Thursday, August 21, 1952

CASTLE NEWS, Castlegar, B.C.

Robson Plot Donated fo
Kootenay: Society For:.
Handicapped Children

The fact-finding committee of
the Kootenay. Society for Handi-
capped Children. is investigating
suitability of a five acre plot in
Robson for a permanent building

site for a handicapped children’s |

centre. The land is a donation to
the society by M. J. Backus.

The regular monthly meeting
of the Society, held in the K.P.
Hall, Trail, with 38 members and
representatives of district organ-/|
izations present, decided to take
over the sale of Easter Seals in
this district next spring. A re-
vised constitution was adopted
which is now ready to be regist-
ered with the Societies Act and
the Welfare Society.

A number of committees were
set up. Mrs. H. T. Beckett wil] re-
present the Society on the board
of the Cerebral Palsy Society of
B.C. and Mr. Ron Gardner was
appointed historian for the so- |
ciety. A promotional committee,
to visit other parts of the East
and West Kootenays to publicize
the aims of the society, was also
appointed.

Sixteen children have regist-
ered for the class for handicap-
ped children which will be held
in Trail under the direction of
Mrs. G. Magwood of Robson as-
sisted by volunteer helpers.

The treasurer’s report disclosed
a balance of $387.81.

It was announced that hence-
forth the Society will hold reg-
ular monthly meetings on the
first Wednesday of every month
in Trail’s K.P. Hall.

More than four of ten Cana-
dians have voluntary health pro-
tection: 5.1 million are insured
against hospital expenses; 3.4 mil-
lion surgical
2.4 million against general medi-
cal expenses; 870,000 against
temporary disability.

One Canadian food chain store
in 1951 paid $824 income tax per
employee; on $100 million of
food sales, net earnings were $1.8
million, income taxes were $2
million. |

The predominant size of Cana-
dian dwellings is five rooms.

Page: 3.

PRAIRIE GRAIN CROP THREATENED WITH DEADLY RUST

Central or 3 Canadian

latchewan as race 15B,a deadly disease which could
spread through the wheat fields in a matter of weeks,
ruining crops which are now nearing harve:

Alternative Voting System Upheld
By B.C. Chamber Directors’ Meeting

At a time when the alternative
voting system used in the last
Provincial election has been
roundly flayed by critics through-
out B.C., directors of the B.C.
Chamber of Commerce came to
it defence at Vernon recently and
advocated to the annual meeting
next November that its use be
continued.

A statement? which will be
passed on, the annual meeting,
“recognizes the uses of the free
and secret ballot as a blessing of
our democratic way of life, is
anxious to see in the use of the
ballot a reflection of the will of
the majority.”

“We now reiterate the policy
adopted by a great majority of
boards of trade and chambers of
commerce in B.C. and, indeed
right across Canada, that the
single alternative voting system
brings about, in greater

the ‘people who exercise their
francftise.

“We concur in the continued
use of the single alternative vote
in this province and recommend
to the B.C. government that a
study be made, when final re-
sults are completed, of the opera-
tion of the system in the prov-
ince as shown in recent elections,
with a view to making changes in
the elections act which would ex-
pedite, if possible, the results of
the counting, taking into consi-
deration among other things the
provision of an extended period
for advance polls and the stag;
gering of waiting periods, so that
the counting in more densely-

populated ridings need not wait]

the counting of votes in ridings
where final returns from remote
polls may take from one to two
or three weeks to arrive, owing
toc ication difficulties.

e
than any other in use in the
commonwealth, the election of
the candidates most acceptable to

““We believe that serious con-
sideration should be given to
making all constituencies single

New Homes
For Sale

‘Hospital Insurance Service Did Not

Need Subsidy of Two and Half Million

A surplus of $3,165,062.27 on
the operations of the hospital in-
surance service for the fiscal year
ended March 31st, 1952, has been

House 24’x28’

2 Bedrooms with Closets
Living Room & Kitchen
Bathroom & Hallway
FULL PLUMBING
Including Hot Water Tank
COMPLETE WIRING
Inside Walls Not Finished

$4000.00

Terms Arranged

KINNAIRD
BUILDERS

Care Of
COUCHMAN, FOWLER
AND COLLINSON

A Ltd. — C

ced by Premier Byron I.
Johnson. The surplus includes the
$2,500,000 subsidy voted last year
by the legislature, and was
brought about largely by an in-
crease of approximately $800,009
in revence and a reduction in
hospital costs of a further $1,100,-
000, together with a collection of
approximately $1,265,000 in pre-
mium arrears. ‘ °

The premier, in making the an-
nouncement, said that he thought
that it was only fit and proper
that he do so before his depart-
ure from office in order that the
people should know the success
that has attended the policies
laid down in connection with the
hospital insurance service.

“It is gratifying to me that our

| ee Seagram's onéz Sure

This advertisement is not published or duplayed by

.the Liquor Control Board or by the G

bi,

of British Col

policies have been vindicated by
such a_ satisfactory financial
statement,” the premier said. “I
may add that it was extremely
difficult to abide by those pol-
icies in the face of the severe
criticism that was leveled at the
service. but the wisdom of not
swerving from our plan has been
proven by the result.”

“In this regard I would like
to take this opportunity of pay-
ing tribute to Hon. Douglas Turn-
bull upon whose shoulders fell
the heavy responsibility of carry-
ing out those policies,” the pre-
mier added. “A continuation of
the financial experience of the
last fiscal year could readily lead
to a’position whereby the gov-
ernment could not only consider
reduction in premiums, but also
the taking care of marginal
cases and maternity benefits. It
was because we were hopeful of
there results that I advocated
consideration,” the premier con-
tinued.

Hospitals throughout the prov-
ince have co-operated admirably
in the budget control policy laid
down by the service, he added.

During the calendar year, 1951,
70 per cent of the hospitals op-
erating on firm budgets closed
the year with surpluses totalling
$100,000. During three years of
operation of the HIS, approxi-
mately 90 ver cent of registrants
have paid the premium required
under the act. In the calendar
year, 1951, only 7 per cent of the
people admitted to hospitals were
not in benefit at time of admis-
sion. Up to the end of June of
this year, approximately $57.509,-

000 had been paid to hospitals on

behalf .of more than 755,000 re-
gistrants (including repeated ad-
missions), wo had received bene-
fits under BCHIS.

In connection with the in-
creased revenue collected, this
can be attributed, the premier
stated mainly to the exvanded
payroll deduction plan. The ex-
penditures to hospitals were less
than anticipated and it would ap-
pear were the result of the firm
budget policy that was carried
out by this service.

Other factors contributing to
the reduced expenditure were
fewer hospital beds coming into
operation than were anticipated
and the drop in the length of stay
of patients due in large measure
to the introduction of co-insur-
ance as a brake on hospital uti-

lization, the premier concluded.

member seats or conversely, in-
troducing proportional repres-
entation in the metropolitan
multi--member seats.

“With these considerations, any
initial difficulties experienced in
the first B.C. election under this
improved system of voting will
be minimized in future elect-
ions,” the statement concluded.

Another suggestion which was
approved by the directors for
consideration at the annual meet-
ing was the provision of a prov-|
incial Hansard as a permanent’
record of proceedings at the
provincial legislation.

Annual meeting is being held
on Friday and- Saturday, Nov-
ember 14 and 15, at Vancouver.

LEO BOSSE
Guaranteed Watch
and Jewellery Repairs

PROMPT SERVICE

Kinnaird Flyers Ousted
By Nelson Two Straight

The Kinnaird Flyers were oust-
ed from the West Kootenay wo-
men’s fastball] champion;zip
Playoffs Sunday when they lost
their second straight game in a
best of three series with Nelson
Royals.

‘In Sunday’s encounter, the
Kinnaird ladies were blasted out
of the playoffs by a 12-6 score.
Nelson took an early lead in the
game with two runs.in each of
the first three innings but Kin-
naird came back with four runs
in the third. A run in the fifth,
one in the eighth and four runs
in the ninth, salted the game
away for Nelson as Kinnaird

were able to add only two more
runs to their total, one in the
sixth and another in the ninth.

Anne Marshall was the losing
pitcher, giving up 21 hits, no
walks and earning one strikeout.
Leading Kinnaird sluggers were
Brown and Culley with two hits
each in five tries.

For Nelson, it was Verda Pratt
going all the way, allowing six
hits, issuing five free passes and
chalking up 10 strikeouts. Mary
Russell with four hits in six tries
and Perdue and Appel with three
hits each, led in the Nelson bat-
ting department.

Recent figures indicate Can-
ada’s commercial fishing fiect
numbers more than 40,000 ves-
sels.

August 22 —

20% OFF

ALL CHINA AND DIN

15% OFF

CHESTERFIELD and
SUITES

10% OFF

PHONE 3421

ALL COSTUME JEWELLERY...

VNNERWARE.

BEDROOM

TERMS — NO CARRYING CHARGES

the trucks rolling.

my :

mm

it

MEN AND
TREES ~~

Les Meredith has spent eleven years

logging in the vicinity of his birthplace,

Nanaimo, Vancouver Island. Married, with five

children, Les has plenty of responsibilities not the

least of which is the job of piloting his huge truck, with
loads weighing 70 tons or so, up and down the logging
road. Quick-thinking and steady hands are needed on a job
like this—and behind those a perpetual supply of trees to keep
In British Columbia, directly or indirectly,
we all need the forest resource.

Protect Your Prosperity
Keep British Columbia Green