??ri*,!     ectoHey 1158 Melville St.
Vancouver; b.c
 Dec6-5?
Prince George Citizen
An Independent Semi-Weekly Newspaper Devoted to the       Interest of Cer/naJ and Northern British Columbia
THE WEATHER
Mostly sunny Tuesday, remaining warm. Light winds. Low tonight and high tomorrow at Prince George 50 and SO.
Vol. 40;  No. 44
Prince George,  B.C., MONDAY, June 3,  1957
(Th ice  Sections, 22  Pages)
$4.00 per year               5c per copy
Prince George Players Score At Provincial Drama Finals
''Mary, Maty" Among Three Best Plays In B.C. Festival
Jubilant Prince George Players members returned last night from Vernon, where they captured three honorable mentions and a scholarship and were listed among the three best players groups in the fifth B.C. Drama Festival held in the Okanagan city last week-end.
Results? of the city players' production of "Mary, Mary", directed by Mrs. Fran tllbbins, is judged a shot-ln-the-arm for drama throughout northern B.C.
Adjudicators at the provincial drama nnals praised the rise in the* quality of play*, entered.-from; northern communities, whioii also Included Terrace and Dawson Creek. It was the first time Prince George has been so well represented in the finals.
Three cast members from the Players production, Cecil Glass, Carol Kennedy and Pamela Glass, received honorable mention for their parts In the "Mary Mary" play.
In judging the performances, adjudicators at the festival nominated candidates for each aware and from these selected winners.
Carol Kennedy, who played the role of the selfish, vilful girl, Hester, around whom the action of the players' entry centers, was one of two actresses from amongst 21) participating in the festival, to be nominated for the best actress award.
Mr. and Mrs. Glass were nominated for best supporting actor and actress awards.
A scholarship at the UBC summer school of theatre, one of throe awarded at. the festival, also went to city actor Cecil Glass for
Trappers Know Good Man When See One
C. H. ��Charlie" Olds tried his best to get out from under the duties of president of the northern zone of the BJJ-Registered Trappers' Association at their annual meeting here Saturday, but members weren't having any of it. They re-elected the retired CN railway engineer for his fifteenth term in the office.
Members echoed the words of Bert Cook, vice-president, who told Mr. Olds the association would "fall apart" if he refused to act.
Mr. Olds accepted the verdict only after assurances that Eric Collier, provincial president, Dave Leboe, provincial vice-president, and Mr. Cook would continue in their offices.
Ills  performance  in  the  Players' production.
Top honors in the one act drama finals went to Yellow Point Drama Group for their entry, "Sganarclle", by Moliere, directed
by A,t\ne Mossman.
Burnaby Little Theatre arid Prince George Players productions �were the other two selected to be shown at the Saturday night honor performance of the festival finals.
In their appraisal of the Prince George entry, adjudicators Joy Coghill Thorne ami John Thome said the cast gave "vigor and vitality of the period to the play" and were "excellent."
Cecil Glass, who won the best actor award in the Prince George festival adjudication, was commended as turning in a "wonderful characterization" and Pamela Glass as a "beautiful realization" of her part.
They felt the part of Hester, played by Carol Kennedy, was excellently done, and that she had (Sec PLAYERS,  Page 8)
Firemen Fight Blaze In  Coal  Shed  Saturday
Prince George firemen turned coalmlners Saturday night when fire broke out at the rear of Ren-dell Tractor Limlted's building, 191 Dominion Street at about 10 o'clock.
The smouldering blaze apparently started from spontaneous combustion of stoker coal stored in a shed.   Damage was slight.
SCENE OF TRAGIC drowning of 20-month-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Wallace T. Nnef Thursday night is this panoramic photograph taken from the south bank of Nechako River. At left is Naef home .showing trio uarden where Mrs. Naef was working -when tragedy occurred, "X." at right indicates approximately where body of infant was recovered from the river, At left is "X" where it is belic-ved lie fell over the two-foot higli b;mT\.
Correction
Times given in the story on page 1) concerning new Greyhound 1ms schedules are daylight saving time, not standard Lime as stated in the  article.
Prince Rupert Gets One-Way Streets
PRINCE RUPERT � A bylaw to bring about one-way traffic in this city was passed by city council l'ast week.
Jury Brings lit Manslaughter
Verdict In Nobles Trial
The pathetic story of a lonely, "mixed-tip boy" wjis revealed in Assize Court Thursday as the defense opened in the trial of Evan Nobles, 27, charged willi murdering his -M-ycar-old guardian, fanner Gordon Buxus, near Yale-1 mount eleven years ago.                                                   j
Later that evening an all-male jury returned to the court room after an absence of 15 minutes with a verdict of manslaughter and a recommendation for mercy.
Noble's mother who operates a mushroom farm near Whalley, B.C., promised the court she would take her son when released at a future date, and give him a home for probably the first time in his life when she was summoned before Mr. Justice Harold Mclnncs at the conclusion of the trial, She had to be called from the hallway outside the courtroom where she remained when the jury brought in  the verdict.
Two psychiatrists called at 'the �conclusion of the trial agreed the convicted slayer could be res to r-i ed t
by Drowns
Many Pay Tribute To Pioneer Realtor
Scores of city residents turned out to pay their final respects Saturday to pioneer realtor and notary public, Fred Shearer, aged 7U, who died Tuesday in St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver.
Eicv. Gordon McLaren officiaUxl at Ilio funeral service, held under auspices of '.Masonic Lodge AF an�IAM.       '
Serving as pallbearers were H. Enucmark, D. H, Cavanagh, J. Biunil, A. J. Caine, F. Hewlett and H, Veaver.
Ulrlatives of Mr. Shearer from Vancouver attending the service were Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Oun-stead, Roy Ounstead and Leslie VV hlttaker.
Mr. Shearer came to Fort George with his father in 1910 vEien he established a real es-ta If and insurance office and liucd hero even since   that time.
Son Tumbles In River As Mother Gardens
While a mother worked   in  her garden on  the  solt summer night that was Thursday, her infant son slipped j unnoticed  from  her sight and drowned  without a  sound in the ugly, swollen waters of the Nectiakq River. Thus it was that tragedy struck
One way traffic will go into of- i "' * ;1 !un"m.al lifc and P^bably
never   commit   such   an   act   of
agresslon again judging by his improvement in health during recent years.
TRIAL
feet on Fourth and Fifth Avenues on June 1.
"The   first   week   of   the   new ruling will be purely educational . while drivers get used to the new   STIiA!NG 13
system,1.' .-raid RCMP YV.  Todd.
S/Sgt. M. J.
Thus ended one of the cst   trials   ever   hold   in
strang-Prince
Northern Trappers Meet
Furmen Desert Traps; Prices Hurt B.C's Oldest Industry
Trappers are leaving their fur crops unharvested and their lines untended these clays "because prices are at bedrock." C. H. Olds, president, told the annual meeting of  c'"". the northern zone of the B.C.  Registered Trappers'  As- ^'^
Centre.
George, in which witnesses liail to be sought from Ontario to "Vancouver Island.
First of three defense witnesses called by counsel U. E, "Barney" Bluricle.il was Mrs!, Margaret Deed-er, a 20-year resident of Francois Lake, who way a guardian of the accused for three \^cel\s -when lie was  15.
She .said at that Jirjic the boy didn't appear lo lie ;is old as lie was and was more like nine or 10.
"lie didn't seem like an ordinary boy of 15. lie -was dcfinately a ini.\eil-up child, He didn't -want to play with oilier children."
"1 would sajrlii! was the iwvst unhappy child I hiivi- c\'�E seen."
Mis. Deedcr related one occasion on which slie gave the boj a handful of chuiigc to spend at a fair. When lie Uwk the money the boy cried, "Noliuily was ever so good to me before, "lie followed me around like a puppy alter that" Mrs. Deeder said.
Psychiatrists Dr.  John Thomas and Ur. A.  13.  Davidson, both of Vancouver, told how the hoy had come  from  a    lirokon home ia which t'he parents were separated for some  time-, and  how he ap sol- and
Trial of Freddy Chalifoux, 22, of lfllfh Prairie, Alberta, who is cHmrged with murdering American tourist Charles Elkington in a sLreet fight in downtown Prince (.Storge February 7 opens today in Supreme Court.
the Wallace Naef family whose two-storey frame house nestles in pasture-land close to the north bank of the Nechako, Just west of the Caribou Brewing Co. *
Drowned in the river that flows scarcely 50 yards from the back door of the Naef home was 20-month old Darwin Naef.
The tiny body was recovered from the fast flowing river Friday morning after an all-night search by approximately 50 neighbors and friends and by RCMl'. SUBMERGED  WILLOW
It was. found floating face clown, suspended by a submerged willow bough just 10 yards from shore and about 100 yards downstream
had spread and police and friends entered the search.
"It was really wonderful the way everyone came to their aid," said Mrs. S. G. Preston, wife of the provincial government supervising agriculturist. PEAKS REALIZED
By nightfall the searchers' worst fears that the baby had fallen into the river were beginning to be realized.
At 9:45 the following morning the body was found. If it had not been for the intervening willow branch, it might never have been discovered, for the river is at full flood  and  running swiftly.
The Naef family have been Hv-
from   where   police   estimate  the [ irig in theii- north Nechako home
toddler fell in.
Funeral services for the infant will be held tomorrow at 2 p.m. from Assnum's funeral chapel with Lieut. George Chapman officiating.
Unable to believe yet, the loss of her baby, is Madelaine Naef.
Mother of six children, Mrs. Naef was working in her vegetable   garden   after   dinner   the \
which Mr. Naef has been building for himself, for the past three years.
The other children Myrna 17, Joe-Ellejv; 15, Terry, 9, and twins Linda and Ricky, 5, had always been sternly warned to stay away from the river. But tiny Darwin was too young to understand.
ployed by Stekl Lumber Co.'Ltd., wcin nwtiy worKlnK.
ONE BRIEF MOMENT
From time to time as she worked, placing herself between the river and her child, she kept looking up to assure herself that little- Darwin was in no danger. But in one brief moment, maybe a matter of minutes, the baby was gone.
Feeling certain that he bad not been able to get by her to the river, she rushed to the house to look for him. Panic-stricken at not finding him there, she sent one of her other boys to a neighbors for help. By 8:30 the alarm
Auto Dealer Ben Acquitted Of Manslaughter
Prominent automotive dealer from Wichita, Kansas, Benjamin Belford, 65, was acquitted of manslaughter in Jssize Court Saturday.
The 12 man jury freed Belford after hearing a tlay-aiul-a-half of evidence. He was charged with being criminally negligent in the operation of his car after Mrs. Mary Ijailis of Prince George was killed in a collision on the Illurt  Highway August 23, last year'.
The accident occurred as Belford was driving to his Summit Lake camp with his two sons. The Belford family Diiis been summering at their Summit Lake lodge for the Qiiisi:  ninii years.
The accused was defended by H. B. King, Q.C. Crown �counsel was Frank Perry;
Distribution Of Gas To Be Aired TonighJ
Facts to date on the distribution of natural gas in Prince George will be explained tonight by Liberal candidate for Cariboo, Angus Carrrilciiael.
Mr. Carrnich'ael who has studied the gas situation iriprouglily is scheduled lo speak at a campaign meeting in the Gallos building v.<. 8:30 p.m. Speaking In support Of the candidate will be Senator Gray Turgebh.
PGE Grade Sinking Near Peace River
A report, from Fort St. John says that the Pacific Great Eastern railway is sinking about one mile north of the l'eacc River crossing.
Great cracks arc around a point where a newly-made grade "disappeared.". The highway leading to the camp at Peace River Bridge is also reported to have lost several hundred feet.
Bcrmml bewail, engineer in charge of construction, said in Prince (leorge Saturday that it is not uncommon for grades to sink in that part of,the country.
"We do not anticipate that, we are going to have any great trouble in curing this difficulty," he commented. "High fills in this area  frequently give trouble."
He described the cause of trouble as being the nature of the underlying subsoil.
peared   younger,   immature, subject   to   outbursts
sociation Saturday  at the Civic
"No one will carry on as it Is now wearing himself out in the bush and not making enough
to buy groceries let alone pay his annual expenses, said Mr. Olds.
"Trappers   from   a   half  dozen remote -reas of the north country
the
same      gloomy
repeated thought.
Bright spot in the picture 5s the trend toward beaver for ladies' coats, which indicates better prices for this specie in the 1957-58 season. New methods of Seating the fur and skin have reduced the "weight of "beaver garments and fashion is making it the preferred fur this year,. Mr. Olds told his lellow trappers. QUA LIT V TKLLS
Long-term hope for the industry lies, he felt, with the federal Department   of  Agriculture's  ef-
forts to sell Canadian furs on their high quality. Displays in foreign countries last year brought 118 European buyers to the last Montreal fur sale.
The "tremendous" spread between the trapper's price and the cost of finished garments was hit by George Mostrom. "Coats of marten fur cost more today than in 1946, yet marten furs were selling then for $155 and now bring only about $8."
Most of the spread was attributed by other speakers to the high wages paid cutters in the fur industry. Wages in New York running up to S14 an hour were cited. GOVERNMENT ATTACKED
The meeting 'attacked government   policy  of   collecting   high (See FURMEN, Pofi� 3)
TRAGIC STORV
Earlier in the two-day trial. Crown counsel Frank Perry called nine witnesses u-lio 'related the tragic story of' the Valcnioiuit .-laying on .March 1, 19IB. His witnesses included Staff Spt, Andrew Fairburn who investigated the case and i=s now living in retirement at LadysmiUi; Dr. -Archibald Malsinltlt, -who performed the autopsy on the deceased Burns, and who Ls now living iri retirement at IMaliood Kalis, B.C.; �Mrs. Vclma Larson (formerly Mrs. BurnSi) now of Nanaiino; Joe Nord, a neighbor at the lime now of Chase; Constable G. D. Ball, who arrested the accused, navr of Victoria; Staff Sgt. Meil ^icLe now of Edmonton and Constable Roy Austin ,now a-corporal -with the RCAF in  London Ontario.
Sentence will be passed by Mr. Jut. lice Mclnaek later in tie assizes.
Among three best plays entered in the provincial drama festival, held at Vcrn> -weekend, was Prince George Players' entry, "Mary, Mary" directed by Fran G;. Pictured before departing for the Okanagan city were cast members Illeana Mi Carol Kennedy, Joy Reid and Jim Kelly. Others in the cast were Pamela aryi Glass and Elsie Fedoruk.