed when we have sufficient lata to show that this project can be put in for the stated amount inri no more. �ROTECTED "The people of Prince George are therefore being well protected bv their provincial government. t Is to complete the necessary data, most of which we have a- eadv. and to bi'inq plans and Pacifications to a head that we ind it necessary to ask for $30^ )00 to complete the preliminary nvestigations. "Citizens can therefore rest as-sured that neither their council can. nor will the government (See HYDRO. Page Four) AGAINST HYDRO Objections to the projection may be summed up as follows: TOO EXPENSIVE: City taxes will have to be considerably increased if the hydro project .goes' through. Annual interest and redemption charges on $1,300,000 will equal the profit at present made annually in city power and light. This profit will now be used to pay interest and redemption charges on the hydro, instead of relieving property taxes. Further, the city will pledge Its credit to such an extent that i� will be impossible for it to borrow money for civic developments such as schools, sidewalks, parks, a civic centre, or general beautifi-cation. UNECONOMIC: The project is too small to provide the 15,000* to 25,000 horsepower required by a puljwnill. It is too large for present envisaged civic needs. At present the city has buyers for less than 1,000 horsepower, against the 6,000 horsepower which the hydro will produce. Power produced by coal is cheaper than power produced by small-scale hydro, and small industries would prefer to produce their own power rather than pay for dear electric-hydro. ALTERNATIVES: There may be alternative sources of government-sponsored power, which would not. involve the city in heavy expenditure. At Isle Pierre 30,000 horsepower can t>e made available. At Quesnel 150,-000 horsepower. MORE SNOW WEATHER FORECAST: Snow today and tonight; cloudy with snow flurries tomorrow. Winds southerly 15 today, light Friday. Little change in temperature. Low tonight, 25, high Friday, 35. Lowest temperature in the past week was on Tuesday, 16.1 Fahrenheit. Highest temperature was Thursday, 41.8 Fahrenheit. Snowfall was 6.7 inches, rainfall, .11 inches. Proud Father H.R.H. THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH smiles happily when he receives the news of the birth of a son to the Duchess (Princess Elizabeth). Royal mother and child are doing well. * ? ? ? Royal Birth Delights The Commonwealth Joyous crowds all over *.he world heard the radio flash on Sunday telling of the birth of a baby boy to Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh. The boy weighed seven pounds, six ounces. News of the birth, which occurred at 9.15 p.m. in England, but at 1.14 pin. our time, was ecstatically received by crowds, which had^ waited outside Buckingham Palace for many hours. The baby boy was born so quickly that officials who had been called to the palace did not get there in time for the birth. The four doctors who attended the birth of the roval baby, is-(See ROYAL BIRTH, Page 5) P.G. HOSPITAL GETS $23,828 GIFT FROM PUBUC THROUGH GREAT DRIVE Efforts of Gordon Nicol, Chairman of Drive Committee, Are Praised by H. Hewlett, Hospital Board Chairman Prince George and District Hospital received a magnificent gift on Tuesday evening/ in the form of a cheque for $23,828, being the proceeds of the great hospital drive. Wilfred Blair Stands Trial For Air Crash In City Four Counts of Infraction of Air Regulations, Following Death of Everett MacEachern Wilfred L. Blair, 24-year-old pilot of the plane in which Everett MacEachern met His death on May 6, appeared before Magistrate P. J. Moran this morning to stand trial on four counts of air regulation infractions. The crash took place on Vancouver Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues and was the culmination of what witnesses stated to be a "hedge-hopping" flight over the westerly outskirts of the*city. In handing the cheque over to H. "Joe" Hewlett, Gordon Nicol, chairman of the drive committee, said they tried everything to raise the money, "things in the books and things never before heard of." He expressed his appreciation for the co-operation received from other members of the committee, the press and the public. Acknowledging the gift on behalf of the Board, Mr. Hewlett said: "I receive this cheque with a great deal of satisfaction on.De-half of Prince George and District Hospital. We all know that so much money is not available in Prince George just now as was the case this time last year. We therefore realize the difficulties under which Mr. Nicols and members of the drive committee worked and we appreciate very much that Mr. Nicol should have devoted so much of his time to the cause." . n Included in the cheque for $23,-828 was $1,710, proceeds of Kinsmen's Bingo efforts for the hospital. As a result of this great effort for their hospital by the contributing public, the hospital will receive in all a figure around $50.-000, as the provincial government will subscribe a dollar for every dollar given by the citizens, and there are still some contributions to come in. -f D.P.'s Are Happy At P.G. Hospital The trouble which arose at Prince George and District Hospital, on the arrival of D.P. girls from Europe, was the subject of debate at Tuesday's meeting of the hospital board. Some members of the board regretted the publicity given to the incident, bnt others, ami the editor of "The Citizen," who was present, upheld the view that the story was a matter of public interest-As stated in "The Citizen" story, only "some" of the nurse-aides were involved�a very small minority. As also stated in the trouble was satisfactorily cleared up when Assistant Matron Ethel Jones explained the position to these girls. Some reports which have appeared have apparently given the impression that all the nurse-(See D.P.'s, Page Five) New Call For U.S.A.-Alaska Railroad PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 18� A new economic and engineering survey for a railway to connect Alaska railways with the main ' transcontinental system should be undertaken at once by the governments of Canada and the United States, Col. John Noyes, chairman of the Alaska Road Commission, said on Tuesday. He was speaking at the 20th conference of the Pacific Northwest Trade Association. He said he saw the need for better inland transportation between the peninsula and United, States, and he wanted the southern end of the highway, in Canadian territory, brought up to the standard of the main line. The romf, he said, should he paved, umi ftp stated that two contracts haVe* flJWiMfy been let to pave 200 miles of vtiiui1 bringing the hard surface to the Yukon bonier in four years.^. Col. Noyes suggested comple tion of the John Hart Highway "to give coast cities a chance" at Alaska business and provide com petition for the Edmonton route Mackenzie King Bids Simple Farewell OTTAWA (CP)�A few simple ceremonies marked the end of Prime Minister Mackenzie King's long reign in Canadian politics. After 21 years as prime minister and 29 years as leader of the national Liberal Party, the ailing 73-year-old statesman merely shook hands with members of his cabinet and members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery last week. In a short statement he said he was retiring "without regret" and was glad to turn over the duties of prime minister to his successor, Louis Stephen St. Laurent. A few days later on Monday, November 15. he left his residence at Laurier House, and drove to rtldeau Hall where the Governor-General was waiting for him in his study. Mr. King told Viscount Alexan* der he wished to resign and advised that Mr. St. Laurent be called to form a government. The transition from prime minister to sitting member for Glengarry in Ontario was completed in a matter of minutes. And it was marked with little fanfare. The four charges against Blair were formally laid on October 25 and read as follows: That he� " . . . while acting as a pilot of an aircraft was in a.state of intoxication contrary to the Aeronautics Act and regulations thereunder." "Did fly an aircraft over the city of Prince George at such an altitude that would not enable such aircraft to alight out of the said city of Prince George should the means of. propulsion fail through mechanical breakdown or other cause except for the purpose of alighting." STOP PRESS Wilfred Blair to pay $229 in fines or serve total of 50 days. I Intoxication charge was dismiss* ed following crown evidence. "Did act as piidt of an aircraft without holding a certificate issued by the Minister of Transport authorizing so to act." "Did in an aircraft carry out flyfng over the city of Prince George which by reason of low altitude was dangerous to public safety." Maximum sentences on the charges are six months imprisonment and/or $1000 fine. Blair stifl bears facial scars as a result of the crash He will be defended by A. McB. Young, K.C. Prosecuting on behalf of the Department of Transport will be P. E. Wilson, K.C. Present in Prince George for the Department of Transport are Carter Guest and G. C. Upson, inspectors of air regulations, the atter being the inspector who conducted the investigation here following the fatal crash. After the accident ex-R.C.A.F. Dilot Blair and Everett MacEach-trn were removed to the Prince George and District Hospital where MacEachern succumbed to njuries. iven Clothesline Losl in Home Fire WOODPECKER � Disaster be-ell Mr. and Mrs. R. Liveden of Voodpecker this week when all heir belongings and their home vere destroyed by fire. They were uninsured. The fire roke out while they were absent rom the house. When they re-urned the dwelling had burned o the ground. Even a line of lothes outside the house was des-roved. New Spur Near Station CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAYS lost no time in putting in their new spur line. A busy scene on Remembrance Day, near the station, was the train with its load of active workers dumping gravel for the new loading plarforrn. Work was in charge of Foremen Frank Mann and Nick Thomas.