12 Prince George Citizen Thursday, January 2, 194' Red Cross executive will meet Saturday in the City Hall. St. Michael's W.A. will meet in the Parish Hall next Thursday, Jan. 9. Don Thompson of Vancouver arrived Saturday to spend Christmas and New Year's with his brother, Kenneth. Knox Church W.A. members will meet next Thursday, January 9, at 3 p.m. in the residence of Mrs. W. L. Hughes. The annual "at home" of Mr. and Mrs. R. B. Carter, 1850 Tenth Avenue, will be observed on Sunday between 4 and 7 p.m. Leonard O. Range returned ,1 Vancouver on Saturday via C.P.A. after spending Christmas with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Range, i for the first time In six years. | ¦Iew Arrivals BIRTHS GOGL.IN—A daughter, in Prince George Hospital, on December 28 to Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Goglln. NORMANTON—In City Hospital a daughter, on December 28, to Mr and Mrs. Cecil Normanton. (JUjurrfy Nntirea "On Wings of Prayer,' marking the opening of the Universal Week of Prayer, will be the sermon theme in Knox United Church on Sunday at 11:30 ajn., the service to be bioadcast over CKPG. The evening service will be held at 7:30 p.m., followed by the Young People's Fellowship, and the Sunday School will meet at 10:15 a.m. ! NEW YEAR Prince George Meat Market Phone 149 W. R. Munro, Proprietor I Williams FURNITURE Store -------------- "The Home of Quality Furniture" -------------- THIRD AVemit.- PRINOC OEORQE - RESIOI GOVERNMENT RLDC. Prosperous New Year! We wish Co thank our many customers for their valued patronage. To all those patrons with whom we have had the pleasure of doing business during the past year, and to all the residents of Prince George and district we extend OUR BEST WISHES FOR A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR L. H. KENNEY To Every One of Our Loyal Customers and Friends We Extend the Sincere and Time-Honored Wish—- ¦ . ¦ * G. B. Williams TWO PHONES —MEATS 60, GROCERIES 45 King of Fruits - and a Queen The 1946 apple crop in Canada is a bumper one totalling 16£i million bushels, which is 20 per cent higher than the 10 year average 1935-44 and double the 1945 crop. Surplus apples to the needs of the Canadian market will be exported to Britain, the United States and other countries, either m fresh fruit or processed. Report by Head Of C.N. Railway MONTREAL—After a war that left scarcely a nation untouched, it was too much to expect that 1946, the first full year free of destruction, should see the world swing back to normal, said R. C. Vaughan, C.M.G., chairman and president of Canadian National Railways, in a review of the year 1946. The transition from total war to total peace will take much longer than twelve months. Indeed, the familiar words "back to normal" have no significance today. There can be no going back. The "normal" days between the wars were the days of financial catastrophe and depression, a time of suspicion and fear, when Hitler was expanding and laying his plans for world conquest, when Mussolini was at the height of his power and Japan was eating its* way into China. No intelligent man can desire a return to a normality of that kind. What we are all groping for, what the statesmen of the world are endeavoring to erect, through the meetings of the foreign ministers and the sessions of the United Nations, is a new normality, based on enduring good will and peace. In 1946 we made a start in the tremendous labor of mending the broken world; we tackled the problems of reconstruction, reconversion and rehabilitation. The year was full of misunderstandings, conflicts and frustrations; but we made a beginning. In common with all other railways, the Canadian National System suffered a serious decline in net revenues in 1946. Operating costs were affected by higher wage rates and higher unit prices for materials, these costs representing an increase at the rate of $30,890,000 per annum over 1945. An indication of what has happened to costs of railway operation and maintenance can be shown by a comparison with prewar levels. The cost of untreated railway ties, for example, increased by 93.3 per cent in 1946 over 1939; treated ties by 45.1 per cent; new rail by 23.1 per cent a'ton; coal by 5i.3 per cent; steel products by 19.2 per cent and lumber and forest products by 57.4 per cent. The average wage earned in 1946 showed an in- crease of 43 per cent over 1939. These increases in material costs and payroll expense have added over $90,000,000 to our operating charges | for the year 1946 as compared with 1939. Revenue tons of freight moved in 1946 are estimated at 79,975,000, as compared with 79,941,000 In the previous year. Notwithstanding this slight increase in tonnage, the gross freight revenues declined $16,-500,000, due to a substantial drop in the average haul and in the class of commodities transported. Approximately 22,081,000 revenue passengers were carried during the year, a decrease of 27 per cent from the 1945 total of 30,370,680. Operating revenues of the system have been estimated at $399,100,000, a decrease of $34,673,000 or eight per cent, from 1945. These results emphasize the urgent necessity for an upward revision In rates on all freight traffic carried in Canada. On behalf of its member companies, the Railway Association of Canada has made formal application to the Board of Transport Commissioners for authority to make a general advance in freight rates, the present level having been established by the board in 1922. In the United States, the Interstate Commerce Commission has authorized a general increase in railroad freight rates equivalent to nearly twenty per cent. During the past year, the demand for freight cars has been extremely heavy, particularly for box and refrigerator cars. At the same time, without the pressure of wartime necessity, combined with certain changes in the nature of commodities now transported by rail, the average tonnage per car has decreased. Loading and unloading has slowed. A contributing factor having some considerable effect is the gradual increase in the adoption of the five-day work week by industry, which, in effect, places upon the railways the burden of increased freight car ownership to handle an equal quantity of traffic. Heavy demands were made upon us to move large quantities of grain by rail, usually moved by water, as well as cement, lumber and other forest products, building materials and miscellaneous consumer goods. New equipment received during the year consisted of 856 box cars and 16 diesel-electric switchers. Approval has recently been given for the purchase of 3,000 units of various types of freight car equipment. The company has in hand a program for modernizing its passenger equipment. This includes the purchase of 70 cars and the reconstruction, in the company's shops, of 37 additional units. The new diesel-electric car ferry which Is under construction for use between Cape Tormentine, N.B., and Borden, P.E.I., will be the most modern ice-breaking car ferry in the world. No steamship to be built in Canada will be more modern than the vessel under construction for our Pacific Coast service. It has an over-all length of 350 feet, moulded breadth of 52 feet and a gross tonnage of approximately 5,700 tons. The Canadian National express,' telegraph and hotel services have continued to maintain their high standards and have been well patronized. Cariboo Pioneer Dies at Old Fort QUESNEL—Funeral services for John Sandford Twan, 93, who was born at Fort Alexandria in 1853 and who had lived in the almost forgotten fort until his last illness, were conducted near his birthplace on Thursday. He is survived by his widow, six sons, William and Charles of Alkali Lake; David, Irvin, Alvin and Clarence, at home; two daughters, Mrs. Evelyn Maurice, Alkali Lake, and Mrs. George Lutz, here, and 15 grandchildren. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Citizen has received a lengthy letter for which we regret space is not available with rationed newsprint. It is critical of an alleged broadcast not published In the Citizen which has no information or knowledge of the matter. JANUARY CLEARANCE SUITS AND DRESSES (Wools Si Crepes) COATS FURS, FUR TRIN1MED UNTRIMMED Wool COATS SKIRTS Lovely Selection of PURE WOOL SKIRTS Children's Ski Suits Sizes 2-14 years GIRLS* COATS 8C DRESSES 25% OFF Hughes & Ratledge —Style -Selection —Quality Fanners who think of. striking to enforce their demands on society, should not forget that they are a privileged class, privileged in that they are allowed exclusive p. of a portion of the earth?] on which the human nee for food. P RINCESS THEATRE OPENS NEW TEAK'S DAT Wednes. Thurs. Fri. January 1-2-$ - 8TARRIM O - RITA HAYWORTH 6c GLEN FORD See something excitingly different in the way of a romantic drama: hear Rita sing "Put the Blame on Mamma." SATURDAY, JAN. 4 The Walls Came Tumbling Down - STARftlNO - Lee BOWMAN Marguerite CHAPMAN & Edgar BUCHANAN « Beyond the walls lay the un- < seen thing that led to murder, < love and great adventure. « Please keep the secret of the « walls to yourself. Coming Next Week SNAFU Tonite & Wedne December 31-Ja THE - With Betty Hutton Barry Fitzger John DeFore < Andy Russell A hit parade of songs; i derful story, a Glamour. romance,( music. Come and see] every niuht is New Yea : MidniteSl ', Tonite at The The Walls Tumbling I * Thurs. rit Janoary fr-H SATURDAY GEORGE FOI — to- * "I Didn Do /I Britain's No. 1 **\ comedian follows 1 some hilarious sc true Foi-mby style, i get a backer for cabaret. ' Mon. Sw GEORGE vlcr0R Grand ndul1 watch for a