VALLEY FRONTIERSMAN
Entered as second class matter on Oct. 21, 1947, at the post office at
__Palmer. Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
A. J. DeJulio-Owner-Manager
Editor —--.__Virginia Gallant
Subscription Rates . 50c a month, $5 a year
Mailed to all points in Alaska and the United States
LEGION AUXILIARY EXPRESSES THANKS
Resolution No. 2, passed by delegates attending the American
Legion Auxiliary 31st annual convention in Palmer last week is
printed below, as received this week by The Frontiersman:
WHEREAS, many individuals have contributed much in time,
money and effort to make this never to be forgotten 31st annual
convention of the American Legion Auxiliary. Department of Alas
ka, assembled in Palmer, Alaska June 23, 24, 25, 26. 1954
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the American Le
gion Auxiliary, Department of Alaska here assembled express its
sincere and deep appreciation to all those who have in any way
added to its unexcelled success: to Matanuska Valley Post Nb. 15
and the Matanuska Valley Unit No. 15; to all hotels accommodating
convention guests; to the Elks and Moose Lodges and the Palmer
Schools for the use of their halls; to Pat Wells of Williwaw Lodge
for the Past Presidents dinner; to the Altar Society, Catholic
Ladies, to Ladies Aid United Protestant Churches for the luncheons
and to the Ladies of the Moose lor the banquet; to the City of
Palmer for its many courtesies; to The Frontiersman for its Con
vention Edition; to Auxiliary members for flowers; to the Junior
members of Matanuska Valley Unit No. 15 who acted as pages; and
to all others who have contributed to the successful execution of
the arrangements of this Department Convention, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution
be made a part of the permanent record of the convention and
that appropriate publicity be given this resolution through the
Press of Palmer, Alaska and the Alaska Legionnaire of the De
partment of Alaska.
Committee Approves
$91/2 Million for
Alaska Public Works
Governor B. Frank Heintzle
man advised this week that the
Interior Department appropria
tion bill, as approved by the
House-Senate conference commit
tee. contains St)1* million for Al
aska Public Works. The bill now
goes to the president for signa
ture. The APW appropriation as
finally agreed upon by the two
houses is half a million dollars
below the original request of the
Interior department, but four and
a half million higher than the
amount approved first by the
Bureau of Budget.
The Alaska Public Works Ad
ministration is a branch of the
office of Territories, headed by
William C. Strand. Strand will
visit Alaska in July with Secre
tary of Interior Douglas McKay
and at that time is expected to
discuss with Gov. Heintzleman
and Director James Houston, the
allotment of APW funds.
LOCAL DELEGATES
ATTENDNG
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
Jeanetta Lindsey and Blake
McKinley, both of Palmer, left
this week to attend the Westmin
ister Fellowship National Assem
bly week-long meeting which
opened yesterday at the Univer
sity of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois.
The two delegates traveled by air
to the assembly where they will
join 1,200 young people and 500
adult leaders for study of Chris
tian living.
Miss Lindsey was chosen as
delegate by a board of judges ap
pointed by the Westminister Fel
lowship of the Yukon Presbytery
last December. McKinley was
elected as one of two college age
delegates. Both are members of
the United Protestant Church in
Palmer and will represent the
Presbyterian young people of this
area at the assembly.
MRS. JOSEPH COREY
Funeral services for Mrs. Olga
Corey, 47, of Chickaloon are still
pending, following her deatl*
June 29 of a self inflicted gun
shot wound. Mrs. Corey, with her
husband and nine children had
made her home in the Chickaloon
area for many years. She was re
ported to have been dispondant
because of her health.
Surviving are her husband,
Joseph John Corey, four sons,
Herbert Bellanger of Anchorage,
and Donnv, 16, Jackie 10, and
Frankie 9 of Chickaloon, and five
daughters, Elsie Corey of Palmer,
and Edith, 14, May 12, Dorothy
8, and Gertrude 7, all of Chicka
loon. Relatives and friends are
caring for the children for the
time being.
COURT NEWS
Albert E. Brown, 42. entered a
plea of guilty to a charge of driv
ing without valid Alaska license
when he appeared in U. S. Com
missioner’s Court on June 24.
FIREWORKS ILLEGAL
IN CITY AND AREAS
CONTAINING TIMBER
Week-end celebrators are re
minded that it is unlawful to sell,
use or explode any fireworks, ex
plosives or stench bombs within
; the city limits. The City of Pal
■ mer has been carrying a paid ad
! vertisement reminding city dwel
lers of the city ordinance prohib
iting the use of fireworks in the
city, defining punishment for any
i found guilty of the misdemeanor.
Members of the Division of
Forestry, Bureau of Land Man
agement, this week drew the pub
lic’s attention to Section 65-5-11
of the Territorial Fire Control
Act that prohibits the throwing of
firecrackers, or other inflamable
material in any area in the terri
tory containing timber, brush,
grass, or grain lands. Any viola
tion shall be considered a mis
demeanor and upon conviction
any violator shall be punished by
. fire or imprisonment, or both.
—
PLAYGROUND HOURS
CHANGE NEXT WEEK
Hours at the Palmer Area Rec
reation Council summer play
; ground will be changed, beginn
ing next week. Morning sessions,
for the small fry, will open at
9:30 a.m. and continue until
noon. Afternoon hours will be
from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.,
and no evening hours.
The supervised playground has
been well received by the young
sters of the Valley, with an ap
proximate attendance of 50 chil
dren a day. However, Betty Jo
Riddle, playground supervisor
said this week there’s still room
for a lot more children. Parents
and children of the valley are in
vited to avail themselves of the
day-long supervised play pro
grams being conducted for a six
week period at the Fairground.
Beginning Monday there will
be only three weeks left. The
playground will officially close
■July 30. Various handcraft pro
jects are now under way, with
new ones beginning each week.
Youngsters have made candle
holders out of tin cans, and many
made their dads match scratchers
as a gift for Father’s Day June 20.
Volley ball and croquet are play
ed each day, as well as many
other outdoor recreation events.
Archery classes have begun and
are conducted each afternoon
from 2:30 to 3:30. Anyone inter
| ested in learning the art of shoot
i ing with a bow and arrow is in
vited to attend these afternoon
sessions.
; The charge was made by Territor
j tal Police on June 24. He was
found guilty and fined $10.
Claude M. Bentz entered a plea
of guilty, was found the same
and fined $10 on June 29 in U. S.
Commissioners Court on a charge
of driving in the excess of the
legal speed limit. The complaint
was brought by Territorial Police
on June 29.
Reporters—
Notebook
A farewell family party was
held at the home of Mr. and Mrs.
Thomas Moffitt June 25 in honor
of Mrs. Clemma Olson, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Archie Moffitt,
of Olympia. Washington, who has
been visiting relatives and friends
for the past month. Mrs. Olson
left for her home June 26 by
Northwest Airlines. Her son,
Rocky Olson, will remain with
his grandparents for the summer,
working with his grandfather on
a well drilling rig before return
ing to Olympia in August where
he will enter his senior year at
Olympia High School.
Robert Johns left for Detroit
this week where he will meet his
wife and sons who have been
Outside several weeks. They
plan to return over the highway.
Because of the observance of
Independence Day on Monday,
July 5, the regular meeting of
Palmer Kiwanis will be held
Tuesday, July 6. regular time and
place. During the June 23 meet
ing Grayson Murphy, Extension
agent, and Mann Lieser, manager
Palmer Nursery, were taken in
as new members. They will be
initiated during the next regu
lar Ladies’ Night to be held in
a few weeks.
Bill Hendershot, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Lee Hendershot arrived in
Palmer last Tuesday from Sno
homish, Wash. Accompanying
him was his six-year-old nephew
Mike who is visiting his grand
parents and his aunt, Mrs. Dick
Anderson.
Rosalind Miller, IFYE delegate,
sailed from New York Saturday,
June 26 for Italy where she will
spend the next few months as
Alaska’s International Farm
Youth Exchange delegate.
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Middleton of
Reno, Nevada, are visiting the
Harold Winegarner family. Mrs.
Middleton is sister of Harold
Winegarner. This is their first trip
to the territory.
New nurses at the local hospital
are Mrs. Kathryn Vasilie of Pen
nsylvania and Miss Geraldine
Knott of Minnesota. Miss Knott
is staying with her sister, Mrs.
Lila Ubert, former hospital nurse,
and plans to return to school this
fall to specialize in rural hospital
nursing.
The Matanuska Valley Cham
ber of Commerce recently had
maps of the Valley area printed
and are distributing them thro
ugh local service stations, and to
persons making bus tours of the
Valley.
Rev. and Mrs. B. J. Bingle were
Washington visitors last week
during a trip to the States from
College where Rev. Bingle is a
Presbyterian minister.
Mrs. Fannie Werner was hos
tess to the local Garden Club last
LIVING COSTS TAKE
1.8% LOCAL JUMP
Prices of 30 food items in five
Alaskan cities increased sharply
during the three months of
March 15 to June 15, according
to a survey just completed by
Hugh A. Johnson of the Alaska
Experiment Station. The great
est percentage rise occurred in
Palmer (1.8%), followed by An
chorage (1-4%). However, com
pared to June, 1953, Palmer food
prices increased 1.9% and Anch
orage 5.3%. Ketchikan grocery
costs have risen 5.3% since Sep
tember, 1953.
Coffee has continued the up
ward spiral begun earlier in the
year, Johnson reported. It has
risen 40% in Ketchikan in nine
months; 30% in Juneau. 29% in
Anchorage, 27% in Palmer, and
23% in Fairbanks during the past
year. It is possible, Johnson stat
ed, that coffee prices in Ketchi
kan, where the March 1954 re
port showed the largest rise in
coffee, will begin to level off in
the next three months, but house
wives in other cities may see a
continuation of the rapid rise for
at least another three or four
months. Stateside coffee prices
have not stabilized and Alaskans
cannot expect anything different
here, he added.
Competition in the retail food
business is increasing in Alaska,
Johnson stated. Evidence of bet
ter merchandizing lies in the in
creased number of sales, specials,
loss leaders, and better displays.
Families can make appreciable
savings by utilizing these sales
as they occur, he said, and warn
ed they always should watch for
quality differentials. The food
price survey did not reflect sav
ings possible through sales.
Fresh fruits have risen season
ally in all five cities. Butter is
the only food product priced that
has declined in all cities and fresh
eggs have declined from their
March high in four cities. Both
adjustments are thought to result
from Stateside reaction to high
stocks on hand and to announc
ed reductions in government sup
ports on farm prices.
The reports seem to indicate
that another round of price rises
in most major food categories is
on the way, Johnson reported.
No one group of products seems
to be affected more than any
other.
week. Guests enjoyed viewing
Mrs. Werner's unusual herb gar
dens, apple and pear trees which
were in blossom, and beautiful
bushes of honey suckle and Si
berian pea.
Word was received by Mr. and
Mrs. Clay Johnson of the death
of Mrs. Harry LaMotte. Mrs. La
Motte was the former Lee Whal
en, teacher in the Palmer School.
The LaMottes resided in Cres
ton, Montana.
CONGRESS CHANGES
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Congress has now given final
approval to a change in the
‘Pledge of Allegiance to the
Flag,” recommended by The Am
erican Legion and Auxiliary. Mrs.
Patricia Weisenberger. the Auxil
iary’s local Americanism Chair
man, has been informed. The
change consists of the insertion
of the words “under God.” im
mediately following “one nation”
in the pledge, which is given at
the opening of every Auxiliary
meeting, and is used daily in
schools throughout the nation.
PONY LEAGUE GETS
EQUIPMENT GIFTS
Young baseball players in the
local Pony League are a catcher’s
mitt and a couple of baseball bats
richer thanks to Bob Peterson of
the Palmer Bar and Bill Roberts
of the Shamrock Lounge. The
equipment was given to the boys
this week.
The Pony League, consisting of
the older boys of the valley, play
each Tuesday and Thursday eve
ning. All adults in the valley are
urged to turn out and watch the
games, lending their support to
these youngsters and the adults 1
who are making the program pos
sible.
SPENARD MAN APPARENT
DROWNING VICTIM
The body of Harold E. Bohren,
47, of Spenard was found float
ing on the surface of Lila lake
near Mile 125 Tuesday afternoon.
He was believed to have been
a drowning victim. An empty
boat was found on the opposite
shore of the lake. Territorial Po
lice reported they had attempted
to locate the owner of an appar
Eklutna Employe’s
Cause of Death
Still Undetermined
Clyde Robinson, 30, employe at
the Eklutna Project, died early
Sunday morning from reasons as
yet n«t determined. Members of
the corroner’s jury who met yes
terday found Robinson met his
death by a cause unknown. The
coronor’s report will not be com
pleted until an autopsy report,
expected to be completed today,
is turned over to that office.
Robinson is survived by his
wife and two children. His death
was reported to Territorial Police
when he was pronounced dead on
arrival at the Valley Presbyterian
Hospital where he was taken by
neighbors. It was believed that
Robinson had been involved
earlier in the morning in a scuffle
at the bunk house.
ently abandoned car, parked near
Mile 128 for several days. Bohren
is survived by a brother, Arthur
Bohren of Fairbanks, and his
wife, Mrs. Patricia Bohren of
Springfield, Illinois.
Youth for Christ
Presents
LIFE OF ST. PAUL
16MM SOUND FILM
SATURDAY. JULY 3
8 P. M. — 9 P. M.
CHURCH OF GOD
All Ages Welcome
Open for Business
Last Frontier
Real Estate Co.
Mile 45 Glenn Hiway
A. L SMITH - DICK BENSON
See next weeks paper for top listing
M0FF1TTS' MELODIES
mama
PALMER BAR