Palmer, Alaska
Borothy 15, Ball-Editor
P’bl is hod onco a r/ook at Palmer, Alaska, for the Mitanuska Valley Farmers’ Cooperating
Association for the purposo of giving nor?s of the Associations uork, problems and
Ac compl ishments.
SUBSCRIPTION RATE $1,75 por yoar $1*00 for six months 1C# a copy
SPI<ING
\
& clean-up iime
It’s roally amazing rhat is revealed rhon the snor molts off in tho spring isn’t it?
We may think to did a.pretty good job getting things picked up in tho fall before tho
snor foil—and to cortainly had no idoa that to permitting things to collect under
the snor in the rintor—but there they aro.
It’s not one bit too early to be&in thinking and doing something about spring cloan-up
around one's place. Just as fast as the ground drios off it can bo raked, and burnod
or disposed of in somo ray. This early cloan-up of all rubbish not only improves tho'
appearance of ono’s proporty, but it may'got rid of a lot'of cutrorms for you as roll.
Many of tho cutrorm moths lay their eggs on littlo sticks, loaves otc. and an soon as
the raim days come they hatch arid hro ready to go to rork on anything you plant.
We still have a for oycsorcs around oiir torn-and on tho Co-op proporty that could
roll stand improvement. With the exception that most Of tho buildings in the-Co-op
area re re built rith.the back doors facing tho streots, there ras some thought given
to planning.an attractivo Community Contcr. Most of tho buildings aro not crammod
closo together and a for troos rorc permitted to gror. The fresh rhite paint on sover
al of the buildings adds a groat doal to tho attractivenoss of this section of Palmot.
Ihe main thing nor—is for us rho live in this port—to kcop it cloan and-attractivo.
Soinc of the homes have attractivo yards and pretty florors during the summor months.
During the suranor months more and mere' tourists come to Alaska and since the Matanuska
Valley has had so much publicity for the past 14 years, practically all of these tour
ists hop° to visit the Volley rhilo in Alaska. After they arrivo in tho Volley, tho
Farmers’ Cooperative is b'ound to get a lot of attention for it is tiod in closoly rith
tho settlement in tho Valley 14 years ago. It spoaks for the succoss of that coloni
zation project of *35. Therefore, to should moke this section of tho torn as cloan,
attractive and prosperous looking as to can. Wo do not have nico nor cement buildings,
but to can do a lot to making rhat to do have attractive.
Rocently the Midland Cooporatiyo Wholesale .'Association held a Three Day Management
Institute for some 300 Managers and employees from 150 local associations of the Mid
land Cooperative Wholesale in Minneapolis, Minn. Representatives rorc there from
Minnesota, Wisconsin and lore..
At this meeting they-'TOro told that 194S is likoly to be a critical year for manugemem
Fut H;C. Flcdderjohn, director of distribution of tho Indiana Form Bureau Cooperative
Association, told the local managers that ’’probably the most important function in
distribution today is to help podplo uso their co-op. Flcdderjohn quoted an independent
oil man rho said'that they Just couldn’t compete'rith cooperatives. When asked t^ry,
tho oil man said, "Well, re just soil pooplo oil, but. tho .CoAops sell people oil and
then got them together ..and jsing ’Blest Bo tho Tic Jhat Binds.’ Wo just can’t compoto
rith that kind of stuff.”