An  Independent   Semi-Weekly   Newspoper    Devoted   to   Hie     Interest   of   Central
 Northern    British   Columbia
No. 13"
OV6 Sections)
Prince George, B.C., THURSDAY, February 18/1954
$4.00 per year        54 per copy
u matter of question as to who is Retting; the lion's share of j-slc-khlnR venture but, at least, 11-year-old TERRY THAYEK p'njoylirg; tils ride, courtesy of LITTLE TYKE, a sevea-y^i-old
liom>M owned by Georges VVestbi-au of Auburn, Unshin^ton. Tb� Westbenus said they were surprised that their pet left a warm fireplace to pull a sleigh in the cold.
City To Interview 3 Engineer Candidates
City of Prince George will pay expenses of three applicants' for the post of municipal engineer to come-here for personal interviews, a city council committee decided Monday.
Originally advertisements -re7 questing applicants.for the soBn-to-be-vacant post here brought replies from ZO men.
A city official said 'today that choice  has been narrowed  down
*Thts !� Key Tp North'
Power Commission Anxious To Distribute Power Here
Importance Will  influence  Price To City
to IHFee^ all of which are qualified civil engineers with municipal engineering experience.
The candidate chosen for the post will replace works superintendent Charles A. East who ten-det'ed his resignation earlier this year $ue to the "neryous strain" caused by the top public works job.        X    /
cision To Extend PGE
 /
Eliminate Txiensions   will   bring
asic
 lumCer, fish and
of   basic   British   Columbta_cgjrk_
moditc:
fruit/'1'
inuring tin- throve Speech it was j>1ho stated that amend-menu to the BocUtt^ Services T:ix Act ' m-HI be introduced to include exemptions on nrii H t-s u greater; development of / sttch ,ih rlilldrni's clothing, in, st northerii resources and eluding boots and shoes. ; beneficial vo^all'parts of (mince," said Mr> Wallace. / construction ^of tne irn extension will Start this
� sources close to the gov-  VABSTU mi   believe    Voi%   on    the   Ilftllll
It Is proposed to. grant a sub-(See THRONE SPEECH. Poge 3)
|ring  surveys   of the   Pine I'Mitfto Dawson Creek and ily the Finlay Forks-Hudson route to Fort St Johh i on |oi th side of the Peace River 1HF.H.V UOUTE
� hi the iion-horn"route nut  that ' tlie   main   grain ictiiL!,^rea of the Peace dis-lies north of the rive
Id-be accessible to  the. coal deposits  near Hudson ;ihd to the known base met-3 nf Uif region, and'could |tu;illv be extended westward � B.C. coast-at- Stewart and ie rich mineral teso^icces-Qt 'liilncca district  and   northern   HP,___^  .
tecs have been placed in the ^Kingdom for 50  miles of sWJeJ, In   order   to   Improve kxi.-ting-FGR  road-bed,   and |t>. tor a similar amount will ted this year. >. Wallace salcfrs/'This policy H^chasing- rails   was  created 10 UnitecL Kingdom'..in v ;!ar shortage and''-will erT and' enable   thjjJBrltlsb rnrsont  to  make   purchases
irry Perry Speaks Press Freedom
�y  G.. Perry,   former  Fort s  MI..A.,  ex-owner of  The i, ex-minister- of  education nner speaker of the houne j provincial legislature, sid-^ i'li the loweKmainlantl press week in its tiftXHh Speaker las Irwin over, photographic rage nf the legislative"b'p'eh-(1:iy proceedings/ f. Perry, who "is an acknow ecl authority on parliamentary tors,  agreed j; with   Irwin   on one point .;'.' . that he; does nicnll.y have the right to con representatives of the their repo'rtsv
 the
 g
 of the
io provide  for printing of
and "perusal" of the ed.
questioned by. Van-news;nen, said the act was ed so that" proper records tkl be kept jc>f the proceeding* the legislature and not as ; *le for the pressT f said that during his years speaker he had never been �1 wiih the necessity to con the actions of the press'or the pber of them present at an> limdi                           ^> *
�win originally issued an �r  restricting  tire number o on opening day to employed   by   govern men ies and departments. Later as(Ml his restriction to perm) IniJLerJ  number of  news pho Ciphers and still later he lifter entire restriction."
B.   Elliott,  a   17-yeaf-old Quesnel-yduth, was'committed ^            herex. yesterday     on
charges of theft aritl forgery.
he   Prince   George .Post. -Office uhere he worked until - lastr.j|U-nv
City Outside Worlers Gain 40-Hour Week
\Jembers of Prince George Civic Employees Federal Union won what amounted to a, 10 per cent wage increase here Monday when . city council acceded to a demand for the 40-lTOUr w.-eek.
The concession, one. of several, must yet be ratified, at a regular meeting of the council.
The civic employees union lost out_on_their demand for compulsory checkoff of dues but wilt reap the benefits from a new vacation system.
Union spokesmen agreed,-to drop their demand for five additional statutory holidays with pay.           ^,-"'
New vacation p^y clause grants an employee two per cei\t of fc grosa salary after, the ^Irst and second years ~arges~"were laid in con-Trectlun with�tiTefr~of cTTeques from-the mails, and. forged en-iorsements on the cheques. Another .youth, James Fraser, ruis been committed f<>r trial in connection with the same offences.
Elliott .will stand trial at the liexTSIttlng ofcounly court here.
Roy Thompson Chain Buys  Nanaimo  Daily
NA.VAIMO, Feb. 18 There' will he~little�change temperature   and   winds   will   be llght.N?redicted  low   for  tonight
Grocers Aim New Pelmi (ily For ReSeat^f Bylaw
City Council is- irvpossessiorihof a new resolutionyrgipg it to repeal the present bylaw governing hours of closing as it applies to the city's food stores.
Latest move jn a drive by some food store proprietors to.get longer hours of opening was announced this week by a npokesman for the group.
Fie said 62 per cent of the city's food store proprietors had signed the new petition which asks simply that Bylaw 593 be repealed.
The_petition JtseULoffers no -alternatives jo  the pfesent 9 a.m.
_T-he-.-plaa
financial    participation'  by ployees and the city.
tif�trre-^frtrmrr week   for- the outside employees
to �'�G^alin.weekdav. opening period but a second petition, which already bears the signatures of SO^per cent of city food store merchants, urges that stores be permitted to remain open from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. and that stores owners be permitted to choose whichever day they wish on which to close for the weekly half-day holiday now enforced on Wednesday.
!'We are asking for these .modifications in opening, hour* no thai we caVTJettifcr RervVttte  spokesman  > for    the
g group stated. He saUMhat uxmerchants could
xid   it  was  not   unt
choose   whicti  i
 they   would
close foir a half-nolinay the public �would always be able to find, one
 y
Isit t >n � � j pi �a. �
opening
way last summer when .the first   issued  warnings  to proprietors that they.were break-
will-.cost' the city between  $8000.-ifii,g_the existing bylaw, and later and�-�$*!Q.OOO-.this.."veiir..'. �. :              successfully prosecuted one   pro-
Parks Board Hot 'Dimmed' As Far As Mayor Is Concerned
The  People \Vill  Decide;' Says  Bryant
Establishment of an elected parks board is an "absolute necessity"  His Worship Mayor Bryant declared. on.Tuesday after expressing astonishment dfa Citizen news story on Monday which said hopes for such a board are "dimming.".., The  'Monday
news story was i based on statements from Alderman Carrie .fane Gray, chairman of the parks committee, who said she did not think the time was ripe for such a step.
"The people of Prince Oorgo will deridtf whether we have n parks board or not and .you oiin quote m<* on that," said Mayor Bryant*
The mayor said that  most British Columbia cities half the size of Prince George have an elected-parks board. , "I   consider
such  a  boave drawn up along similar lines
$300, 000.
Mayor Bryant, said that money paid  to  the city   for   the utility
and above' the sum could only be spent along the same lines as sales of land trust fund monies.   -:
That is the-money could be, spent only on capital improvements .such  as   parks\and other
\
The British Columbia Power CommissioTni^llairoT^rlrtce:�
George's invitation to look over its power system witfr.a view
to.buying it because "Prince.George is the key to power
velopmer>t in the north," Mayor Bryqnt declared this week. "They   can't   expand   into   this.   �'------------------------------------
country   until   they  have   power!svslcm:.   Ls   approxl;Tiate,y
distribution     rights     in     Prince  -
Jeorge," said the mayor. He said that the' power rights
in Prince George are valuable to \ ovcr un^urexwe will get a very falr^orfer   from- the commission,
particularly  becausexthey   know,
as we know, that the
hydro  expansion in  the is Prince George." Indebtedness against the cit>-Ralph( Brownlee are will be to call for tend-
various' portions  of   the"
mpletion, program.
Earlier this year Mayor Bryant said the city would spend $68,000 on the cejitre In 1954. .. Council can go -ahead with tenders for about $18,000 worth of work because that amount of money was left over from a government-approved $28,000 centre expenditure last year.
For the Wmaining $r>0,000_iihe city will havexto get approval of the Department of' Municipal Affairs so the money can be taken, yfrom the sales of land trust fund.
City Asks B.C. For
In Crown-Owned Annex Lois
due to the-faet that the original ne was outdated.
It is expected the new petition will be a tctoic: for discussion at Monday's city\ouncll meeting.
In a half page^advertisement In toilay's Citizen the merchants' group advocating longer hour? are announcing their new petition anc campaign to give consumers bet ter service.
Scouts Falling Far Short Of Objective
City of Prince George will formally request the gbvern merit to grant it half a million dollars worth ofreal estate^rn he ar^nexed area in compensation for the fact that the city took. theNp/rea over before it was developed with streets, side-walks, seve
watermajns and street lights.
Initial movemtsn t,o seek compensation, for   the\undeveloped stale of the annex ca when  rheiiYVbers '�'� council   broacfied  the ;nia officials in'Victoria.
More   recently   Mayor   Gordp Bryant    mentioned   the   proposa to.   Premier   W.   A.    C.   Bennett and  was  told that  the     govern
Response so-far to tho annual appeal of Fort George District Boy Scouts Association has been disheartening." president of the grotiD-,  tifBATwiss, declared  to-
4he-memb.ers_of_Jhe as-<;ociationNput'ln.so ma/iS' hours of work in thiksexcellent endeavor it is extremely disheartening to hem to see their efforts go un-ipprecfated by at least some to-cen of enthusiasm from the general public." Mr. Twiss remarked. \He said that with the campaign scheduled to_close this week-end^ ess \ban half of the association's S2500 cjyota has been achieved.\ "We mailed out 1500 letters and to Hate we have received a re-from less than 100 of the recipients," he added.
1 Ing With  the request.
.The   city's  main   aigtiiiveni  on behalf   of   Its   request-^ jtor     aiF  qts  within   the;. annex Is
Last year  the  association/had gained 80 per" cent .of  ixquota
g
when the three/weekj^irTve ended.
Any district to   help the
tlents  wishing scouts in  their
endeavor^ta further scouting here rest of; Canada may fe donations through any chartered bank or by mailing direct to Post-Office Box 398, Prince George.
 q                        ;.
the provincial govern men l would ultimately have been forced to develop  the  area  at considerable
cost.�.__
OFFSET COST
City spokesmen say- that�ultimate sale of tnex property by the city would partially offset-the amount' of money S^hjch the, city must spend to bring xthe^-arfi-n*x' up to' standard. . \ ; -The city's brief \vll>^pointvouL' that while municipal taxation from the area^sa'new source of revenue fpr^lhe city, it can-nev V
iittle of "it\was .spent, iti the con-^ struction  ot  streets.
rnC?it firatiifu !tri^;flty*!j request, the murilcipallty can   .never';hope  to own any -property iri.the new area yrept:  what  small     amount     it
up through tax .sajes. ThtiNt' provincial      government owns- 4yiSL lots^In  the  now  pnrt trf- the fliyNind.. .mese are asse.s-setl at $<95,59bi
Actually, if tlfe^�H^v_got..aJ.Mhe.
rro\vn land* it wouuKhave an ;is-
et   in    excess   of   theNassessed
value ot the land because^
nents    in   the   former
levelopment  are- belouL
market  value.
�-Mayor�Bryant, ^i
couraged   ii
er, be-
cltj'
equate to bring tnVarea  standard    of     public  prevailing   in   the  ofvthe city.
 exam pie of this is cited  ofTlclals' who  point  out
j
that about a: quarter million dollars is to be spent this year to provide much of the annex^water service.
Until last April whe.ir the city formally annexed the varea. all revenue from sale of lands.went into the  provincial treasury 'and
sion before it can go into effect.
Modifications to the rate structure will see savings for all classes of users, said the mayor, and in addition will see revisions to make rates more equitable for certain classes of consumers.
S.C. Member Advocates New   Monetary   Policy
VICTORIA,    Feb. lfrKP)�Fo the first time since Social Credi was elected in  British  Columbia in   10r>2,   a   government   member has Drought up the pai'fy*sirrrone--lary theories on- the floor of the lejjlslature.x                    �>"
itev. Charles Parker fSC-Peacc River^Wednesday challenged the people of^B.C. to'^put men in the federal goveisnrnentNvho have the courage to "restore tVparliament the right to issue" money\to equal production."            : -.
.    Mr. Parker, in moving the reply to�the speech   from   the throne, said:   "I  challenge-the  people  of this province and this assembly to put God first . . . and put in the federal    government     mon who kilow facts and have the courage of their convictions to restore parliament the right to ney equal  to. pi�qcl'ucti \vould   not. be   borpowed,  wouid not have to be n^Mi)ack and there
 so it  i
 or   taxes!>
thereby^-glving us free access to the^Pruits of our labors."
e Wires
(Canadian Press�Thursday, February^l8,  1954)   .....(
Vancouver Boy, Unconscious 29 Doys/ pied Wednesday
VANCOUVER�Six-year-old Bill#Hanson of Duntan, B.C., died in hospital here Wednesday after he was struck by a taxi white sleigh-riding near his home.    He had been in a coma since the accident on Jonuary 19.
" Peace River Roads^'Apalling" Says Socred MLA
VICTORIA-�Rev. Chorlcs '-Pofkcr �
Prevailing :size_in. the annex is 1-20   feet\by 25   feet   compared   .' with   30  f&it  by  110 feet  in  the' original   murh'cjpal  .area.    Differ- ' ence ia 300 square feeC;
Government Moots No School Cost Help
The provincial - government plans no interim solution to the burden, of rising school costs on British Columbia municipalittes,. His Worship xMayor Bryant told The Citizen-, earliur this week j upon his return from, an interview with Premier BennettSflnd Attorney General Robert BonhcT.
His Worship said that thes pre-nier told him there would bexjm adjustment of school cost^tfntil some final and, perroapefit solu n is fi
Controct For Two Barges Awarded Van^ouYer Firm
VANCOUVER�Burrard Dry. Dock-Compon^^tlmited, North Vancouver, Wednesday won  a   $1,250,000  contract ^forconst ruction  of   two   new-type
barges; designed   to   reduce   storm
towing   from
Queen-Charlotte Island to the mj��Hand.
Scarlet Fevcj^f^trep Throat Hit Victoria Area
VICTORIA�-Sfroffct fever has reached epidemic proportions in Victoria since the bcgiprtTng of the year, health officials soid Wednesday.
A tc+tfrof 49 cases of scarlet fever and 14 srroptoccccaL_irife�t'�rns havp^tSecn reported in the Victoricr-Esquimalt area since January   1.          4
Woodworkers Union Starts Courtship With Politicians
VANCOUVER�Debate on need far political action by labor highlighted Wednesday's session of the 1.7th annual convention of the B.C District   internationaKWoodworkers of  America   (CIO-CCL).
After hearing objections from some delegates thot' ony such move should be "from the DcMom up," the convention passed a resolution recommending creation  of a  district-v/ide political  action  committee.
Thc statemenj^mcans that the Rolston.fornJtrTa will not ,besmodified "In _a�y'Av;f? to felfeye scliool uostjjHn Prince George and other^ jmjniclpalities where government N grants do not nearly cover outlays for education.
It also means that the govern-\ ment plans no alternative to the Rbistoh formula, which was Itself a proposed temporary measure.
The goverhmeniss decision  not to tamper with^fh.urviclpal school cost  formula until  some pernian- = ent measure can be evolved and enacted means that Prince George is saddled with more than a quarter   million  dollars :- as   itsMJJSl^ share pi the cost of education in School District Numbior 57;
This figure aniounts to 70 per cent of the city's entire 1953 revenue from taxation.
Prior to the Premier's statement ;to_Mayor Bryant it \vas believed that some temporary measure might be taken by the government to relieve the pressure, on municipalities untft a permanent solution is found.
i V