: ttBRAR* VICTOR! HE GREATEST An Independent Semi-Weekly New.popfc, Devoted to the Inter-, of Central .nd :i Piihee George, B.C., TUESDAY, January 4, 1955 55 Parks Board, ouncil Sworn In At_a 90-minute ceremony in City Hall yesterday three [rmerrand five parks board commissioners were sworn into :e The ceremony closed with a short first meeting of the ks board at which Commissioner S. H. Perry, who led the |ng in the December election, was appointed chairman for ] Commg year. -------------�------------------------� 'Eight Charged As Gang Wields Knives I<).-|5 city council too held a meeting at which it voted jinuu holding regular meet^ ,,,,!i Monday evening at new- council passed tWQ �! uind bylaws and gave �ea'ilings to a land -registra-ivlaw and the customary I indemnity bylaw. Indem- which already meet the mm ' allowed under the ipal Act, will continue at :ar'.s level of $500 annually ilcnnen and $2000 for the rn into office yesterday as .,:; were Alderman Percy liaii'is, now starting his second on the council, and first-,:- K. S. Ferguson and rics K. Cranston. irii board candidates who : the municipal oath of office wore allegiance to the Crown eS H. Perry, I. W. Bell, Mrs. c Kirschke, Mrs. Constance .:. anil William Bellos. irks commissioners voted to their regular meetings at .: in City Hall each first and 1 Tuesday of the month. � exiled over by Mayor Gordon iryant, the ceremony %yester-coinmenced before about two quests, reporters and radio \\h the final meeting of the ounclL Bry�nt told the outgo-the ..meeting IfkerJ "the end ofva very, very :essful year,"" �:� said he was persona � f.il for the assistance w"hich hcejvgiven him, nly councillor present who not serve on the 1955 council Alderman K. W. Hilton, last '$ power committee chairman in private 'kf�i general man-�of Shelley Sa-wmiJ&Ltd. ar.J siilent of the Northern Intel-I Lumbermen's Association, marked the mayor, "W.e l not have had a better chair-of power." n present at the meeting was lonnan Eugene Gabriele who �ifined in mid-year after find-li.mself "a minority of one" ig the previous months of the council's administration. ir Bryant said he could not I- I'.v '�lit |:narking that he "worked with �rUy, although his ideas, did id ways agree with those of council, lie was a sincere airman." Invocation of the 1955 city coun- foljpwed the adjournment of predecessor and was given by v; Cordon McLaren of Knox ited Church. i hand for the ceremony, be-�i wives of city officials and cssful- candidates, were form-myor Garvin Dezell and Mrs. II, County Court Judge E. D. Kibcirn and Mrs. Woodburn, Ml' inspector J. D. ^Lee and ilLeejand h. B. Twiss, city ker. � Charges have been laid against six juveniles and two youths ful-lowing a knife-wielding melee in two Douglas 'Street homes on. Thursday night. ' The eight were arrested the following day after they were picked out of a police line-up by two victims of a gang which brandished knives and made off with a number of household articles and a small amount of cash. Victims of the. armed robberies were M. L. Reser and O. Major, whose two homes are situated on a single lot at 401 Douglas Street. Juvenile Court Judge G. H. Hal-lett has remanded the six juveniles on charges of robbery with violence, and the two youths, James McPherson,-.age_J.Q> and Charles Bird, age 18, were Remanded by Police Magistrate -PT J. Moran. According to the -victims, a gang of youths entered Reser's home brandishing knives and fists and made off with certain household articles. �_. The same performance was repeated at Major's house. No injuries nvere inflicted. Loot taken by the gang includes a radio, a quantity of liquor and a small amount of money. Royal Canadian Mounted Police said that the case is still under investigation. � $4.00 per year 54 P*r copy Two Unhurt As Car es Over Bank Creek men were unhurt fololh&a brush with death last Sa'ttirdayirKwhicH the'ir" car1 bb .y the empty chair of the diff wnich leatla t0 the former councillor without Pivor plunged 80 feet frbKithe Cariboo Highway over a ban too steep to climb.- Survivors. of the spectaKilar 2:30 a.m. crash ore Edmor Rourque and Robert Kennedy." The two had left Woodpecker a short time earlier and were on their way to their homes. Driving on an icy1 surface, the car went cut of control on a right hand curve 28 miles south of Prince George and plimged straight ahead and over a steep Fraser three Tots Perish Burning Home PVII.LIAMS LAKE (CP) � Three children were burned to �i near here late Saturday ;is their parents watched Jtlplessly when fire razed their mo. Tlu- parents, Mr. and Mrs. Eric w.ieau, of Springhoiise, B.C., � liivs west of this Cariboo dis-�'�' 'own, had just left the house w-:; next door when the fire okc out. l>e;ui are' David; 3, Rocky, 1, and Ul"l;i. three months. believed explosion of a up may have caused the Die parents rushed back �re held off by the intense Rondeau suffered extreme and'' wds "taken to hospital River. When the men emerged unhurt from the mangled car they,were unable to climb the steep incline to the highway and had to traverse the bank for some distance; Roof of the car was caved in and damage is estimated at more than $300. Bootlegger Pays $300 Fine Here Former occupant of a Second Avenue address, George White, was fined $300 and costs before Police Magistrate P. J. Moran last 'week oh a charge of selling liquor. White was one of a group of illicit liquor dealers which were charged as a result of a clean-up drive staged by police early in September. White entered a plea of not guilty to the charge and received several remands, but was convicted on the evidence of two plain-clothes detectives- who testified to making a liquor , purchase from the accused. " ^'�- A MUSICAL ROCKER donated, by the Wofnerfs Auxiliary to Prince George and District Hospital helped make it possible for four-year-old tfaren Shew-chuk to leave the" children's ward in time to spend Christmas at "the-home, of h�r parents, .Mr. and Mrs. Mike Shewchuk,-512 Johnson. Street. � Karen�she's the pensive little girl with the big doll�was admitted to hospital August 23 suffering from severe burns sustained in an accident with ? kettle of boiling water. The rocker was helpful in inducing her to.exercise muscles .which had been idle while she was in bed undergoing a series of skin grafts. The diminutive hostess pouring tea for Shoren is Poulette Coulombe, 4, of McBride, who also went home in time to greet Santa Clous. �Craftsman Photographers M.P. Promises Adion On East-West Road Connection McBRIDE�This community will be linke~'d~t>y~a modern highway with Prince George and the Alberta boundary "in less than three years," B, R. Leboe, MP for Cariboo told a packed audience in the high school auditorium last Wednesday. Mr. Leboe stated that present indications were that the high- way west of this town would be tiuilt on the south side of the Fra*er River as far 'west.as'Dome Creek, crossing the river somewhere in that vicinity. He said the federal government, which gets the hulk of taxes, should spend more money in the levelopment of the more remote of the province. the next year there will be >vgreat deal of development and e^^ansion going on in the central interior," the speaker said. "The PGE' wUlbe extended to the Peace River/N^hich wlil also be the starting pofrvt for a natural gas pipeline. Thls^will make Prince George one of busiest towns In B.C. and will also" affect the economy of the whole province." In 1954�the first year the Public Works Department has money to spend on roads and equipment in Fort George�mud and rain had slowed down the work, and new Three New Year's Babies As Stork Works Overtime An eight-pound, three-and-one-half-ounce baby girl is heat �Thii | toll t 'IV : Vis' \M 1 iroe deaths raised British ibia's New Year's holiday .) M-ven. "-..iiicnr were killed: in separ lining mishaps, a woman overcome by domestic gas II1|>S- fintj an unidentified /body ls I?�!lc(l from the Fraser River. fatally wounded by gunshots I, iS-year-pld Larry- Meyer of J'K&n, and Fred Curzoh, 29.. Po-1k'' s;|iil guns were found beside h bodies and the wounds were -iParently .self-inflicted. The daughter of Mr. and^lrs. Edouard Poirier of Shelley, �Bib-ane Poirier came into the world it exactly one hour and 10 min-ites after the new year was ushered in. She was followed by two more New Year's babies, bringing to three the number born in the qjty hospital on Januajy-a. This s the same number>hat was born on New Year's day a year ago. Zeno'via Mavis Demchuk, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Nick Denchuk of 355 Freeman Street, arrived when the year' was only three hours and 15 minutes old. She weighed seven pounds, four and three-quarter ounces. the biggest baby of the. day arrived at 8:40 in the evening, when David Morgan Ellis, son of Mr. and Mrs. George Edward Ellis of 79-1 HarpeFStreet weighed in at eight pounds, 11 ounces. Another record breaking number of births was recorded in the hospital this year, with hospital figures showing an increase of o.) births over last year's total. The baby "production" figure for 1954 was CSS as compared -with qoq in 1953. The 1953 figure was ajuiiip of 80 over the year before �ind 1902 in turn showed an increase of SS babies over the previous year. t'�_. '�'.,,_ Of the births recorded during the pas! year, 345 wore males and 343 were females. ln,� girls lee! the boys by nine bivth.3. r August was "the biggest baby month with (59 births recorded, were six sots of. twins Four Missing Boys Feared Drowned -^VANCOUVER�Search was a-bandoned during the weekend foi four youths unreported since Dec. 26'when they left here on a hunting and fishing ttrii> in the isolated Indian River district near here. ...J""^-^^ The theory now is accepted that the boy's motorboat was rammed hi Burrard inlet and*that all yrtsre flrowried in the chilly waters. Missing are: Donald McLeod, IS; his l(i-ycar-old brother, Ian; Wallace Wliittwen" and Joe Toth, both ,17. The battered It-foot boat was found off-suburban"North tJ'5 Germain Cave, 22, was dis-1 C'etl "V01'come by- gas in her L' in Vancouver. There There w j nmona.theOSS births ^ ^ 1953'riine sets of t\v ns were born in the city-and district hospital. Fort St. James Resident Died In Hospital Here Funeral rites will be conducted at Fort St. James Wednesday afternoon for Mrs. Ida Huffman who passed away in.Prince George and District Hospital- following a-lengthy illness. She was 73. - "_ ~ Born at Blenheim; Ont.,-sh6,had been a" resident of Fort St. James since 1920. Her husband, Arthur Herbert, predeceased her in 1930 Surviving are Mrs. H. Wi thrte children, machinery had set on the sides of the roads instead of working. "This iB not the fault of. either the government. vor . the^JE&Wic Works Department," Mr. Leboe said. "But despite these drawbacks, several bridges have been repaired and new ones built." He described the problems confronting the Social Credit party since being elected to office in British Columbia, and expressed the hope that old-age pensioners would be given a "living allotment" before long, and said he was in favor of an increase in the present allowance. '$ J. Morning � of Crescent Spur was chairman of the meeting, which was attended by Louis Mantz of Prince George, president the Social Credit organization, ancPkeo .Balcaen, president of McBride Board of Trade. - Hon. RayvWilliston, B.C. Minister of Education, was also expected to be in McBrW^, but owing to a sudden death in ihe. family he was unable to be present. Mr. Leboe paid tribute to his coHeague in his interesting speech. . ^\ The Cariboo M.P. was accom* pariied here by members of his family, Mrs. M. Leboe and daughter. � ,- New City Grader Pleases Engineer � A new heavy-duty grader recently purchased by the city went into . action as a snow-plow last Thursday and its performance was highly praised by city en-in'eer George Harford. Representing the National Machinery Company Ltd., Qf Vancouver, J. M. Rutnley, sales representative, spent three days In Prince eorge# last week explaining the operation of the machine to the engineer and city equipment operators. The unit is a product of the J. D. Adams Co. of Paris, Ontario, one of Canada's leading builders of heavy duty construction and road maintenance equipment. It is the first of a' series of new models being put out by the firm, and is designed to operate in the coldest climate. Powered with a 100-horsepower motor, the grader has a newly developed type of constant mesh transmission with eight forward speeds and four in reverse. Speeds range from "a little more than one mile to28 miles an hour forward and from-^one mile to 15 miles an hour in reverse. It is equipped with 1400 x 24 open-lug tires, power steering, and has the latest type of hot-water heating for the ^operator's cab. \. AHfeatute>In u: Hlide shift molt board of the latest design for roac construction and asphalt mixing. Not Too Keen This little fellow didn't look too hop- Smith of Prince py when he offered to .help the police George, Mrs. S. Turner, of Burns j enforcepf office. Serving with Alderman Williams on the power committee will be Alderman Ferguson. Outlining the responsibilities of the committee for the forthcoming year, Mayor Bryant said that immediate consideration must be given to a further reduction in Aluminum Pouring Through Yards Here With the Kitimat plant of the Aluminum Company of Canada still not up to full production, a total of 108 cars of aluminum ingots passed through Prince George during November and December, railroad officials disclosed today. Bulk of. the cars are destined for plants in- Cleveland, but some go to manufacturing centers in Pennsylvania. A total of 60 cars'of aluminum passed through the Prince George yards in November, and 48 follow ed last month. This represented only about two weeks of produc tion in each month.* At present the aluminum ingots -are loaded into railroad cars as they sit on a dockside barge at Kitimat^ The barge is then taken to Prince Rupert where the cars are made-up into eastbound trains^ \ Oil the basis of present production, the aluminum shipments account for about one whole train per month. The lightweight metal is shipped 60 tons to a car and the ingots are made up intone ton bales. Within weeks it is expected the over-water journey will be eliminated, when the CNR's Kitimat branch line goes into service. The branch line will cut.35 miles from the rail haul and completely elim ate the 130-mile water haul. 30 Face Charges As Roadblock Aftermath Well over 1000 cars and trucks were checked by police roadblocks during the Christmas and New Year holiday in Prince George, re suiting in more than 30 charges which included mechanical do fects to the vehicle as well as impaired driving and driving without a licence. ( Two cases of impaired driving have not yet come to trial, and one citizen who took exception to the block paid a fine of $50 for trying to crash it. A police report claimed that holiday infractions were the lightest in years, aijd dozens of celc bvating citizens walked or hired taxis rather than face the road blocks. - Milder Wednesday �Cloudy and a little milder the weather outlook for the Prince George district Wednesday Winds "will be light. Low and high temperatures expected to night and tomorrow 15 and ?0. Committee From New Council i With a single exception there Vere few surprises in Mayor Gordon Bryant's announcement of 1955 city council committees yesterday afternoon. rates, and that the city's mast�r plan for a complete street lighting system must be studied with a possible view to implementing Its first phase in 1955. .Senior Alderman William D. Ferry, in addition to serving as acting mayor during the absences of Mayor Bryant, will -continue to head the^powerful finance com- Part of its work during the year Will be in budgeting the city's borrowing power, said the mayor, so that incoming councils "know what they can do rather than iust what is necessary". ' -. � �� BORROWING Until the present the council has borrowed to meet essentials, whereas, under the proposal made by Mayor Bryant, it would borrow with a definite knowledge of how much it should borrow and (See MAYOR APPOINTS, Page 8) ss CARS Physiotherapist Arrives Thursday Miss Jeanie Baillie, who will operate the Canadian Arthritis and4 Rheumatism Society mobile unit in Prince George and surrounding district, will arrive here next Thursday. The newly organized branch of CARS has already made arrangements for the.use of a clinic room in Prince George and District Hospital. v,,.thoi8e_3vhdt>are>.unable, to, visit tihe clinic wilT'!$> treattxn>r!MK Baillie in their homes. A new addition to CARS's staff of physiotherapists, Miss Baillie has only recently arrived in Canada from the Old Country'- She is, however, no stranger to British Columbia as she was head physical training instructress at St. Margaret's School in Victoria from 1949 to 1951. She returner! to her native Scotland to take a cou rse in physiotherapy with the idea of coming .back to B.C. to make her home. She is. a graduate of the Glasgow Royal Infirmary and a member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists!! ' Miss Hazel Southward, assistant head physiotherapist at the CARS Medical Centre in Vancouver, will accompany Miss Baillie to Prince George to help set up the new service. WILLIAM D. FERRY- Boy Scouts Net $340 From Christmas Sale Prince George Boy Scouts netted some $3-10 from the sale of Christmas trees last month. Over 400 of the trees which fell under Boy Scouts' axes were sold to city residents. A number were left unsold, and it was felt this wasxiue^to the fine weather which encouraged-many^o=rl^uT^ow^n~ their own trees. Proceeds from the Christmas tree sale will be used for general scouting purposes and will include purchase of equipment and financing of the Scouts' summer camp. Aid. W. D. Ferry Now Acting Mayor .Acting mayor of the City of __ Prince George for the coming" year will be a man who has lived in the city since 1919 and who received his schooling, here. Alderman William D. Ferry, well known city barrister and solicitor, was appointed acting mayor by the 1955 city council at its inaugural meeting yesterday afternoon. .. ( .' . , ...As �mior * membev of- the coun- \ cil Alderman Ferry was auto--matically in line for the position. ' His duties as acting mayor decree that he will preside over all council sessions while Mayor Bryant is away from the city, and will adopt other responsibilities of the city's chief executive. Alderman Ferry was born in Braton, Saskatchewan, and came here with his family in 1919. After attending local schools he was employed in the office of tho provincial government agent for some years. ---- Shortly after- the outbreak of World War II he enlisted as a private in the 28th Anti-Aircraft Regiment and served in the European theatre of operations. In 1946 he Was discharged with the rank of a non-commissioned Officer and commenced studying law at the University of British Columbia the same year. After graduating he articled for three years with-Alex McB. Young, of this city and was called to the bar in May; 1949. Subsequently he became a partner in the firm of Young & Ferry, now Ferry & Blundell. A few months after being called to the bar he won election to the city council and has -served cor,-_ tinuously ever since. For the past four years he has been.-clmfrTnan~o"f~th"e~finance com� mittee, and since 1949 he has served as the-city council delegate to the board of managemenL.of the Prince George & District Hospital. Twc'years ago he became the council's civil defence specialist. OffJjmWires Today (Cohadion Press, Tuesday, January 4, 1955) Damage Estimated At $300,000 When Snagboat Burns, Sinks ..NEW WESTMINSTER�Millions of dollars of shipping was threatened with destruction when fire destroyed the sternwheeler Somson V at the fedcrol wharf here. Damage was placed at $300,000. Operated by Federal Government, vessel was used to remove snags from the bed of the Fraser River. Fire broke out early in the morning, and Samson sank into the muddy water;two hours later. Mate Jack- Coleridge narrowly escaped from the flaming ship. He smashed his way through the cabin window to safety. Other crew members escaped without injury. The fire is believed to hove originated in the engine room. Powerful Tug Now Towing 2,900 Tons To Kitimat VANCOUVER�Superior Stroits, a powerful diesel-eiectric tug purchased last summer by Straits Towing Co. of Vancouver* arrived here during the weekend on her first towing assignment. The 862-roh vessel, first diesel-clectric tug tooperotcI out of Vancouver and believed the second lorgcst tug on the Pacific Coast, arrived from Astoria, Ore., bound for Kitimat with a borgeload of 2,900 tons of caryolite pitch. '�-��� � VANCOUVER�About 5,000--persons gathered in 37-dcgrec wcothcr here New Year's Day to waJch 58 members of the Polar Bear Club* perform their 35th annual ablutions in waters of English Bay. Twelve of the contestants were women. ' Temperature of the water was 44 degrees. PANAMA�Assassins Sunday night killed President Jose Antonio Remon, "strong man" of this strategic Central America^ Republic. He was felled by sub-machine-gun bullets In an ambush at a race track*