. Was born in 1871. Nanaimo looked much like this sane Wilkes James, its outstanding: Native Indian carver, Wilkes James was champion of Native rights By ERNEST KNOTT NANAIMO, B.C ‘This province has lost one of its few remaining Native Indian “arvers and storytellers by the death of Wilkes James in Nanai- _™o Indian Hospital on Thursday (ast week. ; One of an almost vanished §eneration, Wilkes James was born in 1871, the year British Slumbia entered Confederation. his 84 years he had become the “mbodiment of Nanaimo’s pion- “er traditions and his own Native itage, For many ‘years he worked in € coal mines and lived to see © industry on which the city a8 founded dwindle and die. ‘ As a younger man he was jae as one of the best soccer ’yers produced by a city a for its soccer teams and 907 he played for the old Nanaimo United when it won the B.C. Challenge cup. He was widely known for his carvings and totem poles, in Britain and the U.S. as well as this country. Britain has one carving, the U.S. three. Other carvings are at Steveston, Lang- ley and Nanaimo’s Georgia Park. His collection of carvings, drawings and artifacts, assem- bled over a lifetime, is bequested | to a young nephew. Wilkes James took a deep pride in his people’s heritage, treasuring their history and} legends. He accepted his respon- sibilities to his people no less conscientiously. Despite his advanced years, he continued to work actively in his people’s interests and only two months ago he called a_ tribal assembly to protest lack of ade- quate medical care on _ the Nanaimo reserve. Famous carver dies in Nanaimo The Indian Affairs department, it wasclaimed, was too slow with its monthly payments to local doctors who contracted for medical services on the reserve and as a result the doctors had terminated their contracts, leav- ing the reserve without services except for those afforded by Nanaimo Indian Hospital. Wilkes James was one of those who led the protest against a | situation which works hardship on those who cannot. afford to pay private doctors for their services. He. is survived by one sister, wife of Harry Henry, whose story was told last year by Hal Grif- fin, associate editor of the Pacific Tribune, during’ the Nanaimo centennial celebrations. Funeral services were held Wednesday this week on the Nanaimo reserve. ~The price could be much lower Yet if the gas distribution systems Were Publicly owned. But des- Bite Popular demand for the Sovernment-owned B.C. Power *Mmission to take over dis- supported recently by ~ Powerful B.C. Trade Union “gress, the Social Credit pa e 2 PATRONIZE hoe CARNEL‘S COFFEE SHOP - 410 Main St. Operated By Es GEORGE & WINNIFRED GIBBONS Castle ja wolers Watchmaker and ‘ Jewelers Special Discount to ‘all Tribune Read- ers. Bring this ad . with you 752 Granville st. \ | pated fifth-year market of 13,300 NaH eienmnetan / Hearing shows how BCE will exploit gas control The brief presented by Valley Natural Gas Company to the Public Utilities Commis- _Sion’s hearing at Vancouver Courthouse provides striking testimony of the effect of B.C. €ctric monopoly control. Valley Natural Gas would supply gas to domestic consumers | 62 cents per thousand cubic feet less than the proposed B.C. Electric price. Price would be $1.42 compared with the B.C. Electric’s $2.40. Valley’s | government continues to turn a) deaf ear. The B. C. Electric has continued its high-handed attitude in the present hearing, claiming that it has the supply of gas tied up by prior contract with the West- coast Transmission which will be dependent on U.S. gas in the initial period. M. M. Mac- Farlane, counsel for the Valley Natural Gas, said his company would appeal to the Board of Transport Commissioners to com- |. pel Westcoast to sell gas, if necessary. Valley would supply an antici- homes, 2000 commercial estab- lishments, and 35 industrial cus- tomers, as “against only 6023 homes, 1150 commercial and 21 industrial customers for the B.C. Electric. This is a further in- dication of the “service-last — profits-first” attitude of the B:C. Electric entrenched in a monopoly position. Council favors fluoridation Fluoridation of Vancouver’s water supply was approved in principle by city council on Wednesday this week by a 4 to 3 vote, and members refused to consider the holding of a plebis- cite on the issue. While favoring the addition of fluorides to the city’s water as a health measure to protect chil- dren’s teeth, council members agreed that it may be some con- siderable time before action is taken to implement the: project. Council adopted the recom- mendation of the social services committee favoring fluoridation. Aldermen Adams, Sprott, Cun- ningham and McTaggart voted for the motion. Aldermen Orr, Miller and Cornett voted against. Mayor Fred Hume cast no. vote. gamblers. Just one day before Mulligan and Gould walked out another key witness, Det.-Sgt. Robert Leatherdale, had repeated his story that he “assumed” Chief Constable Mulligan was the man who initiated graft proposals to him in 1949. Cross-examined by Gould, Leatherdale. refused to change his story. manner in which the probe was ed that he and his client, Mulli- gan, were withdrawing, because of Commissioner R. H. Tupper’s the llth time. After listing numerous reas- ons for their action, Gould con- cluded that even if Tupper were to clear Mulligan would no longer be able to hold his post — “he has been destroyed.” The chief, Gould said, would be left “dangling in front of the public eye, dripping mud’ from the allegations. Only a short time before, spec- tators had witnessed some mud- slinging at another target. Cross - examining Helen Eliz- abeth Douglas, after failing to get Tupper to agree to disclose the witness’ married name, Gould questioned, her about her rela- tionship with eight other men besides Mulligan. “TI was a single Woman,” the witness answered at one point, and added, “I only want to say —he who is without sin, let him cast the first stone.” Witness denied that she was “Tam here to I couldn’t lie ligan, and said, tell the truth. about it.” “Why not?” barked Gould. “You’ve done worse things, may- be not here but... .” Counsel for Miss Douglas. in- terrupted at this point, object- ing to Gould’s statement. Com- missioner Tupper immediately agreed that Gould’s statement was not necessary. Announcing adjournment of the inquiry “possibly for sev- eral weeks,” Tupper said that _¢cial RCMP and city police squads into evidence taken at the hearings was running be- et Complaining bitterly of the! being conducted, Gould annouc-| General Motors adjournment of the inquiry for | auto strikers Mulligan completely, | seeking “vengeance” against Mul- | the investigation by the spe-~ ‘Mulligan walks out of inquiry Police Chief Walter Mulligan and his lawyer, Jay Gould, walked out of the Tupper police probe Wednesday this week shortly after Gould in cross-examination had failed to shake the testimony of Mulligan’s ex-mistress, Helen Elizabeth Doug- las, that the chief had told her he had been paid $38,000 by hind. He indicated the chief reason for the delay was to permit RCMP to investigate “other allegations.” Tupper refused to debate Gould’s reasons for leaving the hearing, but remarked that Mul- ligan would be asked to appear to give evidence. Gould retorted that he would advise his client on his legal status when Mulli- gan was subpoenaed. seeks to split OSHAWA “Watch out for GM trying to isolate Oshawa workers from the rest of the chain” is the warning in a joint “united-we-win”’ state- ment issued by all GM _ bar- gaining committees of the United Auto Workers Union. It points out that the Oshawa bargaining committee is trying to negotiate contract provisions al- ready agreed to by the company in other GM plants. Seeking to beat back a “divide and conquer” tactic by General Motors management, the leaflet urges the 17,000 striking auto workers to “work together, unite together and fight together.” “GM workers have achieved unity. This is their strength which will bring victory,” the leaflet says. “The unity of all GM workers in Canada, now achieved, is the only fear General Motors has. Nothing must be allowed to weaken it. “Our union has taken the posi- tion that we must come out of the present fight with a good contract, one that will resolve the problems of the workers in each of the plants. Pointing to the company’s un- successful attempt to have the strike declared illegal, the leaf- let says: “General Motors, of course, is even more zealous in fighting off our attempts to gain good work- © ing conditions in the plants than ; it: ison denying us economic * gains. It knows it is in a fight and * it is willing to use every means * at its disposal.” ‘What We Saw in the Soviet Union’ HEAR NIGEL AND MONA MORGAN Just Returned From USSR SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16 — 8 P.M. NORDIC CENTRE 1165 - 6th Street NEW WESTMINSTER Auspices: New Westminster Committee LPP 3 PACIFIC TRIBUNE — OCTOBER 14, 1955 — PAGE 7