MAN BUYS IDERHOOF HOIft
 city
e owner,   purchased  of Bob Reid in the SSat Vanderhoof." Krdaon will continue to Blf � weii   Known   men's fetore in Prince George and amed   oe Couture, former hockey coach and an ex-hotelman, as manager  venture.
- one of .the oldesMn i interior, has a licenc- parlor attached and con-
 Vanderhoof
and-rooming houses, the otel is doing a   booming ,s catering to the needs of action company employees � at work   on   the   vast o dan project for Alum-Company of Canada, [price of the hotel has not closed
INTEREST I05PITAL POLL
Iblic opinion poll launched Citizen two weeks ago on
fchly contentious subject of
Columbia's    hospital    m-
scheme has met with sur-
response   from   readers
ce George and nearby cen-
.� have been pouring into jzen office daily from rail-storekeepers,     clerks,, ics, teachers,  truck    dri-tenograprers  and    police-I it is now assured that will serve as an accur-jmeter of opinion on hos* burance. at  least in  this
Citizen poll assumes added |nce this week with an an-lent    from      Vancouver >r groups in B.C. are plan-circulate a petition pro-the recent increase in hos-surance premiums.   They
get 250,000 signatures. /ens believe the co-insur-jtose of the new payment switched public resent-pm the Hospital Insurance [to the Coalition Govern-bearing the brunt of
Foil, Pof* 4)
An Independent Semi-Weekly Newspaper Devoted to the Interest of Central ond Northerr �     th Columbia
itizen
Vol: 34,   No. 26
Prince George, B.C.,  THURSDAY, April 5, 1951
$3.00 per year        5^ per copy
*481,000 School Budget To Cost City Record Sum
The largest local annual school budget in history was released for publication this week by school board officials who stated it has been given the cit/s stamp of approval.
Champs
III
[Practice
ays of a pale spring 3un Jng city softballers into nci first scheduled pract-for the People's Credit (-sponsored Red Caps on
F Wright, manager of the fcJch won last year's city ship, said Red Caps per at Athletic Park at linday.
earns are in the process I organized, Mr. Wright i added that eight teams ^cted to enter the league and that a highly suc-ason is anticipated.
It totals $481,000 and shows an >verall Increase over last year's mdget of $100,000 and an actual increase over last years' total expenditures of $85,000.
Tax requirements from muriic-pal coffers total $281,000, an al>-time record.
Accounting for more than half of the big overall budget increase are new buildings and new equipment. The remainder is almost evenly spread over the other 29 planned budget expenditures.
Teacher's salaries will cost the district only an additional $12,000 over last year's requirements.
Direct government grants will make up approximately $150,000 f the budget's requirements and grants and other revenue will total $200,000.
The remaining $281,000, or more than 60 per cent of the total, will be borne by the municipality .
The school dormitory will more than half pay its cost from students fees and the remainder to be made up from, a provincial grant and a district grant by the school district.
For the first time in some years, the budget was accepted by the City Council with little opposition or discussion.
This was largely due to that fact that municipal officials are still hoping for a readjustment of educational costs by the provincial government.
An alternative to this, and one which the city has commenced action upon, would "be "severance from the school. dfetrjcL-and formation of a separate educational (So* School Budget, Pogc 4)
ALDERMAN ILL; FLOWN SOUTH
Stricken with a severe kidney ailment, Alderman Harold Ass-man was flown to Vancouver on the regular C.P.A. noon plane on Tuesday.
He is now in Shaughnessy Military Hdspital undergoing specialized treatment.
From Vancouver today comes the word that he is "much  im-
proved." Mr.  Assman
was  admitted  to
Prince George and District Hospital on Saturday and was making good progress toward recovery when complications develop^ ed on Tuesday.
His sister, Mrs. August Dorn-bierer, accompanied him south.
Mrs. Assman is also a patient in city hospital, having been admitted the same day as her hus-i band.                                            I
Two Fined After Admitting Ihefl
Theft of a tire and wheel from a parked car at the corner of Dominion Street and Third Ave., last week, resulted in two local youths being sentenced to $100 fines or one month in jail.
Frank Marion, age 24 and Gordon Gough, 27, pleaded guilty as charged in County Court on Tuesday before Judge E. D. Wood-burn. Marlon has been released from custody after paying his fine.
JOBLESS HALF 1950 TOTALS
An estimated 800 mill workers are jobless here today asa reeult of spring break-up mill closures but employment officials' state the total of unemployed do not amount po half the number out of work In the district this time last year.
Improved employment conditions this year are attributed by employment men to a late and gradual break-up, early start on P.G.E. construction, and hiring of a number of men for the Ma*nnix Construction Co. road project west of Vanderhoof.
About 50 per cent of the mills in the district are now closed due to road restrictions and poor logging conditions, but a few may remain open throughout the break-up period.
Food Prices Spark living Cost Jump
OTTAWA, April 5 ���Living? costs in February, measured by the official costof-living Index, Increased to a peak of 179.7 points from 175.2, boosted by the biggest monthly climb In history�a thumping 4.5 points.
Climbing food prices provided the main impetus for the record advance, but all other items which normally go into a family budget also went higher, the Bureau of Statistics reported today.
The index Is based on the 1935-39 prices equalling 100. The big climb of 4.5 points in February compared with a previous monthly high of 4.0 points in April, 1917. The 1917 figure is an estimate calculated on the 1935-39 base.
$17,000 Bridge Job Will Commence Here Monday
TRAFFIC   REGULATED   ON   NECHAKO   SPAN
Russian Troops Massing Hinted In Washington
WASHINGTON, April 5 (&)� Speaker Sam Rayburn broke into a debate on the draft universal military training bill today to say the United States is in "terrible" danger of a third world war.
He warned the House of Representatives against "complacency" over the future.
Fresh from a White House briefing on Korea, the Texas Democrat told of "massing of troops In Korea and Manchuria and not all of them are Chinese Communists by a great extent"
Asked off the floor if he meant Russians, he replied: "I'm standing now on what I have said."
�T.F. Delegate Moves  Tax Distribution
endment  which,' if  ac-. the government, might �to aid the unhappy situ-! regard to school costs  proposed   by   R   q fser at the B.C. Teach-prauon   Convention   in  Ia5t w�* and adopted nvemion for forwarding acial authorities       *  amendment asked
 "S- and
 required to use  ��   tax   for
 g�"W> the first
 secon-
 4)
Second Class Mail To Pay More Postage
The Postal Department has announced that, effective April 2, increased postage rates went into effect on all printed matter, including newspapers and periodicals, consigned to points outside Canada.
New rates for this class of mail will be 2 cents for the first two ounces and 1 cent for each additional ounce.
Red Cross Drive Mean $4200 Quota
The $4200 goal of Prince George Red Cross canvassers is now in sight, and with a number of large contributors still to be heard from the drive should go "over the top" within the next week, it was reported at campaign headquarters this morning.
Individual donors and volunteer canvassers have turned In $3311.24 to date in the district campaign.
As In other sections of B.C., the local campaign was* slowed early (Sec Red Cross Drive, Pago 4)
Key In Car Invites Theft Says RCMP Man
Thefts from cars and theft of cars are still being encouraged through drivers leaving their ignition keys in their automobiles, an R.C.M.P. official declared this week.
He said that two recent automobile thefts in Prince George would probably have been averted if. the vehicles' owners had pocketed the keys.
New Nurse Arrives
-Prince George and District Hospital added a new staff member this week with the arrival of Miss Esther Netterfield, R. N. Miss Netterfeld, who has been nursing at Fort St. John prior to her coming to Prince George, is a graduate of Vancouver General Hospital,                                                i
Work   on   the   long-awaited Nechako   River   Bridge   repair project  will   start  on   Monday and   traffic   over   the   wooden span  will be held np throughout most of the day. Announcement that work was about to start came today from Doug     Welsh,     district    public works engineer, who will super-
Leading Movie Stars Branded As Reds
WASHINGTON, April 5 (CP)� Academy Award winners Jose Ferrer, Judy Holliday and two prominent university scientists were listed today by"the House of Representatives Un-American Activities Committee as among those whose names have been associated with a current Communist "peace offensive."
Their names, with scores of others, appeared in a lGfrpage re port just issued by committee analyzing the peace offensive, which it called "the most dangerous hoax ever devised by the international Communist conspiracy."
vise the $17,000 project.
When completed, the bridge will sport a brand new deck, new ?uard rails and a new arm rail. Planking salvaged from the project will be used by the department for planking of certain impassable sections of district highways.
Mr. Welsh said the job would take almost a month to complete. The new deck will be laid down with plank ends "staggered," thus preventing wear and reducing vibration.
He said that the present deck with plank ends all even, warps and pounds while supporting the heavy traffic. The pounding makes for greatly increased wear between deck planks and string ers.
During the repair period, speed limit over the bridge will be five miles an hour.
The bridge will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon, and-from 1 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. each day. A temporary deck will be laid down between these periods to accommodate light traffic.
lent Controls New 'roblent For Victoria
VICTORIA, April 5 �Brit-sh Columbia will take over rent controls April 30 on a year-to-year basis, Premier Byron Johnson announced Wednesday in the Legis-ature.
Rents have been under control of the federal government since a wartime order of 1941, but it will discontinue them at the end of this month.
"It is the government's intention," said Mr. Johnson, "to takeover the administration that now exists in the province.
"Rents will be maintained at existing levels, but any inequalities between landlord and tenant will be dealt with. Adjustments will be made where necessary."
Canadian Destroyer Returning For Repairs
OTTAWA, April J5 CCP)�Tlie destroyer Ca'yuga, now bound for Esquimalt after a tour of operations in the Korean war zone, is scheduled to return to the Far East after a 66-day stay at her home port, the navy announced today.
The destroyer left Pearl Harbor Sunday on the last leg of her journey back to Canada and is due at Esquimau at 2 p.m. Saturday for repairs and leave to her rew.
P.G.E. HISTORY MADE
History was in the making a scant mile from   Prince George this week as a ponderous, multi- j engined machine commenced laying P.G.E. rails south from here, for the second time in slightly j more than a quarter century. The j event, ramifications of which will be   felt   throughout   the   entire north,  was  heralded  only by   a i handful of sweating track workers, a Citizen reporter, a railroad contractor and an engineer.
For the second time in history, brand new lengths of steel were j laid along the P.G.E. grade in a; southerly direction  and  for  the second time  in  history' a  mere handful of men were witnessing conclusive evidence of the evergrowing   importance   of   Prince George and the north.
Key instrument in the whole operation was a huge $50,000 machine which has been a'build-Ing here for the past three months.
It Is the second "pioneer car" to head southwards on the shortest possible link between the frontiers of the north and the industrial centres of the south.
The machine Is the brain-child chiefly of Frank Jamieson, official of Jamieson Construction Co. major contractors on the 80-mile rail connection with Quesnel.
Responsible for its construction here were two mechanics, Rene Boyd of Squamlsh and Tony Plausina of Vancouver.
Rail men term the Jamieson pioneer car one of the most ef-. fident ever built and old-timers on the track crew were amazed at the ease with which it dispatched ties into position and extended heavy rail ahead of it at the rate of almost a mile per day.
The   car   is self-propelled and
This Rube Go\dberQ-oppeoring machine is the $50,000 "pioneer cor" constructed here by the Jomiesort Constructiofv Co. for toying trock plong tf�e P.G.E. extension from Prince George to Quesnel. It Is pictured on the grade direcf+y opposite from South Fort George oo the bonks of the Froser River. Operator of the machine, Steve Hunctiuk, coo be seer> ot centre right high in his cupola beside the two huge booms. Looking on, but boreJy visible in the pnoto, is Hie cor's designer, Frank Jomiesoo. Leoding downwords from the front of the cor is me conveyor channel for moving ties up to position where they ore put h> place by the trock crew before the roil is spiked onto them. Two fkrtcors pHed with ties con be seen in- me background. Big booms hondte me trock sections, sliding them ohead Into position os the car inches forword under its own power.. It is expected me machine moy be oble to fay olmost o mile of trock per doy.
tows behind it two flat cars stacked with steel, ties, spikes, track-plates and bolts.
It is operated by a crew of three men, with another crew of 10 to 15 men handling the track once it Is in place.
Chief operator of the pioneer car, Steve Hunchuk, sits high aloft in a small cupola built into the crane structure and manipulates a dozen controls which regulate the speed of the   car,   the
air brakes and other motivated accessories.
When large-scale track laying operations get under way within the next week, mechanical spike drivers and a gas-powered bolt tightener will follow the machine to put the finishing touches to the new track.
Ties for the job roll down a long conveyor to fall within a few feet of their final resting place and huge sections of track
are hoisted ahead on an elaborate boom arrangement which is powered by a compressed-air winch.
A small self-propelled fork lift machine shuttles back and forth on the top of the car keeping its active front end supplied with ties, and rails are stored on the forward portion of the car readily accessible to the hoist
In the short period it took a Citizen cameraman to record for readers and for posterity the Important event, more than 100 feet of new track was laid.
Frank Jamieson, studying the initial operations of the machine, said that only a few minor modifications would be needed on It before It would go into action on a full scale basis.
He hopes eventually that the machine will lay close to one mile a day as it heads south towards the Cot ton wood Canyon where it may be delayed due to absence of the huge bridge which must yet be constructed, there.
Mr. Jamieson said that the grade is now in shape to lay track as far as Car von Creek and he confidently expects that the further south sections would be ready by the time the machine reached them.
Michael "Big Mike" Abraham-son, well known retired C.NT.R. track layer, will supervise the-pioneer's operations and he will be assisted by Albert Walks and James McMillan.
First engine to travel the new track will be a special under-size diesel locomotive recently purchased by the Jamieson company to keep the ploner car supplied with ties and rails from the stockpiles of materials here. Ray Karney will be operator of the little engine.
fn