INSIDE
EDITORIAL ........................  Page    2
SPORTS  ............................  Page    6
WOMEN'S SOCIAL ..........  Page    7
CLASSIFIED ........................ Page     8
COMICS  ............................   Page     9
I HI
WEATHER
Cloudy
Dedicated to the Progress of the North
ifh a few sunny periods Thursday. Scattered showers, a little cooler. Winds southwest IS. Low tonight and high tomorrow 38 and 48.
Phone LOgan   4-2441
Vol.  3;  No.   199
PRINCE GEORGE, BRITISH COLUMBIA, WEDNESDAY. OCTOBER 14, 1959
J5c PZH WEET
EDITORIAL
Time for Some Action on First Avenue Lake
The picture to the right tells most eloquently of the condition we have once again on First Avenue � a condition which apparently completely baffles the provincial highways department because it develops after every heavy rainfall and yet no permanent work is ever done to correct it.
First Avenue is a part of the provincial highway through Prince George and the responsibility for its maintenance rests with the provincial highway department � a responsibility which it appears to take very lightly.
We are not suggesting there has been no money spent on this particular section of the road. To the contrary, money has been poured in here in almost the same quantity as water � and just about as effectively.
During the winter season it is interesting to observe the highway department's cavalier disregard for money. As ruts form in the snow, truekloads of gravel are hauled in to fill. Then as snow disappears leaving a bog of mud and gravel, the trucks are back to haul it away. And so it goes all winter long.
Summer treatment of the problem is a little different and not quite as costly to the government. The highways department then subscribes to the philosophy: "The Lord put the water there, He'll take it away again." Not a vvvy positive philosophy but it works as long as nobody minds having an extra lake in the middle of the highway system for a few weeks.
Sometimes a pump is used to move the water onto private property at the side of the road but it is unlikely the owners of the property will be agreeable to continuing this method much longer.
Highway construction and maintenance in this province is rapidly becoming a farce. The situation in Prince George is typical of what is going on all through the province and here we can see new roads being built to replace perfectly adequate roads, a bridge that doesn't connect to a load, a road being built to the river where there will be no bridge and a veritable lake in the middle of a city.
The highway department carries a sizeable number of engineers on its payroll and amongst them there should be one who can come up with the solution to the First Avenue problem. If that is the sticker, then we offer a layman's advice: Put some drainage in there. If there is no place to run a storm sewer, then put down ;:-b"d q� '{ij'-el so Iherc will be somewhere for the water to drain and keep it from accumulating on the surface of the road.
But let us hope we don't have to go through another season with this mess regularly repeating itself and money being wasted on temporary and ineffective measures.
Something has got to be done about it eventually so why not now?
Coliseum War City After
Board Fixes Rent
A growing community has forced trustees of School District 57 into fixing a rent scale for the use of school buildings by outside organizations.
Recommendations governing rental of school acoomniodutions were presented to the trustees last night.
After u long, and often healed, discussion, they accepted the recommendations as policy "subject to revision at any time."
Previously, no definite rent .scale was in effect.
� recommendations carried
ONLY A FEW OF THE BOOKS that two members of the Snowsell family used in obtaining the degrees at UBC, Frank Snowsell and his daughter, Anne, have recently climaxed several summers of stuctying to receive credit from the university. Snowsell. who is the High School vice-principal, has his Master of Education award while his daughter has obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree.
OTTAWA (OP) � Representatives of 130,000 employees of die federal government were to express tiher reaction .it a press conference today to the government's refusal of an immediate general pay increase.
Finance Minister Fleming announced late Tuesday following a conference with heads of civil service employee groups that the government, "s financial position "WJll- not permit the added cost of an increase this fiscal year which cinN next March HI.
The civil servants, including members of tine armed forces and the KCMP. had no immediate 'comment. They had gone to Tuesday's meeting pessimistic. They clamored loudly in recent niohths for increases averaging about '10 per cent, but almost as juudly Juid demanded a reply
one way or the other from the government.
Mr. Fleming emphasized .bat tile decision does not affect consideration of pay increases for particular employee categories, which are reviewed regularly.
The civi] servants received their last general increase, averaging six per cent. May 1. 1U57.
Karlier this year the civil service commission '� the government's personnel office � recommended general increases retroactive to Oct. J which Mr. i-'lcin. ing estimated would cost the government $242,000,000 in the current year after contributions to superannuation and pension funds were 'boosted to cover the higher salaries,
This amount is equivalent to the yield from an increase of 1G per cent in personal income tax,
he said. It would "very seriously upset the budget."
He noted that since the Second World War there have been seven general 'wage increases for the civi] service, ranging between six and 10 per cent each time.
He said the government hopes to introduce a plan early next year under which the government will contribute to the cost of medical and surgical care of civil service members, those of the armed forces and the UCMP, and their dependents.
five statements of general policy. They were:
1.) No school buildings are to be rented on Sundays.
2.) No city school buildings to be used for public dances.
3.) No charge for youth organization meetings provided there cue no commercial, religious or political affiliations.
�1.) The policy as laid down will apply to Giscome and Hix-on.
5.) No games of chance in any .school buildings.
The fifth of the policy statements was tacked onto the general policy after a long debate by the trustees and District Superintendent K. F. Alexander.
It is to prevent bingos from being held in the High School Fieldhouse, where the rent is cheaper than the Civic Centre while the capacity is approximately the same.
Rental of the Senior High School Auditorium-Gymnasium will now cost a non-profit group $(i.j per night, if admission is charged. One-hundred dollars is to be charged to profit-making organizations.
The trustees agreed not to charge rent For parties or rehearsals as ii could kill many local organizations. The Prince
George Players, the Prince George Light Opera Society, the Cariboo Chorus and the Rotary Pipe Band were given as examples of groups that wouldn't be able to afford such a rental fee.
If no admission is charged, a non-profit organization ,would pay $45, to a profit-making; group's $05.
Rental of the junior high school auditorium-gym will be cheaper. Prices to non-profit groups would be $10 with admission and $25 without while a profit organization would pay !>(iO and $10.
The smaller gyms, such as those found at Harwin, Con-naught Elementary; llixon and Giscome, would cost $25 and $15 for non-profit organizations.
The gyms will not be available to profit-making groups.
Classrooms will rent for �~> for a night at the senior or junior high schools in the city.
Those "per night rents" are based on an average of about three hours use during the evening.
A hot point in the recommendations'brought forth to be studied by the trustees was the matter of charging rent for the use of school accommodations for practices or rehearsals.
City council- last night i fired another volley in the war over the city's vacant, half-million dollar Coliseum and the target was contractor C. J. Oliver.
An effort will now be made under a section of the building specifications to have the contractor conduct safety tests of the Coliseum trusses, following his refusal last week to make such tests under Article 1(> of the construction contract.
Since the city closed tue structure September 22 � saying it would not be reopened until the architects declared it safe � architects Underwood, McKinloy arid Cameron, of Vancouver, have hounded the'contractor to make the tests on the building.
('. .1. Oliver lias refused to do this under the contract article quoted by the architects and the city's latest move is designed to achieve the same result.
A letter from the architects was read last night which suggested the city pay for tests to be conducted under the architects' supervision or invoke Article 1(1 of the construction contract, which Underwood, Me-Kinley and Cameron say C. J. Oliver has failed to honor.
The article, acording to the architects � who originally cast doubt as to the building's safety when they learned some sub-grade lumber had been used in trusses � requires the contractor to make tests if rec|uested and undertake corrective construction, ,if the tests deem it necessary.
NEW APPROACH
However, father than deal with Article 10 as suggested councillors decided to approach the contractor again, but under
A quarter - million doll a r theatre is proposed for Prince George by Herb Stevenson, owner of the Strand and Princess Theatres and the Star-Time
Drive-In theatre.
I
He made application to city council  Tuesday  night  for re- j zoning of nine lots immediately | to   the   rear   of   the   Princess Theatre, proposed site for the planned theatre. The application was referred for study.
If the rezoning is approved, he told council, work on the project�to be ��one of the most modern theatres in Canada" seating 900�would begin this winter.
The theatre would accommodate GOO people in the auditorium section and 300 more in the balcony.
Plans call for the building to have a 72-fodt frontage on Vancouver Street, with overall dimensions of 72 by 13S feet. A huge lobby�72 feet by 10 feet �would be part of the project.
A letter accompanying the ro-zonirig application said also that the proposed theatre�drawings for which are being prepared by a firm of Vancouver architects �would be equipped with the latest projection facilities.
A large parking area is also to be provided, with total area of the theatre site reaching di-
t rici. They finally uncovered an I niensions of 270 by 110 feet, old bucket.           Ii' the rezoniny permits con-
struction of the theatre shortly it  is expected to be completed
early next year.
Section L'S of the building spe-I cifications.
The decision was made alter a more than hour-long closed meeting, which was attended by Albert Church�designer of the building and associate of architects Underwood, McKinley and Cameron.
The   section   reads:   "ho;tle suspicion that the work lias not  been  properly performed or that through incliiil.iiices of sour* Kind the strength of the structure or tiny part of i( has Iccn    impaired.    Load    tests shall be made if required by any public authority." City council moved to Instruct Kd Neff, city building Irispectoi i ae   " public   authority' i   "re t[uire" the tests to be conducted by C. .1. Oliver�at the contrac tor's  expense � under supervi slon of the architects and tin designer.
The latest move in the Coli souiri tangle came as City !�':: tilers continued their wait foi written recommendation Iron the B.C. Professional Engineers Society.                                     /
It was expected that the society would recommend ;i �nan to act as an independent Consultant in the matter. Mis .job  would  lie  to  investigate
the situation, fix blame (if any), and order ;in,v . action under a binding (iuvo-way agreement among tii<> cityi ('. .1. Oliver and the architects.
Xo further word was heard from the engineers society after initial correspondence with ii uist wet k and City Fathers took the building specifications tack following the meeting with Church, who has been in the city for several days looking over the situation.
The letter from the architects, read in open session prior to the closed meeting, said of the re-.inc. ! that (�'. .1. i >]i\ er conduct
safety tests. tor has dec these   tests, J:at Article itrac
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BCPC Loan
VK'TOUIA (OP) � The provincial cabinet Tuesday author ized the B.C. Power Commission to borrow another $10,000,000.
Authorized maximum borrowing power of the commission is $300,000,000 and to date it. has �borrowed1 $201,888,425, not including Tuesday's authorization.
Power Commissioner It a y Williston, who is also minister of land and forests, said the new money will be used for capital requirements and to pay up some short term notes.
Polio Claims Still Another Life in B.C
The death toll In the Cariboo the recent outbreak of polio rose to two yesterday with the death of Mrs. Susan Dale, in, of McLeese Lake, near Williams Lake.
Her death was the 10th in British Columbia from the disease.
Two qf the victims had received Salk polio vaccine.
The other death in the Cariboo was that of 13-year-old Ada Do Witt of Quesnel.
.Mrs. Male died yesterday in Kamloops hospital alter a weekend battle by doctors, police and the RCAF to save her lire'.
During an ambulance ride from her home to Kamloops. about 210 miles, batteries of a portable iron lung failed and a doctor and the ambulance driver took turns pumping the lung manually.
An   KCAK   plane   flew   in   a standard iron lung to Kamloops from Vancouver. CtllXT CM.MItS
British Columbia's polio count rose lo I!) Tuesday with the report of two new cases in widely separate parts of the province.
Provincial   health  authorities
said a .'j'i!-month-old girl was in Vernbn hospital suffering spinal polio, a type which causes limb paralysis. They said the infant had not been vaccinated because she was too young to receive the full thred-shol treatment.
At Victoria, Greta Stellaard, f>, of Port Alberni, was admitted to hospital. She also was suffering from spinal polio, but was reported in satisfactory condition.
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I Inderwood, McKinley a n d I 'ameron continued that "�,. hile the contractor would be ready to remedy tl e defects (if tests proved SUSpiciOUS of dele.-Is), be would have the right to arbitration as to the costs involved but any decision resulting from such arbitration is final arid binding without, in our opinion, any right of appeal." IMfOE'OS AI.S
Two proposals ' sented by the ; both have been least temporarily, action on the S' specifications. Oni that t lie city authi tects to appoint other than C. .1. Oliver to conduct tests, costs of which to be borne by the city. The other was that Article Ii; of tin.- construction contract be invoked by the architects, with the city's sanction, in view of the contractor's refusal to con-duet safety, tests under that agreement.
The architects closed with the assertion that the ies(s proposed offer the only ;iu-swer lo the s;iletv of the building "and the uontnieto'r's allegation (li.tt our insistence ;is lo (he tests is ail attempt to i>ii t undeserved responsibility on the contractor is not supported by the facts."
And so, the word war continues and the Coliseum tangle becomes more confused with each engagement, Meanw bile, the half-million dollar Structure has been buried in ils infancy, if only temporarily.
�oy Scout
A
ual
dance
Mil   (
a
jponsored by th ?iivpany of the groups will be
� 2nd local
In id
The sum of $1,731,772.80 was paid out in unemployment Insurance benefits in the Pacific region during September, $30,003 in Prince George, according to Horace Keetch, regional director of the Unemployment Insurance ('oiinnission.
The larger amount was Sill,-(i.")l .more than the siilli paid out during the previous month but $749,802 less than that paid out in the same period a year ago.
y Si;i'ii|
the Scout  Hal) al   lib and I Brunswick   S-tl   ibis   Saturday, Octobi r 17, starling at [):30 p.m.
Proceeds from the dance will be used to supply the scouts �with company equipment and supplies. Music will be donated by Dave Bowman and his orchestra and lunch will be served.
The evening will be run on the liny Seoul Code, "A real nice time of good clean fun."
Dances will be held monthly throughout the winter and will commence the second Saturday.
TAKE XO CHANCES
LONDON CPi�For two weeks bomb disposal experts carefully dug up a suspicious object in a playing field in the Catford dis-
TEEN TOWN COUNCIL here has five new members following a by-election last Saturday, necessitated by departures of former aldermen. Shown, left to right, are Brian Fawcett and Joyce Gardner (elected during regular ballot earlier this year), Ken Peterson, Eileen
Perry (new members), Sue Killy (mayor from former election), Gay Rees and Jack Butcher (new members), MaryrArin Malgunas (councillor from former ballot). The other new member elected, Marilyn Kiebel is not shown.