Castlegar Kipvuaird CASTLE NE S Published Every Thursday at “The Crossroads of. the Kootenays” Vol 5, No. 29 Brilliant CASTLEGAR, BRITISH COLUMBIA, THURSDAY, JULY 17, 1952 EDITORIAL What About Columbia Avenue? Last week our village commission took another laudable step in | traffic regulation. ‘The parking lanes and parallel parking regu- lations on ‘Pine ‘Street and ‘the ‘pedestrian ‘crossing lane at Pine and Cc represent traffic congestion and accident Col le action in a move to reduce ‘hazards. ‘The commissioners are living up to théir iresponsibilities ‘well — as far as they can go. here th are most obvious, Avenue, without safety Wi and the need for traffic regulati ion even ‘more glaring, remains 7 it is ‘es, ‘Sim iply vincial highway and therefore under the j cial Department of Public Works. It’s not our commissioners’ fault. They have recognized the need but have run up agajnst a blank wall in their efforts to secure contro] of the obvious traffic hazards that present themselves on this street. After months and: months of negotiation and pleas for pedestrian crossing lanes at all mpjor intersections on Columbia “has ‘seen fit ‘to authorize is erect- ion of two hour parking signs on ‘this ‘street. The most persistent prodding of the Commissioners ‘has so ‘far ‘failed ‘to goad the Depart- Aveune, the best the Department ment into any definite action for Must someone get killed before our government awakes to our obvious needs? Are not the several narrow escapes that still haunt ‘our ‘dreams .,enough? Right now, a new government fs coming into power in our province. The member for this riding is one of our Village. We would suggest to the Village Commissioners that they prod this new regime as persistently as they did the old until, in sheer self- defense if nothing else, the proper authorities finally arrange ‘with them for pedestrian and auto traffic protection on this street. Columbia Avenue may be part of a provincial highway but it's also a street. Indeed, as far as Castlegar is concerned, Columbia Avenue is not a highway; once it enters the Village limits, it’s the ‘pe regulated :as ‘such. main street of Castlegar. It must it isa ‘af a pro- jurisdiction of the Provin- pedestrian-crossing lanes. Koolenay Sociely For Handicapped. Children Extend Aclivities Various Castlegar and district or izati were repr a at a well attended meeting of the Kootenay Society for Handicap- ped Children in the "K.P. Hall, ‘Trail, last week. Considerable progress was reported in plans for providing assistance to handi- capped children in the district. The Fact Finding Committee reported that a home had been made available in Trail for the commencement of special class- es for handicapped children -un- able to attend regular schook. Mrs. G. Magwood of Robson ela- borated on the needs of the pro- posed classes as to staff and equipment required, and the availability of the same. The meeting approved plans for extension of the Society’s act- ivities throughout the Kootenay area. The Executive was instruct- ed to choose a Promotional Com- mittee to proceed with this pro- gram. At present there are fifty-six organization’ actively interested in the Society, the secretary re- ported. Pontiacs Blast Cubs 14 With Three Run Homer Trail Motors Pontiacs broke a 3-3 deadlock to breeze through to 7-4 triumph over the Casfle- gar Cubs at the local park Tues- day night. It was Danny Geranazzo who homered in the sixth with two mates aboard ,to salt the game away. Mike Horkoff blasted a homer in the seventh for the locals but it proved to be their final run. Elsio Vanelli was touched for eleven hits, striking out five and walking three. The Trail lads gained twelve hits from Johnny Sofiak and seven walks but suf- fered four strikeouts. Cubs Tie Fairchild In Nine Innings Castlegar fastball fans saw an- .other gem of a ballgame last Sun- day when their Jocal Cubs held the strong Fairchild Airbase team from Spokane to a one one tie. Johnny Sofiak pitched a four hit ball game, chalking up nine strike-outs and walking three. The locals tallied six hits includ- ing Rennie Mitchell’s double which scored Parker in the fourth. Fairchild evened the game un in their half of the fourth on a walk to Tavjor who later scored on Hanrahan’s sing- le. The gamp was called after nine innings of smart hall-plaving on hoth sides. in order to allow the Snokane team to return to Trail for a second game with Crown Paint. They whitewashed the Crown Pointers 6-0 on Saturday and won by a 7-5 margin on Sun- day, ‘ SOMMERS ATTENDS SOCRED PARLEY Castlegar’s elementary school principal, Robert E. Sommers, was aman: talked about all over the province this -week as he joined ‘18 ther ib of 5 Cents‘Per Copy Blueberry Blaze Doused Promptly By Castlegar Forestry Crew Due to prompt reporting, the start of what could have been a full fledged forest fire at Blue- berry Creek was squelched last Sunday. by the district forestry crew at Castlegar before | the flames had a chance to spread ‘and reach serious proportions. ‘The blaze occurred at a favor- ite picnicking spot at the Blue- berry Creek Bridge. Forest Rang- er J. F. Killough reports it was started by a careless smoker who had thrown his cigarette, still lighted, into some rotten wood. ‘By the time the crew arrived, the fire had spread through the grass over a small area and was promp- tly doused in short order before it could reach the trees nearby. ‘This was the sixth fire of the season in the Castlegar Ranger] District. Although all of them | have been minor ,all but one were caused by human agency. A total of six fires by mid-July is comparatively low for this area. Mr.. Killough observed, stating there were ten fires in the dis- trict by this time last year, in- cluding one or two quite serious ones. He emphasized that this is no excuse for relaxation of vigi- lance, however. “We can’t stress too strongly the need for care and prompt re- ports,” he declared. “Forest Fire Prevention is everyone’s respo sibility. The sooner they reali: it,’ the better for everyone.” Forest Ranger headquarters for this district was moved to Castle- gar from Rossland a year and a half ago. Personnel at Castlegar headquarters now i of Ranger J. F. Killough, Assistant Ranger A. E. Hesketh, and Disp- atcher Rudy Martini. Also, there is a suppression crew of eight with their foreman, stationed here. Remaining district n= Le staff in- cludes, two assistant rangers, one g at Rossland and one at Deer Park; three look-out men at Old Glory Mountain, Sentinel Moun- tain above Castlegar and Bulldog Mountain; and a launch engineer at Deer Park. Present buildings at Castlegar headquarters include a large warehouse, a four-vehicle gar- age and staff quarters being used at present for an office. Plans are underway for construction of a permanent office 1n the very near future. There is also a possi- bility that a permanent camp may be constructed for the sup- pression crew who are stationed here for the first time this sum- mer. Celgar is not losing interest in plans for a $65 million project at c: a" ee B.C.’s new législature élected on the Social Credit ticket, in a Socred -caucus ‘in Hotel “Vancou- ver. Main purpose of the meeting was to choose a ‘house leader who will become premier when B.C.’s Socreds take over as the next government of B.C. ALC. Bennett member for South Oka- nagan, was the unanimous choice of the assembly but Mr. Som- mers was among the five mem- bers di as ible choices. i ‘but is g these plans though progress is being hindered by the U.S. steel strike and the confused provincial poli- tical picture. ! This was the information ! given at Nelson last week by two officials of the Celgar Develop- ment Company, Gordon Root, public relations director , and Axel Brandstrom, woods mana- ger. As a result of these two set- backs, Celgar has reduced its per staff. This action ap- He was accompanied to Van- couver by his wife and district party organizers. Cubs Edge Pointers In (6 Inning Thriller The Castlegar Cubs eked out a 4 to 3 win over the ever tough Crown Point team last week but it took them 16 innings of tight playing to do it. Rennie Mitchell twirled the full 16 frames, giving up ten hits to win his third straight victory without a loss this season. Scor- ing was opened by the Cubs in the second inning, but Crown Point evened it up with a run in the fourth. In the eleventh, the locals again took the lead on a tremendous homer into left-field by Rocky Plotnikoff but the Crown Pointers utilized a walk, a forceout and an error to again bring in the equalizer. Once again in the thirteenth, the Cubs went into the lead when Bill Plotni- koff, after singling, went to sec- ond on a passed ball and scored on brother Rocky’s single. Again Crown Point evened matters when Robertson came in on Moe Walton’s single. The end finally came in sixteenth frame. Kereiff walked, advanced to third on two passed balls and scored on icken’s hard drive into deep short. The ‘Trail squad made a powerful bid to shoot into the lead when they loaded the bases on two singles and a walk but a short fly ball and Kereiff's unassisted double play ended the game after two. hours and fifty minutes of thrill- packed play. Johnnv Fisher hurled fifteen frames for Crown Point, giving up nine hits. Moe Walton took over in the sixteenth and was the loser. BIRTHS HARRIS — To Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Harris, (nee Anne Shew- chuk), a daughter in Williams Lake Hospital, July 10. HILL — To Mr .and Mrs. A. B. Hill, of C , a di the jewellery set of matching neck- e: parently gave rise to rumors that the' company is losing interest in the project. The officials said this was not the case. Work is still proceeding on the project, involving woods sur- veys, planning details of plant construction and operation of the forest management licence. The question of when con- struction will begin on the pulp and paper plants depends on what B.C.’s new government decides to do a bout two appeals against the granting of the forest manage- ment licence to Celgar. Two firms have filed appeals against the decision of former minister of lands and forests, E. T. Ken- ney, granting a the Arrow Lakes ‘two firms are the William T. Celgar Plans Delayed But Not Abandoned Joyce Company of Chicago and the Kootenay Forest’ Products of Nelson. The appeals are to be heard by the provincial cabinet. In view of the appeals and the hazy political picture, it will pro- bably,be.next spring before act- ual