ASTL: Published Every Thursday at. “The Crossroads of the Kootenays” NEWS CASTLEGAR, BRITISH COLUMBIA, THURSDAY, AUGUST 7 Given To R. E. Sommers For the first time in its hist- ory, Castlegar has contributed a cabinet minister to the provincial cabinet. Sworn in Friday night with the other members of B.C.’s new Social Credit cabinet, was 41 year old Robert E. Sommers re- cently elected MLA for Rossland Trail and Principal | of Castlegar and Rob: itary Mr. Sommers, who defeated A. D. Turnbull of Trail, the dis- trict’s first cAbinet minister in many years, was given two port- folios in the new cabinet, minist- er of lands and forests and min- ister of mines. A keen enthusiast of outdoor life, hunting and fishing and a summer-time employee of the B.C. Forest Service for the past ten years in which he served as foreman on _ fire - suppression crews and in the Forest Service Youth Training Camps, Mr. Som- mers is very pleased with his new appointment. He left for Victoria two weeks ago and at- fended the first cabmet meeting of B.C.’s minority Social Credit government early this week. Born in Leduc, Alberta, Jan- uary 3, 1911, Mr. Sommers began his teaching career at a Michel- Natal elementary school 21 years ago. He came to Castlegar 17 years ago, taking over principal- ship of the elementary schools here. An active of Oil-Truck Schedules For Gastlegar Ferry In view of widespread de- mand for a clarification of the hours at which oil trucks use the Castlegar Ferry; the follow- ing Leeblich of Kinnaird Appointed Official Representative Of MLA The Hon. Robert E. Sommers, Minister of Lands, Forests and Mines, and MLA for Rossland- Trail has announced the appoint- ment of Carl M. Loeblich, of Kin- naird, President of the Rossland- Trail Social Credit League, as his official representative and spoke- sman for the riding in all mat- ters pertaining fo the district. The residents of this area are requested to direct their com- plaints and requests to Mr. Loeb- lich and he will in turn forward them to Victoria for action. Mr. Loeblich may be contact- ed at his home in Kinnaird or or through any member of the executive who are: Mrs. L. Mc- Millan, Trail; T. H. Nichols, Trail; ¥F. Warne, Oasis and G. Tallon, Rossland. Any of the district group ex- ecutives will also be in‘a position to refer.business dealings to the representative. - Hot Weather Busy Time For Forestry Fire Crews Against a background of soar- ty organizations, Bob was one time president and executive member of 'the Castlegat Com- munity Club and just recently resigned the presidency of the Castlegar Kiwanis Club due to pressure cf his political duties. He is also a member of the Cana- dian Legion Band and of the Castlegar Teacher’s Association. ing and some of the lowest humidity readings of the season, some six forest blazes have given Castlegar Forestry District firefighters one of their busiest week-ends of the season. The West Robson fire which destroyed the home of Pete Sali- ‘kin last Friday afternoon was the first fire call handled by the for- estry men during the 2: by E. S. Jones, ‘Deputy Minist- er of Public Works. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, oil trucks cross from the Castlegar side to Robson at 9 a.m. On Tuesdays and Thurs- days, they cross from Castlegar to Robson at 6:30 p.m. Schedules for crossing from the Robson side to Castlegar are: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11:00 a.m: and Tues- days and Thursdays at 1:00 p.m. The public is once again re- 1952 5 Cents Per Copy: Flremen Will Clear Way With Hoses In Future Fire Chief Promises The manner in which the gen- eral public crowd in close to the scene of a fire in Castlegar, has prompted a sharp complaint from thq Village Fire Chief, R. A. D. West, and the promise of prevent- ivé measures by the fire depart- ment in the future. Comenting on last Saturday evtning’s incendiary blaze in par- tichlar, Mr. West explained that when crowds form so close to a fire as they did then, it makes the wark of the firemen extremely difficult. The public is not only in the road of the firefighters but itis i to disti: minded that no other may use the ferry at the above times when oil trucks are be- ing transported. COMMISSION NEWS BRIEFS Water Samples Tested Health Commissioner Bert Cherrington told the Commis- sioners Monday night that samp- les of water at Castlegar’s auxil- iary pumping station have been tested and showed negative after three successive tests. This means the village may install an auxil- ary pump immediately. Plans are under way to do so in order to augment the village water supply during the dry spell. Public Works Developments Third Avenue is now completed with exception of one driveway still to be put in. A new road has been opened on the Shewchuk subdivision and grading improvements along both the old and new West Robson roads completed. The board moved davestige: tion of ibility of r He wan the ‘inati didate for Rossland-Trail at a pre-election’ ‘convention of the Rossland - Social Credit ‘League April 30 in Trail. Fall Fair Committee Announce Correction The prize list booklets for the 1952 Castlegar and District Fall Fair were completed and distri- buted this week. The Fall Fair committee anounce one correct- ion in these booklets. Under Sec- tion E—“Canhing,” No. 17 should read “Home-made Mixed Pickles” instead of “Home-made Mustard Pickles.” Over 200 ptizes are offered for lucts, Canning, Home Coane: feediework, Erm- broidery and Knitting, Boys’ and Girls’ Crafts and Handi- crafts. There will be a special prize for the exhibitor with the greatest number of entries and a Grand Aggregate will be awarded to the entrant with the highest total of points. All entries are to be filed by Wednesday, September 3. The program for this sixth an- nual fall fair for Castlegar and district will include a display of exhibits, refreshment booths, a baby confest, crowning. of the harvest queen, fire-works dis- plays and a Saturday night dance. Each prize list boolfet has a number inserted somewhere in its pages. At the dance, a draw- will be held and the person hold- ing the booklet containing the number drawn, is to receive a prize. Fence Around Ball Park To Be Built By Aug. 8 A fence around the ball park is to be completed by August the 9, Parks Commissioner Harry Sommers told a commission meeting Monday night. The selling of advertising space on the board fence, which will be eight feet high, is proceeding rapidly and construction will be- gin very shortly, he said. The fence will not 31 the as can-} Si ( about 11:00 o'clock, a fire was reported in the Gidde- Vicinity. -A“total-ot- meen, including the nine men sup- pression crew stationed ‘at Castle- gar, were rushed to the scene. The Glade fire could have been 43 { Supply Store and the C.P.R. bank of earth and gravel betw Waldie’s Lumber and. Bi of way. Railway officials are to be approached in this regard with the eventual aim of open- ing a lane for a rear entrance to very serious, A E. Hesketh, observes, but acetnir reporting and quick action caught the flames in the early stages, bringing them under contro] in quick order. The location of this blaze was across the river from Tarrys, near the scene of one of last season’s more serious fires. Sunday’s flames were attributed to human agency. Further firefighters were re- cruited and joined men deployed from the Glade site, Sunday afternoon, to battle burning trees at Pass Creek. A lightning storm early Monday morning set off three more fires in the Pass Creek and Crescent Valley vici- nities. These and subsequent fires have kept the Castlegar Forestry crew and brigades of district residents recruited into service, busy all this week. The presence of the suppres- sion crew in this. district has made firefighting much easier. They are rushed to the scene as soon as a fire is reported. The Public too, has been very co-op- erative with prompt reports of fires, seen. Sprinkling Restrictions Tightened At Kinnaird With their storage tank water level at a dangerdus low, ‘the Village of Kinnaird imposed tighter sprinkling regulations this week. The new regulations reduce the time during which sprinkling may be done by two hours in the morning and an hour and a half in the afternoon. Sprinkling is now allowed only between the hours of 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 8:30 p-m. Only one sprinkler may be used by a resident at any one timé and no open hoses are al- lowed. There is to be no sprinkling between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. and between 8:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. The’ Board of Commissioners pro- mises that any infraction of these regulations will be severly dealt wae whole 'ball park but will leave some space on Pine Street for tennis court purposes. There will . be two main entrances, one on Main Street and the other on Third Avenue with a smaller ad- mission entrance on Main Street. reg i were ine in Kinnaird three weeks ago when the water storage level first began to drop due to the inability of the pumps to keep up with the village’s -water output. Installation of a flume to Merry , Creek has helped considerably Any profits realized ’ from the | but not enough wherefore tighter project are to be used , for im-j of the bl P regulations ave been found nec- essary. on ‘the north side of Ring Street. Commissioner Jenks asked the Vintage Clerk to write the West Kootenay Power and Light Com- pany, requesting them to move a power line pole on the corner the nett i firemen from onlookers. He pro- mised that in future if people crowd in so close as to be in the firemen’s road, they will have] the fire hoses trainéd on them. The fire chief also described of bile: Incendiary Try Thwarted By Castlegar Firemen Castlegar Firemen performed yoeman service over the week- end, answering a record total of six alarms, five of which were on Saturday. The last of these was an incendiary blaze, whioh is still being investigated by the RCMP. The fiery week-end began with an alarm about 3:30 Friday aft- ernoon. A number of empty ce- ment bags in the basement of W. Wanjoff’s partially completed dwelling at the South end of the village, had caught fire. The flames were noticed by a neigh- bor, W. Popoff, who had the fire extinguished when the firemen arrived. No damage was caused. The first of Saturday’s five calls was a false alarm in the A short while later the near the fire area. He pointed out that if last Saturday's fire had gained a dangerous headway and it ‘had been necessary for the firemen to connect hoses to an additional hydrant, the closely parked cars in the area would have made it impossible for them to do so, Also spoken against were the motorists who irresponsibly drive their vehicles over a fire hose. “A driver can do $200 Semage te to a_hose by driving over it,” Mr. West declared. department answered an inhala- tor call to revive a village resi- dent who had suffered a heart attack. The third call of the day was from the B.C. Forest Service re- questing assistance in West Rok- son where flames were destroy- ing the home of Pete Saliken. Beleived to have been caused by faulty wiring, the fire was first reported to the B.C. Forest Serv- ice as it appeared to be a forest fire. Forest Ranger J. F. Killough and the fire-suppression crew from Castlegar Ranger District He expressed further concern over the growing evid of de- liberate incendiarism in the com- munity. In this connection he Pointed out that the hydrant dis- covered to be plugged with rocks during the water main flushout last week was the closest one to the partially completed home of E. Vetrov destroyed by fire. “This may or may not be coinci- dence,” he said, and urged that ‘the RCMP be contacted and a night patrol of the village be ar- ranged. Harry “to ;the noe RCMP head of G de~ ters rushed to the scene. Lack of sufficient water hind- ered the forestry fire-fighters and help was sought from Castlegar Fire Department who rushed their Number One truck to the scene. The combined brigades battled the flames for about an hour and prevented the fire from spreading into nearby trees. The building was a total loss. It was covered by insurance and all con- tents had been small grass and bush fire behind the Arrow Motors Garage. It was extinguished in short order. The fifth and final call came late Saturday night. An unidenti- fied man noticed flames between the firewall of the Castelgar Building Supply Store and B. Kalosoff’s pool hall, and rushed into a nearby coffee shop to noti- fy the proprietor, Fred Boettger, who turned in the alarm at 10:58 p-m. The firemen were on their way 40 seconds later. When they arrived the flames had spread up one side of the pool hall building. They were quickly extinguished with litle damage caused other than scorch- ing of the pool-hall wall. Definite evidence of incend- iarism was found in a beer car- ton containing 12 bottles of gas and kerosene along with a cotton fuse. Four of the bottles were broken when discovered. It is thought that the bottles and about midnight after the close of business. However, the fuse worked considerably faster than intended and the flames began when there weré still persons about to notice them. Castlegar Fire Department posted an armed guard at the fire hall following this evidence of the presence of “firebugs”, in case the incendiarists should try - to wreack vengeance for the foil- ing of their plans. District Council Urges Renaming Of Airport The council of the Castlegar and District Chamber of Com- merce has approved a recom- mendation that the Castlegar ipal airport be named the At 3:29, while truck No. 1 was still away, another fire alarm carne in and truck number 2 was tachment when he arrives to as- certain. what arrangements could be made in this regard. Baby Girl Suffocates In Carriage At Robson Funeral. a cervices were held of Green Street and S d Ave- nue, as the pole is a hazard to traffic in its present location. Waterwoks News Fittings and pipes have been ordered for the laying of a 6” transit line along Columbia Ave. to Wood St., pending permission frorn the Provincial Department of Public Works to cross Colum- bia Avenue with the line. The village clerk ss to write the schoolboard asking them to in- struct their guards to check fire hydrants occasionally. This act- ion was prompted by the dis- covery of a hydrant at the hign school plugged with rocks last week. regarding fl Continued on Page 4 SEE COMMISSION BRIEFS Provincial Cooperation Promised To Village Re Columbia Ave. Traffic Verbal promise of the. willing- ness of the Provincial Department of Public Works to co- operate for the six weeks old. ieee daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J: D. Ferguson of Rob- son, The baby, oanne Louise, died in her baby carriage last Friday, reportedly from suffocation. ‘Her mother had gone shopping in one ofthe Robson stores leaving the baby in her carriage by the door. When Mrs. Ferguson returned, the baby was dead. Rev. D. W. More of Trail of- ficiated at the private funeral services at 2:00 p.m. Monday aft- ernoon in Robson Memorial Church. Interment followed in Robson cemetery. The infant girl is also survived by a two year old sister, Lorna May, and her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Nielsen. NOTICE RE SUBSCRIPTIONS Many subscriptions to the Castle News expired on July 7. Notices were mailed to all and we would appreciate Prompt payment. It is your wish and ours that the rate be kept with the Village C in. traffic regulation measures on Castlegar’s Columbia Avenue, was conveyed to the regular meeting of the Village commis- sion by Public Works Commis- sioner Vic Jenks, Monday eve- ning. Mr. Jenks, was reporting on a recent conversation with Edgar Jamieson? District Superintend- ent of ‘Public Works, who pro- mised approval within a week of submission of detailed proposals for pedestrian crossing lanes on Columbia Avenue. These pro- posals must be in the proper form specifying location. The board of commissioners greeted the report with jubilation Applications for pedestrian cross- ing lanes across Columbia Ave- nue were prepared this week and sent to the Department of Pubic Works yesterday. Locations for the proposed lanes are: at the Castle Theatre, each end of the bridge over the railway, Bob’s Pay N’ Takit to the Highway Service Garage, at Maple Street and at the Arrow Motors Garage. down. This can be done only puonels prompt payment of hus ling the need for ‘further, ex- later, tea Dr. C. S. Fowler Opens Practice Here Castlegar’s new doctor is Dr. Cc. S. Fowler, a Kootenay resi- dent since birth. Dr. Fowler, who arrived in Castlegar some three weds ago has taken over the C. S. Williams clinic for his offices. The 37 year old physician is a graduate of the University of Washington Medical College. He received his post train- Ralph West Field in recognition of the outstanding work R. A. D. West of Castlegar has performed’ in. the institution and mainte- mance of the ‘airport. This recommendation will be presented for action to the first meeting of the Chamber follow~ ing the summer recess. Mr. West who is the present chairman of the Castlegar Airport committee, was largely responsible for ob- taining the present landing field here and has been a tireless ex- ponent of improvement and pro- per maintenance of the airfield. Further resolutions of the council include a letter of appre- ciation to the Department of Public Works for the extensive P ing at Vancouver General Hospi- ear 2 Born and raised at the Bluebell Mine on Kootenay Lake, Dr. Fowler worked for the Consoli- dated Mining and Smelting Com- pany at Trail, Yellowknife and Brilliant for a number of years in various capacities. He is mar- ried .and has a ten month old daughter. Vic Jenks Sells Fuel Business Victor Jenks, Castlegar, an- nounced this week that he has sold his fuel business to the Mitchell Transfer and Fuel Eta of Trail. The Trail firm is 3ak- ing over its new Castlegar busi- ness at once. Lloyd W. Ackney of Kinnaird will be the agent for both Kinnaird and Castlegar, and until an office is established here, he will take orders by phone from Kinnaird. Mr. Jenks, who has been in the transfer and fuel business here for the past six years, will his transfer and truck- nse of iling second Pe L. V. Campbell Kinnaird Resident In Rossland Hospital After Accidental Fall Mrs. G. Boutellier of Kinnaird, sustained severe cuts to eyes and mouth, a broken nose and shock as a result of an accidental fall down the back flight of stairs at her home last week. Her son rushed her to Castlegar at once but was unable to find_a doctor here.. Whereupon Mrs. Boutellier was taken to the clinic in Trail where cuts about her ores were iven medical treatmen' 8 ‘She was then sent to the Trail- Tadanac , hospital emergency ward. where her. other injuries were attended to after an hour ing activities. Castlegar Infant Nas Suddenly Six weeks old Brenda, infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Popoff of Castlegar, died sudden- ly of a respiratory illness here ‘Tuesday. * Dr. C. S. Fowler was sum- moned to the parents’ home and he in turn summoned the Castle- gar Fire Department with their inhalator. All attempts to revive the stricken baby proved futile. Funeral services were held yesterday afternoon at Brilliant. and a half delay. Now a patient at Mater Miseri- cordiae Hospital, Rossland, Mrs. Boutellier is reported to be mak- ing a satisfactory recovery. impr ts to the airport road, which has been graded and sur- faced; and a resolution urging the- Village to continue their street naming program and institute a house numbering project in tHe: village. The council also moved that* another request be made for im- of the Rob: Syringa.- Creek road in view of thé fact that funds have been allocated for that purpose. It has been suh- sequently: learned that these im- provements are definitely sche- duled for this summer. The heavy- machinery to be used is working in the Pend ’Oreille vicinity at present and is to move to Robson on completion of the work sche- duled at Waneta. The traffic hazard at Pass Creek Bridge also received some consideration from the council. In view of the growing amount of traffic accidents there, the Public Works Department is to be contacted and a wider bridge asked for. Castle News To Have: Larger Quarters Soon Construction began this week. on a new office and printing shop for the Castle News. F. Eremenko is having the store, now occupied by B. Huber on Columbia Ave- gue, extended on the east side. The $5,000 building extension, of cement-block construction, will provide space for a 15°x24’ office and a 25’x40’ printing shop. The Castle News, fast outgrow- ing its present overcrowded basement quarters, is looking forward to .the improved busi- ness facilities the new quarters will provide. L. V. Campbell, owner and publisher, intends -ta- carry a wider line of stationery, stationery staples in the new lo- cation. It is expected that the Castle. News will be installed in the new premises by September 15.