Thought of the Week:
HAPPY
NEW YEAR
The Frontiersman
ALASKA ’! I S T 0 .1 C A L
z MUSEUM..
BOX 2031
JUNEAU ALASKA
PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
PUBLIC MEETING
to ductus
Airport L®a»® Regulation*
Buddy Woods Hangar
Friday* D»c* 28—8 p m
VOLUME 15. NUMBER 14
PALMER. ALASKA THURSDAY. DEC. 27, 1962
TWELVE PAGES
PRICE 15 CENTS
Alaska Oal Production Is Up
Over Last Year; Less Than '60
Production of oats in Alaska
showed an increase of 46 per
cent above last year’s crop, ac
cording to Paul Pownall, state
statistician, and Hal Tye, agri
cultural economist, in their
annual Alaska crop summary
published Dec. 20.
The sharp increase over last
year’s small yield of oats was
compared to the very good crop
of 1960, which was 15 per cent
Reporters—
Notebook
The Max Sherrods report
from Redlands, Calif, that they
will not return to Palmer as
soon as they had planned, since
Max will have some surgery
done on Jan. 2 and again on
Jan. 7 in the Redlands Hospi
tal. Mrs, Sherrod says she is
sure that her husband would
appreciate having a note from
friends while he is in the hos
pital, where he will be about
12 days. “We spent last week
end at Death Valley, and
found it most interesting,” Mrs.
Sherrod says. “We went swim
ming in the natural warm
pool." The Sherrod address is
1411 Cameo Drive, Redlands.
*
Missileman second class Joe
Lawton, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Lloyd Lawton, was home on
leave during the early part of
December.
Having completed a six
months’ cruise aboard the U.S.
S. Towers, a nuclear-powered
destroyer, which took him to
Hawaii, Japan, Australia, and
Thailand, he is now m San Die
go with his tour of duty al
most completed.
While in Australia, the Tow
ers took part in an annual cele
bration of the Battle of the Cor
al Sea. The ship was the first
of its class to visit Australia.
During its stay there, the ship
demonstrated its missile stren
gth by firing its Tartar weapon
for the Australian Navy minis
ter of state, the chief of naval
construction, and members of
the Australian Parliament.
* * *
Albert J. Silk, seaman, USN,
son of Mr. and Mrs. K. G. Tag
gart of Wasilla, is serving
aboard the fleet stores ship
USS Ajax, which spent Christ
mas in Sasebo, Japan.
The ship is operating with
the Seventh Fleet in the West
ern Pacific. The Seventh Fleet
is a major element of Ameri
can seapower aboard.
A traditional Christmas din
ner was held aboard the ship,
which was decorated with
Christmas trees and lights.
“White Christmases” in Sasebo
are few, since the temperature
seldom falls below freezing.
When it does snow, it melts as
soon as it hits the ground. Sas
ebo is located on t h e north
western side of Kyushu, the
southernmost island of Japan.
above this year’s crop.
Harvest conditions were gen
erally favorable from Sept. 15
when combining started until
all the grain was either com
bined or in the shock, the crop
reporters said. Yield in the
Railbelt area (where all the
grain harvested in the state is
produced) averaged 61 bushels
per acre, 10 bushels per acre
above last year’s low yield and
four bushels above 1960’s good
crop.
1962 Crop Season
All 1962 crops faced a very
slow- start last spring, the sta
tisticians said, with heavy run
off from above average snow
cover plus much above normal
rainfall during May delaying
preparation of seed beds and
planting of all crops in the
Railbelt, where temperatures
ranged from one to 11 degrees
below normal. The cold, wet
month of May greatly retarded
germination and growth of
crops.
However, it was pointed out,
favorable conditions developed
about the middle of June and
continued throughout the rest
of the season. Practically the
entire acreage of crops was
harvested this year, in sharp
contrast to several hundred
acres of the 1961 grain and
forage caught by early snows.
Although some of the grain
was harvested in the spring of
1962, most of it was destroyed
during the winter months by
moose and buffalo.
About 1900 acres of brome
grass winter-killed and was re
seeded Under the ASCS disas
ter assistance program.
Hay and Silage
Alaskan silage production in
1962 totalled 9,000 tons, 1,300
tons of which was grain hay
and the balance brome, timo
thy and wild grasses. Wild hay
production amounted to 450
tons. Total hay production was
up seven per cent over last
Seniors Banquet,
Dance Tonight
Highlight of t h e Christmas
season for Palmer high school
students will be the senior din
ner and ball tonight.
Festivities begin with the
senior dinner, open only to
seniors and their dates, which
will be served in the recrea
tion hall of the LDS Church.
The young people have been
asked to arrive between 7:30
and 7:45 p.m., since serving is
to begin at 8 p.m.
The Senior Ball, open by in
vitation to all Palmer high
school students, will begin at 9
p.m. at the Elks hall, where
music will be furnished by a
five-piece Anchorage band,
The Jokers.
Following the ball, the mer
rymakers will go on to the Cen
ter Theatre for a special mid
night movie, which will begin
at 12:30 a.m.
year and 14 per cent over the
1960 total, when the number of
dairy cows in the state was
substantially increased. As
usual, some hay was damaged
by wet weather, but in gen
eral the quality of the hay crop
this year was good. Quality was
lowered by the heavy growth
of weeds resulting from the
severe winter killing of brome
grass in some fields.
Silage production in Alaska
in 1962 totalled 31,300 tons, up
16 per cent from 1961 and 38
per cent more than in 1960,
which just preceded the inship
ment of additional dairy cows.
Ideal growing conditions pro
duced a heavy yield.
Barley
Production of 2,112 tons of
barley in Alaska exceeded last
year’s small crop by 21 per
cent and 1960’s large crop by
one per cent. Harvesting start
ed around Palmer Sept. 1, and
after a few days of rainy wea
ther proceeded without much
interruption. The average yield
of 40 bushels per acre was
three and a half bushels above
last year’s and two above 1960.
Potatoes
Ihe 19b2 potato crop in Al
aska totalled 6,935 tons from
730 acres, five per cent less
than last year but six per cent
more than in 1960. The average
yield for the state, nine and a
half tons per acre, is the same
as last year. Much lower yields
on the Kenai Peninsula were
offset by a slightly higher aver
age yield in the Matanuska
Valley-Anchorage and Tanana
Valley areas.
Vegetables
An estimated 180 tons of
cabbage was harvested this
year from 30 acres, up six per
cent from last year and the
same amount harvested as in
1960 from 35 acres. Nearly all
of the late crop matured this
year under favorable growing
conditions. The carrot crop, es
timated at 270 tons, was four
per cent larger than last year
but 29 per cent smaller than
in 1960. Growing conditions
favorable for the crop, but a
few were too small to harvest,
due to late planting. A head
lettuce crop of 400 tons was 18
per cent more than last year,
while the 40 acres harvested
was the same as last year. Yield
of 160 hundredweight per acre
was 25 hundredweight higher
than last year. Quality was
generally good, and a larger
proportion of the crop was har
vested than last year.
LUCKY WINNERS
Harold Monahan of the Four
Aces received a Christmas bon
us by winning not only the
“Hundred Dollar Baby” doll
raffled by Women of the
Moose, but also the life-size
walking doll for which a draw
ing was held Dec. 24 at the Wa
silla Bar.
Betty Demming, who made
the “Hundred Dollar Baby,” al
so won the watch for selling
the winning ticket, and Pat
Wells received a $25 savings
bond for selling the greatest
number of tickets for the Wo
men of the Moose raffle.
Meeting Will Discuss
Airport Regulations
BLISSARD RITES
HELD SUHDAY
Funeral services were held
for Charles Frederick Blissard,
ten-year-old son of Mr. and
Mrs. John Blissard of Palmer,
on Sunday, Dec. 23, in the
Wasilla Church of Christ. The
boy died Friday, Dec, 21. of
injuries received when his bi
cycle collided with an automo
bile on Bailey Hill, a short dis
tance inside the Palmer city
limits.
The fatal accident occurred
shortly after 5 p.m. Friday, as
Charles was returning to Pal
mer from the home of a friend,
Curtis Fuchs. The driver of the
car, Stewart Dreghom, was al
so traveling south and did not
see the boy on the unlighted
bicycle until the moment of
impact.
Although the youngster was
still alive when brought to
Valley Presbyterian Hospital,
he never regained conscious
ness. Since he was not recog
nized by police and hospital i
authorities, some time elapsed
before the parents were noti
fied, the mother first learning
of the accident when she drove
up Bailey Hill to look for her
son, overdue from his play
mate’s home, and was stopped
by police officers investigating
the collision.
Charles, who was bom in
North Platfe, Nebraska, on
M^y 30, 1952) came to Alaska
with his parents in 1957. He
attended school in Wasilla un
til this year, when he was en
rolled in Central School in
Palmer.
Besides his parents, he is sur
vived by two sisters, Cynthia
and Colleen, and a brother
Morton, all at home: also a
grandmother, Mrs. Grace M.
Blissard of LaJara. Colorado.
Funeral services were con
ducted by the Rev. Wenter
Harvey. Interment followed in
the Wasilla Cemetery.
Couple Plan
Dec. 30 Wedding
Mrs. Judy Campbell, credit
manager at the Sears store in
Palmer, and Mr. Kyle Turner,
assistant vice president of the
Matanuska Valley Bank in Pal
mer, have announced plans for
their wedding, which will be
held Sunday, Dec. 30, at two
o’clock in the afternoon in the
Church of Jesus Christ of Lat
ter Day Saints.
The couple have extended a
cordial invitation to their
friends and the general public
to attend the ceremony and
the reception which will follow
at the Moose hall.
Mrs. Campbell and Mr. Tur
ner have requested that there
be no gifts.
Stale To Enforce
Lease Requirements
All plane owners, Palmer
airport property owners, and
any other interested persons
are urged by local airmen to at
tend a meeting tomorrow, Dec.
28, at Buddy Woods hangar at
8 p.m. The purpose of the
meeting is to discuss the new
regulations governing use of
state airports which went into
effect on Nov. 11.
According to a notice from
the office of Eugene Roguszka,
director of the Division of Avi
ation, those using state airport
lands or facilities without be
ing covered by a written lease
or permit from the Division of
Aviation are now in trespass,
and regulations will be enfor
ced and penalties applied be
ginning Jan. 2.
Persons operating commer
cial enterprises at the Palmer
airport or using tiedown space
for their planes will be charg
ed a basic rate of between
three and four cents per square
foot per year, under the new
regulations. When Roguszka
and other Division of Aviation
officials attended a Palmer
city council meeting on Dec.
18, the director stated that
various factors will influence
the setting of rates in individ
ual cases—that basic rates may
vary according to location, de
mand, availability, local econ
omy, services provided, invest
ment, etc.
111“ UUlltC SCIll IU all JJUI L
users urged that applications
be made immediately for a
lease or permit to avoid the
penalties to be imposed. Each
application must be accompan
ied by a $10 application and
service fee.
Excerpts from the regula
tions were included in the no
tice, emphasizing several
points:
“Except as provided . . . any
regular use of lands or facili
ties without the written con
sent of the state is prohibited.
This prohibition shall not ap
ply to use of areas designated
by the state for specific public
use such as . . . passenger ter
minals, automobile parking
areas, roads and streets.”
“ . . . operation of any part
or kind of business or commer
cial enterprise upon, in or
above airport lands without
the written consent of the state
is prohibited.”
“Any or all personal proper
ty placed or used upon lands
or in facilities in violation of
the preceding prohibitions may
be removed and/or impounded
by the state, and when so re
moved and or impounded, such
property may be redeemed by
the owner . . . only upon the
Winners In Elks Contest Named
Janie Hanks, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Lew Hanks, and
David Martin, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Paul Martin, have been
named the 1963 winners of
the Elks Lodge Youth Lead
ership Award, given each year
to a senior boy and girl in the
Palmer high school in recogni
tion of outstanding leadership
qualities.
The prize is a $25 savings
bond, which will be presented
to the winners formally on
Youth Day, held annually early
in May.
The brochures which the
young people turned in to the
local Elks committee have been
forwarded to the state organi
zation for judging. Winners in
the state contest will receive
$250 and will enter national
competition.
Both Janie and David are
very active in school and com
munity affairs. Janie’s school
activities include band, cheer
leading, pep club, majorettes,
and National Honor Society.
She has held numerous organ
izational offices.
At present she holds the
office of Grand Outer Observ
er in the Grand Assembly of
Alaska, Order of Rainbow for
Girls, and is a past Worthy Ad
visor of the local Rainbow as
sembly. She was a member of
the Grand Choir when the
Alaskan Rainbow group was
still affiliated with Washington
and Idaho.
Janie, an enthusiastic 4-H
member for some years, was
state dress revue winner in
1961, winning a trip to the
4-H Club Congress in Chicago.
She attended the 1962 4-H and
student body officers leader
ship training conference in
Fairbanks as a junior leader.
She has been vice-president of
the Community 4-H Club and
has served on camp and con
ference committees.
She appeared in a Standard
Oil film of Alaska, where she
was shown working on the fur
parka which she modeled in
the 1961 dress revue.
Janie plans to attend the
University of Alaska, where
she will major in home econ
omics.
David, who was state 4-H
winner in gardening in 1960
and won a trip to the 4-H Club
Congress in Chicago, was also
awarded a trip to the national
4-H Club Conference in Wash
ington, D.C. in 1962. David also
attended the 1962 Fairbanks
conference.
In high school, David has
taken part in band, choir, j
pep club, cheer leading, sci
ence club, yearbook, and jun
ior class play activities. He is
a member of the National Hon
or Society.
This musically minded young
man is also active in his
church, where he leads the
choir.
Planning a career in music,
he intends to enter the Uni
versity of Washington next
fall.
Local committee members
and judges in the contest in
cluded Stanley Zaborac, Jr.,
Keith Smith, Ralph Burnett,
Ted Schmidtke, George Ed
Smith and W. T. Zahradnicek.
payment to the state of the
costs of removal plus storage
charges of $1 per day in the
case of each aircraft of n o t
more than 6,000 pounds gross
weight or $5 pei day in the
case of each building, each air
craft in excess of 6.000
pounds gross weight, or in the
case of any other kind of
property an amount as deter
mined by the state to be reas
onable.”
Not specifically mentioned
in the proposal but brought out
in the discussion on Dec. 18
is the fact that owners of im
proved property adjacent to
the airport who use the air
port facilities will also be char
ged the lease fee, based on
square footage of improved
property.
Owners of business property
at the airport have pointed out
that air taxi operators already
pay a $25 fee per plane per
year to the state; that insur
ance coverage for air taxi op
erators costs $600 per year per
plane; and that they are al
ready paying personal proper
ty and real estate taxes, as well
as carrying additional insur
ance on their hangars and
homes.
They have also questioned
the Division of Aviation bud
get allowance for the next fis
year of $1,500 to the Palmer
airport. They estimate that un
der the new lease arrangement,
the state would collect $7,000
; in fees from the Palmer air
i port for the year.
Plans For Daily
Clinic Take Shape
Plans for the Dairy Clinic
which will be held the last
week in January are shaping
uo well, according to James
Wilson, chairman of the ARA
Dairy Committee
The local committee has
contacted a team of dairy tech
nicians from Ellensburg, Wash
ington, who will conduct the
clinic here. These men have
held similar clinics in the
Washington state area. A mem
ber of the group is Wesley Ec
kert, son of Mr. and Mrs. Vir
gil Eckert of Palmer, who is
now employed in the Ellens
burg dairy industry.
The purpose of the clinic
will be to clarify some of the
problems of production and
marketing of milk in the Mat
anuska Valley, Wilson said.
INCOME TAX
TIME LOOMS
Suddenly it will be income
tax time again. January sec
ond will be the beginning of
the year’s filing period. Your
financial records are import
ant in preparing your Federal
income tax return. Director of
Internal Revenue L. J. Conrad
for the Anchorage district said.
Now is the time to get together
your cancelled checks, receipts,
records of contribution, and
other papers.
Taxpayers who keep good
financial records each year
should have no trouble pre
paring their Federal income
tax returns, Mr. Conrad ex
plained*
Complete records are espe
cially important to taxpayers
who elect to itemize deduc
tions.
The carbon copies of prior
years’ returns are also good
guides in preparing the new
return.
Complete records will help
you determine how much tax
y<>u will owe or how much of a
refund you will get from Uncle
Sam.
—
II of A Receives
Gmlogy Grant
\ Dr. C. T. Elvey, vice presi
! dent for research and advanced
study, anonunced last week
that the University of Alaska
i Geology Department has been
: selected to participate in the
U.S. National Defense Educa
tion Act program beginning in
j fall, 1963.
I Two federally supported fel
( lowships for study leading to a
! doctorate in geology will be
| available under the program.
Each fellowhsip is worth a
| minimum of $7,800 to the recip
ient over a three year period.
In addition, the geology de
partment will receive a de
partmental supplement of
$2500 per fellowship student
for each year the program is in
effect.
Fellowships are available in
most fields of study but these
are the first such fellowships
to be awarded in Alaska. Only
nine out of the more than 250
geology departments in the
entire country were selected to
participate in the fellowship
program last year.
Significantly, the selection of
the U-A geology department to
participate in the fellowship
program comes only one year
after the department was au
thorized to begin a doctoral
program by the University
board of regents.
Highway Use Tax
Installment Due
District Director of Internal
Revenue L. J. Conrad today
reminded truck and bus own
ers who have elected to p a y
their highway use tax in in
stallments that December 31 is
the due date for the next pay
ment. A notice of payment due
is being sent to these taxpay
ers.
A form 2290 should be filed
on all taxable vehicles by the
end of the month following the
month they were first used on
Dublic highways. However, lia
bility for highway use tax
arises only once each year on
each taxable vehicle. There
fore, on second hand trucks or
buses acquired, the new own- |
er should check to see if the
use tax has already been paid
hy. the previous owner for the
Current year. If it has, the new
owner incurs no liability for
tax on his use of such vehicle
for that year.
Mr. Conrad reminded truck
or bus owners who first be
came liable for the Federal
Highway Use Tax in November
or who put additional vehicles
into operation in November,
that returns should be filed
for such vehicles by the end of
December. The tax may be
paid in full by December 31
or in three equal payments by
December 31, March 31 and
June 30.
FREE SMORGASBORD -JZT BUTTE ROADHOUSE