Prince George Citizen . . An Independent Semi-Weekly Newspaper Devoted to the Interest of Cer.Wal and Northern British Columbia THE WEATHER Cloudy today and Tuesday with scattered thunderstorms. Little cooler tomorrow, light winds. Low tonight, high tomorrow 45 and 70. Vol.40; No. 66 Prince George, B.C., MONDAY, August 19, 1957 (2 Sections, 14 Pages) 7c per copy ayo To Plea s Trip To Ottawa icipal Gas Case Mayor To Probe May Request Stumpage Cut Upon his return from a trip to Ottawa where he will plead Prince George's, gas case before top federal government officials Mayor John Morrison will launch an informal inquiry into the problems facing the central interior lumber industry, he announced today. "As mayor of a city whose economy is directly linked with the prosperity of interior lumber producers 1 feel it is duty to ejaunlne the problems which face the industry today," he said. He said ho has only had time for a superficial survey of the lumber situation so far. "I liiiyc .seen indications, iiotveycy, thai, lliq provincial government's formula for computing sUinipfigti may he Imrd-cuing the local industry with an unnecessary hardship," the mayor went on. "On my return from Ottawa I hope to meet spokesmen for the lumber industry in order to examine the problems which they are faced with." He said the number of impending mill closures "is rather alarming to a community whose rate of growth has been hinged to the lumber industry." � 'Most lumbermen the mayor has Wes Euokben talked lo have staled their belief that market prices, currently at their lowest ebb since the ini mediate post-war period, will not show a marked improvement before the middle of next summer. "Conversations I have had with some representatives of the industry seem to show that a larger margin of profit eouhl bo created if the provincial government's stumpage formula was based on current market prices, rather than prices which worn current some months ago." Mayor Morrison said that if his fact-finding program definitely showed that stumpage prices are far out-of-line with market prices he would be prepared to go to Victoria to place recommendations before local MLA and Lands & Forests Minister Ray Willi.ston. He said that what he has learned of the situation so far prompts him to "complete denial of any statements to the cfrect that the interior lumber industry was improvident during the good years by not putting enough money aside to carry it during the lean years." This is a theory which has been put ofrth from time to time by B.C. Forest Service officials in private conversations. "The lumber industry here is a new industry," said the mayor. "It only started to flourish after World War 11 and, as a result, it has been snowballing in size. "In order to compete on world markets each unit of the industry hits been forced to finance larger anil more efficient plants and hush equipment. "The absence of any earned surplus in the treasuries of many local lumber producers is directly accountable for by the rapid rate of expansion which the industry has hajl to undergo. "It is little wonder that these companies are not now in a position to finance themselves through a period when there is little or no margin of profit on lumber sales. "The heavy capital expenditures made for expansion and increased efficiency of plants has accounted for the very pronounced growth of this community. To a degree we might reasonably say that, the lumber industry has in a large measure built this district to its present economic importance. "1 believe, therefore, that if there, is anything which 1, as mayor of the largest city in the central interior, can do to assist the industry in its hour of need it is my duty to do it." Citizen Appoints News Photographer Publishers of The Citizen are pleased to. announce today the enmployment of a full-time news photographer. Wcs Enokscn, 25, will bring to ^Citizen readers for the first time professional on-the-spot photographic coverage of events in all news departments including general news, social,' sport and feature assignments. Mr. Enoksen comes to The -----._____________________ comes to Citizen from the photographic taff of the Vancouver Herald, which ceased publication recently. He learned the craft, during a five-year stint in the Royal Canadian Air Force during which time he was employed in the exacting task of conducting aerial photographic surveys. A native of Saskatoon, Mr. Enoksen is married, with his wife and two daughters, Gale two and a half ana Donna one year, presently living in Vernon. AITOIXTMEXT of Mr. Enokscn comes just two weeks from time when The Citizen will publish on a daily ba?is, and is indicative of the efforts the newspaper is adopting to bring its readers the finest local newspaper coverage available. At the same time The Citizen wishes to inform its readers that photographs published in the paper will now be available at a nominal sum through application at the general office. Various sizes of prints in unlimited quantities will bo available in either glossy or matte finish. Prior to Mr. Enoksen's appointment news pictures were taken by Citizen reporters and through the facilities of local commercial photographers. The Citizen believes that a full-time photographer will provide the' best in news coverage. SEAPLANE BASE congestion like that evident in this photo taken on Saturday shows, why interior pilots shudder, at thought of having to operate out of Prince George. Ten planes were tied to inadequate mooring facilities Friday night. Seaplanes tied to beach risked pontoon puncture by rocks, �while thoun at dock faced of collision in ticing-up. All could be damaged by driftwood which plagues South Fort George's unprotected base. Citizen Photo by Wes Enoksen. Ex-City Woman Sued For Third Of Sweep Take VANCOUVER (CP) � A former city woman, Mrs. Helen Orsolets, winner of a 1956 sweepstake, is being sued for $46,435. A writ claiming the money, alleged to be a one-third share of "certain monies received by Mi's. Orsolets," was filed in Supreme Court Friday by John Babich. Babich bought the winning sweepstake ticket and gave it to Mrs. Or.solets. Reporters Find Front Page Story On Own Doorstep Prince George Citizen reporters had only a few feet to travel for a front page news story when they arrived at work at the news paper's Quebec Street offices this morning. Floor of the general office was littered with cheques discarded >y discriminating safe cracker who pried open a small vault in the company's accounting section and netted about $80 in cash for his efforts. Absence of an ItCMP finger-jlnfeexpetj, -Saom* the city until onfght prompted police to place i guard oVfer the safe until tonight so prints could not be come smudged until he arrives on the scene. BCP Test Run Held Saturday The soft hiss of compressed air filled the British Columbia Commission's nearly-completed $3,000,000 generating plant a half mile east of Prince George on Saturday and a few seconds later one of four huge Cooper-Bessemer engines burst into a throaty roar for the first time. The time was 2:30 p.m. and it was the first of four test runs to be completed on the giant generating units before the plant will begin delivery of electricity to the City of Prince George and district. � On band to supervise the 21 hour long test was Frank Moor house, Cooper-Bessemer engineer from Edmonton, wiio will be in Prince George all this week while the test are run off on the other three units. T. R. Christie, construction superintendent BCPC, told The Citizen today that the tests should be completed by Aveek's end that all being well, power will be ready for delivery at their conclusion. Saturday's test, taking the form of a mechanical shake down and a short circuit lest 'on the generator, was conducted on No. 1 unit. Mr. Christie reported that the test was a complete success. When completed the powerhouse will be formally handed over to the local branch of the BCPC, district manager of wliich is Jack Dobie. Construction of the plant began a year ago September. Giants Make Decision; Frisco Gets Franchise New lory (CP) � The board of directors of the Xew York Giants baseball team today voted to move the team's National League franchise to San Fran. Cisco in 1!>5$. Also contemplating a move to the west coast arc the Brooklyn Dodgers who have received an offer for their National League franchise from the City of Los Al Young Girl Hit By Car On Hart A young girl was hurt when struck by a car while riding her bicycle on the Hart Highway late Wednesday. Police have identified the youngster as Gail Swienson, whose home is about five miles north of here on the Hart road She received a compound fracture to one leg and was shaken up and bruised in the mishap. -RCMP investigating the accident, says she was hit from behind while travelling along the highway on her bicycle. Gail is in satisfactory, condition in Prince George Hospital and is expected to be released soon. 3 Dead, 2 Missing In Weekend Mishaps - VANCOUVER (CP) � Three persons died in traffic accidents in B.C. during the. week-end. Two others were missing in boating mishaps and were feared to have drowned. Dead are Jean Abel, 2, of Vancouver, George Ostrkoff, New Westminster and Omar St. Denis, Newton Station. Missing and feared to have been drowned are Stanley Hunter, South Westminster and Tony Karlovich, engineer, 56, Vancouver. Hunter was reported missing Sunday morning in a salmon-fishing derby at Horseshoe Bay in Howe Sound. Karlovich fell overboard from the 60-foot seiner Race Rocks near the Sechelt peninsula, 40 miles north of Vancouver. Ostrokoff and St. Denis died on their w�y to hospital after a shattering collision 38 miles east of Hope Saturday night. The Abel girl was killed Friday night in Burnaby when the trailer of a truck-trailer unit ran over a bus-stop waiting bench and crushed her. Seeks Order for Westcoast Supply Mayor Morrison will make a flying trip to eastern Canada this week to place details of Prince George's natural gas case before high officials of the federal government. Specifically he will ask for an order requiring West-coast Transmission Company Ltd. to supply gas to Prince George Gas Company Ltd., or alternatively the City of Prince George, at wholesale rates comparable to those enjoyed by B.C. Electric and Inland Natural Gas. Mayor Morrison announced ----------------------------------- his impending trip to Ottawa at the weekend. He disclosed that he had telegraphed Hon. Gordon Churchill, new minister of trade and commerce in the Conservative government, for an appointment to discuss the local gas issue. At a British Columbia Public Utilities Commission hearing here two weeks ago a Prince George Gas spokesman disclosed that the previous party in power at Ottawa, the Liberals, bad expressed interest in the local natural gas situation.. Mayor Morrison's appeal for aid from the federal government arises from a PUC ruling which requires that Prince George Gas Company buy its gas from Inland at a rate designed to subsidize the consumer price of gas at points in the Inland distribution network. The price would place the consumer price of gas here on a par with that charged throughout the Inland system. In an off-the-cuff statement saUr he .'^vnl ask city council tonight to shelve action on the gas rase at least until his return from Ottawa. He said that in refusing to put the city's stamp of approval on an interim gas deal which would allow Inland to go into business here at its blanket rate "the coun cil and myself believe we are doing the best thing for the majority of our constituents." At Ottawa the mayor will protest the intrusion of a middleman supplier between Westcoast Transmission and the locally fran-chised company. If. the federal government fails to remedy the situation the mayor will ask council to reconsider the possibility of an interim deal to get gas here this winter. But he said his appeal for reconsideration would not be based on even temporary inplementa- tion of the Inland rate proposed for other B.C. communities. He told The Citi/.cn last night that "If Inland is so anxious to get gas in here before winter, then it should be willing to implement a lower rate at the outset and to have it increased at a later date if it is shown the company is not making a reasonable profit on the Prince George operation." Inland has proposed that through negotiations Avith Prince George Gas Company it secure approval to install a distribution system which would be subject to an option to purchase by the rival company up to the point where litigation over the right to sell gas here has been settled. Mayor Morrison said "I am confident the federal government will lake a very serious view of a situation which allows residents of a foreign country, the United States, to buy gas at a cheaper rate than Canadian consumers being served by the same transmission line." ^^riiuje^QeQKge^GaSigomiJany officialsTtave�a'rged that West-coast gas will be sold cheaper in Washington cities than some British Columbia communities. Up to press time today the mayor had not received confirmation of his appointment, with the trade and commerce minister. Apparent Bomb Scare Grounds TCA Airliner VANCOUVER m� "Flight four will never reach Toronto," an anonymous caller told the Winnipeg office of Trans-Canada Air Lines Sunday. TCA delayed the departure of the flight from Vancouver one hour. "It was apparantely a bomb scare," an airline official said. Baggage of the 44 passengers and mail bags were searched but nothing was found. PINPOINTING home town on big topographical map in the briefing room of RCAF station at Sea Island is Prince George air cadet Peter Burns. A member of 396 Air Cadet Squadron, Prince George, Peter, 15, is the son of Walter T. Burns, supervisor of the Dominion Experimental Farm, and Mrs. Burns and is attending the Air Cadet summer camp at the KCAF station. t