An Independent Weekly Newspaper Devoted to the Interest of Central and Northern British Columbia No. 30 Prince George, B.C., Thursday, July 28, 1949 10c per Copy; $3.00 a Year lo "Borrow and Build" Demand 'auses Sharp Council Debate "Guesswork and Not Planning" is the Basis of City Road' Work, Alleges Alderman C. Wisenden DEZELL PRESSES FOR INDEPENDENT AID City street work and planning is going along more or less ess and not by plan, Alderman C. H. Wisenden charged fcity council meeting on Monday night. The issue arose at the meeting when the city clerk pro-, Q |ett�r from the Prince George Board of Trade urging city to borrow money and get some work done. Mayor Jack Nicholson flatly contradicted the charge that WOrk was planned by guessing and stated that water-main llation prevented rapid expansion of hard surfaced roads. ��What we need is a five year urovement plan and we should borrowing money authoriza-ion now so that we can float a rod Issue and get money for et-work when we need it." laid Alderman Wisenden. Mayor Nicholson replied that there were reasons" why the city uld not borrow. He referred i<� a "big project" which the city had contemplat-�| undertaking. '. Later he identified it as being the city-owned hydro plan which the people votfd down last year. "We are in a fluid state now." Be said, and added. "It may be tartly my fault but I do not re-feet any action which I have tak- KlftO.OOO ESTIMATE; Alderman Garvin Dezell, an ad- focate of improving all city treets and facilities, stated that te did not think the cost of sur-acine city streets would exceed $100,000. ' He said that highways'are now : surfaced for as little as $800 ler mile. [Alderman Eugene Gabriele, quot-ng from a municipal journal, stated that it would be foolish to |fioat a large bond issue to acquire nflated dollars, which in the ourse of time would have to be paid probably in deflated dollars. lOl'TGROWN FACILITIES "MAN OF MANY TITLES" G. H. HALLETT "Citizen of the Week" (Page 2) Caesarean Twins Born At Hospital There was a ripple of excitement at Prince George and District Pfospital on Friday, July 22, when twins were born to Mr.-and Mrs. I. Rempel, of Shelley. Delivery was made by Caesarian section. "This is only the second case of this nature I have encountered in 20 years' nursing experience,!1' remarked one of the hospital staff. Both the twins, boy and girl, and the mother are doing fine. P.G. Hospital also reports that Mr. and Mrs. Colin Blue of 868 Fourth Avenue East, Prince George, are parents of a baby girl, born July 23. A daughter was born to Mr. and " Mayor Nicholson said he fully j Mrs. Ray Adams, Prince George, �realized that the city has out-' [grown Its facilities and that TOnce the power question is set-pled things may be different." Alderman Dezell argued that a Eall for tenders should be made nd Alderman Nicol affirmed hat it would be a good idea to et a firm price on city work. Alderman Harold Assman point; ed out that "a great deal of grading must be done and that water-mains must be laid. "This would not prevent a 20 foot wide strip, of hard top being "aid on the streets, "countered Merman Dezell. DliTSIDE HELP He pointed out that work of "us magnitude cannot be done �"�h the city equipment in ln economical and efficient man- ^ and that a large contract Rou]d permit a firm to bring in pugh'of the necessary equipment to do the job economically. ^ lnw point the Mayor stated hfe ? been lolrt in Victoria that � ee Bori-ow and Build, Page 4) iWillow River last'Pollards Red Jtto d Sox 8 � Pollards 0 Sox hande but each time their f OUJd snatch scoring rom thi out grasp. 36 Innings R h 041 002 10X�8 14 000 000 000�0 10 herein- ~y*i\ Otto Gerein and. Ed Ifingpltcher,O.Geretn.Lo her, Lud Zolll uly. 20. Infant twin sons of Mr. and .Irs. Nelson Ridley of Prince Jeorge died at the hospital shortly fter birth on July 25. No Foundation For Anli-Arneti "Beef The "beef" by certain members )f the board of trade against W. Arnett and Company, alleging .hat the Hart Highway contract->rs did not deal enough with local Irms, is without foundation, according to an official of the company. He said that a considerable amount of purchasing and servicing or Arnett and Company has been lone locally. The company brought only three of the 68 men it employs to Prince George. The others were engaged through the ltfcal labor office. When it has been necessary to purchase new trucks or other vehicles, this has been done through properly accredited local agents. The very heavy equipment such as Euclids had to be brought in. There is no such equipment available locally. "It stands to reason," said a company spokesman "that when a company tenders for contract, it does so on the basis of using certain heavy equipment with which it Is familiar." Independent enquiries by "The Citizen" at Prince George garages confirmed that Arnett and Company are extensive users of their facilities. Work on the highway is meanwhile meeting with heavy going on account of the exceptionally heavy rains. The company has a trestle bridge under construction some 37 miles north of Summit Lake. An observer, who recently flew over the northern end of the Hart Highway, reported that bridging material was accumulating on the banks of the Misinchlnka River having apparently been skidded overland from Dawson Creek. P.G.E. TOWNSITE ON COTTONWOOD \ townsite of 80 acres has been established seven and a half miles from Quesnel on the Quesnel-Wells highway by the Pacific Great Eastern Railway. The site is close to the road that branches off to Ten Mile Lake, and will be adjacent to the new P.G.E. grade diversion leading to the Cotton wood River crossing. It is reported that there will be several of these townsites located between Quesnel and Prince George, and that when they are subdivided, both the railway and the government will share in the sale of the lots. AND Two important P.G.E.-extension officials arrived in town yesterday and have'since left. One was auditor, S. Raven, comptroller of the to-be-spent $8,000,000. He was accompanied by Ralph Chetwynd, right-of-way agent for the P.G.E. Although no official announcement was made as to the purpose of their visit, it is thought to be connected with right-of-way purchases for the extension to Prince George. Indian Girl Dies - Jail Inquesf An inquest into the hospita death of a Prince George Women's Gaol inmate was held at the jait last night at which it was revealed death had resulted during an appendectomy operation. Dead is Mrs. Alma Vern, 30-year-old Indian girl from Prince Rupert, serving a five month sentence for vagrancy. Medical report submitted by three city doctors was that death was due to secondary brain dam-ape and respiratory collapse secondary to spinal anaesthetic. Death occurred at 1.45 p.m. on Tuesday. Inquest was conducted by Sub-Inspector George H. Clark, before Coroner M. W. Skinner. The Weather Cloudy today and Friday with a few showers this evening and overnight. Little change in tern perature. Low tonight 43F, high tomorrow, 72. Highest temperature for the week was yesterday with 66.1 F. Lowest temperature was on Tuesdav with 46F. Man Kills Angry Bear Charged by a maddened bear in Red Rock on Sunday, only the quick shooting of Bill Payne, Experimental Farm employee, saved him from the beasts fury. Hearing a noise behind him. Bill, who was picking berries, whipped around barely in time to see the bear lumbering towards him. Snatching his rifle, Mr. Payne swiftly drew a bead and shot the bear dead in his tracks when it was just 10 feet away from him. Previous to that he had noticed a large bear about 150 yards away, and had shouted at him hoping to scare it away. The bear had immediately turned and disappeared in the bushes leaving Mr. Payne thinking he had seen the last of it. William Ferry Elected Civic Centre President New Executive and Full Directorate Elected at Well-Attended Annual Meeting in Elks' Hall W. "Bill" Ferry was elected president of the executive council, Civic Centre Association, succeeding Hartley Fawcett, at a well-attended meeting of the organization in the Elks' Hall on Tuesday nighty Other officers are: vice-president, Len Proppe; secretary, Jerry Clark; treasu/er, Mel Strickland; directors at large> Garvin Dezell and Alec Bowie; honorary solicitor, Hub King, with full rights, and Hartley Fawcett as seventh member of the executive. The executive council was elected by 36 directors, four of them representing the public at large and the others representing community-minded organizations in the city. The four directors representing the public are W. Gustafson, C. East, VV. Webster and W. Bellos. Each organisation in town was represented by one director. When an organization contributes $25 or more annually to the Civic Civic Centre President W. -BILL" FERRY, ". . . all our energies." Indian Old-Timer Passes Away Here John Blackwater, 86-year-old Indian, died on Tuesday on the Indian Reserve. The aged man was well known in both Prince George and Quesnel. He came up here from Quesnel in 1926. He is sun vived by one son, Toby Nelson. The funeral will be held Saturday. No All-Day Wednesday Closing By-Law Yet Action on an all-day Wednesday store closing by-law has been postponed. In order for such a by-law to become valid, it is understood, the assent of all storekeepers must be obtained and the stores specified in the by-law. This will demand time and it Is not now thought that action will be taken this year. Pressed Pants-Presser's Property Impressed The effects of 20th Century Tailors in the Prudente Building were auctioned yesterday afternoon following a creditors distraint. The former proprietor, George Kwann, left a week ago. His destination, it is believed, was Kam- loops. Shop fittings, furniture, clothes, electric lamps and mirrors were among items which came under the auctioneer's hammer. BITTEN BY DOG City police recieved a report last Thursday of an attack by a dog, on Floyd Leboe of Ross Cres- ent. The 11-year-otd boy was attacked and bitten on the face on Thursday afternoon. He Is the son of Mr. O. E. Leboe. Hospital Board Lauds T. D. Muslo Departing hospital administra- i tor Trevor D. Musto will leave Prince George by plane Friday! with words of praise and acknow-1 ledgement from the hospital board of management still ringing in his ears. A motion thanking Mr. Musto for all he has done for the city hospital was passed at the Friday-meeting of the board. It reads as follows: "That a vote of thanks and appreciation be extended to Mr. Trevor Musto for his work in reorganizing the different departments in the hospital during the three months he has been here, and for his splendid achievement in the harmony that now exists among the staff, and that a letter be forwarded to the Commissioner of B.C. Hospital Insurance informing him of the above facts." In addition to the board's vote of thanks. Dr. D. M. Murphy proffered acknowledgement of Mr. Musto's work on behalf of the medical staff, who. he said, had found Mr. Musto a very competent administrator. After a few days in Vancouver. � , Mr. Musto expects to visit hospi- Program rlannea tals in the Okanagan Valley for The city council contemplates the Provincial Hospital Service. taking action to beautify Prince Mr. Musto, who was loaned to George anil District Cemetery Power Properly To Be Listed First steps toward actual negotiations with the Provincial Power Commission for selling city owned electric generating equipment and distribution systems wifl be taken in the near future when a material inventory of the system will be taken. This was announced at a City council meeting on Monday night when a letter from the Power Commission was read suggesting that the city prepare to list all power properties as a forerunner to financial negotiation. � The Commission will inspect the present system, and after evaluating it. will make an offer to purchase. Luck of the Draw The luck of the draw was never better exemplified than on Tuesday when, a-niong the hundreds of tickets sold for the Civic Centre Association, a husband and wife Rained second and third prizes. The lucky couple were Mrs. � Grace Rebman who won $25 and George Rebman, third prize of $15. Winner of the first prize was Doug Winton ($50), son of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Win-ton, of Tofield Street. Cemetery Clean-ilp Centre Association, it may appoint two directors. The executive council will report back to the board of directors on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Meantime it will meet at 8 p.m. tomorrow in the city hall. "HO .YOKED" Commenting . on his appointment as president of the executive council, Bill Ferry said: "It is a great honor. Erecting the Civic Centre is a task of considerable magnitude, but we have a good executive council and we shaJJ devote all our energies to. completing the building as soon-as possible, with, of course, the support of the public." Hon. H. Bowman Due In P.G. Today the city hospital by B.C. Department of Health and Welfare, has been replaced by W. R. Hunter, formei* administrator at Powell River Hospital. RUPERT WANTS NURSES Prince Rupert. like Prince George, is suffering from an acute shortage of nurses. It has 21 nurses, but requires 50. To make matters worse, five nurses are leaving in August. A committee, headed by Alder-! Hon. Harry Bowman, Minister man Eugene Gabriele, has in hand a program to hard-top the walks and cut the grass and weeds. The next job is to procure the equipment and labor for the job. SN.OOO.OOO WARSHIP An $8,000,000 contract to build one of the first of three R.C.N. escort destroyers has been awarded to North Vancouver's Burrard dry dock. of Agriculture, is due in this constituency today on a province-wide tour to familiarize himself with the problems of his new office. He will be accompanied by the retiring minister. Frank Putnam and by Wm. McGillivray. director of land clearing operations and superintendent of the department of agricultural extension and development. LISTENED IN - STARTED MERCY FLIGHT RESCUE A tense life and death drama was enacted over northern B.C. radio wave lengths on Tuesday when frantic distress calls concerning a badly .injured man at Arnett Construction Company's Parsnip River camp could not be picked up by Dawson Creek authorities. Responsible for the rescue was Prince George, dentist, Dr, H. .1. Hocking, while Central B.C.. Airway's pilot Harry Taylor, of Fort St. James, made the flight in very poor weather conditions. Suffering possible internal injuries and muscle injury, is Colin Gllkin, Pouce Coupe, who is receiving medical attention In the Prince George and District Hospital. He was Injured on Tuesday when a truck, in which he and other men were returning to camp at the other end of the Hart Highway, rolled over and dragged him for some distance. - First news of the accident reached the outside world from the isolated camp on Tuesday evening when amateur radio fan Dr. Hocking received faint signals from an amateur receiver operated by Government Surveyor Syl Shaw, whose party was in the same area as the Arnett camp. . Signals from a commercial transmitter at the Arnett camp were received by Shaw who relayed them to Prince George. Feeling that a plane was needed to evacuate the injured man, Dr. Hocking contacted Central B.C Airways, who dispatched pilot Taylor from Fort St. James on the following morning. Eye witnesses to the landing at the camp told Dr, Hocking by ra dio that visibility was poor at the ime and that it was a "miracle"* how the pilot was, able to get his. aircraft down. The trip from the camp to* Prince George was carried out ui*-der very poor flight conditional which required the plane to travet the entire distance at little more-than tree-top height. Medical advice as to how best to relieve the injured man's pafru was relayed from Prince George to the camp. Dr. Hocking, who feels that the government efforts to abolish amateur radio operators would be a big mistake, said: "I think thia# just another case where a mercial transmitter failed in task and had to be helped out amateurs." Gilken's condition is reported fairly good by city hospital.