TNE FRONTIERSMAN
Entered as second class matter on Oct. 21, 1947, at the post office at
_Palmer, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879._
A. J. DeJulio--- Publisher-Manager
Editor----Virginia Gallant
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Mailed to all points in Alaska and the United States
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■rational Adv. Representative — Weekly Newspaper Representative
494 Fifth Ave — New York 18. N. Y.
Letters to
the Eoitor ■•;<-,
TAX OR AXE?
The Tectorial Director of Fi
nance has announced that the
next legislature will have to raise
*3,500,000 in new taxes, just to
keep alive present levels of gov
ernment services supported by
the general fund, or to cut Pres
ent government by that amount.
In addition, there will be num
erous pressures against the 1957
legislature for increased govern
ment services of all kinds. Al
most every organization Or gov
•emment department has its fav
orite project to he financed at
taxpayers’ expense. Some in
creases in cost may be unavoid
able; others, we are already
committed to.
Most of the new requests
sound logical and valuable when
considered separately. When
they are considered in their stag
gering totality we see the full
extent of their burden—not only
in added taxes, but in further
control over individual Alaskans.
Now, the prime complaints of
most persons I talk to are that
we already have too many tax
es, too many government con
trols, but not enough direct say
in our own government.
1 do allow for a certain amount
of normal human grumbling, but
never-the-less, I must agree with
the many thoughtful persons
who assert that the Alaska econ
omy is already being taxed to its
limit,—so severely as to discour
age Alaska development.
Therefore, one of the most im
portant decisions facing the 1957
legislature will be whether to in
crease government and taxes, or
to cut back on government and
keep taxes at their present level.
I believe this is a question which
the taxpayers should be allowed
to decide, and that we do not
now have a direct way of regis
tering our views on this and
similar issues.
Theoretically, we have a choice
through the legislators we elect;
in practice, however, the election
alone does not give our legisla
tors clear-cut mandates; nor does
it provide us a direct check on
what our legislators do, or fail
to do.
As voters, we cannot be ex
pected to deal with complex de
tails of government finance, but
we should have the right to dic
tate policy. How much govern
ment do we want? How much
government are we willing to
pay for?
We need some form ot initia
tive and referendum to give us
greater control over our Terri
torial government. We have rat
ified this principle in the new
constitution (although the form
provided is inadequate). But if
statehood is delayed or denied,
we will have to get along with
out present Territorial govern
ment for some time yet.
We want direct control, here
and now, as soon as possible.
What will our next Legislature
do about it?
By Ben Hitchcock
FOR FAST RESULTS TRY A
FRONTIERSMAN CLASSIFIED
CONGRATULATIONS
lo the
MATANUSKA VALLEY FAIR
BOARD
i Palmer Bar
Ruth and Bab
61 YEARS
SERVING
ALL ALASKA
ALASKA
VSTIAMSHIP COMPANY
ICELAND TEACHER
STUDYING ALASKA
PLANT MATERIALS
Hauker Jorrundsson of Iceland
is making a visit in the Valley.
Jorrundsson is a vocational
teacher of agriculture in Ice
land and is in Alaska looking for
plant materials to bolster Ice
land’s agricultural economy.
Mr. Jorrundsson is paying par
ticular attention to native wil
lows and other plants that might
help control wind erosion which
he reports as a big hazard in
his country. He is also interested
in vegetable and forage crops,
especially legumes that may be
utilized in Iceland.
He spent some time touring
the Valley with Dr. George Scar
seth, who also is making studies
of Alaska agriculture, and Lew
Hanks, Extension agent, and con
fered with Dr. W. G. Dickson
who is assisting the Experiment
Station on a Rockerfeller grant
this summer.
It is estimated that there are
about 400,000 persons living in
America who were saved from
cancer at least five years ago.
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Weekly Frontiersman
Valley Agents
WASILLA NEWS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
BROWNIE SCOUTS, Wasilla
school, 3:30 p.m.
GIRL SCOUTS, Wasilla school,
3:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
'WASILLA %OMEMAKERS
CLUB
CUB SCOUTS, Mrs. Barnes, Mrs.
Combs, 3:30 p m.
WASILLA GRANGE, Grange
hall, 8 p.m.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
BOY SCOUTS, Wasilla school,
7 p.m.
Insured to $10,000
flrat F*4«ral Savtaf* I UiaAtantf A»e*»r*ia
321 Eart 5H> Avmm • Anctwofl*, Aterta
We'll See You
at the fycrib
Booths 21 & 22
Main Building
326 - 5th ANCHORAGE
Alaska Concrete Products Co.
Box 97 ANCHORAGE Elmendorf Road
Concrete Block
FOR BASEMENT - FOR FARM BUILDINGS - FOR HOMES
Concrete Pipe
FOR SEWERS - FOR DRAINS - FOR WELL CASINGS
l4Je GaVuf in Stock Many HuiUUny Mat&uaU
• PORTLAND CEMENT- MASONRY CEMENT -LIME
• SPLIT SHEPPARD STONE No. 200-FIRE BRICK
• FLUE LINING - CHIMNEY BLOCK - KEATFORMS ;
• THOROSEAL - QUKKSEAL - WATERPLUG '
• K-WEB BLOCK REINFORCING
MASONRY CONSTRUCTION IS GOOD CONSTRUCTION FOR ALASKA
IT IS SPEEDY — DURABLE — ECONOMICAL — FIRESAFE
BUILD WITH BLOCK
V