ui ri* Prevents fire in Protection Large Losses. Jan. 9.—The forest on-Dominion forest reserv* Canada was smaller during season than ever before. Oh gfrsETo* ** reserves.in Manitoba !nd Saskatchewan fire occasioned no 5«mase whatever, and on the Do-Sn reserves in the Railway Belt, ?p the only green-timber, injured hv fire was four acres of youa* lodgepole pine. Even on the Ro^kf Mountains reserve in Z immense area of I^f3,856 acres, most of which isj*mote from settlement, fire destroyed only 1150 acres of young timber, whose present value was small^and mature Umber ... ..„!.,« nf^lRi). Th« total ttrma. value > o the val u.e at4 15 6 Mhf reser 4 The total area burnt oMhfs reserve was but two one-hyjrtlredths of one per cent, of the^above acreage, and it is likely •when the reports are complete from the othor reserves, which are smaller and usually better protected, that the aggregate area burnt over by fire will be no greater than one one-hundredth of one per cent, of the total reserved ai«ea. The significance of this figure Is apparent by comparison with the corresponding figure h Ntional "Forests in the UnR for son for the National "Forests in the UnR-ed States, where the area burnt over by fire In 1913, although admittedly the smallest in recent years, was about O.OIi per cemt. of the total. \ That the fire loss on Dominion re-lervea in the Weat has been so . remarkably small is due in large measure to the fact that the government rangers unceasingly sought anir obtained the co-operation of/all . wR* whom they came in. contact, whether lettler, Indian, hunter^ tourist oi packer. The new/tire posters ask for this co-operation instead of demandingh,&6 previously; a plea for it is printed on railway timetables and^nhtnting licenses; It Is secured ffom homesteaders by- providing them with fire-fighting toels and by connecting rural telephone lines with ranger stations on forest re-lerres, and even the Indians, many of whom were careless wMh fire,/are now induced to assist In its preven- tion by being presen metal badges by th*l ernment. Carelessn c&uae of forest fire ination the greatest dif honorary mlnion gov is the chief by Its elim ulty in for- «ft lire protection is..overcome. GENERAL MEETING OF ¦ SOCIAL CLUB MEMBERS The ' foramtion of,-hockey and bowling teams, the completion of arrangements for a . necktie and kpron dance,to be held on Friday, January 23, and a minstrel show, were but a few of the activities: that plans are being laid foray the Social Club. It was 10:30 on '-Saturday night when President Stafford called the large number of members that were present to order. The first Item on the program was an address by W. Wilson, a local barrister, who, •peaking of the cosmopolitan nature of the citizens in this country, said that we should all be moulded into one grand type of Canadian citizenship.-In a dub such™ m the 8ocial Club we should avoid any' possible. amentions and cultivate a spirit of wotherhopd and generosity. A The minutea of the last meeting wero read and approved, after which •nort talks were given by Thomas Blair, Mr. Clark of Ritchie ft Clark, and Fred Wilson. The report of the treasurer watf then read and adopted, after which President Stafford cwied on A. Turner of Vancouver, .»w> in a few welKhoaenremarks his appreciation of the Club and declared that when «anie to Souih Fort George he 'n one or the beet advertised "ot only in the province of Columbia but in the whole ^Canada. The motto of the people "we seems to be: \ : \_ Early to bed, ' " ' ¦ - j Early to rise Hustle like sin " And advertise. Boehner was called upon ny stories and proved •«i to be a postmaster in the «y Betting those present Into of laughter. , ,».L,H- Bennett was unanimously held toteii Track-laying Will Be ContinuM Westward Taking Advantage of Favorable WeatheV Conditions—Temporary Bridge Over Fraser Riyer Here Will Be Completed in a Week—(Celebration Planned To Welcome i Arrival of Railroad The railroad has arrived. x Just at 3:30 o'clock on Monday afternoon the big Pioneer track-laying machine laid the last rails on the east bank of the Fraser river opposite. South, Fort George. The work train then ran back to the siding at Mile 231, while the1 track-layer was left by the river bank to await the completion of the temporary bridge over the Fraser by.which It will carry steel along westward. There will be a delay of a week hero while the bridge is being completed. The work of driving piles is being, rushed with all, speed, and it is stated that within five days the river will be crossed, and after that probably two days will be required to prepare the structure steel. V- The steel will not, as announced previously, remain, here this winter. As soon as the bridge 1b crossed a siding will be put in on Prince George, and the 'track-layers will proceed westward with all despatch. At least twenty-five or thirty miles of rails will be laid west of Prince George before the gang is laid off for the winter. It is expected that Mud river will be reached before the end of this month. The Ideal weather conditions prevailing this winter have been a boon to the Grand Trunk Pacific so far as track-laying is concerned. Deep snow is the greatest obstacle to' steel-laying, and this. season there has been up to date practically no snow at all. The freedom from hard frost has also been a factor In favor of rapid railroad progress. The ateel will~be~welcomed to this place with due ceremony. A committee consisting of W. F. Cooke of South Fort George, C. W. ecutive. The committee to make ar-Moore of Port George and B. Ws Cole of Foley's has been appointed to arrange plans for a pageant to greet the track-laying machine when it crosses the bridge into Prince George. The date of the pageant can not be accurately set as yet, as it depends entirely'-on the time required to complete the temporary bridge. Although the committee has not as yet had time to formulate- Its plans in detail, it is expected .that the celebration will include a parade representing the hi story of this dia-trict. There will be a band of Indians, dog teams, canoe floats, surveyors, old-timers, the Hudson's Bay company will probably be well represented, I while all the modern development will also be shown. It is proposed to have every business place in the-district closed for the occasion and everybody in the country who is able to walk, ride or drive be present to escort the tracklayers Into town. . MM1TTED FOR TRIAL At his preliminary trial held here on Friday last, George Qnookl, charged with the murder of Harry Porters, was committed for trial at the spring assizes. He Is to be imprisoned at Kamloops untfl May, when he will be taken to Clinton for trial. Astonishment was plainly visible on the faces of many of the spectators wio crowded the courtroom when tee Fffianer was led to the bar. With his boyish face, slightly pale due to his confinement in the cell, it seemed hardly comprehensible} that the accused could hare been guilty of a crime so brutal as the killing of Porters. He is about 24 or 26 years old, ana an Austrian by birth, . al-though he speaks English quite fluently. He did not ieem to realise the seriousness, of his position, and on one or two occasions was seen to augh at remarks of the witnesses. The prisoner was not represented by counsel. Chief of Police Dunwoody acted as crown prosecutor. • The! tost witness was Dr. Lazier, who (testified as to the nature of Porters' wounds, and the direct oauee of death. H. M. Dell, timekeeper in Tony Jack's tie camp, where the accused worked, was called next. He stated the prisoner came to the camp December 16 and worked until December 22. He left on that day and did not return; to camp until December 29. Dell/and each succeeding witness was/bound over ;o appear at the assizes on a personal bond of $600. - •-""¦,¦ Mike Brown, employed with Bates ft Rogers at the G. T. P. bridge here, Swore that he saw the prisoner talkT ng to Porters in the bar at South Fort George on the evening of Dec. 24. He told Porters to keep away rom that kind of « man. Witness saw Porters give the prisoner money. [n reply to a question put by Magis- trate Herne, witness said he saw a |6 bill and twp ones in Porters' purse. '"¦ ^' :¦ Thomas Chmowsky and his wife, who followed, gave a resume of the interview which appeared in The Herald last week> When asked by the .accused^/"Did I tell you about man having money and I want to rob him?" witness replied "YeaX . After the noon adjournment Chief Dunwoody took the stand and told 4l the finding of Porter*' body, the arrest of the accused and the finding of his stained clothing. Constable Aldrlch, who followed, swore that; he measured the footmarks found near the body of the deceased and that the measurements corresponded exactly with those of the shoes of the prisoner. T. Chaffln said hi knew both Onooki and Porters. They had work- ed at MUe he was there. B. Mauser,/who keeps a boarding house in South, was the next witness. He said Onooki was in his house Christmas eye about 9 o'clock. The coat exhibited in court was, he said, found beside ttfe bed occupied by the accused. Harry Julius, the interpreter, also swore he saw the prisoner early Christmas eve. John Bocheaky, from Mile 226,. swore that Onooki slept with him in the boarding house Christmas eve, but he did not know what "¦ time Onooki went to bed. Wltneaa got up early next morning and left the prisoner sleeping. This concluded the case for the crown. The prisoner was then asked whether he cared to make a statement. _ After due deliberation he said that he did. ><.'¦ "I was in town Christmas time. I was drunk in South Fort George/ I was with a fellow fronrMile 162. I got drunk in the hotel. I was fighting with a man whose name I did not know. There was another man with me, EM ward Film. We all three got drunk and then wen* out. Film and another fellow wanted to take me home. This was the night before Christmas. Film wanted to take me somewhere to put me to bed. He said 'Chief of police told me if you don't take me he Will pinch- you and put you in Jail.' Then he let me go, and I go down to Billy Seymour's place. There was no light in the house. Then I go out on the' road where I meet two fellows who ask me if I know anybody Rooianlih who keeps a rooming house. I tell them I know one in Central Fort George. They then ask me if I know any place to go to drink their whisky. I said I know one empty house near the B. X. office. I go down to Chmowsky's place to get a hammer, and when I come back they have gone up the hill. I turnback to town again and had a few^drinks with a fellow. He was a nurse from Mile .160. We went down to the poolroom and I opened the door and Edward Flim took me and chucked me out and tore the sleeve of my coat. The nurse 'wanted to take me home. Then he wanted to take me to bed. He took me out on the street, but I did not want to go with him. Then I went out on the street and was chewing: the rag with a fellow and he hit me -.on. the mouth. At this Juncture Chief Dunwoody, wfoo was taking the statement down, declared that he would not take any nore. "You will keep me here all day at ithe rate you are going. Sign this," and he handed the statement, to the prisoner. After protesting to thft magistrate, the prisoner affixed his signature to the document. Magistrate Herne then committed the prisoner for trial. Yesterday, accompanied by Chief Dunwoody and a constable, Onooki left for Kamloops. the dance captain of the team was left a committee. in the REDISTRIBUTION BILL British Columbia to Acquire Six New Members by Change in ." f~ .;. ' Districts. - . '¦ Ottawa, Jan. 9.—(Special.)—Par-lament will meet on Thursday next. One of the Issues most looked forward to to^fce considered at this session-is the redistribution bill. By this measure the province of British Co* lumbia will secure six more members. Other matters to come before^ the house will be technical education, oriental immigration, and possibly the naval question. -;-.-. . -° Victoria, Jan. »>-(Special.)—The legislature will j convenej>njrhur«day next on the same day at the Dominion "parliament. It will probably take up among other matters the questions oi! land settlement and land clearing In the prot ommendatlon of commission. ice on the rec-agrlcultural GREATER IMMIGRATION But Falling Off is Shown in Arrivals From the United States. Ottawa, Jan. 9.--( Special.) — Immigrants entering Canada durlp" the past year numbered 417,000 a» :afcalnBt 396,000 for^ the. previous year. There hasi been a considerablf falling off in the arrivals from the United States. i / i TO END FRICTIO N ; ^ British Minister W Mexico Will Be Removed to Brazil. London, Jan .9.—(Special, Lionel Carden, British minister to Mexico, is to be removed to Brazil, this is a promotion, but it is also in-; tended to end a certain amount of friction with the United^ States, of which Sir Lionel is said to be the cause. . ¦ ' ¦/ , " ACCUSED MURDERER ESCAPES J. Krafchenko, Charged With killing Bank Manager, Escapes. Winnipeg/Jan. 12.-p-(Special. )t— John Krafchenko,, held here on a charge of murdering F. Arnold, manager of ithe Bank of Montreal at Plum Coulee, Man., escaped Saturday morning a/few hours after he had been committed for trial; He had been locked up in a room with two unarmed constables to guard him. Soon after midnight he drove the constables into a closet at the point of a revolver, locked them in and opened the door of the room with a key. Entering the next room he went to the Window and slid down teethe ground by the aid of a rope "and is-still at large.' How he tion is ebing held. A reward of 113,000 has been offered fpr his capture. ! - _i. . Viscount Cross is Dead. v London, Jan. 9.—(Special.)— Viscount Cross,; who was British under Disraeli, is home secretary dead. ,\ FIRE BRIGADE HAS A HURRY-UP CALL Responded to Summons of Help to. Other Town—Scott's Hotel • is Damaged. The South Fort George fire brigade received a hurry-up call -last Saturday afternoon when fire broke out in J. W. Scott's, hotel in Fort George. As soon as the alarm came in over ithe telephone the local brigade ruished to the aid of the Central fire fighters, and incidentally every available auto and rig travelling Fort George-wards was crowded with volunteers and spectators. The building where the fire occurred is on the corner of one of the most closely built up blocks in the other town, the Fort George hotel, Kennedy, Blair & Company's store, the office of the telephone company, the Bank of Vancouver and other buildings being situated in the block. Given a good start the flames would have wiped out this entire list. However, prompt and efficient work on the part of the; brigades and a large number of volunteers saved the da The. fire was due to the wood.vo ±. n a room on the second flooi beco:..- « ng overheated from a stovepipe "v\v flames worked their way right ic cs~ the second floor and when discover were on the point of bursting through the walls on either side. A bucket brigade was formed, ami, operating by way of the roof of the telephone -office, poured water on the fi,e ii.¦¦. Its. was quenched. The chemic •= were also used with good effect. Thejropf was badly damaged and a great deal of bedding and othe furnishings ruined by water and chemicals. \w WHITNEY SUVFEl lELAFSE New York'. Jan. 12.—(Spi Sir James Whitney, prime mil of Ontario, was thought to have on the mend but suffered another re lapse at New York today. He is again in a serious condition. Hon. David Laird Dead. Ottawa, Jan. 12.-— (Special.)—-Hon. David Laird, Indian commissioner and first governor of the Northwest Territories/died here today- ' . .., / ' •¦¦ Avalanches Cause Floods. Berlin, Germany, Jan. 12.—(Spe- cial.)—Enoemou* damage has been done along the Belgian coast and Baltic coast of Germany by floods. Avalanches started by wet weather also do great harm to the railways in Switzeralnd. / / ' - Ex-Premier Retiring. St. Johns, Nfld., Jan. 12.—(Special.)—Sir Robert Bond, former premier of Newfoundland, has announced his intention of retiring; from public life. Volcanic Eruption in Japan. Tpkio, Japan, Jan. 12.—(Special.) —A volcano on the Island of Sakma, Japan, buried two villages with a consequent heavy loss of life. Three hundred and fifty earthquake shocks were felt just before the eruption. SOUTH FORT GEORGE f "' SOCIAIi CLUB DANCE The South Fort George Social Club announce their second dance to be ield in'Birch's ..hall on January 23, 1914, and it will be in the form of a necktie and apron solcial. This is something entirely new in this community and the club assures all who attend a very good time. /There will 3ei several new features introduced which will keep everyone in good humor. The ladies attending are expected to wear an apron made from an old gingham or colored doth and to bring sealed, in an envelope unmarked a gentleman's necktie made of the. same material / as the apron; They are requested to deliver these articles to the chairman of the dance committee, Andy Birohell. • _ •• y Senior's orchestra, will furnish the nuslc and G. Gardiner will play on his bagpipes. y\ - _______,_._________ There will be. a^big surprise for tained the revolver, key and rope it jftie men. / Tickets, including supper, ." a mystery/but a searchin g in veatiga- $1.60. Ladies free. ; A. Buchell is chairman of the committee in charge and he/Will gladly furnish any formation required. in- Chlhiwack, Jan. 9.— \Special.)— Mrs. James Macdonald. the first white woman on the Lillooer v.*il. ta dead,'here. She kept a roadhvase at Port Douglas in 1860. '{:¦¦ ¦ i;