Dorothy M, Boll, Editor
PALHSR, ALASKA
Published evory reek at Palmor, Alaska for the Matanuska Valley Farmers* Cooperating
Association for the purposo of giving news of tho Associations Work, Problems and
Accomplishments and dissemination of information of a.public charaotor.
SUBSCRIPTION RATE $1.75 a yearSingle Copy lQqf
a farmers' Town
Yes, Palmer is tho farmers town. And— How como? you ask.
In 1935 the government sent 200 families to the Valley'and laid plans for a Community
Center to be located where the Civic Center now stands. In those early days a Council
res composed of representatives from each section of tho Valley. Rules and regula
tions for’the Community Center as well as all outlying districts wore formulated by
that body. However, as the town grow and other businesses moved into the field, the
Civic Center Council was abandoned. It no longer seemed advisable for the"fanners to
worry about the town and certainly each community could'take caro of itself. But
the farmer relieved himself of Only tho town dicipline. He still carries a great
deal of tho financial burden of the town of Palmer.
Uho for instanco pwns the town’s water supply system? The farmers.
TTho is paying for the now sower system? The farmers, with the Corporation.
Tho is expected to iiimish housing for Public Offieials? The fanners.'
TTbo is expected to carry a large share of the lo ad for Public Enterprises? Hie farmor.
7,110 maintains Headquarters for the Public Health Center? Tho farmers.
Sometimes we wondor if the farmers themselves realize this? Hie^really haven’t com
plained vory nuch, but we hatfe hoard a few expressions on the subject. And folks,
it isn't fr£r to tho farmers. The fanner himself doos not profit by many of those im
provements. If he desires the benefit of a watersjstem or a sewor, he must install
his own.
Undoubtedly, most of you never roalized the part that tho Matanuska Valley farmor
plays in maintaining the town of Palmer—but rembmher this-the FARMER in the Mata
nuska Valley is tho MATANUSKA VALLEY COOPERATING ASSOCIATION. All too often people
refer to tho M.V.F.C.A. as if it were something apar$ from the people themselves—
or one would think that the General Manager was the'Co-op, but it isn’t The General
Manager, the Board of Directors or the Co-op Office. Theso'peoplo aro employees and
representatives of the people thomsolvos-the Farmers. No, tho M.V.F.C.A. is tho
FARMERS of tho Matanuska Valley; and whenever, you lay the burden of any enterprise
on the‘M.V.F.C.A., you lay it on the shoulders of every farmer-member in tho Matanuska
Valley.
Several people have asked how I found conditions "outside” and if I thought a depres
sion was in tho offing.
r.'rst--in the mid-west states, Minnesota and Iowa, there appeared to he plenty of
work and vages were better than I have ever seen then. The drought of this summer
sy of course make some difference in conditions this'winter. Prices are high—in
j.ect on some things , almost as high as they are here.
In Southern California there did not seem to be much rark. At San Francisco there
appeared to be more work and rages rare very good. The fact that fruit'grorars can
-;ot get enough for the products to afford to market them, may of course, effect tho
naoor market. If people cannot make a living on their fruit ranches, they most cer
tainly have to make it somewhere elso--and that is on the labor market.
As to whether a depression is in the offing or not—it may be, but hot because of a
surplus. Following World War I,prices rose to extrone highs and in 1921 the nation
suffered a depression—not anything as severe a3 the one- of the 30*s—but neverthe
less neople were out of work and prices came down. After all, things cannot keep on
skyrocketing, and according to Economic history, a depression always follows these
high peaks. They are not always severe.
There was one thing I noticed more than anything else. People are traveling back '*
and forth across the nation like mad. One wonders where they'are all going. Trains,
busses and planes always carried full or almost full capacity. If you hopod to sit
down on a train, you had to havo a reserved seat. Some trains would not admit pas
sengers without reservations, and these had to be obtained as long as two weeks in
advance. T stood in line almost an hour at United Airlines in San Francisco in order
to pick up reservations that I had made by phone.