Radiotelephone Chains SetvingBritish Columbia
\k PRINCE GEORGE 31 *MRED�
An Independent Semi-Weekly Newspoper Devoted to the Interest of Central ami Northero BriHih Columbia 37; No.-96 : (Two Sections) prince George, B.C., MONDAY, December 6, 1954 <^^ $4.00 per year 5*
iabrieie Would Urge City To
lonserve Borrowing Powers
City council will be asked to reconsider a fire hall renova-L program which it turned down some weeks ago if former Eugene Gabriele is returned to office Thursday.
"�interview Saturday Mr.---------------------�-----------------^
-aid the city should not He said the city's debenture
..... a new fire hall at the debt by the end of this'year will
^nt time because municipal be $1,386,136, or^Jibout $444^for mowing powers mast be con- every registered municipal elector m for such other necessities. .setfonlyfor those projects which ,t.-u. facing and sewage. ^re absoluteiy necessary Even lam not "opposed to Prince without embarkingupon construe-,rgc having a new fire''hall," , tion pf^a' new fire hall, that bor-llhL. former municipal fire: and rowing power is going to be iler committee^ehairman,; "but>stretched to the limit." no, believe that this ls,ttte j Mr Gabriele said that he was uler such a^project not opposeci t0 the principie of are so njany.oth.er Brllish Columbia Power g�fi�fe
�:��-�- !?euk:-- , .,/ - ,' � I siori-service here when^He voted would havejTiadejneL_ against two "partnership" agree-11 ie ments which the-ci'ty entered into, . . . , but was merely opposed to the
ent which was under pnnciple-of the city committing If!" itseUvb'uslnesswise to any agency .which is not in th eposition to I make an immediate and firm pro-i posal.
"I believe that we would have
\
copy
��Nothing
^nTiTTIF'to recommend triicilon-of a new fire hall for
ich |sV chairmanship, but after
ing our needs I felt I would jot be justified in doing~so." -� .Alderman Gagriele reslgned'a Mi)'.council seat a short^tirne ago j loving defeat of ^-$15,000 fire ill renovation pjrogram which he opbsed.
1+paiiiMiiirt of three fourths of �..-.. . ,
1 ;,; and "it was defeated when- ar!d. was prepared to go ahead S he support of only five j � h lls development. ieri'in mit of seven. � However, the deal has been
Hesnid Saturday that if he Is made and it will probably do us
no harm. I simply think that it was premature."
Mr. Gabriele had served for almost six years on city council
ion-Provincial financial assis-1 when he resigned two months ife \inilor ahe civil defence, ago, and had been chairman of
the fire and water committee for four, years.
had ample time to come to an
iVV.bojecV.'eruiVed agreemenl wilh the commission k piojeci iequneu.aflor u had ifoun(J a hydrQ ^
ilegteil he- will ask the city, jijimcil IQ reconsider the fire.hall, pfani after it has been modi- { it can qualify for Do-.
*p
Bthoriiy. "\
Referring to Mayor Gordon |Br:>'aii!"s main argument, against liSibva'tions to the present, fire huihling, Alderman Gabriele Ml that while it is true that lit is.on"n street allowance, the
rir.o? George Town Planning
jjnmission has no intention of Irk opening the street due to its Iproximity to the civic centre park.
llawson Creek Bucks (Highway Relocation
Dawson Creek residents are j Ibsitlini; to keep from being by
Boy Scouts Open Xmas Tree Mart
This year there will be no reason for dad to.risk cutting his foot off�or getting^lo�t in the woods while getting the^family tree � and probably landlng^home wilh a bedraggled specimen that no I amount of tinsel and ornaments can conceal.
Again this year the Boy Scouts have made this chore a simple and inexpensive one.
to keep from being by when the northern end of Yesterday a comm!ttee/of the
.. .. __ �*._.____ .______ I Id Trnnn Rnv Remits went Ollt on
ttcJnlin Hart Highway Jsj-econ iRrticted
1st Troop Boy Scouts went out on the^Gisconle Highway east of Six
OnTp'roposal for the recons'truc- j Mile Lake and cut more than 500 14m north of Arras would see the ' excellent trees^of all sizes and
Highway join the Alaska ; uniformly branched, lilghway a mile north of Dawson They.,were hauled Into the city |Crcok. I by ti;ucks and are now on display
The section to be reconstructed at 1268 Fifth Avenue. |& been -the subject of a number. The trees range in price from �>l resolutions from the Prince ! 50 cents to $2.50.
Hoard of Trade. Nor,th of! Funds derived from the sale of �Arras the road is narrow-'and is these trees will help pay the ex-|buiit on a gumbo base which de- penses of the 1955 summer camps. us to the point of impass-1 Parents are asked to order their
��ii----!-- i-^'-.....� '-- � trees as early as possible in.order
to ensure a good selection." Deliveries, can be made any time before Christmas.
SUMAS MT".---------------.______
Prince George Northern Link
Radiotelephone Network Opened By Premier Thursday
^ility fonowinC/heavy rains. A public opinion poll taken in Jwn Ci-ee'k and sent to Premier Benpett showed that 2402 resi-|Jent> v'vcic in favor .of reconstruc-l^n alonj! the present route; while lunly 21 wore in favor of reloca-|tion. ;-.'"�;
premier flonnett has been asked ecoijcr a .delegation from the h terminus of the John iin foTThe purpose of"rTelTF ISf:argiinie,nts against relocation.
. pre Ife-fe
Petty Officer Foster of HMCS Chatham, Prince Rupert, is in the city on a recruiting tour. He will be unable to interview prospective recruits at the Canadian Leg-' ion Hall. as originally planned, bTHrrrray be contacted at- the-Me.-Donald Hotel today. , �
Un
e Gunmon Gets $200
Hachine Gunsr Rifles, Tear Gas Combat Vancouver Crime Wave
�durir
(CP) l in
� Only �ne Vancouver
t^n
I no
was flas � the week-ond as the cry Hie bandits" resounded 'f-'h' crime-infested streets. Main Street furniture storej 1;">^. was held up by a tall, who left his victim in
�rjV
uouht about his gun~ being
Ho came into the store and "l(1(1 an automatic," Manager
,
|l Genser said. "Ho put a clip " d
p
" '''�".<� in front of_ine and ^O'lTnr money. I "gave it to him. _!!'?snt Boing to argue." |nc Kim man got about $200. �'('.inwhiie, police were report-. isr.io.have a definite suspect in ?1.500 holdup of the main
:o\vn|
Mr,,
tfwn branch of the Bank of '�'�'�il. However, the word was
arrests
1 tV-|C fig]-,t against the un-�Mii'Ul's' reign of holdup terror, lied on the west coast's multi-iPot "n ' c.lollai" � narcotics trade, 1 'IC|' Chief Walter Mulligan has
Itta" f
Mlg the entire strength of'his
f '
'man force and instituted
by cruiser Thompson
sub-
N
toarrj
Runs, shotguns,; rifles
ber thugs have looted eight banks in the greater Vancouver area and pulled off about 70 smaller holdups. None has been solved.
Also on the list of � unsolved Vancouver crimes is the murder of Brent, whose bullet-riddled body was found on a golf course he^re Sept. 15, and the brutal slay-Edmonton news-Robert Hopkins, shot and strangled in his home last October.'
ing of former paper printer,
gas.
font
� crime wave, touched off in iber b^ the gangland of ex-convict Danny Fo',!"'1, roached new heights, with tC ;'nk holdups r-iri the first ^/uys of December;. They bandits about $51,000. �.the beginning of Novem-
net, I
Ratepayers Endorse Williams, Ferguson
At a meeting of Prince George Ratepayers Association in the Club Cafe last night it was decided by the members to lend active support to aldermanic candidates Percy Williams and R. S. (Doc) Ferguson, and to back Aid. Carrie Jane Gray in her fight against "unfairness to the citizens as a whole." ,
Attending the meeting was Mrs. Gray, Mr.. Ferguson and Otto Le-boe. The latter is a candidate of the association for the City Council.
Discussion at the meeting, centred around the installation charges for water service in the Millar Addition and Central Fort George districts, mainly the lot front charge of $25 a lot.
Power cost,s also_ came under fire at the meeting.
VICTORIA�The largest/radio-telephone network of its-'type in Canada was officially opened Thursday night by Premier W. �'. C. Bennett. Four very high frequency radiotelephone chains, constructed"' by the North-west Telephone Company to provide long-distance telephone facilities from Vancouver to widely-separ-'aie^l sections of B.C., were de-. scribed by Mr. Bennett as "a very significant addition to the telephone facilities of .British Columbia." '
In complimenting the young' radio engineers' of thecompany in overcoming the obstacles of British Columbia's terrains-Mr. Bennett expressed the'^ hope tha~t-they would push into the Peace River area and up the coast' to Kitimat and Prince Rupert.
The radiotelephone chains extend into the interior as far as Prince.George and Kamloops, up the coast as far as Alert Bay and-Ocean Falls, and across to Tofino and Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Branches of the chains serve Powell River, Port Hardy and Port Alice.
The chains, which utilize radiotelephone beams in place of- \vfre circuits, fill the same role as telephone pole lines. They consist of radio stations spaced about fifty miles apart and usually set on hills. The radiotelephone beams extend from- station- to�stationr carrying long distance 'telephone conversations clearly and with complete privacy. On the Vancouver-Prince George chain, there
Bottled Gas Plant Gutted By Flames
VANCOUVER � Fire ' swept through a downtown bottled gas plant here Sunday, injuring two men, causing at estimated $40,000 damage, and leaving the one-storey building a gutted shell.
Exploding gas sent � flames shooting high in the air before firemen reached the scene.
Ken Caine and Max Abraham-son, workers at the plant, suffered burns, but were in good condition after treatment.
Firemen hacked a way. 1 into the Granville Street building and prevented flames from, spreading to an adjoining paint comrpa'ny.
A gas-filled tank truck operated by the gas company was dragged away from- rear of the building while41 firemen played hoses on it. .The fire started in the rear of the building, then quickly swept through the rdst of the structure as bottled gas exploded.
Champion Steer Sold For $1.15 Pound
KAMLOOPS � Super Valu stores paid top price of $1,093 for the grand champion steer last week at the annual Kamloops Fat Stock Show. . �Raised and exhibited by Jean Pringle of nearhv Westwold, the champion was sold for $1.15 a pound.
Next highest price went to Dennis Atkinson, of _Penticto.n, His reserves champiop aoid^to, Safeway of yanada vttd. for $908 or 90 cents a^pouna, .
are ten intermediate relay stations, and on the chain to Ocean Falls there are eight.
The Prince George and Kamloops chains supplement existing telephone lines, while the chain up the coast "goes'int6' an aroa that is too difficult tor wirets. Oceans Falls has been served by a medium frequency circuit from Vancouver.
Ucluelet\arid Tofino have been, served in the past by a telephone line down the Alberni Canal, and the service has been poor owing to the difficulty- of maintaining the line. > ~h-_ �*',':..
Summit Association Forfeits $1495
Police Court Magistrate P. J. Moran ordered forfeit to the crown on Monday of $1495 seized by police in a raid several weeks ago on the Third Avenue quarters of the Summit Highway Association.
Also ordered forfeit were card tables .chairs, chips and cards.
The magistrate's order came following conviction of the club's manager, Richard Schmidt, on a charge of keeping a common gaming house.
The $1495 was taken from Schmidt, another employee and from the cash drawer.
Charge against the club's manager was based on the fact that the rake-off from card games was greater than, that allowed under the Canadian Criminal Code.
City Can Cut Power Rates Says Wiiliams
Prince George is in a position to make a further reduction in light and power rates-early next year^civi'c election candidate Alderman Percy Williams told The Citizen this morning.
He contradicted .reports that under the agreements which the city signed with the,J3:C. Power Confmission no further rate reductions can be made.
The agreements simply state that power � rates can not be reduced to a point less than cost.
Alderman Williams- said the city-can cut existing power rates by 10 to 12 per cent early in .1955.
Also in 1955, the council incumbent continued, the city must consider a major street paving money bylaw and a waterworks bylaw. The latter would include provision for construction of a reservoir as well as the installation of fire prevention mains in the planing mill industrial area
He said the city is now free of further capital investment in the municipal power utility due to the
Radio Auction Starts Thursday
City Club Embarrassed By Donors1 Generosity
As part of a pre-Christmas campaign to raise funds for underprivileged children, the Rotary Club is also sponsoring a choir concert in the High School auditorium starting at 3 p.m. on Sunday, December 19. Featured will be the Knox United Church Choir, Ladies Glee Club and Senior High School Choir.
Tickets for this outstanding entertainment event are now being sold by Rotary Club .'members.
Prince George Rotarlans are xoubled with generosity of embarrassing proportions.
City merchants, have contributed a mountain of new merchandise for Rotary's big radio auction next Thursday. Friday and Saturday nights, and the committee may have to decline additional donations due to the heavy response and the limited radio time available by station CKPG.
The donations are now being sorted and classified by the hardworking committee, and a complete list will be prepared for next Thursday's issue of The Citizen.
First auction broadcast will start at 10:30. p.m. Thursday and end at midnight.
The Rotary committee Is very pleased with the co-operation of the staffs at CKPG and the Northwest Telephone company,- and also the hundreds of donors throughout the city.
They expect everything to proceed smoothly when the auctions start, and from the interest shown by members and "friends they anticipate spirited bidding from the listening audience.
There will be no delays in accepting and announcing the bids, committee chairman Chuck Ewart slated today. North-west Telephone will have at least six telephones installed in the Prince George Hotel banquet-room and additional operators will be duty during the auction.
Rhys Thomas and his console organ will provide background
music for the broadcast, and on' 12, 1953. Mr. Dobson was also Thursday and Friday, Mrs. Elean- seriously injured. or Black will direct junior and At the conclusion of the case senior choirs in a specially select- for the plaintiff Mr. Justice Meed programme. Other program ]nnjs took the action from the highlights will include a number jury stating that gross negligence of impromptu vocal and instru- na(i not been established, mental selections by popular city Written judgement in the case artists. has not yet been handed down
~ "* and costs were not awarded in
More Snow Tuesday oral judgement.
More snow is forecast for the Mr. Wedemeyer was a- passen-Prince George district Tuesday ger in Mr. Dobson's car on' a trip afternoon. Temperatures will be to Decker Lake where the con-lower tonight and winds will he tractor gave an estimate on a light southerly. Low tonight and painting job connected with a high tomorrow expected in Prince Prince George Planing Mills sub-
Damage Action Dismissed Here
A damage suit against a well known city lumbermen was taken from before an assize court Jury .by Mr. Justice Harold Mclnnis in supreme court here last Wednesday and dismissed.
Action for $1500 specific damages and unspecified general damages against F. W. Dobson, managing director of Prince George Planing Mills Ltd., arose out of an automobile accident 13 months ago in which city painting contractor Carl Wedemeyer received, a fractured spine and other Injuries.
The suit brought by Mr. Wede-�meyer charged gross negligence on on the.part of Dobson, driver of the car. __
The accident took place 18 miles west of Burns Lake on November
George 20 and 35 degrees.
sidiary___
Off 7"/ie Wires Today
Canadian Press, Monday, December 6, 1954)
Victoria Unemployment Figure* Hit New Peek
VICTORIA�Number of unemployed in.Victoria is greater thon it has been for seven years for this particular season. � .�--
More men registered for work this week at the National Employment Office. Part of the total was due to season conditions, while layoffs and persons seeking part-time Christmas wor(<; added to the lists.
Demand for extra sales clerks to meet the Christmas rush has been small, olthough there have been a large number of applications for such work. Factory , work is practically non-existent.
In the men's section, job openings have decreased with the woodworking and metal trades most seriously offected. Largest unemployed' groups are in the service trades.
Depression-born Vancouver Herald Marks Anniversary
VANCOUVER�The Vancouver Herald Saturday published a special 16-page section marking the morning paper's 21st anniversary.
Feature of .the edition was the inclusion of articles written by former members of the Herald staff, launched as a co-operative venture by a handful of unemployed reporters and editors in 1933.
List of former staffers helping to produce the special section included Barry Mather and Jack Scott^now columnists with the Vancouver Sun; Eric Nicol, columnist of-the Vancouver Province; Peter Inglis, editorial writer with the Hamilton Spectator; Pierre Berton, managing editor/of MacLean's Magazine, and Al.Williamson, one of the founders of the paper and now
agreements with the power commission, and he stated thata maj- head of a public relations business here. or sidewalk construction^ program can now be undertaken.
During the past year Alderm'an Williams has been chairman _ of the traffic and parking committee, and a�member of the zoning, health, parks and cemetery committee and the finance committee.
Recently, accompanied by Mayor Gordon Bryant, he attended gas franchise talks in Summer-
land
NANIAMO�Construction of the new $1,250,000 Brannan Lake boy's school at Wellington, near here, will be completed within a month. Furniture and fixtures worth $20,000 wil be installed in the institution, described as a corrective rather than a punitive school. The building will house 160 boys. � � . �
VANCOUVER�The Crown will wind up its.case Monday against Crown Zellerbach Canada Ltd. and Bertram Paper Products Ltd., charged with conspiring to lessen competition in the manufacture and sale of coarse paper. The trial has occupied 24 days. , Eight other firms pleaded guilty.
Sloan Will Act Thinks Bennett
Premier W. A. C. Bennett told reporters in Victoria last week he was."optimistic" over the possibility of Chief Justice Gordon Sloan accepting his invitation to conduct a public enquiry into the forest economy.
The premier's statement came at a press conference at the capital.
He said he had not heard from the chief justice yet but expected a reply within a week.
Premier Bennett's announcements earlier-that he had asked the chief justice .to act as an investigating commission into forestry came as a surprise to the lumber industry.
Three, manufacturers associations, including the Northern Interior Lumbermen's Association of Prince George and district, met in Vancouver some weeks ago and resolved tp urge the government to appoihta royal commission on forestry.
The government's reply came from Lands and'Forests Minister Summers, who'said that-the time was not ripe for auch ah enquiry.
But the premier" apparently took a second look and thought otherwise. v �
SEAGULLS PERCH on the back of the 92-foot 18-ton model of 'Moby Dick,' the white whale created in the mind of. novelist Herman Melville and brought to 'life' for the making of a movie. The model, made of plastic on a steel framework, broke, adrift 'while being towed oil Fishguard, Wales, Oct 28. It was recaptured but became unmanageable in the heavy tidal.current and was cut adrift It. was last seen heading out to th* AUlEttC ''