SCHOOL CARNIVAL
AND DANCE
October 30 & 31
Palmer School
The Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
See the colored film ‘'Contrary
Winds", School Gym, 7:30 P.M.
tonight
VOLUME 7, NUMBER 5
PALMER. ALASKA, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22. 1953
PRICE TEN CENTS
New Swanson
School Opened
HOSPITAL ROOM
RATES ADVAHGE
ON NOVEMBER I
Effective November 1, certain
hospital charges at Valley Hos
pital are being raised to compare
with recent changes in Blue
Cross rates. These changes went
into effect on August 1, 1953 and
gave increased allowances for
hospital room costs and other
services.
Major changes are as folows:
Ward rates will be $17.00 per
day; children up to 12 years of
age, $14.00 per day and nursery
charges, increased $2.00 per day.
In making the announcement,
Jack Newcomb, acting hospital
administrator, pointed out that
hospitals face the unfortunate
choice of keeping pace with ad
vances in patient care and in
creasing the cost of that care or
of ignoring medical advances just
to keep bills down.
He referred to a talk delivered
before a meeting of the Washing
ton State Hopital Association in
which Ritz E. Heerman, president
, of the American Hospital Associ
ation said that increased hospital
costs make deeper impressions
on the public than boosts in other
items because hospital bills come
“in bigger packages.” Heerman,
who is superintendent of the
California Hospital in Los An
geles, described as fallacious the
constant comparison betwen ho
% tels and hospitals. The average
hospital, he said, has about two
employees for each patient but
the nation wide average for
hotels is 0.7 employee for each
guest. The Valley Hospital em
ployes over 20 persons at pres
ent on its fulltime staff, making
it the third largest employer in
Palmer.
Except for the change in room
rates, the only other changes are
in diathermy and infra-red treat
ments, each increased 50 cents
and x-ray film costs two of which
increased one dollar and one
dollar and one half.
Newcomb said this week that
people of the community are re
sponding well to the new finan
cial policies established by the
board of directors.
Mr. and Mrs. John Somerville
have returned to Palmer follow
ing their wedding trip to Seward,
Mrs. Somerville is the former
Wanda Lindsey of Palmer.
7REVIVAL
HEAR
DR. ALBERT L. CARNETT
First Baptist Church
PALMER, ALASKA
Oct. 11-25 - 7:45 p.m.
You must see tjus “Contrary
Wins" sound color Motion Pic
ture, First Baptist Church,
Saturday, 7:45 P.M.
,u-Lnj-uim- ■ • * - —A*,v>,wwwvvl
City Wide Sinspiration and
A Welcome for All Evangelistic Service SCHOOL
GYM—SUNDAY 8 P.M.
\
SWANSON SCHOOL, new Palmer Indepependent school located in North Palmer. Of
concrete and steel construction, the 144 x 55 feet building provides for s^x class rooms,
office, lavatories and waiting shelter amounting to 8,350 square feet of floor space.
Architectural work by Edwin Crittenden of Anchorage was. so designed to permit future
construction of a second floor, rooms at each end and a multi purpose room and cafeteria.
Photo by Ray Adams
COMMUNITY CHEST
CAMPAIGN SHORT
NEARLY $3,000
There will be a meeting of the
Palmer Community Chest tomor
row night, October 23 at 7:30 p.m.
at the Valley Realty office. All
team captains are urged to turn
over all money and pledges col
lected.
Less than 25 percent of the
$4,000 goal has been collected,
members reported this week. Ap
proximately $3,000 remains to be
contributed by residents of the
valley. Much of this amount will
go toward the salary of the Pub
lic Health Nurse and is essen
tially of great importance, they
pointed out.
Anyone who has not been con
tacted is asked to call at the real
estate office or contact Ed Smith
at Ketchikan Spruce.
TAX OFFICIAL ASKS
FROM TAXPAYERS
PAYMENT IDENTITY
District Director of Internal
Revenue William E. Frank has
requested the public’s attention
be called to a matter which in
creases the cost of tax collections
and also causes much inconven
ience to. taxpayers themselves.
This matter, is the failure of tax
payers to properly identify their
tax payments so proper credit
may be given to them on the
Director’s books of account.
SOCIAL SECURITY
REPRESENTATIVE
TO BE IN PALMER
Edwin Storr, field represen- ;
tative of the Social Security !;
Administration will be at the I;
Palmer post office tojnorrow,
October 23 from one to two;
o’clock in the afternoon to;! ^
answer any questions pertain- \ j
ing to the old age and survi-jj
vors insurance program.
Mr. Storr will assist anyone ;
wishing to file a claim, for j;
social security benefits. Social ;
security benefits are payable >
to workers who are 65 or over >
and retired and to survivors 5
of deceased wage earners. f
FARM PRDUCTS USE
FEATURED IN NEW
AGRICULTURE BOOKLET
Alaskan homemakers’ use of
locally produced vegetables, milk
and eggs is the subject of a new
Agricultural Experiment Station
publication, “Urban Use of Alas
kan Farm Products.”
The new publication provides
suggestions for better marketing
and display of Alaskan products
to encourage homemakers to buy
local produce in preference to
that shipped in from the states.
As agricultural production in
l Alaska, farmers, marketing
agents and retailers must share
responsibility to provide the best
quality Alaskan products pos
sible, Author Hugh Johnson said.
Johnson is head of the depart
ment of agricultural economics at
the Experiment Station in Pal
mer.
Homemakers prefer quality
produce labled as to source and
grade and stored or displayed to
retain freshness. Coolers should
be used to keep vegetables fresh
and produce such as potatoes be
graded to keep out culls. Eggs,
too, should be graded and refri
(Continued on page 8)
DANIEL B. HURLEY
Graveside services for Daniel
Bennett Hurley, infant son of
Mr. and Mrs. James Hurley, will
be held this afternoon at two
o’clock at the Palmer Cemetery.
Rev. Edward Imme of St. John’s
Lutheran Church will officiate.
Members of the family have
requested that no flowers be sent.
Instead they suggest those who
wish may send a contribution to
the Heart Association, Alaska
Crippled Children’s Association
or some other organization.
The six-week-old baby died in
Providence Hospital in Anch
orage of a heart ailment on Octo
ber 20. In addition to his parents
he is survived by three sisters
and one brother.
PALMER AREA MAY
HAVE RADIO STATION
WITHIN 3 MONTHS
Providing enough community1
support can be obtained Palmer
will have its own radio station
within three months, members of
the Chamber of Commerce were
told at the regular luncheon
meeting October 21.
E. J. Emery and Robert Lewis
of Anchorage'spoke to chamber
members on the feasibility of a
carrier-current station in the local
area. “We are not looking for
local capital,” Emery told the
group. What we need to know is
on what basis we can build the
foundation for such a station—
how we may best serve your lo
cal needs and the type programs
best fitted for the community.
The proposed carrier-current
station would use power lines as
antennas, requiring no licensed
engineer for operation. However,
Lewis, is a licensed radio engin
eer and would be in charge of
that department. The coverage
area would be limited, they
pointed out, only so far as power
lines are concerned. The basic
local area would extend from
Eagle River to the Sutton area,
out toward Big Lake and Wasilla,
as well as Palmer and the adjac
ent farm regions.
Because of low operation costs
in this type station, the men
pointed out that their advertising
rates would not be high. The men
plan to operate the station on a
450-hour monthly basis.
This type station could pave
the way to a Federal Communi
cation Commission licensed sta
tion .they pointed out.
Chamber president, Fred Zieke,
pointed out the importance of a
local radio station—for emer
gency use—weather reports and
the varied services offered by
radio stations.
Advertising on the station will
be broken into three classifica
tions; local, regional and national,
with the regional line at Eagle
River. \
When questioned as to how
soon a station could be started
in Palmer the men reported that
there is still investigation work
to be done, part of the equipment
to be purchased and that it would
probably be about three months
before operations could begin.
NOTICE
The Bernard E. Bouwens who
appeared in U. S. Commission
er’s Court on October 3 to ans
wer a charge of driving under
the influence of intoxicating li
quor, was not Bernard R. Bou
wens, Palmer chief of police.
TURN METER READINGS
IN TO CLERK'S OFFICE
All city water users who
read their meters on the 20th
of this month have been re
quested to turn their readings
in at the office of the City
Clerk. Until regular meter
books are printed and distrib
uted computation on the water
used will be made by the city
clerk and regular billing sent
through the mail.
As soon as meter books are
prepared they will be dis
tributed and self-billing will
; be started.
Mayor Reappoints
City Clerk
And Police Chief
Mayor Don McKechnie reap
pointed Elizabeth Barry as city
clerk and Bernard Bouwens as
city police chief at the regular
city council meeting held October
20. The appointments received
unanimous approval of council
members.
To Buy Water Tools
Members of the council auth
orized the purchase of water tap
ping tools and a pipe finder. These
will be used by the water de
partment for tapping-in where
lines are full of water, avoiding
the necessity of draining the line
for repairs. The pipe finder will
be used in locating the position
of lines not known.
Department Reports
Annual reports from the office
of the city clerk, the water de
partment and the fire chief were
turned over to council members
for futher study.
Fire Chief Resigns
City Fire Chief Ray Lancaster
tendered his resignation from
that position to the Mayor and
council. His resignation will be
come effective on November 1.
Councilman Russell Felzien
was requested to negotiate with
the Matanuska Valley Farmers
Cooperating Association on the
purchase of a truck to be used by
the city water department. Bids
were called for by the city and
a bid on an International truck
was considered the best offer pro
viding changes in the wheels and
tires can be made.
HUNTLEY RESIGNS
U. S. MARSHAL'S POST
Walter S. Huntley, Third Di
vision U. S. marshal during the
past two years, has submitted his
resignation to become effective
November 6.
His resignation, sent to the
attorney general’s office in Wash
ington, D. C. followed an inquiry
from Washington asking when it
would be convenient for him to
resign.
Huntley was appointed mar
shal on September 26, 1951 by
President Truman, for a term oi
four years, and had planned to
refuse to resign. However, be
cause of ill health, he said, he
changed his mind.
SIX CLASSROOM
SCHOOL BUILT
FOR $216,795
One hundred and sixty-seven,
students and six teachers moved
this week to the new Swanson
grade school in North Palmer,
where David Porter, sixth grade
teacher, will be principal.
The completely modern six
classroom school was completed
this week under the supervision
of Keith Briggs, superintendent
on the job for Stock and Grove
contractors of Anchorage who
were awarded the contract Octo
ber 11, 1952 on their bid of
$216,795. Edwin B. Crittenden of
Anchorage was the architect for
the project.
Visitors to the one-story school
will find it a long way from the
grade schools of yesterday. Alert
coloring has been used, both in
the exterior and interior decor
ating. Colorful class rooms, mod
ernized with sectional clothes
closets that open as one and cab
inets and sinks, for easy “clean
up’ following art work and re
cesses.
Glass windows, running the
full length of the room and from
ceiling to a few feet from the
floor, composes the outside wall
in each room. Even the black
boards are a thing of the past.
Replacing them ar? Qplored ehalk
boards, with each room Jraving a
color to blend with tbe-r own
particular color plan. V*
Hard surface Colo-tile has been
j used for the corridor walls and
| asphalt tile covers the floors.
I The new school is heated by a
hot-water system, with radiant
i heated floors. The boiler is stoker
fed and thermostats in each class
room will permit individual room
control of heat. Elmer Dietrich
will be janitor.
Self-correcting clocks have
| been installed in each room. The
i master clock is located in the
| principal’s office as are the inter
| com and buzzer systems. Through
the communication system it will
be possible to play records,
’ special radio programs or use it
as a public address system. The
buzzer system is so arranged that
all buzzers may be sounded at
one time, or individually as the
[ case may warrant.
Modern lavatories are com*
plete with shower.
The Palmer P-TA purchased
eight swings, the School District
basketball goals and a slide to
make up the outdoor playground,
located at the rear of the school,
i Pubils who live close enough
| to the school are going home for
! their lunch period. Others who
travel by bus are taking their
, lunches to school and may buy
' milk at the school.
, In addition to the school prin
t cipal, other teachers and their
> grades are: Miss Carol. Clark,
grade 5; Mrs. Henning Blunck,
. grade 4; Miss Leona Burton,
r grade 3; Mrs. Barbara Smart,
f grade 2 and Mrs. Sam Boyd,
> grade 1.
The school was named for Mar
; garet Swanson, who donated the
property on which it is built.
LUTHERAN LADIES AID
Turkey Dinner
Thursday, October 29-5-8p.m.
LUTHERAN CHURCH
Adults-$2.00
Children under 12 - 75c