INSIDE
CLASSIFIED *....................   Page 6
COMICS..........................   Page 7
EDITORIAL  ......................   Page 2
WOMEN'S,  SOCIAL   ........   Page 5
SPORTS .............................  Page 8
PHONE   67                             �
The  Weather
Cloudy  with   sunny   periods  Wednesday.     Snow overnight. Low  tonight and- high tomorrow, '5   and   20.
Vol. 2;. No. 29
PRINCE GEORGE/BRITISH COLUMBIA, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1958
PRICE   7   CENTS
BY CARRIER $1.35 PER MONTH
Decker Lake Store Destroyed By Fire
A fin- last night levelled . the general .store at Decker liiike with total damages estimated at $75,000.
Decker Lake is about G miles west of - Burns Lake.
No further details were available at press time. The fire was reported to Prince George insurance adjuster Lome McCuish who leaves for the sawmill community today.   �
Go
ion Gets
On Hospital
City Centennial Group Praised For Program
Prince George has one of the finest centennial programs and one of the most active centennial committees in the province.
This is the opinion of Lance Whittaker, -who is chairman of the central centennial committee of Victoria.
He singled out the famed Cariboo Chorus for special praise.
He told Kiwanians at yesterday's    lunch    meeting    at   the
Prince. George Hotel that "man places in the province are look ing forward to the visit of th Cariboo Chorus as the highligh of their centennial program."
Whittaker's visit to Prlnc George was not primarily con nected with the centennial yeai He is director of public infoi mation for the B.C. Power Com mission, and was here to a tend a district managers' mee ing for the central interior.
$30,000 Savings May Fall To City
Premier Bennett's decision to guarantee municipal sewer and waterworks deoentures couiu mean a saving of up to $3U,0uo to tne City of Prince George over tne next 20-year period.
The saving would accure on this year's $275,000 sanitary sewer debenture issue, city council has been advised.
in order to capitalize on the opportunity however council must take steps to make this year's sanitary sewer program self.-Uquldating according to city . cojHpgnodliy.,Q. A. Jeffery.
To do so. >ti-.. Jetiery advised council last night that-a fevlslon must bo made in the city's sewer rates from 25 per cent of the water rates upward to 60 per cent.
This would liquidate an estimated $19,025 cost against the sanitary sewer division.
However taxpayers, althougl they win pay higner sewer rates on one nanu, wnl receive a re uucuon oi aoout two mills oi property taxes.
The reduction In the mill rate win ue possiuie because tne $ 025 loss taken from the sewei division win ue returned to gene ral revenue^
Premier Bennett announcec that tne government would gua run tee municipal bonds in tub finance speecn on Friday.
This means that Prince George would not.have to pay as "high �lntei'eat on' Its' samtury Wewet debentures.
Only catch in the sanitary sew er issue is that the bylaw permitting its sale was passed by coun cil last fall. Premier Bennett did not say whether such bylaw would apply in 1958.
Home Found For Retarded Child
Five Prince George families have offered to board a retarded Dome Creek child so that she may atend a school for handicapped children here.
A^ Citizen story last week described how a nine-year-old mentally-backward girl had not had a clay of formal schooling in her life, how she could not get training where she is now, and how her parents were seeking help in finding a place where
HOXOKED with a life membership in Branch 43, the Canadian Legion recently, was well-known pioneer Prince George resident William Bexpri The popular Legion steward is a veteran of World War 1 and served with the 16th Machine Gun Coy and the Fourth CMR's. Born in Nottingham, England he came to Prince George in 1921 and for a number of years operated his own retail grocery store on Third Ave. He served for a time in the Hussars Cavalry regiment. Bill's is the fourth life-membership to be awarded by Branch -13. The others were to Dr. II. W. Ahvard, J. Quayle and H. Pooley.
she could stay while attending school in Prince George.
The Association for Handicapped Children has also received offers of books, clothing and other necessities that once she arrives in 'Prince George she will l)e fully-equipped for her venture.
"We are certainly, very grateful to everyone whoL has shown willingness to help us in the problem," said Mrs. Constance Hawley, president of the association.
She said that beside the offers she has had, many others have telephoned her simply inquiring over the case.
It is expected the girl, who has not. found admission to the Woodlands school for the handicapped and retarded, will come to Prince George soon to begin a new life in the retarded children's school.
Arrangements are now being made with the department of health and welfare to supple ment the $20 a month the girl's parents can pay while she is boarding and attending the school in Prince George.
Train Death Was Accidental
A coroner's jury last night decided a man died from accidental causes after being run over by a train here last Saturday morning'.
Edward Robert Smith, 24, of Duck Lake, Sask., was found lying near the CNR tracks at the point where the Island Cache road.bisects the railway'd right-of- Avay.
The jury heard evidence that Smith suffered shock and exposure after having a leg and an arm amputated by a railway vehicle.
No blame was attributed to anyone in connection with the fatality.
Witnesses testified Smith could have been injured as early as 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning before being discovered seven liours later. He died on the way to hospital in an ambulance.
Accordingly, as he put it at the Kiwanians lunch, he was a man,of "two hats" and spoke both on the centennial year and about his job with the commission.
The two themes met in his account   of   the  contribution   the Power Commission is making to the centennial year. LIGHTING HERE
The local commission will be spending $500 on ornamental lighting at the Fraser bridge entrance.
Emphasizing his role as public information officer "as a public relations officer I would be claiming a pat on the back for the commission for their generosity. But as a reporter � which is the essential nature of my job � l have to tell you honestly that all we have decided to do is to take $500 of your money and contribute it to the centennial project." STAY IS B.C.
Whittaker saidi that the success of the centennial year depends far more upon provincial participation than upon tourists.
"If we visit one another's shows in the province, success is assured.
"Stay in B.C. during centennial year. Spend your holidays in the province and patronize OUi* own shows," he eaid.
He recommended that British Columbians get hold of the provincial centennial calendar, and plan their vacation accordingly.
LANCE WHITTAKKK .  .  .  Visit B.C.  centennial  year
79 Vancouver Men Forfeit $1,185 Bail
VANCOUVER CP) � Seventy-nine city men forfeited bail totalling $1,185 by not appearing in court Monday on charges of being found in a gaming house.
Eighty men were arrested late Sunday night in the biggest stag party raid in the city's history. Each posted bail of $15.
Salesman Joe Di Palma 25, was charged with keeping a gaming house at the IMocambo club in the downtown part of the city. He appeared and was remanded one week for sentence.
Socreds, Tories Pick Candidates
Delegates from at least a dozen northern B.C. centers will converge on Prince George tomorrow to attend two nominating conventions to select candidates for the March 31 federal election.
The Social Credit group will name a candidate to contest the Cariboo constituency tomorrow night' in the Prince George Hotel
banquet room.
Close to a 100 delegates are expected to attend the meeting, which begins at 8 p.m., from communities as far away as Fort St. John, Vanderhoof, McBride and Quesnel.
It is considered almost certain that the present member of parliament for this riding, Bert Le-boc, will be chosen to represent the Social Credit party In the forthcoming election.
At the same time, Progressive Conservatives will hold their nominating convention inthe Civic Center banquet room. It is understood as many as three persons may stand for nomination as the party's condidate.
Guest speaker for the meeting will be Erik Nielsen, member of parliament fur the Yukon.
Officers will also be elected to the Cariboo Progressive-Conservative Association at, tomorrow night's meeting.
Tenders May Be Called This Week
Tenders for construction of the new $2,800,00' Prince George & District Hospital will likely be called within the next two or three days.
This was learned by The Citizen today following a long-distance telephone call from lands and forest minister Ray Williston at Victoria.
Mr. Williston reported that a Prince George delega tion that flew to the capital city Sunday had been sue cessful i in its bid  to win approval for  the calling o
tenders.
The three-man delegation sought approval of the new hospital's estimated operating budget.
MEET OFFICIALS
The delegation, composed of hospUal . administrator Bruce Thomson, building, committee chairman Aid. John Powers and board chairman W. D. Ferry, spent all day Monday hammering out differences with health and welfare minister Eric Martin, Mr. Williston and other BCHIS officials.
Until the budget won approval, the hospital board was unable to advertise for tenders. The call for tenders has already been delayed nearly two months. - Final    approval   of    hospital plans means that construction of the 125-bed institution will likely get underway in early spring. TARGET  DATE
Tentative target date for completion of the building is in October/ 1959.
Present plans call-' For a 125-
bcrl hospital plus 38 bassinettes with an unfinished area providing accommodation for an additional 40 beds.
Sfradian Criticises Gaglardi's Plane
VICTORIA ten � Highways Minister P. A. Gaglardi's aircraft came in for criticism Monday by Opposition leader Robert Strachanv
Total operational cost of the aircraft is about  $70,000.
"It's getting.to be pretty expensive flying for planes that always seem to end up at Kam-loops on Fridays," Mr. Strach-an said. "1 don't know Avhere the minister is now ..."
"He's probably gone to Kam-ioops," said Leo Nimsick, CCF-ranbrook.
Included in the cost of the hospital is a $200,000 nurses residence.
The new hospital will be con structed on ground already cleared between Fourteenth and Fifteenth Ave. and between Al ward and Edmonton Streets.
'Further details of the Vic toria negotiations will be knowi when the delegation returns to the  city sometime  today.
U.5. Escape Artist Arrested In Camp Near North Bend
NORTH BEND (CP) � RCMP said today a prison escape artls sought by U.S. .authorities foi more than three years has been arrested at a logging- camp neai this Fraser canyon railway divi sloiial point.
They identified the man as Nel Mickersdn, 27, and said he was. turned over to federal bureau of investigation officers at the Huntington, B.C., border poin Friday.
The officers said Mickerson had apparently entered Canada under an assumed name and liar worked at the logging camp foi IS months before being pickec up on information supplied by the FBI.           '
Police said FBI officers arc returning him to Alabama state penitentiary from which he esca ped while scrying sentences totalling some 43 years.
I ACTRESS ihli
NEW YORK (AP) � Actress Taliuiah Bankhead entered Lenox Hill Hospital Monday foi what her doctor termed a gynecological condition.
By Canoe To Vancouver
City Man Relives Fraser Role
An old-timer of Prince George has been selected by the centennial "special events" committee of Victoria to play the leading role in what many consider to l)e the most outstanding event in the province's centennial pro-ram.
Dick Corless, river boatman for Wcstcoast Transmission Ltd., who used to run freight up and lowh the Rocky Mountain French, will play Simon Fraser in the' re-enactment of the famous voyage clown the Fraser from South Fort George to Vancouver which is slated for May 28� 150 years to the day when Eraser set out.
Gordon Hilker, of the special events committee, Vicoria, was in town last week to finalize aVrangements for the re-enact-nent.
He told The Citizen that the event will be shot by Cli6 television cameramen.
The "close up" man will actually be in one of the canoes, lilker said.
The three, 20-foot, fur-trader style canoes, will be paddled by