PRO\
Alcan Link
Equipment Unloaded
S
barter million doUars was un 9 S from flat-cars last week ZI at Vanderhoof, from where en(^( is being constructed to
and huge
three-room aluminum bunkhous � formed a large portion of the
^"government employment of-who was visiting Vander-a week ago in an effort to determine the present employment potentialities of the project told a Citizen reporter that he saw machinery on hand worth from a quarter to a half million
! dollars. 4 ,
Although no contract for construction of the road into the dam site has yet been signed, equipment is being stockpiled in anticipation of an early start
Certain portions of the project must be complete before spring break-up, the employment man
said.
He added that about 40 men [are employed there now in Various capacities but that only few [of them have been hired locally. A main part of the preparations (for clam construction is digging of an 18 mile diversion canal for the Nechako River, the man stalled. He added that depth of the Nechako canyon at the dam site Is about 300 feet,
Old
'Con'
5f
3
One of the oldest "con games" in the history of organized crime cropped up in Prince George this
Game Crops Upflere-H City Man Nobody's Fool
week when businessman
a well-known was marked
city the
"sucker" for the aged, moth-eaten racket which goes under the name of "The Mexican Prison Trick"
As old as the first "gold brick" and as phoney as preferred shares in the Brooklyn Bridge, the pris-trick drew loud guffaws intended victim and
oner from sent
the him
The racket, also known as the "South American Prisoner Game" and the "Foreign Legion Scandal" usually'runs something like this.
A man known to be affluent Is contacted by letter by a nameless individual whose long tale of woe relates how he is unjustly incarcerated In a Mexican, South American, Spanish or French dungeon and that he is the helpless owner of (a> a suitcase full of thousand dollar bills, or (b) a
trotting to R.C.M.P. map of where lies the buried gold
of the Incas, or (c) a key to ine United States treasury.
All this "poor fellow" needs to claim his fortune is a few hundred dollars to buy his way out of jail, in return for" which he will give his benefactor a big share of said fortune.
The money from the benefactor is sent to some general delivery address and here the adventure ends as far as the benefactor is concerned.
The local case, according to Inspector A. T. Lashmar, R.C.M.P.
officer commanding the Prince George division, follows true to form, except the poor "prisoner" will rot in his dungeon before he gets any money.
bond at a customs bonne "sotnw-where In North America." "V," despite all this wealth, is hard pressed for ready cash and would like some financial aid in
The letter received by the city actually laying hands on his valu-
man, who prefers to remain anonymous, was mailed from Mexico City on February 21 by one who calls himself "V."
V's story Is that he is in jail there for bankruptcy but that he is owner of a suitcase containing $385,000 in small bills which happens to be under
able suitcases. "V" will be so happy to get them back, in fact, that he will give his benefactor "the third part of said sum," or a cool $126,000/
He added that R.C.IUP. officials in Saskatchewan recently reported a similar letter from the same Mr. "V."
Ar Independent Semi-Weekly Newspoper Devoted to the interest of Central and Northern British Columbio
Vol, 34; No. 17
Prince George, B.C., THURSDAY, March 1, 1951
$3.00 per year
per copy
'GREEN LIGHT9 FOR
TRUCK LOAD BOOST
Great news for truckers in this district came hot off the wires from Victoria today when Public Works Department officials there messaged approval of a plan to increase maximum truck load limits while roads are frozen. An increase of two ons per axle has been authorized by the department for rucks operating in this district.
The altered regulation will per-i
nit local lumbermen to move | change got around today among millions of feet more timber bo j truck operators, the public works
Post Office Boies [Go Underground
Transfer of all post-office lock I boxes and drawers from the main floor to the basement and enlargement of the present lobby land sorting space are called for fin plans designed to relieve an I overcrowded condition at Prince [George post-office that has been {growing more acute each month, jit was announced by Postmaster |E. H. Burden this week.
In the mala lobby the present ju-icket partitions will be moved six feet back to permit construc-Ition of a six-foot stairway leading |to the basement where the present 837 boxes will be Installed. In
iddition 450 new boxes will be, were jubilant this morning4 at
news of approval of their plan. Only additional restriction will consist of special .speed limits for loaded trucks over cerjian bridges. Permits for the increased load allowance must be obtained from the department before truckers can take advantage of the relaxation of regulations. Permits will be issued free
ore break-up.
Representations to increase the oad limits on trucks were made )y the Lumbermen's Association and the Trucker's Association, and were approved by D. D. God rey. Department of Public Works divisional engineer here. Mr. Godfrey declared today hat increased loads would pile no additional destruction on to district roads as long as they remained frozen. Both trucker*; uad lumbermen
(installed in the basement Removal of the existing
box
artition on the east side of the
pain floor will [the lobby space,
almost double and overcome
nuch of the congestion occasion-" by the present cramped quart-
s.
It is expected that three city Contractors will submit bids on Je work, tenders for which close
March 5.
More Snow ttmrtm
Variable cloudiness is predicted or overnight and cloudy with a
wurrles. ton**�*.
be light, *the tempera. lure continuing cold. Low tonight, W tomorrow for Prince George,
ow and 30ab
W ow for Pri
below and 30.above
Lumbermen will
^SKJf Lumbermen will � *hltellon* this week-end i\S� �efaiWtlon ri
nd
�efaiWtlon series Merchant. Hoc-
upon request and will bear on them information pertaining to bridge speed limits.
"If these bridge speed restrictions are not respected," Mr. Godf d "h
"the permit of the will be re-
frey warned, offendi
voked.
The special permits will function only during those months when the roads are frozen and will be rescinded immediately when load restrictions come Into force during break-up.
Mr. Godfrey said that several bridges in the district are unsafe if excessively loaded trucks hit them at high speeds.
As word of the regulation
office at the government building became a hive of activity. Permits were being issued as fast as they could be made out.
Under the alteration, axle loadings may be boosted from the present 18,000 pound limit to 22,000 pounds.
Ordinary lumber trucks will be able to boost loads as much as 2600 board feet and tandem trucks will be able to haul about 3900-00^0* feet more. ~ '
Now It's Geese Here Already
Signs of an early spring are coming thick and fast. Latest to be reported to The Citizen is the passing of a flock of geese on its way north.
"Bucky" Harris, local baker, was emptying the ashes outside his home, which is situated behind the old army camp by the Nechako River, when he heard _ the birds honking. "It's so unusu-i al for this time of year that for! a minute I couldn't think what it' was," he said.
Then, recognizing the sound but hardly believing his ears, Mr. Harris looked up and- saw the northbound birds. There were about thirty in the fWk, he estimated.
Prince George Boy Scouts At Victoria
When the B.C. Legislature opened February 20, sixty B.C. Boy Scouts formed o Guard of Honor for the Lieutenont-Governor. Prince George was represented by four Scouts, shown above being inspected by Freeman King, district commissioner, Victoria. They ore (left to right): John Berdusco, Earl Lund, Ron Hcnning, Fred Baxter. A Scout from Duncan stepped into the picture, at the extiema right.
Twins Have Separate Birthdays
A young Prince George mother gave birth to rwio* ot Prince George and j District Hospital last week�but they'll have different birthdays.
TC I0"�!Louise
New City Power Plans See Army Plant Sold
A tightly held secret in City Hall circles came to light this
^ ^vTJrf 5^nce^amvedforMrs.oram^^e.aymeTorn^ru�u.se week when ,f WQS reyeaJed fhot presenr power plant expansion
Holt) at 10:30 p.m. oofebruory 21. He was named Cdword Stanley. His twin i . ,, , , � . . ,,r . * �
sister (Eleanor Louise) checked in at 12:05 a.m. on February 22. tipping the I Plans cafl for abandonment of the former Army power plont m
icoles at 5 pounds, Wa ounces. Central Fort George and disposal of its equipment.
Dad? Oh, yes. He's a 23-yeor-oW truck driver' for W. H. Molkin Co. Ltd. Although the plan had appar-
Ston soys the mother and twins ore "just fine." j ently been agreed upon by City
1 Council more than three weeks J ago, no .word of it had ever been j brought up at a regular council j meeting.
I A city official this week reveals'ed that the power generating equipment in the plant would be
Influenza Strikes Southern B.C. Pupils
VANCOUVER, March 1 � Bight thousand school children are absent from classes in Vancouver and New Westminster today, a high percentage of the victims of influenza. Ranks of teachers were also hit
In Vancouver almost 6,000 elementary school pupils are absent. New Westminster had 600 absentees due to illness.
W
s/i In Decisive Victory To
l-Off Berth
$20,000 Fire Had Big Head Start
The $20,000 fire which ripped trade� Seventeen Liberals, seven from British Columbia, bolted party ranks In the House of Commons. last night to back a C.C.F. bifl1
and travelled under the floor between the joists.
He discounted a theory that defective wiring was the cause.
Flames first broke above floor level through the register opening about. 11 feet from the chimney, he said, and from there spread to other portions of the store.
He added that the fire had beei burning "a matter of hours" before the alarm was turned in.
"We found that big beams lo cated near the chimney were burned right through, indicating that the blaze had been burning some time," he stated.
Bowman Tefls B.o,T. No Hydro Action
Prince George Board of Trade was informed by letter from Hon. H. R. Bowman at a general meeting last night that the provincial cabinet has so far taken no action regarding a decision to go> ahead with hydro construction on the Quesnel River.
Mr. Bowman added that the power commission's report on the North Fork of the river has not even been discussed by ministers.
Dr. R. W. Alward moved thai the letter be filed as ". ... it seems we are not able to get anything but evasive answers to our requests for information."
g aimed at amending the
Is
SLU3T f*��*.
as cold
wm
and
Monday night saw both teams move Into the second period with play still even despite a one goal lead for the city squad, but Orang-Utangs reversed things minutes later to take a one point lead themselves.
Some smart line changing by Coach Joe Couture pulled the Irish out of a tight spot and marked a new .trend which saw 8hamrocks/ constantly carrying the puck into the enemy's zone. CSm IRISH IN, Page 5)
labor code.
The bill, however, was defeated 127 to 67, but the breakaway crroup was the biggest to cross party lines in several years.
The measures would have made voluntary revocable checkoff of union dues mandatory on employ* ers. Under the checkoff, employers collect 'd^es and turn them to unions.
West Coast "rebel" contin-gent included E. T. Apple whaite * and James Sinclair, Par-Assistant to Defence Claxton.
Coast Loggers Get
federal N�* W� Thirty-two thousand coastal log-
gers, mejnbers of- the I.W\A., have accepted a new 18-month contract, President J. Stewart Als-bury .announced today.
The vote was "Yes" 9,711; MNo" 6,333. It provides lor a basic increase of nine cents an hour, raising wages from I1.20V6 to $3.29*4, plus differential raises of one to nine cents an hour, depending on the wage category. The new contract also contains a ' cost-of-Hving bonus clause.
with the supplying company the city will pay $50,000 cash for the first power unit, and will get the second one on an even trade basis for the army plant equipment.
The present huge brick build-Ing housing the army plant will probably be sold by the city for salvage.
Purchase of the building for use. on its present site is unlikely Play will commence at 7 o'clock due to the "demolition clause" tonight in the spring mixed bon-contained in purchase contracts spiel with 32 rinks entered. With with War Assets Corporation. two open competitions, curlers
The two new power units to be will be hard at it each evening-installed are Fairbanks-Morse with a possibility of ending the diesel powered generators of the 'spiel by Sunday evening or Mon-
Brooms Swing Tonight In Spring Mixed 'Spiel
opposed piston type.
Curlers Winning
Still in the running in the two main events at Kamloops Bons-piel today is the Mel Strickland rink from here, according to a message received in Prince Wallace, George this morning.
day: Two draws each night will be played with first draw Sunday possibly starting at 9 a.m.
Following are draws for tonight and tomorrow. Tonight
7 p.m., Crosby vs Tibbett, Butcher vs Robertson, Schmidt vs Roine vs Sales, Gustaf-
I son vs I. Killy.
Members of the rink expected I 9 p.m., Smith vs Clarke, Meiers to play in the 16's earlier today !vs Wray, Frank Hutton vs Peck and. If victorious, in the eight's ham, Kennedy vs Warner, Tom.
this afternoon.
Members of the rink are* Mel Strickland, Lloyd Harper, Quesnel, Mayor Garvin Dezell and Jimmy Slesinger.
According to information received, the Tony Woodland rink of Williams Lake has been elim-nated but the Rustad rink from lere Is doing well.
Hay vs Otto Killy. Friday
7 p.m., Wlllson vs Madill, Bolt-on vs James, K. Wilson vs Neil-sen, Bill Hay vs Waller, Blackburn vs Walls.
9 p.m., Bill Hutton vs Brink-worth, Wray vs Clarke, Ivor Killy vs Tibbett, Schmidt vs Peokham, Frank Hutton vs Crosby.