SCHOOL DISTRICT
AND CITY ELECTIONS
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2
DON’T FORGET TO VOTE
The frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
PALMER SCHOOLS OPEN
SEPTEMBER 4
9:00 A.M.
VOLUME 9, NUMBER 47
PALMER, ALASKA, THURSDAY, SEPT. 13, 1956
PRICE TEN CENYS
Over 100 Attend
C of C Special Dinner
Over 100 members of the An
chorage and Matanuska Valley
Chambers of Commerce and
their guests, attended the special
Chamber luncheon held at Elks
hall on Monday of this week in
observance of Alaska Farm
Month and Don L. Irwin Day in
the City of Palmer.
One of the finest public din
ners served in the valley for a
long time was prepared and serv
ed by the Valley Chamber mem
bers’ wives and included a vari
ety of 16 vegetables, all grown
in the Valley, plus a number of
valley produced products. The
rolls were made of grains
brought in from the Tanana val
ley; the cakes were made by the
women; the ice cream was fur
nished by the Co-Op Creamery
as one of the speakers pointed
out, everything served at the
dinner, with the exception of the
coffee and sugar, could be or is
produced right in the valley. It
was offered that sugar beets
will grow here so perhaps that
obstacle will be overcome before
next year’s harvest dinner.
Agriculture and highway de
velopments were the main topics
presented by speakers from An
chorage and Palmer. Clare
Banks, president of the Anchor
age Chamber introduced the vis
it-rs from that city including
Anchorage Mayor Anton Ander
son w'ho spoke briefly about the 1
early days of the valley com
paring today’s fine valley potato
with the “spittin- spud” of the
early-day crops. Waino Hendrick
son, secretary of Alaska and Mrs.
Hendrickson were dinner guests
and Mrs. Hendrickson spoke
briefly on their favorable impres
sions of local agriculture.
Don L. Irwin spoke to the
group on his past 22 years in
Alaska agriculture. He outlined
the growth of agriculture since
the Colonists arrived to the pres-1
ent time when 54 percent of the
Alaska market supplies come
from the valley region. He spoke
of the bright future but warned
it could not come by wishful
thinking. “We must continue to
put our shoulders to the wheel
and consolidate our efforts in
order to develop Alaska as we
know it can be done”, he said.
James Wilson, Territorial
Commissioner of Agriculture
spoke on the expected one half
million dollar potato crop; the
expectant $2 million milk pro
duction. He stated that six years
ago he spoke before an Anchor
age audience and told of the ex
pected $1 million production. “It
is a pleasure to see this amount
double in such a short time,” he
said, and credited the additional
efficiency that has been worked
into the industry; the fact that
inflation has not hit the Alaska
markets, pointing out that milk
still sells for 40 cents a quart,
as it did in 1946 in spite of in
creased costs of production. He
pointed out there has been no
price support in Alaska. “This
feat has been accomplished,” he
said, “by increased output and
efficiency. The days of the coun
try bumpkin are gone”, he added.
He emphasized the economic im
portance of buying locally pro
duced items over stateside items,
illustrating how the Alaskan dol
lar, re-spent in Alaska, benefits
many walks of life.
John Crowl, who recently re
signed as manager of the Anch
orage Chamber, spoke to the
group, asking the Matanuska
Valley to join the Anchorage
(Continued on Page 5)
WELLA TREATMENTS
The best there is for dry
hair and scalp conditions
VALLEY BEAUTY SHOP
LAVONNE JOHNSON
Phone 3043
SEE OUR NEW SHIPMENT
OF FULTON GLASS VASES
Telegraph Delivery Service ;
MAUD'S FLOWER SHOP
Theatre Bldg. Phone 3601
KIWANIS PICNIC
PLANS CANCELLED
The Kiwanis picnic origin- ;
ally planned for this Sunday ;
will not be held, it was an- :
nounced today. Instead, a :
joint meeting with the Anch
orage Kiwanians is planned
for Saturday, September 29 ;
and will probably be held in
Anchorage. The special ob-;
servance will be a reward for ;
the Palmer Kiwanians who ;
were winners in a one-month ;
attendance contest conducted ;
between the two clubs. The !
Anchorage men will be fur- !
nishing a chicken feed.
School District
Voting Oct. 2;
One Position Open
The Palmer Independent
School District annual election
will be held in the Co-Op club
room on October 2 between the
hours of 8:00 a.m, and 7:00 p.m.,
at the same place and time as
the City of Palmer election will
be held.
Qualified voters in the PISD
will be invited t© vote to fill one
five-year term on the Board of
Education. Applications for fil- I
ing for the position on the Board
may be obtained at the high
school office any day during sch-•
ool hours. The closing date for 5
filing for the position is Septem-1
bcr 24, up to 5 p.m.
Qualifications of PISD electors j
are as follows: A citizen of Un-!
ited States, 21 years of age or
over. Continuous resident of A1 j
aska during entire year immedi- j
ately preceding date of election
Continuous resident of Palmer
Independent School ^District 30
days before election, and ability
to read and write the English
language.
NO FILINGS YET
IN TY ELECTION
Although no city residents
have yet filed for either of the
two three-year terms on the Pal
mer City Council, two petitions
are being circulated in the city
and are expected to be filed
within a short time. Mrs. A1
(Ethel) King announced this
morning that she is planning to
file for one of the Council seats
and that her petition for filing
is being circulated in the city,
Mrs. King, with her husband, op
erate the Palmer Automotive.
She has been a resident of Pal
mer for a number of years and
is a member of the Matanuska
Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Robert Partridge, manager of
the Matanuska Telephone Assoc
iation, announced early this
week that he will file for one
of the offices and petitions for
his nomination are being circu
lated among city voters. Part
ridge is a member of the Matan
uska Valley Fair Association
board of directors and repre
sent.' MTA in the local Chamber
of Commerce, he and his family
have made their home in the
valley for over a year, coming
here from the Anchorage area.
All qualified electors, interest^
ed in running for either of the
two terms must be nominated by
a petition carrying the name and
address of at least 25 qualified
electors. Petition forms are avail
able at the office of the city
clerk and when the required
number of signatures have been
secured, the petition must be fil
ed with the city clerk. It may
not be filed earlier than 20 days
nor later than 10 days before the
election date, October 2. Peti
tions may now be filed and all
petitions must be filed by Sep
tember 22.
The terms of Council members,
Lucille Mick and A1 J. DeJulio
expire. Councilman DeJulio has
announced that he does not in
tend to seek re-election to his
expiring office. Mrs. Mick has
not yet made an announcement.
SPECIAL COMMITTEE
TO STUDY LOCAL
FIRE-FIGHTING NEEDS
A special meeting will be held
tonight by a committee appoint
ed by Mayor Charles Wilson to
outline plans for increasing the
efficiency of thfe City's volun
teer fire department. Mayor Wil
son appointed the committee at
a special meeting held Septem
ber 7. The committee consists of
the City Planning Commission,
the volunteer fire department,
and city employees. Jack Flint
of the planning commission is |
chairman. Others on the commit
tee include Fire Chief Joseph
Gallant, Ray Lancaster, W. T
Granath, and Bob Bouwens of
the fire department and Ted i
Buzby of the water department |
and Russ Felzien of the street
department.
Mayor Wilson outlined the
present problem mainly the
lack of interest in the depart
ment and the acute need for in
creasing manpower. He pointed
out that the need for fire fighters
is of the greatest importance to
everyone in the city. What we
lack in equipment could be made
up for by a wide-awake active
department, he said. He asked (
for suggestions for creating
more active interest in the de
partment; proposed a unit of
command to simplify work at
fires and a standard of opera
tions. He made a series of sug
gestions that will be studied by
the committee. Fire Chief Gal
lant also presented a group of
suggestions, including living
quarters for at least two fire |
fighters who would be on the .
premises at night; a recreation
room for fire fighters where,
taining sessions and recreation
could be carried out. These sug
gestions will also be considered j
by the committee. Police Chief I
Bernard Bouwens offered to give j
a special firemens’ first aid j
course when an adequate fire
fighting group is formed. The
committee will study equipment
needs and map out an all-out
campaign in the city to obtain an
adequate staff of fire fighters
who will not only turn out for
fires, but who will turn out for
training sessions. Fire Chief
Gallant stated that trained per
sonnel from the Anchorage fire
department would come to Pal
mer and work with the men
when such a group is formed.
Recent improvements in the
fire fighting system include the
numbering of each hydrant in
the city by the water depart
ment. These will be located on
a series of city maps. All fire
trucks are being started and en
gines run each day by the city
(Continued on page 8)
VALLEY FAIR GROSS
ESTIMATED AT
OVER $28,370
Unofficial figures indicate that
the 1956 Matanuska Valley Fair
grossed approximately $28,371.84
This is an over all increase of
about $4486.00 over last year’s
gross, and includes income from
gate receipts, season tickets, |
grand stand, advertising, eonces
sions, and the sale of queen tick
ets. It does not include the $1,700
received from the Territory of j
Alaska which was granted this
year to the Valley Fair.
Top premium prize winners
were announced as follows: Mrs. j
Glen Woods of Palmer, $90; (Mrs.
Woods had a total of 90 exhib
its in various divisions); Mrs.
Martin Olson of Wasilla, $51.75
(Took $50 prize in individual
farm display): Palmasilla Home-1
makers Club, $54.50; Barney Hoi- j
lenbeck, Palmer, $53 with 15
winning entries; Mrs. John Mc
Donald, Wasilla, $42.75, 43 win
ning entries; Mrs. Henry Karfi
of Spenard, $39.50, 37 winning
entries; Goldusters Homemak- [
ers Club, $40; Mrs. I. M. Sand
vik, Palmer, $31.50, 38 winning
entries; Vadney Bladsoe of Was
i1 la, $30.50, 11 winning entries;
and Mrs. Lila Newville of Pal
mer, $25, 16 winning entries.
There was a total of 328 ex
hibitors, including individuals
and Homemakers’ club booths,
plus a large number of 4-H en
tries. The length of the list of
prize winners prevents publica
tion of the list, excepting those
leading winners mentioned
above. A total of $1,189.25 was
won in the open classes plus an
additional $1,000 in the 4-H divi
sion. Unofficial figures list a to
tal of $2289,25 for total premi
ums paid out in the 1956 Fair.
As cards are rechecked this fig
ure may change. A total of 836
items were put up for exhibition.
This figure does not include 4-H
exhibits which were estimated in
the neighborhood of 600 tiems.
Other interesting figures re
leased this week by A1 Hagen,
fair manager, showed that 4,911
rides were taken on the popular
merry-go-round; and 1,910 rides
on the ferris wheel and swing
ride.
The Northland Pioneer Gran
ge took first prize in the organ
izational farm display division
and Catherina Stevens took first
for her best-dressed chicken in
the chicken style show.
The annual membership meet
ing of the Matanuska Valley
Fair Association will be held the
second Teusday in November, on
the 13th. The meeting place and
time will be announced later.
The next meeting of the board
of directors has been set for
Tuesday, September 18.
Council Notes
The regular City Council meet
ing was called off September 11,
when a lack of a quorum pre
vented Councilmen present from
conducting business. The meet
ing was slated for 8 p.m. but
only Councilmembers Lucille
Mick, William Zahradnicek and
A1 DeJulio were present, along
with the city clerk and attorney.
A lack of quorufn means that
the majority of city business
cannot be conducted. In the ab
sence of the Mayor, Territorial
Law stipulates that there must
be five Councilmembers present
to conduct business. It requires
four affirmative votes to pass on
any motion. Mayor Wilson is in
the States at the present time
on Soil Conservation business;
two Councilmembers delayed
while on hunting trips and one
other was unable to attend.
Business being held up in
cludes the acquisition of Civil
Defense materials and equip
ment which can be made avail
able to the City of Palmer at a
very low cost, including a large
supply of asphalt, available at
Fairbanks; a rock crusher; a D-8
Cat; plus numerous parts for
repairs to equipment and other
supplies. These items are avail
able to the city for only a limit
ed time for other cities in the
Territory are also anxious to ob
tain this CD property at the low
two-cents on a dollar purchase
price.
Because of no quorum, bills
were not approved for payment;
a transfer of city tax funds into
the school district fund was not
completed; annual committee re
ports, mow due, were not present
ed; and other phases of city busi
ness were held up.
A meeting scheduled two
weeks ago for the transfer of the
water system from the Alaska
Public Works to the City of Pal
mer on September 12, was can
celled because the necessary
quorum was not available. APW
Attorney Madison, out of the
Juneau office, will be in the
area again tomorrow and anoth
er meeting will be attempted at
that time. A quorum is neces
sary to consumate the final phas
es of the system transfer.
City Clerk L. C. Stock report
ed that a total of $6,438 has been
recovered in recent weeks on de
linquent city sales tax returns,
water bills, and business licenses.
Only two accounts remain on the
delinquent sales tax return list;
nine on the water accounts and
one business. Further action is
contemplated on the remaining
delinquent accounts when a
quorum is present at a meeting.
Proposed Bond Issue
Explained by Mayor
DINNER PLANNED FOR
1956 FAIR WORKERS
All Matanuska Valley Fair <
directors, '56 queen contest- ;
ants, and supervisors will be ;
guests at an appreciation din- ;
ner being planned by the Fair ;
Association for next Thurs- ;
day evening. September 20. ;
The dinner will be held at;
6:30 p.m. at Moose hall and ;
will be catered by the Women ;|i
of the Moose. Invitations are ;!
being mailed !
Dancing Lessons
Offered for
Area Teen-Agers
A dancing class for Valley
teen-agers will begin next week
Friday evening if sufficient in
terest is indicated at an intro
ductory meeting scheduled for
TOMORROW night at 7:00 in the
Legion building basement.
Invited by a number of par
ents to start a dancing class in
Palmer for interested high j
school students in both the juni
or and senior schools. Miss Betty
Lou Jensen of the Anchorage
Conservatory of Dance expressed
herself as delighted with the op
portunity to give a serieS of les- j
sons in this area.
The preliminary meeting to
morrow night will be open to all
who are interested in such danc
ing instruction. Parents are in
vited to attend. Miss Jensen’s
course will include 10 hours of |
lessons in all forms of modern
ballroom dancing. Fee for the
course is $20, payable at the be
ginning of the first lesson.
Miss Jensen believes that a
class of 20 is about right, alth
ough 24 could be accommodated.
If there are enough registrants
in each group, separate classes
will be scheduled for junior and
senior high school students;
junior high school students pos
sibly having their lessons after
school hours. By beginning the
course early in the year it is hop
ed that most of the lessons will
be over by the time basketball
season begins. Also, the parents
who contacted Miss Jensen hop
ed to spare her too much driving
on icy roads.
Previous to coming to Alaska,
Miss Jensen taught in the studio
of Yolande and Velez. She plans
to bring a partner with her to
Palmer in order to demonstrate
dance steps. She will bring her
own record player and records.
FARMERS INVITED TO
DEMONSTRATION OF
POTATO HARVESTER
All potato farmers and other
interested in seeing a new potato
harvester in operation are in
vited to attend a demonstration
which will be held on the Waldo
Erickson farm next Wednesday,
September 19, at 1:00 p.m.
Personnel from the Experi
ment Station will be testing the
new A & R Potato Harvester,
checking its adapability to Alas
kan conditions. Farmers are in
vited to attend the demonstra
tion and check its operation and
voice their opinions on the feas
ibility of the piece of equip
ment.
The harvester, valued at $2,
000, is manufactured by A & R,
Inc. of Idaho Falls, Idaho
Realizing there may be some
confusion in the minds of voters
regarding the proposed $200,000
bond authorization for street
improvements when part of an
increased City property tax levy
was earmarked for those same
improvements, Mayor Charles
Wilson issued this week the fol
lowing statement of explanation:
The City Council recently in
creased the tax levy on city pro
perty for the purpose of provid
ing money to help pay for the
water system (2 mills) and for
street improvements (3 mills).
The three-mill levy for street
improvements will bring an ap
proximately $15,000 a year. Part
of this will be spent on tempor
ary improvements such as dust
control and drainage, but pro
bably the greater share will be
spent on permanent improve
ments under a street paving pro
gram.
Territorial law makes the city
responsible for one-third of the
cost of these permanent improve
ments; the property owners di
rectly benefited are responsible
for two-thirds of the cost. Thus,
cost of a 40-foot stretch of paving
would be assessed as follows:
One-third cost to the benefited
property owner on one side of
the paving; one third to the pro
perty owner on the other side
of the paving; the remaining
one-third is the city’s share.
Since the city cannot force the
federal government to pay for
improvement assessments on fed
erally owned property, that is
the Alaska Railroad, it may be
necessary for the city to assume
the cost of such assessments,
thereby raising the city’s overal’
share of the street improvement
program. The city also pays for
all interest on street improve
ment bonds. The city costs will
be paid out of the general pro
perty tax levy earmarked for
street improvements.
It should be pointed out that
the law povides that paving un
der this bond issue will be under
taken only upon petition of pro
perty owners who will be requir
(Continued on page 8)
DON L. IRWINS
LEAVE FOR STATES
Mr. and Mrs. Don L. Irwin are
leaving Alaska Saturday by
plane, enroute to Nebraska
where they will visit one of
Don’s sisters; then on to Clare
mont, S. D. where they will va
cation a short while with Mrs.
Irwin’s brother and then on to
Columbus, Ohio and Washington,
D. C. where they plan to stay
at least 10 days before leaving
for Winter Haven, Florida where
they will visit their son, Lieuten
ant Don L. Irwin, his wife and
their young daughter. This will
be the first meeting for Mr. and
Mrs. Irwin and their daughter
in-law and new granddaughter.
The Senior Irwins plan to spend
the early part of the winter in
Florida where their son is tak
ing pilot training with the Air
Force, and then travel to Cali
fornia for the completion of
their vacation. They expect to
return to Alaska in the spring.
Mr. Irwin, who has been direc
tor of the Alaska Agriculture Ex
periment Station the past several
years, was an honored guest at
the special Chamber of Commer
ce meeting held this past Mon
day during which Alaska Farm
Month and Don L. Irwin Day in
the city of Palmer, were observ
ed.
Hyland Hotel
IS REOPENED FOR BUSINESS
ROOMS $40.00 per month