PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
VOLUME 11. NUMBER 5
PALMER, ALASKA Wednesday. November 27. 1957
PRICE TEN CENTS
TAX EXEMPT HEARING]
HELD HERE; SEEK
RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendations from the
City of Palmer and the Palmer
Independent School District will
be required before any decision
can be made by the Board of
Administration regarding the ap
plication of the Matanuska Val
ley Farmers Cooperating Associa
tion for tax exemption under the
new Territorial Act, chapter 129.
This statement was made by A1
Anderson of Juneau, an admin
istrator of the Board who con
ducted a public hearing in Pal
mer on November 21. The rec
ommendations are to specify the
amount and type of tax relief
to be applied.
Anaerson was introduced to tne
audience by James Wilson, ter
ritorial commissioner of agricul
ture. Attending the meeting were
representatives of the Co-Op,
Palmer City Council, Palmer
Board of Education, Tax Asses
sor’s Office, Alaska Department
of Agriculture, and other inter
ested individuals.
In reviewing the application of
the Co-Op for tax exemption un
der Chapter 129, SOLA, Anderson
brought out statements of the
Co-Op that the grain elevator and
dryer, for which they seek tax
exemption from the territory and
local taxing units, was put in op
eration in September, 1957. The
estimated valuation of the plant
and equipment is $75,000 and the
land approximately $500. Two
employees will be used on a per
manent basis and the operation
will be conducted the year
around. The payroll was estimat
ed at $20,000; coal to be consum
ed would 'be about 275 tons
and that $25,000 worth of grain
would be purchased in the first
year.
Stewart Durrant, general man
ager of the Co-Op, reported that
the elevator is filled to capacity,
a fact that was not anticipated
in the first year of operation,
and that additional storage space
will be needed next year. He
pointed out the elevator was
(Continued on page 8)
THANKSGIVING
GREETINGS!
Telegraph Delivery Service
MAUD'S FLOWER SHOP
Theatre Bldg. Phone 3601
FREE MOVIES
Every Friday Night
8 p.m. at
THE DEMINGS
MILE 35
Children must be accompanied
by parents
GLASS SHOP IN
PALMER?
No, but we will have repre
sentative at Matanuska Hotel
November 29 and 30 to quote
and estimate any glass or mill
work needed.
Complete line of LOF Ther
mophane, auto glass, mirrors,
doors and millwork
GLASS, SASH &
DOOR SUPPLY
545 E. 4th Avenue
Anchorage, Alaska
Contact A1 Buza for Estimate
9 A.M. to 9 P.M.
COUNCIL
NOTES :
George Hedla, member of the
Kincaid and Hedla accounting
firm, was a visitor at the Novem
ber 28 meeting of the Palmer City
Council which was attended by
Miayor Kenneth Lynn, and Coun
cilmen William Zahradnicek, Ray
Lancaster, Jan Koslosky, Sam
Cotten and Charles Logsdon.
* * *
Following a report by Police
Fire Chief Bouwens in which he
requested and was granted fire
fighting equipment and badges
for firefighters and told of in
creased interest in the depart
ment, Hedla reported on the City
audit, recently completed by him.
Hedla’s report noted better en
forcement of the sales tax or
dinance during the year under re
view than in prior periods. Rev
enues from sales tax amounted
to $72,526.01 compared to $62,973.
75 for the prior year.
Investments in fixed assets ex
ceeded budgeted amounts by
$9,738.35. The majority of these
expenditures were for street and
road equipment and for asphalt
for paving. The majority of these ’
items were purchased from Alas
ka Surplus Property at prices far
below actual value, and the total
includes cost of transporting ma
terial and equipment and the ma
jor repair bills on this equipment.
The accountant’s report show
ed the maintenance of supporting
data in the clerk’s office was
much improved.
Also noted was the completion
of payments by the City on the
water line to the Palmer high
school.
The combined balance sheet
shows that total assets of the City
are $1,084,724.59^ of which $112,
951.92 is in general fixed assets;
general bonded debt, $1,000; bond
fund, $200,006.33; water utility
fund, $664,942.93; and general
fund, $105,821.41.
Additional information on the
report will be published in this
newspaper next week.
* * *
A letter from the Alaska Hous
ing Authority indicates that
plans will go forward for assis
tance to the City in developing
an over-all plan. The City of Pal
(Continued on page 8)
SPECIAL MEET SLATED
FOR BUTTE FIRE GROUP
All residents of the Butte area
are urged to attend a special
meeting of the Butte Fire Asso
ciation which will be held at the"
Butte fire hall at 8 p.m. tonight.
An important discussion will be
held regarding the fire alarm
system.
MEA Business Office
Closed This Week-End
Matanuska Electric Association
members are reminded that the
business office will be closed
Thanksgiving week-end, Novem
ber 28, 29, and 30.
SAVE!
ON YOUR
HOLIDAY CLEANING
LIKE GARMENTS
2 for the 4
price of I
Cash and Carry
BROWN’S CLEANERS
THANKSGIVING
THE HORN OF PLENTY
When we speak of “The Horn of Plenty”,
We think of the Pilgrims in 1620.
They crossed the ocean in the Mayflower,
It took them weeks, days, and many an hour.
When they saw the shore, and finally landed,
They thanked the Lord for not being stranded.
They planted crops and built homes of log,
And lived through storm and all the fog.
They planted wheat, and oats, and rye.
The Pilgrims’ wives made pumpkin pie.
The Pilgrims hunted turkeys, and raised some geese,
And with the Indians, they made peace.
The Indians went to church with them,
And prayed to the Lord and sang sweet hymns.
So when we speak of the Pilgrims in 1620,
We thank Thee, Lord, for “The Horn of Plenty”.
By Dorothy Campbell
Age 12 years
CHURCHES PLAN
UNION SERVICES
TONIGHT IN PALMER
Union Thanksgiving services
will be held by the Matanuska
Valley Ministerial Association in
the United Protestant Church at
8 o’clock this evening. Chaplain
Phillip Lyon of Elmendorf Air
Force Base will be guest speak
er.
Participating in the program
will be pastors from the Minis
terial Association. A union choir,
under the direction of Mrs. Ar
ley Skinner, will present a spec
ial musical program. Mrs. Max
Sherrod will be organist.
The public is cordially invited
to attend the service.
No Thanksgiving day services
are planned in the local church
es. However, a program is plan
ned at the First Presbyterian
Church in Wasilla at 10:30 a.m.
on Thanksgiving day when Chap
lain Douglas Brewer of Elmen
dorf Air Force Base will be guest
speaker. The services are open
to the public.
On Friday evening the Hiway
Chui’ch of God will hold a
Thanksgiving program during
the regular Y-PE program time,
starting at 7:30 p,m. A short de
votional period will be followed
by the showing of a 16 mm
sound film, “Footsteps of a Witch
Doctor”. During the past quarter
the young people have been con
ducting a program based on a
missions theme during which
time a generous collection of
clothing has been donated by the
young people. The clothing will
be boxed and shipped to Kotze
bue as the youths’ Thanksgiving
project. Pop corn will be served
at the close of the meeting and
all interested young people are
invited to attend.
Back-T o-Sdtool
Planned for Parents
Of High Schoolers
Parents of all Palmer high
school students today received in
the mail invitations written by
their children to a Back-to-School
night being sponsored by the
Palmer Parent-Teachers Associa
tion on Tuesday, December 3,
starting at 8 p.m.
This is not a regular P-TA
meeting but is being sponsored
by the Association so that par
ents may see and hear first hand
the subjects being studied by
their children in the Palmer high
school. It is the only big oppor
tunity that parents will have to
attend the high school as a group
and “sit in” on the classes. The
students will not be in attendance
and parents will have the oppor
tunity of visiting each class for
approximately 10 minutes during
which faculty member will out
line work being done by the stu
dents.
William Zahradnicek .school
superintendent, and Keith Smith,
high school principal, join in urg
ing all parents to participate in
the program.
THANKSGIVING EVE
DANCE
WED.. NOV. 27—9 P.M.
Entire Family Invited
ALPINE CIVIC CENTER
Located Behind
Alpine Service Station
• PUBLIC INVITED
• LIVE MUSIC
• REFRESHMENTS
Benefit Building Fund
bj
New Alaska Benefits
Told by Del. Bartlett *
I ANCHORAGE FIRE CHIEF
TO SPEAK AT CHAMBER
Fire Chief George Bums of 1;
Anchorage will be guest >
speaker at the December 4 ;
meeting of the Matanuska !;
Valley Chamber of Commerce, i;
Chief Burns will be the guest<;
of City Police-Fire Chief Ber
nard Bouwens. All merchants ;
and interested homeowners ;!
are invited to attend the meet- ; I
ing which will be held in the
Co-Op club room at noon. ;
Patmer Democrats
Named at Convention
The Third Division Democratic
Convention, held in Anchorage
this past Saturday and Sunday,
was attended by a number of val
ley residents including Mr. and
Mrs. Ragnar Haaland, Mr. and
Mrs. John Shaw, Mr. and Mrs.
James Hurley, Mr. and Mrs. Ber
.tren Curry, Mrs. Don Ingalls,
Mrs. Allan Mick, Mrs. Sam Boyd,
Mrs. Lester (Mears, and Leonard
Kyger. James Hurley served as
Chairman of the Platform and
Resolution committee.
During the convention Mrs.
Irene Ryan of Anchorage was
named chairman of the new Third
Division Democratic Committee
She succeeds J. Earl Cooper, also
of Anchorage. Officers of the di
visional committee include C. L.
Buck, Cordova, vice chairman;
Irwin Metcalf, Seward, secretary;
and Ralph Browne, Anchorage,
treasurer.
A special convention commit
tee came up with a slate of rules
for the new group,
Other business at the conven
tion included the naming of a re
placement for a Thii'd Division
Centi-al Committee member; the
designation of the division’s
membership on the next Central
Committee and the election of
delegates to a territorial conven
tion, if one is called.
Quincy Benton of Homer was
named to the Territorial Central
Committee. James Hurley of Pal
mer was one of four members
of the next Central Committee
from this division and John Shaw
was named delegate from the
Palmer area to the territorial
convention, pi'oviding a call is
issued.
The immediate and future ef
fect new land laws enacted by
the 85th Congress will have on
the economy of Alaska were out
lined by Delegate E. L. Bartlett
at a meeting held in Palmer this
noon.
Out of 54 bills introduced by
Delegate Bartlett during the first
session of Congress, nine were
enacted into law. He said he
doubts riot that many more will
be introduced, many of them di
rect results of resolutions adopt
ed by the League of Alaska Cit
ies during their recent conven
tion, one of which he stated
would probably be in relation to
giving the Territorial Legislature
power for conditional home rule.
The- need of such legislation, he
pointed out, is seen time and time
again when Congress must be
asked to serve as a “city coun
cil”
“It isn’t that Congress is not
interested in these problems of
the Territory—it is simply that
they db not have the time. Con
gress is geared to aet on national
and international matters—other
maters fall by the way because
there just isn’t enough time.”
The delegate stated that he feels
fully 90 percent of such matters
could be taken care of at the
State- capitol if such power is
granted.
Noticeable progress has been
made toward statehood for Alas
ka, stated Bartlett. Both commit- *
tfees considered statehood and re
ported out bills now before both
houses. “Either bill would be ac
ceptable to us as citizens of Al
aska . . . the benefiting provi
sions in the bills are almost re
volutionary. The financial impact
might make it unnecessary for
the territory to add additional
taxes to operate Alaska as a
state.”
In speaking of three land bills
which he presented and which
were ultimately enacted into law,
Bartlett pointed to the transfer
to the Territory of Section 16
in Anchorage. He pointed out
that in 1915 Congress reserved
(Continued on page 5)
COMFORTABLE
Steam Heated Rooms
$40 Month
Hyland Hotel
Z blocks from Post Office
YOUR INVESTMENT IS
NEEDED NOW!!
SUPPORT YOUR OWN RECREATION
A Valley Enterprise
Palmer Bowling
Center
Stock offered only to bonafide resident
of Alaska
FOR DETAILED INFORMATION SEE . . .
E. O. DUGAS NORM HARTUNG
ROBERT JOHNS DR. FOSTER SIMS
JIM HURLEY ED SMITH
John Polls, Wosillo, is accepting subscriptions
from interested persons in the Wasilla area.
Live Music
RUTH AND BOB BURGESS
THE CHEER NOTES
Palmer Bar Sat., Nov. 30
THE—CHEER—NOTES—HAVE—JUST—RETURNED FROM ENGAGEMENTS IN GAUUP, N. MEXICO, OTHER SOUTHWESTERN STATES & FAIRBANKS, ALASKA
t! ‘ :