R# H. CLARKE Telephone. :^f373-Y-l Suite 6, Prudent* JIdg. PRINCE GEORGE New Roles, Regulation s Prince George Citizen 'ffcursday, April 1, 1954 9 Dominion 4 wepnone. Under New Qwners " Today the B.C. Telephone. Co. and its associate organization, North-west Telephone Co., officially took oviSJvtrie telephone portion of the Canadian Government's telephone and •telegraph system west of the Rockies in ELC. stem ... Today STORAGE RUSH TRANSFER 4 STORAGE LID. Phone., 51 W. S. Pipes, B.C. telephone Co. vice-president and general manager, states that the work of inte--groting. the government system wlilv^tfie" two private telephone systems te-complicated and detailed ahtiJWhlle it is well under way, it will not be completed for some j time. B.C. Telephone Co. will operate greater portion of the terri-OTy involved, including exchang-in central. B.C. and Cariboo, those on the Secheit. Peninsula and on the west of Vancouver Is-landf and those on certain islands between the mainland and Van- anies' officially filed tariffs. Several areas classified as-exvehanges have no switchboards of their own and will continue to be served from nearby switchboards. A monthly rental charge will apply to telephones in areas designated as exchanges, while telephones outside^an exchange area will be classed as ,toll (long dis-|-tance) stations. Monthly rentals on toll stations will be abolished, but there Will be a charge' for all calls placedfrom theira^ even to other telephones on the same line. A minimum monthly guarantee will Be required.__ ¦*The companies follow the starid-l*r Besfides her husband .she Is survived "by a sdn, Randolph V., at home; four brothers, Joseph, Na* naimo,, William, Ladysmlth, John, Duncan, B.C., and Thomas Wilson, Victoria; three sisters, Mrs. ,J. Little itndMrs. A. Campbell. Lady-smith, • ^hd Mrs, p. Wilkinson, Vancouver. Rev. F. A. Ramsey will conduct funeral services in the United Church at Ladysmith on Friday, at 3 p.m., with burial In smith Cemetery:, Mount Pleasant Undertaking Co. of Vancouver is in charge of 1 arrangements. _ ftECTRIC LIMp h334 Third Aye. i Prince George COMMERCIAL, INDUSTRIAL & DOMESTIC WIRING ALL TYPES OF REFRIGERATION Installations and Service We Also Service and Repair RADIOS, WASHING MACHINES & APPLIANCES RADIO TELEPHONE INSTALLATIONS For Service and Satisfaction —-Phone Prince George 328-R-1 — '7**? ¦*» Hellish Masonry Fire Places - Chimneys Buildings Concrete .Block Construction N FREE" ESTIMATES^ Formerly/ Mcllish & Williamson couver Island. North-west Telephone Co. acquires that poVtion of the system within its operating area on the coast from Campbell River and Powell River northward/ including exchanges on the Queen Charlotte Islands. \ A INCLUDED fitted for Ello Remote Control* Vanderhoof xand Burns Lake will be includedxin the B.C. Telephone Company territory, Miss Jeanette Schultz, former senior operator in the government service, has been appointed Vanderhoof representative jand chief operator, and Mrs. Colleen Zielke, former ..government, operator at Burns Lake, is retained in thn Vancouver and central B.C. and more circuits are to be added soon. Other Improvements in long distance service are planned for the near future." Mr. Pipes said that the telephone companies will employ all government personnel who are at present in the. telephone .field, and willpay these employees not less than they are now receiving. In general Hhe wage scales of the telephone companies, are "higher than those ofxthe government system- _X \ RATIOS. "X/X _. The exchangesNlrKthe government system- wtllNbV operated under the tariff rates^nd regu-' lotions prevailing througtto^t the territories of the two telephone companies. ' Boundaries are being set for each exchange and each will be placed in a rate group according to the number of telephones In ,the exchange, under the eomp- I your best:buy 1 See the EHo .12, Elto 5 Elto 3 at ycjur dealer'* NOW! V/rife for literature and new "Sporlsraqn't HandbSok." Made in Canada with Sales and Service evcrywhere,JWted under "Outboard Motor*" in classified phone book. - • MOTORS* Peterborough # > Canada # 9 mi • • • • • * ISABELLE ELECTRIC 555 George St. Ph. 399-L-2 ???* Banks Increase Charges On Sayings Cheques MONTREAL, March 27—The increase in service charges on savings accounts was recently put into effect by the banks because of the cost of servicing the evergrowing number of cheques drawn on these accounts, a trend that has been particularly mark-;ed since the removal of the excise stamp on cheques. \ This was stated here today by T-H^ Atkinson1, president of'The XJajiadJan Bankers' Association. Ktn ^Atkinson's statement noted that, generally speaking, Canada is the only country where banks permit cheques to be drawn on savings accounts. In most other countries, savings accounts are used to accumulate funds and no cheques can be drawn against them. The riew service charges are 10 cents per debit entry with an allowance of one free cheque for a quarterly balance of $100; two free' cheques for a balance of $200 and three free cheques for a balance of $300 or more. Solid (Wbrt-(ow Cost HARD COAL PHONE 404-R-l RUSH COAL SALES LTD. 890 First Aye., opp. Molklns We Have Acquired Government Telephone System '-' EFFECTIVE APRIL 1 The Canadian Government's telephone system west of the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia has been purchased by the British Columbia Telephone Company and the North'west Telephone Company, and the system was taken over by those companies on April 1. The work of integrating the Government telephone system with our existing systems is complicated and detailed, and while it is well under way, it will not be fully completed for some time. Already telephone men have gone into the field to begin the gathering of data on which to base a program of expansion and improvement. This program will have main phases: (1) providing additional long distance circuits; (2)^iving telephone service to many of the people _who are v^aiting; (3) gradually improving the existing plant. Alteady we have increased the long distance facilities between Vancouver and central B.C. and more circuits are to be added-soori. Other improvements in long distance service are planned for the near future. The North-west Telephone Company has acquired that portion of the system within its operating area on the coast from Campbell River and Powell River northward. The Britirti Columbia Telephone Company has taken over the temainder. Tfce exchanges in the territory taken ever are a* fellows: s BY THE BRITISH CQlUMftlA TELEPHHNi: COMPANY Terrace — Hazelton \ Smithers Telkwa—served by Smithers Houston^—served by Smithers Burns Lake Vanderhoof Fort St. James Quesnel Wells—including Barkerville Williams Lake Alexis Creek 100 Mile House Forest-Grove—served by 100 Mile House Clinton Ashcroft Lytton^ Lillooet Shalalth—served by Lillooet Gibsons Secheit ^ Pender Harbour—served by Secheit Port Renfrew Bam6eld Ucluelet —~> Tofino ' ' . ^ . Ahousat—(including Hot Springs ~-Gove—?Boat Basjn—-Estevan— Hesquiat) Thetis Island—^served by Chemainus^ Gabriola Island—served by Nanaimo Hornby Island—served by Courtenay x BY THE NORTII-WEST TELEPHONE COMPANY Quadra Island—served by Campbell River ^ KelseyBay Alert Bay , Sointula:—served bV Alert EJay ^-J^impkishi-^secved by Alert Bay PortHurdy Queen Charlotte City Port Clementsy Massett In addition to the exchanges listed above, we will serve numerous places too small to be classed as exchange^. These will be classed as toll (long distance) stations. Several of the exchanges listed above have' no switch' boards"of"ttieif own but are served from nearby switch' boards. Telkwa, for example, is served from Smithers. In addition to the exchanges, we are acquiring numerous long distance lines, including those "between Prince JSeorge and Ashcroft^on the/main telephone route to central British Columbia. A boundary is being set for each telephone exchange. For telephones within an exchange area there will lie a monthly exchange rental based on the number of telephones served by the exchange. Telephones outside of an exchange area will be classed as toll (long distance) stations, and a charge will be made for all calls placed from such stations, even to other telephones on the same line. There will be no monthly rental charged for toll stations but there will be a moderate guarantee required. The rates which went into effect on April 1 throughout the former Government system are the standard ones in use by the two companies in accordance with their officially filed tariffs. The companies follow the standard practice of having business telephone rates higher than those -faC residence telephones. While thei€ will be an increase in business rates, the basip/fates for multi' party residence service wilt, be^reduced. Most, sub scribers \vill pay less. There^ttml be no.surcharge for-MonophQnes. e sh^rt'haul longaistance rates will be /Kile getierallv^hose between the former Government territory and-the systems of the two telephone/companies /will be/educed. j Extnang^ rentals will be billed a month in advance. In order to distribute the billing work evenly, all exchanges do not have the same billing period. For some exchanges the billing period is the calendar month while for many others it is not. The Billing date is clearly set forth on the bill, and the date by—wliich payment is due is also shown. To each existing subscriber ^n the Government territory we are sending a contract for signature, covering the arrangeftients between him and the telephone company which tyill serve him. All Government telephone personnel will be employed Dy^the^teleplione companies, and will receive not less than tbeir old rates of pay. In general, the wage scales of the Companies are higher than those of the Govern' inent system. BRITISH COLUMBIA TELEPHONE (COMPANY NORTH,WEST TELEPHONE COMPANY