The Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
FRONTIERSMAN CLASSIFIEDS
ALWAYS BRING RESULTS
TRY ONE NEXT WEEK
VOLUME 7, NUMBER 13
PALMER. ALASKA THURSDAY. DEC. 17. 1953
PRICE TEN CENTS
Financial Report
Given by Hospital
Fund Drive Committee
Members of the Valley Presby
terian Hospital fund raising com
mittee recently issued a finan
cial statement showing receipts
of $17,657.39 and expenditures of
over $15,000.
The fund raising was started
in November, two years ago. Part
of the gross receipts show what
was contributed to the nearly
$700,000 hospital by locally in
terested persons and organiza
tions.
Valley Hospital Fund Committee
Financial Statement
December 10, 1953
Receipts:
Hospital Fund Dance, $1,663.00
Homemakers’ Council ($1,000
pledge), $1,636.17
Golddusters Homemakers, for
dishes, $50.00
Kiwanis Club ($1,000 pledge),
$1,616.78
Col. Clasby and Singing Serg’s.,
$411.77
Anchorage Businessmen, $2,768.
Anchorage groups (CAB), $15.62
Anchorage Personal, $305.00
Stateside wholesalers, $1,330.00
Stateside indwiduals, $95.00
Matanuske Valley individuals,
$1,8?.1*#2
Matyhuska Valiev milk bottles,
3393.01
Matanuska Valley Fraternal and
Civic, $764.75
Matanuska Valley professional
groups $2,006.77
Palmer Merchants, $470.00
Beta Sigma Phi ($1,000 pledge),
SI,000
Children’s Fund (school and local
churches) $949.95
Stateside churches $355.25.
Gross receipts, $17,657.39
Expenses:
Cash to petty cash, $25
Hospital fund dance, S395.95
Exchange on Outside check, $.75
Printing, $40.65
Photographs of hospital, $15.20
Membership for E. G. Christen
sen $5
Check to New Hospital Construc
tion Fund, $15,000
Total expenses, $15,482.55
Assets on hand in bank account,
S2.174.84
MILD WEATHER IN
BANANA BELT AREA
Although the temperature fig
ures in the States seem to be
averaging winter weather, resi
dents of the Banana Belt here in
Alaska are experiencing above
freezing temperatures.
GAME HEARING SET
FOR DECEMBER 22
The Fish and Wildlife Ser
vice has issued an invitation to
sportsmen and the general
public to attend the annual
game law hearing to be held in
Palmer on Tuesday December
22. at the Valley Theatre 8 p.m.
FWS agents will be present,
including Holgar Larsen and I
Don Roberts, enforcement offi
cers; Gordon Watson, of game
management; Ed Chatalain,
biologist, and Roger Allen,
sports-fishing biologist.
The same group will attend
hearings at the Wasilla school;
on December 21 at 8 p.m.
STARTS FRIDAY - FOR FOUR DAYS ONLY
LOOK FOR THE RED TICKETS
0> Reductions up to y2 Price
——aaaaaaaaaaaas
SEARCH FOR HiDDEN
TREASURE IN SPRING
Digging for buried treasure
in the Big Lake area will be
continued this Spring when
the ground is softer than now.
A search was recently
brought about when Bob Pay
ton, operator of the Big Lake
lodge came across a muskrat
hide in a box of miscellaneous
effects formerly owned by the
late Herman Grunwaldt. A
map, indicating a hiding place
was drawn on the skin and
the following wording: “Who
ever finds this map has the
key to my wealth”. The dis
covery was reported to U. S.
Commissioner May Carter at
Wasilla and in the event that
at sometime in the past Grun
waldt had buried something of
value possibly a will, a search
party was organized but an
attempt to dig in the indicated
area proved impossible be
cause of frost penetration.
The map is being held by
Commissioner Carter and an
other attempt to determine its
authenticity will be made in
the Spring.
34 LIUeNct I Alio
NOW AVAILABLE
License plate tags, to be used
for the first time in Alaska in
1954, are now available at the
office of U. S. Commissioner
Dorothy B. Saxton.
The tabs are aluminum, with
red numerals and are to be at
tached over the 1953 date in slots
already on the 1953 plates. They
rpay ,be attached, at any time
after purchase but must be at
tached by February 28, 1954, Mrs.
Saxton said.
Mrs. Saxton emphasized the
importance of vehicle owners to
take the vehicle registration with
them when purchasing the tags.
No tags will be issued without
the registration which by law,
must be attached to the steering
post of all registered vehicles. A
supply of 1953 plates are avail
able for those who do not already
have them.
The following table identifies
weight of vehicle and license
fees: Motorcycles, $5; passenger
car, $10; 3,500 pound or less
trucks, SI5; for hire vehicles, S20;
3,501 to 12,000 pounds, $25; 12,001
to 18,000 pounds, $50, and 18,001
pounds and over, S75.
For the first time in Alaska
municipally owned vehicles
must also be licensed in 1954.
If the registration is lost or
cannot be found the vehicle title
must be shown for identification
and correct information.
S. S. BARANOF
SAILING DATE CHANGED
The scheduled sailing of the
Alaska Steamship Company
steamer Baranof 3 p.m., Decem
ber 25 has been changed to 5
p.m. December 24, R. C. Rose,
company general passenger agent,
announced today.
It was pointed out that the
change was made in order to
avol 1 a Christmas sailing.
Marshal To Meet
With Valley Group
In Early January
In response to numerous letters
: sent by local organizations and
! individuals, U. S. Marshal Fred
Williamson of Anchorage is plan-'
1 ning on being in Palmer early in
January for a discussion of the
re-opening of the deputy marshal
. office in the Palmer area.
A tentative date of January 14
l has been set and members of the
; Matanuska Valley Republican
Club are planning to hold a din
ner that evening for Marshal Wil
liamson. Judge James McCarrey
will also be extended an invita
! tion to attend. All persons inter
i ested in law enforcement in this
area and the re-opening of the
deputy marshal office are invited
| to attend.
“Harmony” Key-Word
Of Demo. Convention j
“Harmony was the key-word,”
local Democrats reported last
night as they returned from the
two-day convention held in An
chorage this week. There was not
one roll call vote on any issue,
they said.
Mrs. Betty Mears, local business
woman and member of the City
Council, was elected treasurer of
the Democratic Divisional Com
mitee of the Third Division. Anna
May Vocacek of Kodiak was el
ected chairman and Ray Plum
mer of Anchorage, secretary.
Committee members were in
creased from 25 to 38 and include
two Palmer men, A1 DeJulio and
B. R. Curry. Delegate to the Ter
ritorial Convention to be held to
be held in Juneau January 15, 16,
and 17 will be Walter B. Huntley
of Palmer. Mrs. Mears was elect
ed as alternate.
CITY COUNCIL NOTES
Following the reading of a
communication informing the
City of Palmer that all city-owned
i vehicles would have to be li
| censed this year, members of the
| Council and Mayor Don McKech
nie agreed a letter of objection
I shoulld be sent to the Territorial
' Legislature committeee.
The second reading of the new
sales tax ordinance was read and
following discussions and recom
mendations, the retail sales of
motor fuels was included in those
items taxable. January 1, 1954 is
the effective date of the n^w or
dinance and the third and final
reading will be made next Tues
day.
The second reading of the city
business license ordinance was
also read by City Attorney John
Shaw.
The real and personal property
tax ordinance, read for the third
and final time on December 8,
received approval of the city
council and referred to the Mayor
for signature.
Mrs. Hazel Byham, local ac
countant, was appointed city as
sessor with reservations. Mrs. By
ham will set up the city tax roll
(Continued on page 8)
Community Chest
Mails Checks;
Campaign Way Short
During the recent Community
Chest board meeting it was de
cided to call a public meeting
early in January for the purpose
of a general discussion of each
participating agency taking over
their own fund raising activities.
During the 1953 campaign, only
$2,200 was raised in this area.
This amount wa6 $1,800 short
of the goal and consequently, al
locations to the participating
agencies had to be cut.
A percentage of the amount
raised was allocated to the agen
cies in the following amounts:
Palmer Library, $230; Girl Scouts
$230; Alaska Crippled Children
Association, $230 and Matanuska
Valley Health Center, $1,510. Ed
Smith, president of the Commun
ity Chest said checks in these
amounts were mailed to the ag
encies this week.
Representatives of Valley or
ganizations and agencies are in
vited to plan to attend the pub
lic meeting. The exact date will
be announced soon.
FARMERS GET TV
SETS FOR CHRISTMAS
Christmas came a little early
for 14 local farmers this week!
when George Jacks'bn of the Al-!
aska Dairy Products in Anchor- ;
age announced he is presenting:
each of the 14 with a television
set for Christmas. The 14 farm-1
ers supply milk daily for the
dairy concern.
The Admiral TV sets were pur- j
chased from the N.C. Company in
Anchorage and will be installed i
and antennas erected by Polar
Electronics of Palmer.
Those who will receive the sets
are : L. M. DePnest, Victor Falk, i
Jr., Theodore White, V. W. Wil
liams, Miss V. Louise Kellogg,
Chester Liebing, Don Lentz,
Leonard Moffitt, Melvin Sanders,
Albert Muth, R. H. Tunnicliff,
William Lentz, Victor Falk and
Gary LaRose. Antenna installa
tions were started this week by
the Palmer concern.
SCHOOL OPERETTA
TO BE PRESENTED
TODAY; TOMORROW
“Christmas Windows”, an op
peretta in pantomine, will be pre
sented twice by pupils of grades
three through six at the Palmer
School gym this week. All par
ents and friends of the pupils are
invited to attend.
One performance will be given
for grades one and two of both
the Swanson and Central Schools
on Thursday afternoon, December
17 at 1:30 and the second on Fri
day, December 18 at 1:30 p.m. for
grades three through six of both
schools.
The operetta will be under the
direction of Miss Lois Thompson
and Miss Beverlee tTnwin, assist
ed by Miss Ave Brown as ac
companist.
Those taking part include:
Dorothy Campbell, Carol Wendt,
(Continued on page 8)
INSULATORS RUINED
IN KNIK AREA; MEA
WARNS CULPRITS
Cy Brewer, MEA manager, ;!
announced today that insula-;
tors in the region of the town
of Knik have been wantonly
destroyed recently by persons !;
without apparent regard for I
the seriousness. ; -
To date seven insulators
have been damaged, presum-;
edly by shooting, and parents ;:
were asked to impress the seri- '
ousness of the damage on their !;
youngsters. It is not known!
whether it is a prank of;
youngsters or adults—in any
event, impaired service to us-;!
ers and a lot of work for crew- !;
men is resulting from the dam-!;
age.
Anyone knowing of or see- >
ing anyone damage insulators >
is asked to report the matter ;!
to the MEA.
FORMS READY FOR
LAND REGISTRATION
Robert B. Atwood of Anchor
age was the first person to regis
ter land in the local U. S. Com
missioner’s office this week, fol
lowing an announcement last
week that all lands owned in
the Territory would have to be
registered before December 31.
Mrs. Dorothy Saxton, commis
sioner, said this week that she
will have forms available at her
office for registering lands. She
reminded property owners that
if the property is in joint owner
ship of a husband and wife, it is
necessary that both sign the af
fidavit. Land owned outside this
area must be registered in the oL
fice nearest the land, either by
mail or in person.
ELKS PLANNING KIDS'
CHRISTMAS PARTY SUNDAY
Palmer Lodge B. P. O. Elks are
planning their annual Christmas
tree for Elks children Sunday
afternoon, December 20 at the
new Elks home, beginning at 4:00 i
p.m. All members are urged to,
attend and take their children.
WATER USERS ATTENTION
1" _ 1'/4" — l'/s" — 2" Water Meters are
now available from the office of the city clerk.
All meters in available sizes must be installed
by December 20, 1953.
Residential services for which meter readings
have not been received in the office of the City
Clerk by the first of each month will be billed
at the unmetered rate of $10 per month.
CITY OF PALMER
WATER DEPARTMENT
Greater Palmer Area
CivO Defense Formed;
Includes Four Areas
Ed Fortier, Third Division co
ordinator for Civil Defense told
those attending the CD meeting
December 17 that communication
equipment is on order for the
Palmer CD organization and in
cludes walkie-talkie sets, a light
plant and a radio transmitter.
The equipment is valued at ap
proximately $3,200 and is ex
pected to be delivered sometime
around April.
Present at the meeting were
several Butte area residents who
voiced their interest in the for
mation of a CD organization in
their region. Following quite
lengthy discussions, the men de
cided they would affiliate with
the Palmer area group, and a
motion from the Palmer group
to adopt a district-area plan was
passed.
The area will be known as the
Greater Palmer Area and will in
clude Palmer, Butte, Sutton and
Wasilla. Each community will
have it’s own organization but
under the central control of the
Greated Palmer area director,
Rev. Edward Imme.
Pat Carter of Wasilla was ap
pointed director of that area; Bill
Eldridge director of the Butte
area and a director for the Sut
ton area will be appointed as
soon as possible.
Vernon Haik .distirct director
in the Chugiak area, was also
present at the meeting and ex
plained many of the develop
ments in that area. He told those
attending hpw the organization in
Chugiak has grown to its pres
ent strength; their ability in get
ting telephone communication in
stalled along the highway and to
remote regions; the blood typing
program planned for three days
of this week and how they were
able to accomplish so much, giv
ing much credit to the Army who
have assisted the program in
many ways whenever possible.
It was pointed out at the meet
(Continued on page 8)