An independent Semi-Weekly Newspaper Devoted to the Interest of Cert S and Northern British Columbia
Vol. 35; No. 5
Prince George, B.C., THURSDAY, Jamia 3 7, 1952
$4.00 per year
per copy
More May Be Coming
Switchboard Lack is Cause of Power Failure
Surging Voltage Could Cause Extensive Damage
Two more power failures struck Prince George this week in a repetition of those which gave the city a "browned-out" pre-Christmas season.
All electrical appliances and lights died shortly after 8 a.m. yesterday for about an hour and the process was repeated this morning.
A city power official declared that the failures were deliberate shut-downs necessitated by surging voltage.
Had the power not oeen cut off when It was, thousands of dollars damage would have been done to city transformers and private electrical appliances.
Light bulbs would have burned out all over the city, the power official stated.
Surges in the lines cannot be avoided, he went on, until the remainder of the new switchboard is installed. s
At present all voltage going through one section of the new board must be controlled manually and the slightest bit of extra pressure on the control handle will cause a voltage surge.
Prince George Planing Mills Ltd., former suppliers of some of
the city's power requirements, rushed to the rescue of the city plants yesterday and again today to put the municipal generating equipment back on the line again.
Without the additional boost from the planing mill, the city could easily damage equipment in attempting to pick up the fuU load.
It was Prince George Planing Mills* own steam power plant which came to the city's rescue on two occasions before Christmas.
On the second occasion the load was so great that extensive damage was caused to one big turbine.
Although once under contract with the city to deliver power, the mill is now under no obligation to do so.
An official of the big lumber firm recently remarked that "it is our belief that in helping out the city we are helping out the community in general."
Former Mayor In New Top Post
Prince George's former mayor, Jack Nicholson, moved back Into a key civic spot Tuesday night when he was elected chairman of
flcrssey- Harris May Build Here Shortly
One of the world's largest manufacturers of farm machinery is seeking ground here for a main distribution office and vast storage warehouse, a City Hall source revealed this week.
the board of School District Number 57.
, Mr. Nicholson succeeds H. A. Moffat, .last year's board chairman.
Importance of the chairman's post is increased by the fact that the board will govern expenditure of over a half million dollars in increasing school facilities alone.
Mutual Operations Discussed
High Railroad 'Brass' Mum On Talks Here
P.G.E. And C.N.R. Heads In 2Vi-Hour Conference
rour wausdt a tiny living room \r\ja drab, green private raM- Avenue, due to the fact it is high-
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Massey-Harris Ltd., rated recently in. a national magazine as the world's top producer of all types of agricultural equipment, would use a proposed Prince George distribution development to supply the rich Peace River area and the entire northern half of B.C. with its wares.
It is believed the firm's planned development here will cover almost a city block and cost close to $100,000.
First news of the firm's intentions came this week in the form of a letter to the City Council asking that an upset price be set on 21 city-owned lots in Block 30 along First Avenue.
Through the center of the area named in the letter will run the C.N.R.'s long-promised spur line south of First Avenue. !
Block 30 is bounded by unused street allowances for Kingston Street on the east and Toronto Street on the west.
930,000 PRIOR TAG
The area in which the' big eastern firm has expressed interest contains about 78,000 square feet and at the city's upset price of 35 cents a square foot would cost around $30,000.
Massey Harris will be inform, ed of the upset price and may then make application for the large tract
The land will then be sold to the highest bidder at public auction.
i Block 30 is one of the best pieces of land left along First
Leading Lumberman Sees Lower Prices
VANCOUVER, Jan. 17 (CP) � H. R. MacMillan Wednesday predicted British Columbians will pay less for lumber and other forest products in 1952.
The chairman of the board of the newly formed MacMillan and Bloedel Ltd., made the forecast at the company's first annual meeting.
"Markets have become more selective, and possibly during the next 12 months lower average prices may appear for the greater part of B.C. mills," he said.
He expected the company's mills could run at full capacity during the year. But he said with rising cost and selective markets be down.
firemen Hop To One Blaze, False Alarms
Prince George Fire Department had Its most hectic morning on record today when the fire hall alarm system clamored three times within a little more than an hour. i
Greatest excitement was caused by the second call which allegedly reported a blaze on Rupert Street The fire was never found despite the feverish activity of the city's largest fire truck accompanied by a group of volunteers.
Still later the same fire was reported at a second location, Twelfth and Vancouver Street, but once again firemen cruised the area at a fast clip without finding trace of a blaze.
While still searching for the missing fire a third call was received, but firemen discovered it was caused by faulty wiring in an automatic alarm system at Prince George Hospital.
Only fire attended by the crew out of three calls was a blaze at the back of Knight & Giles Insurance and real estate office, 1464 Third Avenue.
Flames roared up in a back room of the building and caused damage estimated at around $400.
The fire was caused by a warm air duct, according to a Fire Department official.
The call for this fire came in at 8:17 a.m.
Walkouts Cripple Big B.C. Projects
VANCOUVER, Jan. 17 CP) � More than 300 miners have walked out on two multi-million dollar construction projects.
Affected are 300 workers in a mountain tunnel on the Aluminum Company of Canada's dam-site at Kitimat, and 30 miners at the B.C. Electric's $6,500,000
hydro development at Wahleach fererK:e ^ich may decide the fate of future CNR nnW P C F PGE construction engineer the walkout because of poor com-jand j R Drage munitions. According to the best informa-
A company spokesman said theitIon avallable the talks centered men quit work at Wahleach Lake-around what rI hts the �
because they claimed they were getting insufficient bonus.
The men are getting $1.60 an hour plus a bonus of 25 cents.
Board of Trade Meets Tonight
would have on C.N.R. trackage and reciprocal rates for the handling of freight.
Yard, station and loading facilities are also believed to have been discussed In Mr. Robertson's private car.
| The conference commenced at
] 2 p.m. Tuesday and closed two
.and a half hours later.
{ Proposals made at the confer-
Spur
ence are said to be only tentative and are subject to verification by controlling bodies of both railroads.
Outcome of the talks will not be known for some time.
company receipts in his own personal account.
Mr. McNelll pointed to the "utter stupidity" of such a move on the part of a man contemplating theft and suggested that it would be inconsistent with the actions of a man. experienced in the handling of money. Chatfield had testified that he
(See THEFT CHARGE Page 5)
City Youth Gains Top Seoul Award
Signal honor was received by local teen-ager Eric Ratledge a few days ago when in a special ceremony he became a "king's Scout", In recognition of his outstanding record in Scout activity
here Presentation
of the King's
PRESIDENT H. B. (HUB> KINO wIN be in the chair for the minI "���Hug tonight of Prince George B of Trod* In the Prince
Cafe
A number of important matter* will �e dealt with, including Hie election of a now dote of officers for 1932.
Member, hove bow aerified by ^�cretory H. R. FretWell that a dinner at 7 p.m. will
Plan 300-Foot For Powerhouse
Prince George will make application to the C.N.R. "for 300 feet of spur trackage to be located south of First Avenue near First Avenue Powerhouse.
The new spur will replace the one previously used by the city on the North side of First Avenue.
Decision to obtain the new service was made by City Council on Monday night upon the suggestion of the C.N.R.
reminded Alder-that the present spur has only a two-car capacity and that its location across the street from the powerhouse is inconvenient.
The new city spur will branch off the Northern Planing Mills spur east of the powerhouse and I will run westwards to a point between the powerhouse and the high bank Immediately south of it.
A 22,000 gallon dlesel storage tank purchased by the city Jast year will be- installed above ground at the rear of thV� powerhouse. . g
Cost of the new spur has not been determined, but Uw-tiity will reserve the right in Itsi application to construct much of the re-Iquired grade Itself.
^Mayor Dezell men
Scout Award, highest that can be gained in the scouting movement, was made to young Ratledge by district scout commissioner Ted Williams.
A member of the First Prince George Troop, Eric holds an Impressive number of badges for special skills, including fireman, cyclist, ambulance man and pathfinder. Last week he also received the coveted "A" Cord for all-round proficiency.
Special interest is attached to the award as it is the first time in many years that there has been a "King's Scout" in this area.
Born in Nanaimo, Eric came to Prince George with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jack L. Ratledge, about nine years ago. He vflis 14 years' of age last November, and has been a scout for the past two years.
LEGION BANDSMEN MEET TONIGHT
All members of Canadian Leg
ion band as well as those inter- |stand tQ testlf on his own be. ested in becoming members are
ested in becoming members, are asked to attend a meeting at,the Legion Hall tonight at 8 o'clock.
Plans are afoot to increase the size of the band, and make it an even greater asset to the Legion and the community, a branch official said. ,;
Pair Sentenced For Assaulting Policeman
Two men pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm In County Cdurt here yesterday almost two months after they were arrested for allegedly beating a policeman on Third Avenue.
The two were Myron Moore and J. R. Tolmie. Moore received suspended sentence of one year and Tolmie was fined $100 and sentenced to the time he had already spent in jail.
Originally charged on the more serious count of assaulting a police officer, the two pled guilty to the lesser count.
School Board Gels By-Law Go-Ahead
A proposed School District No. 57 expenditure of more than a half million dollars got govern-
., , ment approval "in principle" this ters-and swore that up until the j week a schoo, board official di&i
time of his arrest at Vanderhoof' cjosed today. '
Chatfield described the opera-, tion of commissary financial mat-
he was unaware that any short-
The board is now free to go-ahead with their plans to draw up a by-law which, if passed,
would authorize the city to raise
age existed in the commissary funds.
He testified that of the cash
kept' in an office filing cabinet; an estimated $160,000 towards the from commissary sales, a large big planned development. '
Major item on the list of proposed expenditures is a new Con-naught School at a cost of about
part was his own personal funds which he used freely for the cashing of employees' cheques.
Questioned concerning a $1300 $334~000 deposit to his own personal ac- j in giving the board the go-count" In a Burns Lake bank just ahead for by-law plans, the De-a. few days after a sum of $1300 partment of Education virtually in commissary receipts was hand- agrees to post the government's ed over to him, he replied that j share of financing. This is rough-
NOT SO COLLV
Cloudy with scattered snow flurries tonight and Friday says the weather office, southerly winds decreasing to light this afternoon, not so cold. Expected low and high readings tonight and tomorrow are zero and 15 above. ',
'Britain Will Do Her Part1
�WINSTON CHURCHILL
WASHINGTON, Jen. 17 (CP)�Prime Minister Winston Churchill told Congress today the United States eon count on Brietin to do her port in the defence of Europe.
Speaking to a joint session of Congress, he declared: "It is for you to fudge how much aid Britain should) receive." *
Of aid, Churchill said he had come to the United States to ask gold, but for steel, not for fevors, but for equipmet* ."
he had $1300 in personal funds: incoming from the cash drawer and j the fact that the ^mounts were ' similar was merely coincidental. In an impassioned plea for his client's acquittal, Attorney Mc-Neill asked the court it it. was likely a man contemplating theft would deposit an identical sum of money as that handed to him in
estimated at $290,000.
HORNETS WIN IN BLIZZARD
Hospital W.A. Is Book Drive Sponsor
Women's Auxiliary to the Prince George and District Hospital will sponsor a book drive again this> year to provide entertainment for patients and expand the hospital library.
Last year hundreds of books were collected by the W.A. with, the help of the Prince George
With visibility cut by near- Citizen which acted as a dona-blizzard conditions at Giscome tion and pick-up point in the last Sunday, Giscome Hornets drive.
managed to nose out Six Mile j The Citizen will again aid the Lake Orang-Utangs 2-0 in the Auxiliary this year and all books. Prince George District Intermed- magazines, and periodicals may iate Hockey League. be left at the newspaper office
Orang-Utangs iced a practically by donors.
all new team for their Sunday i An official of the W.A. asked
game with only Phil Trask, Bill this week that this year's donors
1 Ritchie and Larry Rustad hold-