Wilhams Lake

NEWS EXCHANGE

OF THE CARIBOO

ribune

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2
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WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. Thursday,

December 17, 1953.-

Single copy 10c. $2.50 per year.

Pat Stinson of Williams

first man up to the General Delivery wicket
when the new post office opened i8 doors for
business November 30. There to pass-out his
mail was Postmaster Cece Rhodes.

This is the fourth locat‘on for the Wil-
liams Lake post office since it was established
in 1920- Actually there was a post office here
prior to that, but it was located near the pres-
ent bridge crossing the San Jose Creek and
was known as the Borland Post Office. It was

in operation as early as 1916

master was Robert Henderson.
The post office moved to town in 1920 and

Lake was the

until 1930.
master

Ladies’ Wear

and the post- | this year.

operated in or close to the present second
hand store on Railway Avenue.
year it was moved to a corner of Mackenzies
store and was operated by C. H- Dodwell

Harold Richardson was appointed post
then and he constructed the small
building that used to occupy the site of Lees

there in 1931.
structure that housed the post office up to

In 1951 Mr. Richardson retired and Mr.
Rhodes was appointed in his place,

Photos by Blackwell's

The same

store, moving the post office
Two years later he built the

Rondmaster Retires From Rly.

Following 32 Years Service

Tuesday night marked the end of
more than 32 years service for W. B.
Smetanuk, roadmaster of the Pa
fic Great Eastern Railway, who at
the time of his retirement’ was one
of the oldest officials in years of ser.
vice on the government owned line.

Section foremen A. G. Horne of
Soda Creek and A. Davis of Marguer-
ite, accompanied by their wives, vis-
ited the home of Mr. and Mrs.
Smetannk Tuesday night to present
the retiring roadmaster with a set
of Gladstone luggage on behalf of
the employees of the Maintenance
and Way Departments.

Mr. Smetanuk started working for
the P.G.E. on March 21, 1921 at
Alta Lake, In 1923 he was transfer-
red to Williams Lake as roadmaster

CPA Te Curiail
Flights During
Slack Three Months

daily

Canadian. Pacific Airlines’
flight schedule into Williams
will be cut to three times
during the months of January,
ruary and March, according tv com-
pany officials who visited here Tues-
day.

The officials, Ken Razzell, super}
intendent of the B.C. district and |
Harold Collie of the traffic depart-
ment, met members of the executive
of the Board of Trade at a luncheor
to explain the reasons behind the
company move.

Mr. Razzell told the trade group
that the decision to eut the service
during the three slack months
been made solely from a profit and
loss viewpoint and only after figures
had been compiled from three years’
operation.

From the viewpoint of accommo-
dation, Mr. Razzell said the cirline
company was convinced that all pas-
sengers could be handled in the
thrice-weekly flights. Passengers
trom Prince George on the south
flights will be handled on the direct
Prince-Vancouver ‘Conyair’ route,
with the extra seat saving being dis-
tributed AMCne, the three southern
centres.

The northbound flights during the
three month period will touch down
here on Monday, Wednesday and
Friday and southbound flights will
be Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

The new service will go past
Prince George to Smithers with the
aireraft staying there overnight be-

fore making the southbound flight,

of the line from Clinton to. Quesnel,
During his years with the railway he
has had from 75 to 150 men ander
his charge.

Mr. and Mrs. Smetanuk will be
leaving Williams Lake early in the
new year to make their permanent
home in Vancouver.

Appointed as the new roadmaster
on the line is Harry Robinson, torm-
erly: section foreman at Quesnel.

Businessmen Honor
Departing Managers

Farewell parties for departing
hank managers Len Hellyer and Jack
Purser were held in town this week.

Monday night 60 businessmen ga-
thered at the Elks Hall to say ‘‘good-
by to Mr. Hellyer at a Board of
Trade stag. On behalf of the hoard,
president Bert Roberts presented Mr.
Hellyer with a hand tooled cowhide
briefcase made by the local firm of
T.P. Traders.

In thanking the board, Mr.

Hell-

yer said he had enjoyed working
with the people of the district
and would always have a_ soft

spot in his heart for the Cariboo. He
also introduced his successor, Felix
Nicholson.

At a private gathering Tuesday
night, 20 businessmen held an in-
formal evening at the home of Mr,
and Mrs. Joe Borkowski honoring
Mr. Purser,

The Bank of Montreal manager was
presented with a suede leather jacket
by Clive Stangoe on behalf of those
present.

Johnson, Gardner
Win Civic Seats

Herb Gardner, former School
‘d chairman running for the first
time for a seat on the village com-
mission, scored an upset. in last
Thursday’s civic election when he
defeated Commissioner Tony Bor-
kowski.

When the final results of the light
poll had been compiled, Commission-

er M. F. ‘Mac’ Johnson was in the
lead with 110 votes; ‘Gardner hed
102, and Borkowski 70.

Eligible voters showed little in-
terest in the election. The light vote
was just slightly over 43 percent of
the list. Last year 57 percent of the
voters went to the poll.

Ney

CHANGE OF PLANS IN
BANK OF MONTREAL

APPOINTMENT PONE co te" provifeial cies nousnts aint,

Biggest question mark in town
business circles this week has been
“who is-the new manager of the
Bank-of Montreal?”

Originally slated for the job was

E. Gilliland, manager of the

bank's Merritt branch. Mr. Gilliland
arrived in town Monday and the fol-
lowing day returned to Merritt.

A check with the superintendent's
office of the bank in Vancouver yes-
terday revealed that Mr. Gilliland
will not be taking on the branch
managership here after all. Health
reasons were given as the main fac
tor influencing the change ot de
cision.-

In a wire from the bank's head
office at Montreal, received here
just before going to press, the
Bank of Montreal announces the
appointment of Thomas A. B. Lar-
son as local branch manager.

Mr. Larson joined the bank in
1929 in Westlock, Alberta and
served in various branches in that
province before joining the RCAF
in 1943. Following service he was
attached to the Vancouver branch
and he has also been on the staf
of the superintendent's office
there. In 1950 he was appointed
manager of the branch at Gibsons.
fr, Larson is around 42 years of
age.

In the meantime manager Jack
Purser, who is slated to move to
North Vancouver, will probably be
here until the New Year,

Miss Hills Named
Hospital Matren

War Memorial Hospital Board has
announced the appointment of Miss
M, D. Hills as hospital matron, filling
the position that has been vacant
since the resignation of Miss Yvonne
Parliament two months ago.

Miss Hills, who joined the hos-
pital staff early this year, has been
carrying on as nurse-in-charge for
the past two months prior to her ap-
pointment. A graduate of St. Paul's
in 1948, Miss Hills has nursed in hos-
pitals at the coast and in the interior
of the province as well as in Ontario
and California.

Appointed to the post of istant
matron-is Mrs. G. McLean, a gradu-
ate of Saskatoon City Hospital in
1935. Since moving
Lake in 1950 Mrs. McLean hi
on staff on a temporary ‘basis at

various times,

P.G.E. Features Largely In Proposed

Expansion Plans For British Columbia

Premier Asks Federal Govt.
To Share In Cost Gf Projects

The Pacific Great Eastern Railway featured prominently
in a multi-million-dollar plan of economic expansion for
British Columbia that a three-man cabinet delegation headed
by Premier W. A- C. Bennett placed before the Federal

Christmas Lighting
Contest Next Week

A home and, commercial Christ-
mas lighting contest in town this
year will again be sponsored by the
Junior Chamber of Commerce.

Judging for the two classes will
be done next Tuesday night.

In the commercial class, toughest
competition will probably come from
the siore of Western, Rife & Pigeon,
winner of the contest for the past
two years, Last year’s winners in
the residential class were Mr. and
Mrs. Bob Kyte.

Judges for the annual competi-
tion will be Hospital Matron Miss M.
D. Hills and hotel managers Benny
Abbott and James Shaw.

Former Lac La Hache
Resident Killed In
Okanagan Accident

J. R. Jack Robertson, son of Mrs.
K. Robertson of Lac La Hache, was
killed Sunday in an accident near
his home in Kelowna when he was
buried alive in a trench caye-in.

Mr. Robertson was working with
other volunteers laying tile in an
eight-foot ditch when the sides
caved in. Fellow workers had the
unconscious man out within a matter

of minutes but he died of internal
emorhage.
Well known in the Okanagan,

Robertson last year coached the Ke-
lowna Midget Packers hockey team

was a noted booster
youngsters.

Tom McDougal of Williams Lake,
an uncle of the accident victim, left

of sports for

for Kelowna on receiving word of the
tragedy,

Besides his mother, Mr. Robertson
leaves his wife and four you

ters.

... FIRST TIME WINNER

eight votes behind Mr. Johnson and
well in front of defeated candidate
Commissioner Tony Borkowski when
the counting was over.

- HEADS POLL

Village Commissioner M. F. ‘Mac’
Johnson, who headed the poll in last
week's ‘civic election.

—Photos by Blackwell's,

Government Monday:

The provincial projects are esti-
mated to cost about $238,000,000
and Mr. Bennett has proposed that
the costs be borne equally by the
Provincial and Federal Governments.

The proposals include:

1, Adding 311 miles to the PGE,
extending its southern en@ to Van-
couver and its northern end to Daw-
son Creek.

2. Construction of a new network
of provincial highways.

3. Development of a forest fire
protection system.

REASONS FOR EXTENSION

Thirteen pages “of the 44-page
brief are devoted to the problem of
expansion of the Pacific Great East-
ern Railway.

On the reasons for extending the
line the brief dwells on factors that
are familiar to every group of busi-
nessmen in the Central Interior who
have from time to time pressed for
the work to be completed.

The northern extension would
open up large areas of farming
country in the Peace River and. pro-
vide access to valuable deposits of
coal and@ timber products. The estab-
lishment of a rail haul from the
Peace to Prince Rupert would be of
benefit to the national interest in as-
isting in the development of Cana-
dian-Japanese trade.

| On the southern extension, the
[brief points out that its dbnstruc-
tion is vital to the economy of the
Central Interior. The present situa-
tion at Squamish is termed “absurd.”

In explaining why British Colum-
bia is justified in asking for Federal
assistance in development of the rai
way, the brief points out that par-
ticipation in the provision of rail-
way facilities for the development of
Canada has already cost the Federal
government some three billion dol
lars, including direct expenditures.
land grants, cash subsidies and
guarantees of debenture issues.
PROPOSALS

With regard to the PGE, the brief
presents two alternate proposals:

1. That the Government of Can-
ada purchase the Pacific Great Wast-
ern Railway from the Government of
British Columbia at its present fair
and reasonable value, for operation
by the Canadian National Railw
with an undertaking that the PGE
be extended to Vancouver and to the
Peace River country.

2. That the Government of Canada
enter into an agreement with the
Government of British Columbia for
the joint ownership of the Pacific
Great Eastern Railway, with equal
representation on the board of direc-
tors, and with an undertaking to ex
tend the line to Vancouver and to
the Peace River; that the invest-
ment of the Government of British
Columbia be represented by the pres-
ent value of the railway; that the
investment of the Government of
Canada be represented by the other
costs, the whole not to exceed an
amount equal to the investment of

Power Shutdowns
Due On Weekend

Plans to install a new 1000 kilo-

-watt unit in the local power plant

year have been announced by
the .C. Power Commission.

The additional unit will increase
the capacity of the plant from 1400
KW to 2200 KW. The new engine
will be larger than the one installed
last year.

Although the announcement does
not mention plans of adding to the
present building, it is known that
this work will have to be included
since there will not be enough room
to house the big unit. The new en-
gine and generator replaces the
200KW Vivian unit now in use.

The work of installation will be
completed before next winter's
heavy load period is reached,

the Government of British Columbia,
and that all costs in excess he shared
equally; and that the Canadian Na-
tional Railway take over the opera-
tion of the Pacific Great Eastern on
behalf of the joint owners.

CARIBOO ROAD

The Cariboo Highway also enters
the proposed development plan under
the ‘highways section” —__

The brief states that this high=
way is the “backbone of the prov-
ince's northern. developmeni” and
provides the only existing road ac-
cess from the-southern part of the
province to the northern interior
and the Peace River.

“It is important strategically and
holds first place in any plan of econ-
omic development,” the brief states.

Annual Hospital
Staft Party Held

The guests came bearing gifts to
the annual Staff party at War Mem-
orial Hospital Tuesday night.

Members of the Hospital Board
were guests of the nursing and ad-
ministration staff, and following the
annual custom, gifts for each staff
member from the board were dis~
tributed by the chairman!

This year’s chairman Clive Stan-
goe thanked the stafi for their loyal
support and paid tribute to the work
of retiring director Jack Purser for
his work as chairman of the board’s
staff committee.

Hospital administrator Walt
Thomas expressed the thanks of the
staff to the directors for their inter-
est in maintaining good working
conditions.

The nurses and nurses’ aides had
decorated the board room for the
occasion and served refreshments.

Dr. and Mrs. H. K. Atwood and
Dr. and Mrs. J. B. Ringwood were
also among the guests present.

SECOND NEW POWER
UNIT SLATED FOR
TOWN NEXT YEAR

Conyersion of power lines: north
and south of town will result in dis-
ruption of service in certain areas
Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday customers on the
north shore of Williams Lake, east
of the’ pump house, will be without
power from § a.m. to 4 p.m. without
a break. Crews will be converting
the line south from 2300 to 6900
volts to carry power into the resi-
dential school at St. Joseph’s Mis-
sign. Power will be turned on in the
school Saturday night.

Sunday's shutdown will affect few
customers. The line to Quesnel will
be cut off from Borland Street west
from 8 a.m, to 4 p.m. to convert this
line from 2300 to 6900 volts for the
new industrial site.

Last Sunday's complete town shut-
down only lasted two hours instead
of the anticipated seven.

Ice Next Week

Latest information on ice-making
Progress at War Memorial Arana in-
dicates that the big building will be
in use for winter sports the first of
next week.

Curling club men will paint the
surface of their sheets tonight in
readiness for next week’s play.

First organized rink play for the
curlers is the ‘Green’ Bonspiel, with
the first draws being slated for De-
cember 28. Curlers wishing to take
part in the ‘spiel must have their
names in to club secretary Murray
Fairley by December 23,