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VALLEY THEATRE III Ihv I I ^1 I I j ^|r | I ^^1 i* Y°u ra®I for sale* reni or ; j
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i!-..'. , ^ ^ j PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY ___!j
VOLUME 10, NUMBER 14 __PALMER, ALASKA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 24. 1957 PRICE: TEN CENTS
BOND ISSUE PASSES BY HUGE MAJORITY
ALASKA SOIL
CONSERVATIONISTS
CLOSE CONFERENCE
Semi-Annual conference of the
Alaska Soil Conservation Board
opened in the Soil Conservation
office in Palmer for a two day
session, last Monday, and con
tinued through Tuesday.
Conservationists from Fair
banks, Anchorage and Kasiloff
discussed and formulated plans
for soil* surveys and land classi
fication programs for future de
velopment of the Territory.
Progressive work was done to
wards coordinating Soil Conser
vation official sources and the
sub-districts personnel who deal
directly with farmers.
The conference went on record
recommending and seeking reap
pointment of Commissioner of
Agriculture Jim Wilson, when
the new governor takes over.
Also on record went authoriza
tion of a letter to Delegate Bart
lett requesting that he continue
his efforts to have Alaska placed
under the Reclamation Act of
1902. The Act carries the provi
sion that a certain percentage of
money collected by the federal
government from its land, oil and
gas leases be deposited in a re
clamation fund to be allocated to
various stateside irrigation and
other water projects whereever
the need arises. Alaska is not
covered by the Act. The conser
vationists and Delegate Bartlett
are striving to rectify this appar
ent inequality.
Other matters on the agenda
given “workshop” consideration
were:
Maintenance and construction
(Continued on Page 8)
PLANT PATHOLOGIST
GIVES CERTIFIED
SEED FIGURES
Plant Pathologist Dr. Charles ’
Logsdon of the Alaska Experi
ment Station staff announced this
week that approximately 398 tons
of certified seed potatoes are
available to Alaskan farmers for
spring planting.
These figures were released
after the pathologist made a po
tato inspection and survey trip
to Fairbanks and the Kenai area
within the past week.
“Farmers in the area should
place their requisitions early for
the certified seed potatoes before
they go on the commercial mar
ket and the stock is depleted”,
admonished the pathologist.
In Kenai Dr. Logsdon also at
tended a Crop Improvement As
sociation Board of Directors meet
ing, betore returning to Palmer
Tuesday evening.
I
4- — — —- — — — — —••.-r — - w — —■ — — —- — w ^ w*
C of G Forum
Draws Small
Group City Folks
A small, but interested group
of city property owners turned
out for the street paving forum
sponsored by the Valley Chamber
of Commerce at the high school
gym cafeteria, last Thursday
evening.
Chamber of Commerce Presi
dent Stewart Durrant opened the
meeting, briefly explaining the
forum was planned to create
greater interest in the city pav
ing project and to clarify the
$200,000.00 bond issue being
sought for street improvements.
City Council members present
to answer questions from the
audience were Mayor Charles
Wilson and Councilmen A1 Hagen,
Ray Lancaster and William Zah
radnicek; City Clerk Claire Stock
and Attorney John Shaw.
Mayor Wilson reiterated his
many previous statements that
Palmer should avail itself of the
wonderful opportunity to save
substantial sums of money by
paving at the same time the
Bureau of Public Roads lays the
24 ft. strip from the Glenn High
way down Valley street to the
Wasilla highway.
“It seems to me that Palmer
cannot bypass this opportunity to
obtain first class engineering ser
vices at enormous savings to city
taxpayers. The Bureau of Roads
will have all necessary equip
ment here to do an excellent job
of paving, and I, personally feel
we should take advantage of the
situation.”
Jack Daum of Anchorage, Alas
kan representative for National
Securities Bonds Association of
Seattle said his firm could very
easily sell the bonds to Territori
al investors.
A suggestion by Mr. Daum that
retirement of the bonds be ex
tended from 10 to 15 years to al
low more time for payment was
adopted under advisement of At
torney Shaw.
Central Office
Exchange Equipment
Oeing Installed
Two Kellogg factory-trained
telephone technicians, Max Cle
ments and Dale Hanson of Chi
' cago, have been in Palmer since
January 8 and are installing
equipment in the new Palmer
central office telephone exchange,
according to MTA manager, Rob
ert Partridge.
Tentative completion date is set
for March 23. The decision was
made at a conference of MTA
officials, the installers and Mr.
Earl Sisk, REA’s Northwest Dis
trict field engineer who was here
from January 16 to 18 on a rou
tine inspection trip.
While here Mr. Sisk also as
sisted the MTA staff with tele
phone number assignments.
A mimeographed, temporary
telephone directory for all oper
able phones is now ready and
copies may be picked up at the
MTA office.
*
VALLEY RESIDENTS
INVITED TO Din
PUNNING MEET
Proposed planning for the
ity of Palmer will be discussed
at tonight’s public meeting which
will be held in the High School
cafeteria at 8 p.m.
Elmer Gagnon, director of the
Alaska Housing Authority, will
explain the Federal program for
city planning under Section 701
of the Housing Act of 1954.
Under this Act the federal gov
ernment pays for half of the j
cost of developing a comprehen- 1
sive program for communities.
Accompanying Mr. Gagnon j
will be John Kumb city planner |
and AHA technical assistant.
Valley residents interested in
good city planning are urged to
attend this meeting.
Chamber of Commerce
Holds First
Breakfast Meet
Chamber of Commerce board
members held their first break
fast meting in the Rec hall at
7 a.m. Monday. Present were
President Stuart Durrant, Vice
president Eugene Reid, secretary
treasurer Lucille Mick and direc
tors Jim Hurley, Dick Jones, Ed
Smith, Betty Mears and Caroline
Shields.
The Board agreed to contribute
$50 to the steering committee to
be allocated as their share of the
expense of preparing the AVA
tourist brochure. Decision was
also made to make further con
tributions to the legislative cam
paign committee working on ae
quisiton of the mental health
hospital.
An appropriation of $400 from
dues collected in 1956 was ear
marked for promotion and ad
vertising of a “Buy-at-Home”
campaign.
The Board also decided tenta
tively, to purchase an additional
5000 AVA tourist brochures.
They felt the 5000 free copies
received from AVA would not be
sufficient. Decision however, will
not be made until proofs are sub
mitted for approval.
Committees and their chairmen
were appointed for 1957 as fol
lows:
Tourist Committee, Betty
Mears; Aviation, Ralph Farns
(Continued on Page 8)
CITY COUNCIL
HAS SPECIAL
MEETING FRIDAY
Mayor Charles Wilson has call
ed a special meeting of the Coun
cil in the basement room at City
Hall for Friday afternoon at 2
>.m. Routine business from the
postponed regular meeting will
be discussed and disposed of as
well as canvassing the special
bond election votes, in Tuesday’s
election.
The council will also consider
and pass on petitions for im
provement districts which can
now be set up as a result of the
overwhelming—112 for and 37
against—votes cast for the bond
ed indebtedness.
Three petitions are already on
file in the city hall. These cover
Colony street from Matanuska
Hotel south to Wasilla street; an
other takes in Railroad Street
from Hartley Motors to Co-Op
Avenue and from Co-Op Avenue
from Railroad street to Walker
Ave. The third is from Matanuska
Hotel to Steve Ward’s Corner,
month.
1 “Any petition received after
noon Friday will be considered
too late for the summer paving
program,” said the mayor.
Farm Forum Program
Committee Meets
The Program Committee of the
third Farm Forum met at the
Extension office January 18. Rus
sell Oberg, L. M. DePriest, Eu
gene Reid, Faith Krause, Frances
Hulbert, Pat Lawton and Lew
Hanks were members present.
Farm Forum dates were sug
gested for March 1, 2, and 3. A
program similar to last year's was
recommended.
Dr. Lane Moore of the Dairy
Research Center of Beltsville and
Miss Stanley Hunter of the Fed
eral Extension Service are ex
pected to attend the Forum.
Professor C. L. Fitch, Secretary
of the American Vegetable Grow
ers Association and a long time
contributor to The Packer has
also been invited.
Subjects suggested for discus
sion at the Forum were Grade A
requirements and Dairy sanita
tion, mastitis and Brucellosis
control, new machinery, market
trends in vegetables and milk, mil
itary buying, what’s new in vege
(Continued on Page 8)
PALMER MAN
CRUSHED RY
FALLING TREE
Lester Croff 62 year old' Eai
mer man was seriously injured’
January 15 when a tree crashed
on him in a wooded loti near the
city limits.
Croff, an employee of the Davis
Sawmill, was trying to: &ee a
lodged tree when it: gave way
and pinned him underneath.
The accident occured at 10 a.m.
Wednesday and it was approxi
mately 3:30 p.m. before Croff re
gained consciousness. He manag
ed to free himself from the tree
and crawled to, his truck, a dis
tance of some TOO ft.
He was discovered at 10 a.m.
Thursday morning by one of the
mill workers and taken inimedi
ately to the hospital.
Croff suffers a compound leg
fracture, broken collar and pelvic
bone, crushed chest an da paraly
zed left arm. He also suffered
from severe freezing of the face,
hands and feet.
He is a patient at the Valley
| Presbyterian Hospital.
March cf Dimes
Moving Aiong
At Slow Pace
Suggestions for speeding March
of Dimes collections are still be
ing considered according to cam
paign committee chairman Ed
Smith. Dimes are coming in rath
er slowly.
“We would like to see the lit
tle silver pieces roll in a little
faster”, said Smith. “However,
we are not complaining. We feel
people in the Valley will do the
best they can to meet our quota,”
added Smith.
Quotas for the past four years
had been set at $1,000 yearly.
Even though there are no resi
dent polio cases here, there are
two former valley youths receiv
ing expensive medical treatment
in the States. Added to this is the
cost of manufacturing and distri
bution of polio vaccine which
makes the drive a dire necessity.
To date contributions have been
received from Beta Sigma Phi,
the Butte, Riverbend and Glacier
View Homemakers’ clubs and
Moose and Elks lodges, each of
whom turned in completed dime
cards.
Plans are still being considered
for a March of Dimes Dane
Services Held for Mine Yicfims
Funeral services were held this
week for the five miners who
were victims of an explosion at
the Evan Jones Coal Co. near
Palmer.
A joint service was held for
Philip Doherty, Glen R. Vore, and
Sam Kwandahl Wednesday at
11 a.m. in the Palmer Funeral
Chapel. The Rev. James P. Snead
officiated.
Pallbearers for the three were
Richard Diedrich, Walter Mayr,
Charles Shaver, Primo Tirapelli,
Glen Marshall and John Bartanen,
friends of the deceased.
Glen R. Vore is 41 years old
and had been a resident of Sut
ton, Alaska for some time. He is
survived by three children.
Sam Kwandahl, 56 was a resi
dent of Palmer.
Philip Doherty, 38, of Palmer is
survived by his wife, 3 sons,
Philip R., Paul A., and Mark H.
all of Palmer; by his parents, Mr.
and Mrs. Paul Doherty of County
Donegal, Ireland; four brothers
Neil, Paul, Harry and Pat also
of Ireland and John Doherty of
Modesto, California.
He is also survived by two sis
ters, Mrs. John Scudder of San
Francisco, California, and Miss
Eugene Doherty of New York.
Following the services the body
was shipped to the Ridgeway
Funeral Home, in Smithfield, Ohio
for burial.
The body of John E. Fowler
was sent from the Anchorage
Funeral Chapel to Pleasant
Grove, Utah for services.
Fowler was a veteran of World
War II and had been a resident
of Palmer for five years. He was
a member of the Palmer Elks
Lodge.
He is survived by his father,
John W. Fowler of Antlers Creek,
Oklahoma; four brothers, Sam
Fowler of Anchorage, William A.
Fowler of Member, New Mexico,
Baxter Fowler of Modesto, Cali
fornia, Oscar Fowler of Superior
California; four sisters, Mrs. Edre
Heaton of Cortez, Colorado, Mrs.
Inez Teague of Pleasant Grove,
Mrs. Iona Kijk of Modesto, Cali
fornia, and Mrs. Ethel Kimbsy
of Palisades, Idaho.
Funeral services for Nick Uze
lak, 41, were held at 1 p.m. Wed
nesday at the Church of Jesus
Christ of The Later Day Saints
with Stewart Durrant officiating.
Pallbearers were Moose mem
bers Leo Lucas, Ted DeLand and
Ralph Moore, also Hugh Adams,
Kenneth Wallace and Bud Gro
ver.
Members of the Moose Lodge
conducted a service at the Church
and were in charge of grave-side
ceremonies.
Uzelak, a native of Bingham,
Utah, has been a resident of Al
aska for six years and a member
of the Palmer Moose Lodge.
Among surviving relatives are
his wife Alene and two daughters,
Mrs. Joe Lentz, Jr. of Anchorage
and Roberta Uzelak, a Palmer
High School student.
The men were all killed in an
accident which occurred shortly
j after 10 a.m. Friday, in a slope
I mine which was owned by Evan
Jones and operated by an inde
pendent group of miners.
The mine was shaken by two
explosions which were only
seconds apart. It is believed that
all five men met instant death.
— -— — — - —
CLEARS PATH
FOR ISSUANCE OF
C1TT BONOS
The $200,000.00 Bonded indebt
edness was voted in, by city bal
loteers in last Tuesday’s Bond
election.
Total of 151 votes were cast,
112 for, 37 against and three bal
lots disqualified.
The result is quite a contrast
to the previous election results
on the same issue when the vote
stood 84 for, 73 against, resulting
in failure of passage because it
lacked the twor-thirds majority.
The victory clears the way for
city officials to issue general ob
ligation bonds in an amount not
to exceed the $200,000.00.
The money will be used for
street improvements such as ex
tensions, widening, paving and
curbing. It also allows for acquis
ition of public works, sewers, and
drainage facilities.
City property holders are now
in position to ask for improve
ment districts after they have
filed their petitions.
People desiring paving better
get on the ball with their peti
tions. “First come, first served”,
said Mayor Charles Wilson.
Three petitions have already
been filed with the city clerk.
One calls for paving of Railroad
street from the Glenn highway
south to Co-Op Avenue; anoth
er designates from Co-Op Ave
nue from Railroad Street east to
Walker Avenue which comprises
virtually all the Co-Op area. The
third is from Matanuska Hotel
to Steve Ward corner.
Petitioners are reminded that
only 50% of the property, by
valuation is required over signa
tures in order to obtain an im
provement district.
1 When paving is completed, pro
perty owners are assessed for
two-thirds the cost; city pays one
third.
Petitions filed after Friday
noon January 25 will not be con
sidered according to Mayor Wil
son. •
—
Planning Committee
To Meet Friday
The entire planning committee
for the Farm Forum will meet
tomorrow night.
The meeting will be held in
the Extension Service office at
8 p.m.
All committee members are
urged to attend. i
BRUCE GRAHAM
APPOINTED INSPECTOR
; Bruce Graham has been ap
| pointed inspector by the Alaska
Department of Fisheries. He will
be checking licenses and inspect
ing lakes and streams in this area.
FOR FAST RESULTS TRY A
FRONTIERSMAN CLASSIFIED
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m
DANCING
at the
T & T Sourdough Bar
SATURDAY NIGHT, JANUARY 26
Music by
GENE COONRADT’S GLUE NOTES
EVERYBODY WELCOME I
■ a.——