CAST ~NEWS Published Every Thursday at “The Crossroads of the Kootenays” Vol. 5, No. 38 CASTLEGAR, BRITISH COLUMBIA, THURSDAY, SEPTEM BER 18, 1952 5 Cents Per Copy Two Men Arrested For Arson In Castlegar And District Two arrests were made by Cas- flegar Detachment RCMP in'‘con- nection with the recent wave of incendiarism in the district cul- minating with the deliberate firing of the almost completed home of J. Bloodoff three weeks ago, Paul Popoff, of Brilliant, was taken into custody last Friday and formally charged before Sti- pendary Magistrate William Evans in Nelson Provincial Court. On Sunday morning, Nick Kon- kin, also of Brilliant, was arrest- ed and charged. Both men are re- ported to have admitted setting the fires which burned the Goloff planer mill at Brilliant and the Upper Brilliant Hall. They were remanded eight days for trial. Preliminary hearings will be held in Nelson Provincial Court before Magistrate Evans. The Popoff hearing is set for Satur- day Sept. 20 and the Konkin case for Monday, Sept. 22. The cases may be remanded a further eight days to allow for appoint- ment of Crown counsel. Police are continuing their in- vestigations and further arrests are anticipated in the near future. The two arrested are thought to have worked together in the setting afire of several buildings in the district, with Mr. Konkin providing the transportation. Mr. Popoff was convicted on arson charges previously but was among the first to be released from. prison after swearing he would obey the code of the Re- formed Sons of Freedom and not make trouble for others. Mr. Popoff is reported to have been working at the Ffloodoff home as a carpenter, shortly be- fore the fire of Aug. 30 broke out. He was given a stern lecture by Castlegar firemen that evening and asked to leave town. A com- -Plaint,.of rough treatment at the hands of, the firemén was con- tained in a letter to the Minister of Justice, signed by the secretary of the Brotherhood of Reformed Doukhobors, (Sons of Freedom.) Loca! Hunters Find Abandoned Safe Two Castlegar men, Dr. R. Walley and G. Fowler, found something they were not hunting for in the Crescent Valley vicinity on Monday. The pair, having left the highway near Crescent Valley to hunt deer in the surrounding brush, stumbled upon a looted safe about 100 yards from the road. A number of cheques and some silver littered the surround- ing brush. The pair notified police at Crescent Valley at once. Investi- gation revealed that the safe was the one that had been stolen from the Club Cafe in Nelson on Sept- ember 2 by one or more unknown persons. The bottom was torn off and $2,000 in cash was gone. It appeared that no attempt had been made to conceal the safe. Police are continuing their in- vestigations and their hunt for the thieves. Police Constable Appeals For Care In Bicycle Riding Constable G. R. Cline, Officer in charge of Castlegar Detach- ment RCMP expressed grave con- cern this week over dangerous bicycle riding in the district, and issued a special appeal to par- ents to ensure that their chil- dren’s machines are properly equipped for night-time use. The Constable ~.deplored the fact that local juveniles delight in riding. double: on their ma- chines and rjde‘down the street ar highway three or four abreast, and also ‘that-they ride their. bi- cycles after dark without lights. The police officer pointed out such carleless modes of convey- ance are not only highly dang- erous but also against the law. . “{ would like to see the par- ents take an.active interest,: in seeing that. their. children’s bj- cycles are properly equipped with headlights«and rearguard reflect- ors,” he said. © If there is,no betterment of the situation, Constable Cline said, it . may be necessary to deprive ‘of; fenders of their bicycles: for a period of time. Man Charged With Theft From Cabins At Syringa Creek Four intoxication charges and one charge of theft from summer cabins at Syringa Creek were heard by Stipendiary Magistrate W. H. Taylor in Castlegar police court during the past week. John Heineman was convicted of intoxication or September 11 and fined $10 and costs. On Sept. 13, Walter Wm. Koftinoff, Bril- liant, was fined $50 and costs for driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and Michael Shernenkoff, West Robson, and Peter Tom Markin were fined $50 and costs for con- suming liquor in a public place. The theft case was heard Tues- day afternoon. John Struthers, of Westwold near Kamloops, was charged with entering and ob- taining illegal possession of art- icles from a number of cabins at Syringa Creek, owned by Trail residents. His case was re- manded eight days for trial. The arrest of Mr. Struthers was made following complaints from nine Trail owners that their sum- mer cabins had been broken into and a number of contents, mostly foodstuffs, stolen. The arrest was made through the assistance of a local hunter police that he had noticed sev- eral of the missing articles in the possession of the accused. There was no damage to any of the cabins. Water To Be Shut Off In Kinnaird. When: New Pump Installed When Kinnaird’s new water pump is installed in the near fu- ture, the storage tank will have to be flushed out, it was decided at Monday’s meeting of the Kin- naird Village Commissioners. This will necessitate shutting off the water supply to all residents for a time. Notice of time and date is to be circulated. The commissioners are con- tempalting the purchase of a heat-exchangor for the fire truck motor to counteract the tremend- our overheating of the motor when the front end pumper is used, Final details for the purchase of the used D4 caterpillar through the Finning Tractor Co. of Nel- son, are being arranged, the pur- chase to be finalized when the company complete a number of who reported to]. Hon. Tillie Rolston To Speak Here At Teachers Convention The Hon. Tillie Rolston, Min- ister of Education, will speak in Castlegar on Thursdav evening, October 16, at a public meeting which will officially open the West Kootenay and Boundary Teachers’ Convention here Oct: 16 to 19, Sharing the ‘platform with Mrs. Rolston will be Roy Daniels, English Department Head at UBC. On the second evening of the convention, which will have as its theme “Character, a Vital Goal in Education,” a panel dis- cussion on “Cooperation of Var- ious Agencies in the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency” will also be open to the public. Chair- man for the discussions will be C. E. Clay, Inspector of Schools in Grand Forks and panel mem- bers will include Mr. Hanna, Tincipal. of Trail Junior High; which the asphalt surfacing is be- Miss Cammaert, regional Director of Nurses; Miss Ward, District Social Welfare worker, the pro- bation officer from Nelson and an elementary school teacher. After the panel discussion, in which each speaker will give his views on how a policy of coopera- tion among juvenile delinquency preventation agencies, can be achieved, there will be a question period. Water Connection Fee Now $25 Each Service The long delayed boost in con- nection fees for new water serv- ice in the Village of Castlegar be- came law on Saturday, Septemb- er 6, the date of the by-law amendment, it was d To Complete Year’s Surfacing Program At Airnort This Week‘ The program of improvement to the Castlegar Municipal Air- port is proceeding satisfactorily and this year’s part of the work should be completed this week, R. A. D. West, chairman of the Airport Committee, told the board of commissioners of the Village of Castlegar at their reg- ular meeting Monday night. Mr. West reported that a car of asphalt had arrived and an- other. was expected within the next day or two. The gravel sur- face that had been previously ap- Plied is now being sprayed with the asphalt solution. Only the two cars of asphalt will be applied this year. To allow completion of the asphalt surfacing next year, Mr. West recommended that $25,000 be asked for the airport. He described the method by ing accomplished. The gravel sur- face previously applied, is spray- ed with asphalt from a rented spray tank. Then the Airport Committee’s own “Pulver-Mixer” machine is driven over the sprayed surface to complete the ob. This method, Mr. West ex- plained, though not as good as the hot mix method, is quite sat- isfactory and more economical. The Commissioners decided to in- vestigate with a view to using the same method in the surfacing of village streets. The $12,500 program of airport improvement begun three weeks ago, includes a new surface of gravel and asphalt for the taxi strip and as much of the runway as possible. The ramp in front of the office is also being filled in and surfaced. by the commissioners at their regular meeting Monday night. Retroactive to that date, each applicant for new water services will be required to pay a $25 fee with--his .application.-instead _of. the $10. which has been the fee up to this month, The fee-hike has mason neces- sary here, the commissioners ex- plain. The cost of installing a new service has far exceeded the $10 charged, for a long time. The waterworks, consquently, is one service in Castlegar that has not been paying for itself as public services should, J. A. Williams, waterworks commissioner ex- plained. The costs of new service instal- lations have been mounting steadily while their has been no increase in the charge for instal- ation up till now, he continued. One water appliction was granted at Monday’s meeting, to W. Okum. Applications for water service by J. Buhr and Mike M. Zaitsoff, were granted for instal- lation when a water main is laid in the respective vicinities. Rossland Auto And Robson Truck Collide AfShoreacres Comer W. T. Waldie of Robson sus- tained scratches above the eyes Saturday afternoon in a two! car ision on the C highway near Shoreacres. Mr. Waldie, his son Keith and Jonathan Magwood were enroute to Nelson in a light deliverv truck borrowed from Mr. Waldies firm. Nearing the Shoreacres corner, they saw a car approach- ing towards them on their side of the road. The driver of the other vehicle, a Rossland man, noticed the Rob- son truck to late and in swerving to avoid it, collided with it. The Waldie truck was hurled into the ditch and turned around by the impact and the other machine careened off the other side of the road. Damage to the truck is estima- ted at $500. There was no other injury sustained. necessary repairs on the machi It was announced that the vil- lage of Kinnaird will pay the de- livery costs on shrubs from the C.M.&S. and the Kinnaird Im- provement Society is to handie their distribution to those want- ing them. Plans are going forward for a wider use of the skating rink this winter. Admission may be charged, the amount decided upon being subject to the commission’s approval, The Village public works equipment, when available, is to be used for clearing and up- keep of the rink. The need at present is for someone to take the post of rink-caretaker and the rink committee are looking for someone to undertake this. Two Delegates From Castlegar To Attend Vernon Convention Two delegates from the Castle- gar Board of Commissioners, will be attending the convention of B.C. Villages and Municipalities at Vernon October 9, 10 and 11. The commissioners were ad- vised at their meeting on Mon- day that reservations for two of their nymber_have been secured at a Vernon auto court. Who will represent Castlegar at the con- vention was discussed but ‘not decided as yet. The Castlegar delegates will be instructed to support a resolu- tion’ sponsored” by Qualicum Beach asking for government aid towards maintenance of fire ‘de- partments in B.C. towns and’ vil- lages. Doukhohor History, Beliefs, Problems Discussed At High School Thursday_ There was an all day discus- sion of Doukhobor history, reli- gious beliefs and problems that have resulted in communities where Doukhobors have resided when the Consultative Committee on Doukhobor affairs met with some forty teachers of Castlegar School District, school board members and Public Health and Welfare representatives in the library of the Stanley Humphries High School last Thursday. Inspeetor J. J. McKenzie, chair- man of the meeting, introduced the members of the Commission — Prof W. Dixon, Associate Pro- fessor of Social Work at U.B.C. Dr. Stuart Jamieson, Professor of Economics; Hugh Herbison, Prov. Government re- presentative in the district and Reg. Moir, secretary of the com- mission. Guests included Dr. H. Anderson, West Kootenay Health officer; Miss Cammaert, head cf the, Public Health Nurse Division for this district: Miss B. Conroy, local Public Health nurse and Mr. G. Craft and Mrs. R. Waldie of the Castlegar school board. Dr. Dixon opened the day’s conference, explaining that the object of his committee was to broaden the background of di in the ties here, in order to lessen fric-' tion when the government acts. He expressed belief that the gov- ernment will act on the ‘recom- mendations of the original: Re- search Committee's report. “We are faced with diffi Associate |, arising from 40 years of admin- istrative vacuum,” he said. “Now the government must make some adjustment in Doukhobor affairs.” Mr. Herbison reviewed Douk- hobor history. ‘“Doukhoborism” he explained, “began in the 17th century as a schism similar to that which split the Catholic Church, though without its poli- tical overtones. Similar to the faith held by the Quakers, the Doukhobors hold to the dogma of the spirit of God in each hu- an being, hence bowing “to the God within” and the insistence of the individual conscience being in direct contact with and direct- ed by God. The Doukhobor story is one of persecution, banishment, and ideal Philosophy, leading, after 200 years, to the Canadian prairies, where basic cultural difference led to further schisms and fur- ther migration to the Kootenays. Here too, upon the death of their leader Peter Veregin, un- happiness followed. Bankruptcy and the loss of land, partly the result of internal dissension, con- tinued to split them into oppos- ing groups, Some, the Independ- ents, wished to settle and own land privately as Canadians; others, the Sons of Freedom, || sought the asceticism taught by | veel: and ,Count Leo Tolstoy; ‘still’ others, torn between these conflicting forces, are one with ! the: past in sorrow and high pur- Conti f d on Page 2 Celgar Appeals To Be Heard This Month, Somimers Says The appeals against Celgar’s application for a forest manage- ment licence in the Arrow Lakes area, are to be heard before the provincial cabinet sometime this month, the Hon. R. E. Sommers, Minister of Lands and Forest and Mines said in Castlegar last week. Arriving in Castlegar Wednes- day afternoon of last week prior to attending a Social Credit meeting in Trail on Saturday, Mr. Sommers commented on govern- ment progress with district problems. He said that the strong- est objections to Celgar’s licence are from the Mining Association in the area and that all the ap- peals will be heard before the cabinet sometime before the end of September. Since they will be decided by the cabinet, he de- clared he could give no promise of the results of these hearings. Regarding flood control of ‘Bloomer Creck, the minister dis- closed that five government de- partments are now making a study of the problem. The de- partments of education, municipal affairs, health and welfare, pub- lic works and lands and forests are making a. joint investigation with a view towards apportioning the cost of a project among the five departments and the village. Mr. Sommers held out strong hope of action regarding other district problems also, stating that the Minister of Public Works is strongly aware of the needs of this district, both from Mr. Som- mer’s own pleas and his recent tour of this riding. Mr. Gagliardi was particularly struck by the persistence of the Deer Park and Renata representatives in obtain- ing an audience to present their problems during his visit here, Mr. Sommers declared. Having missed’ the minister when he vis- ited their localities, the Lower Arrow Lake Representatives fol” lowed. . behind-->Mr.. Forest Conservation Grave B.C. Problem Local Teachers Told “There is grave concern over the expenditures of forest re- sources in B.C. today,” the Hon- ourable R. E. Sommers, Minister of Lands and Forests and Mines told a dinner meeting of the Cas-— (legar and District Teachers’ As— sociation. Pointing out that the rise and fall of many civilizations is paral— leled by the ruthless and eventual destruction of valuable forest re- sources, Mr. Sommers detlared: “It could happen here.” The pglicy of both the past and present governments, he contin-— ued is identical in the determina- tion to prevent the liquidation of forest resources in B.C. Those European countries which have enjoyed a high standard of living in past years are the same coun- ‘tries which have been practising forest conservation for years. There are four. steps to ruin, the minister maintained: “overfor-] estration, liquidation, consterna- tion, desolation.” “British Colum- bia,” he said, “is at step two.” The minister paid tribute to the previous government for initiat- ing the two plans or methods of forest conservation, i.e. the Forest Management Licence Plan and “Public Working Circles,” com- menting briefly on each of them. The former plan, he explained a large scale method, is in effect a partnership between the gov- ernment and the company. Large tracts of land, previously survey- ed, are leased in perpetuity to the company, which in turn under- takes-a_self-perpet, party until they caught up with the necessary roads under gov-.* direction. needs of the district, such as the need of a bridge at Castlegar, impressed the Public Works chieftan very much and he is going to try to fill those needs as speedily as possible, Mr. Sommers declared. “Without wishing to seem trite, I can say that he’s going to some- thing.” Speaking of his governmental Posts, the Lands and Forests minister smilingly observed that “they certainly are a full time job, with persons seeking a hearing on a variety of matters at all hours. “I don’t want to ap- pear self-important” he contin- ued, “but you will agree that Lands and Forests, are B.C.” As for the possibility of an- other provincial election in the near future, the minister declined comment. “I really don’t know,” he declared. He intimated, how- ever, that the rumors to this ef- fect could be sensationalism on the part of newspapermen. Mr. Sommers returned to Vic- toria on Saturday after attend- ing the Rossland-Trail Social Credit League meeting in Trail. While in Castlegar, he attended the farewell party in honor of John Sakson and made the fare- well presentation to him. Village Policing Provincial Matter Inspector Advises The responsibility of policing the Village of Castlegar is a pro- vincial one, the village office has been advised in a recent letter from RCMP Inspector Harris of the Nelson Division, A reply to the village’s letter of August 26, inquiring where the responsibility for village policing lay, the Inspector’s answer reads in part: “Please be advised that the policing of your corporation, is a responsibility of the Provin- cial government and a Detach- ment is maintained in Castlegar for this purpose. The strength of this detachment varies from time to time to cope with required conditions and I have been of the opinion that it has been provid- ing satisfactory service. If this is not so, I would request that I be informed in this ‘connection,’ The Inspector also asked that full cooperation be given to Con- stable Cline,. who has recently been put in charge. of the local Detachment. One point of opposition to this plan, that of the inaccessi- bility of the private roads to the public, might be overcome by a system of private tolls to pay for the increased cost of upkeep and fire patrol, Mr. Sommers sug- gested. The second plan is for the smal? independent logger. Smaller low- er altitude logging areas, called “Public Working Circles,” some 24 of which have been surveyed so far, are leased in perpetuity but under the more direct con- trol of the government. Each plan has its supporters and detractors, he continued, in- cluding the mining interests of the province. To the man who is the minister of both departments, these provide the interesting and seemingly impossible problem of keeping all parties reasonably satisfied and production rolling’ at a good speed. Local Fair Winners Receive Awards In Nelson Fair Also Ross Oborne, of Robson, who won the Grand Aggregate awards at the Castlegar and District Fall Fair this year, and Mrs. Vie Bonde, another top prizewinner at the Castlegar fair, took their prizewinning exhibits to Nelson’s. Sixth Annual West Kootenay Ex- hibition, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and were among the major prizewinners. Mr. Oborné was awarded the Shaughnessy Cup for aggregate winner in the fruits, vegetables and field produce exhibits and Mrs: Bonde won the Jean G. Hunter Cup for aggregate in the arts and crafts section. Mrs. Bonde also w6n the Woolworth special prize for grand aggregate - in laces, crochet and embroidery. Holder of the Chamber of Com- merce Cup, The R. E. Sommers Momento Trovhy and first prize in the Dairy Products Section at the Castlegar Fair, Mr. Oborne won fifteen firsts and eight sec- onds with his fruit and dairy products exhibits at Nelson. A Thrums resident, C. W. John- son was one of the runners up- inthe fruit and vegetable section at Nelson, winning seven first prizes and six seconds with his exhibits.