An Independent Semi-Weekly Newspaper Devoted U tfie Interest of Central and Northern British Columbia
Vol. 35;
Prince George, B.C.,  THURSDAY, April 17, 19*2
$4.00 per year       5^ per copy
 .project
 JAulo Court Plans
PAVING 20 MILES6"Cwnta0K SOUTH THIS YEAR
Hard Surfacing To Start In July
First official confirmation of a long-rumored $100,000 highway paving project for this district came from Hon. H. R. Bowman, B.C.'s Minister of Agriculture, at a meeting of the
Prince George District Liberal Association Tuesday night. Following   the   cabinet   minist-
er's announcement of a plan to pave the first 20 miles of the Cariboo Highway south J Prince George, D. D. Godfrey, divisional engineer here, released some details of the project
Paving, he said,  would likely
commence in July or August as
the pulva-mix    process Intended
for the job requires dry weather.
The hard surfacing will start,
he believes, at the east end of
the Fraser River Bridge here
and will end in the vicinity of
Woodpecker.
It will contain gaps at Tabor Creek and Cale Creek where large fills are required to straighten the road and bring it to its final grade.
While these fills may all be done this year, Mr. Godfrey said, the surface could not be paved until the material in the fill becomes stable.
Two different systems of surface preparation will be used along the 20-mile stretch, the engineer disclosed.
Common to both systems will be a four inch base layer of pit-run gravel. Over this on part of the stretch, will go a. .t&re.e .}$£&„ coat of crushed rock, and on the remainder an additional thickness of pit run gravel will be laid.
Reason for this Is that though the Public Works Department has been stockpiling crushed gravel at strategic points along the highway tor. some years, there is still not enough to cover the whole 20 miles intended for paving. TWO PROCESSES
Where crushed gravel has been laid an asphalt spreader will spray the surface and a pulva-mix machine, which pounds and mixes the oil and gravel, will follow. Compaction will come from ordinary traffic.
Over the portion wfiere ordin-
Phone Fire Hall If Burning Refuse
Besieged by dozens of calls from Prince George householders who wished to start small refuse fires at their homes, August Dornbierer, city fire chief, hastened to correct a news story in last week's Citizen which stated that a" written permit was required before bonfires could be started.
Mr. Dornbierer stated that it was only necessary to phone 11 to secure permission at the Fire Hall to start a fire. The regulation is intended to give the Fire Department some control over the number of fires burning in the city at one time, and also to prevent the setting of fires when the wind or other conditions are not favorable.
"Fire permits are neither necessary nor available," the fire chief stated.
Two auto court plans were approved by City Council at a regular meeting last night and construction is expected to get under way on both of them shortly. , One development, to be known as the Michael Denis Motel, will incorporate 18^ tourist units and a' central residence.
The other, proposed by a Vancouver businessman, Thompson Allen, will contain 25 units and a residence.
Both courts are located in Block 257 in the Millar Addition.
Living . units in the Michael Denis Motel, to be built by L. C. Stebbins, will be 24 feet by 36 feet, while those in the other development will be 18 feet by 20 feet.
Under an agreement made at the1 time of purchase of the property, both courts must be 50 per cent complete wiithin six months or the land will be forfeited.
Flying Discs Seen Near Atomic Plant
OTTAWA, April 17 (CP)—The RCAF Wednesday ordered its Intelligence Branch to investigate a report of flying "discs" over its air station at North Bay, Ont.
non-commissioned
Four officers
RCAF have
reported    seeing
discs over North Bay, the latest on Saturday night
North Bay is about 110 miles from Chalk River, Ont., site of Canada's big atomic energy project.
Bowman Unanimous Choke Of Fort George liberals
Pledges Big Works Expenditure Here
Fort George Liberal Association moved solidly behind Hon. Harry R. Bowman at a nominating convention in the Elks' Hall Tuesday night.    His nomination was uncontested.
Into the top position again in
the organization which will drive
to  get  the  cabinet  member  re-elected in June went H. B. King,
member of the city law firm of
Wilson,  King   &  Fretwell.     Mr.
King's    nomination    to    another
term as president of the Prince
George  District  Liberal Association also went uncontested.
High point of the Liberal meeting came after Mr. Bowman's nomination when, in outlining special ' government expenditures for this constituency, he confirmed a longf-rnmored plan* calling for 20 miles of paving south from Prince George. In a brief address, Mr. Bowman
said "we will all concede that we
want roads in this constituency,
first, last and always."
"If the  government could  assure paved roads throughout the
country there would be no trouble
in  getting anybody elected,"  he
said. "However, we have the entire
province to  consider.  This  year
we have the biggest road program
ever set xjut. Some say it is an
election program, but our need is I
think that the end justifies the means."
He said that, prior to the meeting he had been in touch with Lands and Public Works" Minister-E. T; Kenney in an effort to get a definite picture of the breakdown of $2,000,000 intended for the improvement of the Northern Trans-Provincial Highway.
"The money is not allotted for individual projects yet," he said, "but I feel we will have a good grant for roads here."
He said that Prince George ranked third on a government priority list for a new provincial building.
He said that 983,000 will be spent on a bridge near Tete Jaune and that a $43,000 grant will be made for road improvement in the McBride area.
"All told, road expenditures in this riding will total a half million dollars," he stated. Referring again to the Northern (See  BOWMAN,   Page  4)
for roads and hi getting them I|
City Pub Reserve On East End Land
Prince George City Council last night suspended further tales of city-owned land sooth of Second Avenue andREast of Queen Street pending rezoVlng of the East End to light industry.
City Clenk D. T. Williams, reading an application to purchase a number of lots on Second Avenue/ pointed out to Couucil that the city has lots selling at $1000 apiece right across Ihe street from lots selling for $100 a piece.
.Property northof Second Avenue has been selling for 35 cents or more a square foot, and that on the south side of Second Avenue is priced at around three cents a square foot.
No more land will be sold by the city in the East End until revaluation has taken place and a proposed zoning change decided upon.
In addition, the C.N.R. will be asked to outline further possible spur installations in the city's budding industrial section before available property becomes alienated.
Gas Here Before End Of 53 €hy Council Told Last Night
ary pit-run gravel is used, (See PAVING, Page 4)
the
Police Stage Eetfer Raid
A Van-Bow district residence was raided by R.C.M.P. on Easter week-end and a quantity'of liquor was seized.
Charged with keeping liquor for sale was Matt Chorney, Vancouver Street resident.
Chorney is awaiting trial.
Two Firms Witl Ask For Distribution Franchise
Prince George will have natural gas before the end of next year, a gas company official told City Council last night, and two companies are already in the market for a municipal franchise.
Council got simultaneous notices from two groups' that application would be made shortly for distribution franchises.
First application read was from McMahon and Burns Ltd., Vancouver, who state they have already engaged the New York utility-engineering firm df Ford, Bacon & Davis to design the system, and have arranged for purchase of natural gas from West-coast Transmission Company Ltd., the firm intending to construct a gas pipeline from B.C.'s
Peace River    area txr the Lower Mainland.
Finances have already been arranged for through Eastman, Dillon  &   Co.,  of  New  York,  a
TWO U.S. CITIES BRACED FOR FLOOD CRISIS
OMAHA, Nob., April 17 (CP)-—Th« two citiet of O^oho and Council NuKs, with 40,000 persons oJrcody evacuated from Hidr homes, today *<>ited behind reinforced dikes for tho crowning assault of the flooding Mis-«ouri River. Tha river slowed Hs downstream march slightly last nlghr, was over the 28-foot mark early Thursday, and is expected to read a record crest of 315 feet tonight. It is stet known whether dikes built to hold a crest of W« feet could hold back the waters. The two eities were the focal point °f floods which.mad* 114,000 homeless in eight states.
letter from the gas company stated.
Proposed name of the distribution firm here would be Prince George Gas Company.
Second group to inform the Council of intention to apply for a natural gas franchise Is represented by FL_ B.' King, city barrister, who wrote the city he was acting for a "group of local businessmen."
Mr. King requested a meeting with the Council or with a com-
petent  committee franchise.  : .:•     , Capital   for  the
to discuss  a project  is  al-
Cariboo M.P. Pleased With Gas Development'
G                 ;
George ib
 Murray,-M.P.,    for  l
ge m; Murray,-M.P., for "ariboo, was a northbound plane Passenger to Fort St. John after a brief visit to Prince George.
Mr. Murray spys the decision of the Alberta Government to Permit the export of gas from the north-western section of the pro-j;>nce is great news for British Columbia, and is confident that a Pipeline through Central B.C. u'lbe started this summer. ,, .[.J)ere Is intense activity among oruung crews in the vicinity of J°«t St. John, and there is little
°ubt that more gas and oil pools jui be tapped in that field. Gas  this district could be piped int0 the Alberta-B.C. line.
A-rchitects are still working on
ans for a new federal building  Prince George  and it is ex-. ted that tenders wlU be called for soon
Vancouver Man Wants Half Industrial Block
An application to purchase more than half of Block 30 comprising low land south of First Avenue at an upset price of _ 3,5 cents a square foot was read to City Council last night and the land will be up for auction April
3P.         ;.v
A cheque for $8000 representing part payment of the cost was attached to the application.
Applicant for the property is R. Brealy, a Vancouver businessman.
Mr. Brealy has not revealed plans to develop the property yet
The area applied for includes all the land In Block 30 south of the C.N.R.'s proposed railroad spur. Due to the fact that the spur curves back towards- First Avenue,at that point, the south part takes up close to two thirds of the entire block.
ready on, hand, Mr. King wrote.
It is believed a gas distribution system here would cost more than a million dollars to install.
City of Prince Gedrge would likely get a royalty on every cubic foot of gas sold under the franchise and, if the gas is cheap enough, it could ;mean a sharp cut In the cost of electric power here.
All newly-Installed generating units in First Avenue powerhouse are dual purpose types which can be easily converted from oil to. gas.
Cariboo Candidate
WILLIAMS  LAKE,     April  I (CP) — Kenneth    Thibaudeau    o Quesnel  was  chosen  Wednesday night'to contest the Cariboo rid ing for the Progressive Conserva tlves in the June  12 provincia election. Mr. Thibadeau is an oil distributor.
Sugar Ray Cools Graziano In Third
CHICAGO, April 17 (CP> — Champion Ray Robinson knocked out challenger Rocky Graziano with a pulverizing left and right at 1.53 of the third round Wednesday night to retain his middleweight title before a standing room crowd of 22,264. Gross gate was $252,237.66.
Off The Wires
Conodian Press,  Thursday,  April   17
Big Estate Probated VICTORIA—Estate of a millionaire from Michigan—worth $5,799,425— was probated here Wednesday.
The fortune was left by John W. Blodgett of Grand Rapids when he died there last November, age 91.
He owned a rich stand of timber in the Malahat district of Vancouver Is-and. Most of the fortune will go to children  and grandchildren.
Kemano Worker Hurt VANCOUVER—An RCAF plane on Wednesday flew more than 1,100 miles in serving as an ambulance for an Alberta man hurt while working at the Kemano aluminum project.
The plane flew to Prince Rupert, picked up 28-year-old Charles Christie of Three Hills, Aha., and brought him  to Vancouver.
Christie received a possible broken neck and other injuries at the project where he had been working for three weeks.   He was flown to Prince Ru pert in a company plane.
Cloudy today and Friday with showers today. Little change in temperature. Winds light increasing to southerly 20- this afternoon and decreasing overnight. Low tonight and high Friday at Prince George, 35 and 52.
EAST-WEST RAIL FREIGHT RATES SLASHED
OTTAWA, April 17 (CP)—-Board of Transport Commissioners Wednesday night made public an order to the railways to reduce freight rates by about $7,000,000 a year on goods moving between eastern and western Canada.
Cost of the reductans, which go into effect May 1, are to be covered by a subsidy voted by Parliament at its fall sessot.. The subsidized reductions are the first, major implementation of the rate «quatixaHo» plan of the 1948-1951 Royal Commission on Transportation.
In ordering the cuts the Board put into effect a compromise between conflicting proposals of tha Manitoba government on one hand and the government's remaining western provinces on the other hand.
Kinsmen Activities Lauded By Leader
Syd Welch of Vancouver was guest speaker at the regular meeting of the Prince George Kinsmen Club in the Prince George Cafe on Tuesday night.
Mr. Welch, who Is national president of the KSnsnten-Club* of Canada, told of the fine work which Kinsmen representatives are doing in the Young Men's Service Clubs of World Council, and pointed out how Great Britain had assisted in the Manitoba flood relief last year by livestock auctions and donations of hospital equipment.
He  said  this  was  one  of  the ways  in   which     Great  Britain j showed  her appreciation   of  the assistance  she  received~ through such activities as the    Kinsmen sponsored  Milk for  Britain  and Food for Britain^ campaigns. The Kinsmen leader urged the rince George club, the largest In northern B.C., to provide all pos-
Total Closure Of Road West Ordered
Northern Trans - Provincial Highway was officially closed to all traffic west of Vanderhoof yesterday. A stretch of the road between Endako and Lejac has become impassable even tp automobiles, a Provincial Public Works Department official states.
Repairs on the bogged-down section of highway are now under way, but it is not known when work will have advanced far enough to permit renewal •of traffic.
The order to close the road is the only official total closure in this public works district.
Until the total closure was put in effect, public works officials had stationed tractors at Intervals along the bad stretch to aid miaed motorists. With the road completely shut off, more equipment can be thrown into the job of making repairs.
sible assistance to other clubs and expressed appreciation of the help already given.
The business session of the meeting was mainly taken up with j   plans for the  new  Civic
entre swimming pool.    Consid-erablQ Information was presented
o   the  members  and  plans  are rapidly going ahead for the pro-
ect.
Vancouver To <5ef New Skyscraper
VANCOUVER, April 17 (CP)— An # 18-storey $5,500,000 office building designed as a nerve centre for major industries in British Columbia's record business expansion will be built in downtown Vancouver. It will be ocated at Burrard and Georgia Street and construction will start within three months.
A Vancouver syndicate originated the project which will be financed by New York Investors.
Legion Probe Continues
Royal Canadian Mounted Police here are still probing a reported $6000 shortage in funds of Canadian Legion Branch 43, but so far they have no developments to report.'
A police official said that no arrests have been made and he declined to name persons questioned so far.                   _y
The shortage was discovered earlier this month.
LW.A. Expected To Ask Big Wage Increase In Interior
Coast Workers Will Bargain for $1.7814 Floor
Prince George District lumbermen may expect new wage demands possibly in excess of 35 cents an hour, it was indicated this week by an International Woodworkers of America press release in Vancouver.
Coast loggers, who enjoy a 14 ent cost-of-livirig bonus not shar ed in by Interior loggers, are ask ^ 35-cents-an-hour increase this
ear  bringing  their   total  basic wage to $1.78V6.
Interior I.W.A. delegates will meet at Kelowna on April 27 to ormulate the" demands for this rea and it is believed they may ncrease the coast demand to )ring the basic wage here more n line with the proposed basic oast wage.
Basic wage In the woods here t present is $1.30 an hour.
Also under consideration for ncluslon in the 1952 demands or this district is a guaranteed nnual term-of employment, or work year."
According to a local union of-icial,  this  was  included   in  the oast package to protect loggers against"    curtailed     employment caused  by   forest  closures     and
wo
other unforeseen ifrork stoppages.
The union-shop'clause will definitely be Included in this year's demands here, a union spokesman stated, and a new holiday clause may be incorporated.
Another bargaining point that may be adopted from the coast proposal is a guaranteed daily rate of pay for piece workers.
This is to provide for such contingencies as heavy snows which may curtail a piece-worker's production and will provide him. with a minimum daily amount if he is called out to work under adverse conditions.
It is believed likely that the Interior proposal will include a clause increasing workers' rights to annual vacations with pay. At present the I.W.A. contract gives men only the legal minimum va-
cation of two weeks
s employment
after five