Vol 1, No. 83
Palmer, Alaska, July 24, 1948
Ten Cents
Co-Op Offers
New Plan
For Hospital
A series of proposals through
which the Matanuska Valley
Farmers Co-operating Associa
tion would rehabilitate the pres
ent sewer, steam and water lines
of the Valley Hospital were stu
died at a special meeting of the
hospital’s board of directors on
Wednesday evening.
In a letter addressed to
the board, the Co-op board
proposed these things:
(a) The Co-op will reha
bilitate the water and steam
lines leading from the main
trunks to the hospital for
# S750.
(b) Water will be sold to
the present units at $5 a
month.
(c) Steam will be furnished
on a year-round monthly
basis for S20 per unit. (This
would make the present
steam cost S60 a month).
(d) If steam is needed to
heat hot water, it will be fur
nished for an additional $15
a month.
(e) New sewer lines will be
installed for a charge of $1.50
per unit.
, (f) If these terms are ac
cepted, the hospital board
must agree to purchase the
building and lands or to a
please of at least five years.
(g) If the hospital is pur
chased by the board, it must
be agreed that it will be used
for nothing but hospital pur
poses.
The board discussed the mat
ter at length. Members were en
tirely agreeable to all proposals
except the final one, which they
,felt too limiting. It was finally
decided, upon the motion of Jack
Maze, to accept the Co-op offer
with the exception of the final
clause. He suggested that the
board agree, that if the hospital
is purchased, there be no restric
tions on its ultimate disposition,
except that the Co-op be given a
30-day option to buy, in the event
the building is ever offered for
^saie.
The board then adjourned to
meet with members of the Co-op
executive committee, who were
informed of the decision just
reached. Roy Brock said he felt
the hospital board’s amendment
might be acceptable, if it would
be agreed that the building could
be re-purchased by the Co-op at
its present $7,500 sale price. It
would be understood that the
Hospital Association could re
move all improvements, leaving
only the present permanent
plant.
Further discussion developed
•the point that the Co-op board
was primarily interested in a
five- year guarantee for use of
■ the steam, before beginning re
habilitation of steam lines.
It was finally agreed that the
Hospital Association would con
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Atoms Shove
Valley Vegetables
Out Of Ground
It’s atomic power that booms
those Valley spuds and cabbages
to such record-breaking girths.
At least, that’s the theory of
fered by the Canadian Radium &
Uranium Corporation, which re
cently tested five pounds of rich
Matanuska Valley top-soil. They
report that the soil has a “radio
activity on the high side of the
normal range of activities found
in terrestial materials.”
All of which boils down to the
fact that the Valley’s got a little
more of the high-geared stuff
that leveled Hiroshima, than
many soils have.
It’s a nice thing to have, too,
the testing technician thinks; he
says he feels the radioactivity re
ported in the soil here is what
accounts for its fertility.
The soil was sent to the labora
tory for testing by Parker Lester,
local Extension Service agent.
Unemployment Office
To Close Aug. 1
The Valley’s Unemployment
Service office is to be closed after
Aug. 1, Mrs. Ethel DeLand an
nounced today. She said Anchor
age headquarters had notified
her that there were no longer
funds with which to maintain
the Palmer branch office.
After Aug. 1 all claims for un
employment payment and for
veterans’ self-employment must
be filed in Anchorage.
Frontiersman Delayed
By Printers’ Walkout
This issue of the Valley
Frontiersman has been delayed
by the walkout of printers in the
plant of the Anchorage Times,
Publishing Co., where this paper
is printed.
The next issue of the Frontiers
man is expected to be delayed
about one week when a new
crew of printers will be available
at the Times plant.
Last Rites
Held Friday |
Funeral services for the late
Mrs. James McPherson and her
infant son, Michael Lee, were
held at 2 o’clock Friday in the
Phillips-Mapleton Funeral Home
in Anchorage. Father James
Snead officiated.
Mrs. McPherson, who lived at
Sutton, suffered a heart attack
last Thursday. She was rushed
to the Valley Hospital where a
caesarean operation was per
formed in an attempt to save the
life of her baby. However, both
mother and son died.
Mrs. McPherson is survived by
her husband, three small chil
dren, her father and brother. She
came to Alaska from Trinidad,
Tex.
Church to Picnic
There will be a picnic at the
picnic grounds at the Lutheran
Church immediately following
Sunday’s morning service, pastor
W. L. Zeile said today. Everyone I
attending the church service is |
invited to stay for the picnic.
Co-Op Board
Won’t Talk
For Publication
The executive committee of the
Matanuska Valley Farmers Co
operating Association has no
statement for publication regard
ing the recent visit of Director
James Davis of the Division of
Insular Possessions and Terri
tories, a spokesman said yester
day.
The man deplored the recent
unfavorable publicity given the
Co-op’s problems in Anchorage
papers and over press wires. He
pointed out that this type of pub
licity, which often is made up of
erroneous statements and con
clusions, can do the organization
untold harm financially, since it
can damage the credit status of
the Co-op.
In view of this recent publicity
it was stated that the executive
committee would release no in
formation to the press, other
than material incorporated in
press releases written by the
board members themselves.
Job Is Halved
The double ministerial duties
of Rev. W. L. Zeile of St. John’s
Lutheran Church soon will end. A
acting as pastor of both the Val
ley church and the Anchorage
Lutheran hurch, soon will end. A
new minister will take up his
work at the Anchorage church on
the first of September. Reverend
Zeile has been driving between
the two towns each Sunday to
conduct church services.
Four Valley Men Uninjured After
Airplane Crash At Black Lake
Lady Luck smiled on four Val
ley men this week, and the quar
tet walked away unhurt from a
plane crack-up that left the ship
a total loss. The four, Leo Lucas,
Clayton DeLand, Bill Roark and
Pilot Erwin Long, were stranded
at Black Lake for several days as
a result of the smash-up, how
ever.
The accident occurred just aft
er the take-off from a runway
the group had been smoothing
at Black Lake for the past week.
The ship hit an air current that
dropped the right wing. The
plane landed in a marsh at the
end of the runway and turned
turtle. Only injury among the
four was the cut lip sustained by
Mr. Long, when his face hit the
wheel.
The fuselage of the Stinson was
relatively undamaged, but the
wings and motor were so badly
wrecked that Mr. Long has writ
ten off the ship as a total loss.
It was not insured.
The four first went to the lake
last weekend—Mr. Roark for a
few hours fishing, and Mr. De
Land and Mr. Lucas to invests
gate the surrounding area for
game. The two are planning to
make the camp a headquarters
base for fall hunts.
Adverse winds kept the plane
grounded all day Sunday and un
til late Monday afternoon. Jan
Koslosky and L. C. Stock, who
also flew up for some week-end
fishing, had difficulty in a lake
take-off, but at last were success
ful. They reported the other
party would be delayed by the
winds, and also reported that
they were without food, except
for a few sandwiches.
Some concern was felt on Mon
day, when weather here was still
poor. Mr. Stock and Mr. Koslosky
together with pilot Maynard En
field and Tom Lepak attempted
to drop food at the camp, but the
visibility was too poor to locate
the site.
Meanwhile the grounded Stin
son attempted its ill-fated take
off late Monday afternoon. When
the party still had not returned
to Palmer on Tuesday, friends
here became alarmed. A report
was circulated that a ship had
been heard over the Sheep Moun
tain area on Monday. Finally the
Army’s Tenth Rescue Squadron
was notified, and they sent
search ships to the area.
They at first dropped messages
and food, but did not attempt a
landing. Early on Wednesday
morning, a private pilot living at
Snowshoe Lake flew to the camp
| in a two-place Aeronca. The pilot
made two trips, ferrying DeLand
and Roark to Snowshoe Lake,
from where they made their way
home along the highway.
The Tenth Rescue Squadron re
turned with another plane later
that morning and brought Mr.
Long and Mr. Lucas back to Pal
mer.
The men dismissed the five
day week-end as uneventful.
They say the fishing could have
been better, but they caught
enough to tire of a strictly fish
diet. A herd of 1,500 caribou on
the march atop the mountain be
hind the lake was the high spot
in Mr. Long’s not-so-bright out
ing. He photographed the herd
of Barren Lands caribou almost
in close-up. Some of the more
curious animals came within 40
yards of his camera, he said.
Mr. Long will not replace his
plane at present; however he
does plan to purchase another
within a year. This time he has
plans for a ship that can weather
an Alaskan forced landing with
out breaking up.
Chamber
Will Study
Incorporation
Incorporation again is to re
ceive the serious study and con
sideration of the Valley Cham
ber of Commerce, it was decided
last Wednesday’s luncheon meet
ing. Chamber membership en
dorsed a plan to investigate costs
of incorporation without a voice
raised in opposition to the mo
tion.
The subject was introduced
when President Jack Maze read
a recent editorial from the Valley
Frontiersman calling for prompt
action toward organization of a
municipality. He asked for an
expression of Chamber wishes in
the matter, at the conclusion of
the editorial.
Don Irwin recalled that
there had been much talk
concerning the matter in the
past years. He called for an
end to talk and for immedi
ate action on the measure.
He suggested that a commit
tee be appointed to study the
costs of incorporation in Pal
mer, and to determine what
the assessed valuation of
Palmer property might be.
Herbert Bryan suggested that
the committee also attempt to
include some long-range plan
ning in its figures, so that com
munity residents might under
stand what future city services
will cost, as well as what the im
mediate cost will be.
Mr. Irwin stated that there are
Federal grants of money which
might be utilized by a munici
pality to help pay for some of its
services. He said he thought these
grants, while available now, may
not be authorized by the Federal
Government for any great period
of time. He therefore urged haste
in any action undertaken.
Rev. W. L. Zeile suggested
that once facts are gathered,
a public meeting be called,
to which all property and
home owners will be invited.
At that time a definite
schedule of the costs of in
corporation can be presented.
Then guests will be asked to
point out their opposition to
the move.
Mr. Maze appointed the follow
ing committee to work on the
compiling of factual data in this
study of incorporation:
W. C. Mau, Don Irwin, Mrs.
Frank Brown, H. G. Bryan, Rev.
W. L. Zeile, C. W. Peters, him
self and Viola Daniels.
Dr. Fred Swanson of Ju
neau, travelling with the mo
bile health unit which is now
in Palmer, was introduced
and asked to explain the pur
pose of his work. Dr. Swan
son told Chamber members
it was the responsibility of
the mobile unit to “offer a
complete health service in
areas where there are no lo
cal facilities available.” He
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