Events from 1955

Tenders were called for construction of the Greyhound bus depot at Fourth Avenue and Dominion Street.

The Prince George Gas Company announced plans to build a distribution system for natural gas.

Circulation of The Citizen newspaper exceeded 5,000 copies per issue steadily over a six month period. The board of directors of Citizen Publishers & Printers Ltd. voted to purchase an $8,000 photo-engraving machine. The acquisition would mean the paper could publish photographs within an hour of the time they were taken. This technology involved scanning a black and white photograph and simultaneously engraving the image onto thin plastic. The image could then be mounted with the typeset copy and used in direct printing.

Fluoridation of the Prince George water supply began on September 12, making this city the first in the province to distribute fluoride-treated water to its residents. The main purpose in treating the water was to provide dental decay protection.

The city’s library appointed its first qualified librarian, Bill Fraser. He enlarged the holdings and worked to gain a higher profile for the library. He instituted a weekly children’s story hour that was broadcast over the radio and wrote stories, articles and reviews for the newspaper.

The biggest rubber tire ever purchased in Western Canada was brought in for a Euclid earthmover owned by the Ben Ginter Construction Company The tire was almost eight feet high and weighed more than a ton. The single tire came with a price tag of $5,150.85. The thickness of the rubber tread at the centre was six inches. In October, the company was awarded a million dollar contract from the federal government to build 18.25 miles of the Trans-Canada Highway. The contract amount represented the largest ever awarded to a Prince George company.