Thought of the Week:
It wouldn't bo a bad idea to
put the designers of bathing
suits in charge of cutting gov
ernmental budgets.
PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
EMPLOYMENT OFFICE
Carpenters Hall
Open through Sept. 28
7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Monday through Friday
VOLUME 14, NUMBER 50
PALMER, ALASKA, THURSDAY, SEPT. 6, 1962
EIGHT PAGES
PRICE 15 CENTS
Alaska State Fair Scores Financial Success
Palmer Schools See
Record Enrollment
More young people than in
any previous year trooped
through the doors of Palmer’s
three schools yesterday morn
ing. the first day of the 1962-63
school year. First-day enroll
ment totaled 1,051, according
to W. T. Zahradnicek, super
intendent of schools. Last years’
enrollment also passed the
thousand mark, with 985 com
pleting the school year.
Swanson’s first-day enroll
ment hit 298, Central counted
484, and 269 students enrolled
at the high school. Swanson
handles grades one through
five, with one fifth grade unit.
Central has one unit each of
grades one through four, -three
units of grade five, and all stu
dents in grades six through
eight.
A total of 60 teachers and
staff members have been em
ployed by the Palmer Inde
pendent School District.
GOOD BAG OF DUCKS TAKEN IN
FIRST DAYS OF WATERFOWL SEASON
Fair to good bags of ducks
v.ere taken on the Hayfield
Fiats and along some sloughs
during the first days of open
season for hunting waterfowl
and other migratory birds, lo
cal game officials said this
week. Fair bags of pintails,
mailards, and widgeons have
been observed.
Some sandhill cranes have
been taken in the Spring Creek
and Cottonwood Creek areas.
Cranes have also been observed
in the marshy sections around
Houston, it was stated.
Duck and goose season,
which opened Sept, 1. will run
through Dec. 14. Jack (or Wil
son's) snipe season wrill run
through Oct. 15, while little
brown crane season will close
after Sept. 30.
The limit of ducks this year
is five birds a day with 10 in
possession, with the exception
of old squaw, harlequin, scoter,
eider, and mergansers, 15 of
which may be taken per day
with a possession limit of 30.
Reporters—
flatebaak
Pat Wells and Mrs. Alma
Decker left for Centralia,
Washington Monday evening to
visit their sister who is report
ed ill. They plan to return this
weekend.
* * *
Harold Dunn, District Dep
uty Grand Exalted Ruler of
Alaska West for the Elks lodge
is in Fairbanks on an official
visitation to the northern lodge.
* * *
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Johnson
and Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Thom
as of Gadsden. Alabama, made
a 24-hour stop here during
Fair weekend while returning
from the Far East, where they
have been touring since early
July. Mr. Johnson is the broth
er of Mrs. I. M. Sandvik of Pal
mer.
The Johnsons own and oper
ate the Tro-Fe Dairy at Gads
den, and were interested in
Miss Louise Kellogg’s Spring
Creek Farm and the Matanus
ka Maid dairy, as well as the
Matanuska Valley farm ex
hibits at the fair.
They were entertained Fri
day evening at an all-Alaska
dinner at the I. M. Sandvik
home. Guests included the C.
A. Sandvik, Lynn, Kent, and
Mark Sandvik families.
Mr. Thomas is a whole-sale
grocer in craasaen.
* * *
Vadney C. Bledsoe, Star
Route, Wasilla, has been nam
ed to the Dean’s List at the Illi
nois Institute of Technology,
Chicago. The Dean’s List is
composed of all students at IIT
who have distinguished them
selves academically during the
spring semester. Bledsoe, son
of Mrs. Lottie C. Poisal, is a
junior in the civil engineering
department. He is a graduate of
Palmer High School.
* * *
Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Clifft and
son Craig have returned to
their homestead on Knik Road
after an absence of two years.
The Cliffts have been living in
Anchorage since 1959.
The limit on geese is six daily
with 12 in possession, although
Canada geese or white-fronted
geese are limited to three daily
.with six in possession. The
brant limit is three a day with
three in possession, and eight
snipe are allowed daily with
eight in possession. Two cranes
a day may be taken with a pos
session limit of four.
Hunters are reminded that
hunting is not permitted from
a power or sail boat, including
outboard boats when the motor
is attached, unless the boat is
beached, resting at anchor, or
fastened within or tied along
side a stationary hunting
blind.
Migratory birds may be tak
en only with a shotgun or bow
and arow, and a shotgun may
not be capable of holding more
than three shells.
Any person over sixteen
years of age must carry a mig
ratory bird hunting stamp (or
duck stamp) when hunting
waterfowl. A stamp should be
signed across the fact with the
bearer’s name.
A better than average hatch
of ducks and geese in the Cook
Inlet area indicates a good
hunting season, a game depart
ment spokesman said. He point
ed out that length of season is
regulated by the weather, and
that last year hunting was just
about over by mid-October.
In some years, however, hunt
ing has been excellent through
the first week in November.
Homesteaders Gross
River in Gable Gar
Several youngsters on the
other side of a washed-out
bridge on the Little Susitna
River, are getting a few extra
days of vacation. Their parents
have rigged a cable and cable ,
car to get adults and older chil- .
dren across the stream, but are '
not permitting smaller children
to ride in the rather hazardous
mode of transportation. 1
Meanwhile, plans are being ;
made to transport an army
style pontoon bridge from Fair- •
banks to serve as a temporary
crossing until the bridge can .
be rebuilt The crossing, locat- j
ed on the Edgerton-Parks Road
off the Fishhook Road, was
washed out in the Aug. 29 '
cloudburst.
Residents hope to have the !
temporary bridge installed ;
sometime Saturday. 1
LARGE CROWD
TURNS OUT FOR
FAIR PARADE
A sizeable crowd gathered
well in advance of 1 p.m. Sat
urday afternoon to witness the
1962 Alaska State Fair parade
and responded enthusiastically
to the floats, marching units,
pretty girls, antique autos,
bands and horsemen as they
passed in review.
First place winner in the
commercial division for floats
was Matanuska Maid, Inc., with
the Wasilla Businessmen's As
sociation taking second place.
Float winners in the fraternal
division were Palmer Emblem
Club No. 338, first; Palmer Ki
wanis Club, second; and Pal
mer Women of the Moose, third.
First place winner for in
dividual entries was the Double
J Ranch, second place, the
King family, and third, the An
tique Auto Mushers of Anch
orage.
In the organizational entries i
division, Rainbow Assembly
No. 9, Anchorage, placed first;
Rainbow Assembly No. 10, An
chorage, second; and Rainbow
Assembly No. 13, Anchorage, I
third.
The crack Elmendorf Air
Force drill team, which cannot
enter civilian competition, was
given honorable mention for
the excellent demonstration put
on for the parade viewers. Also
given honorable mention were
the Palmer Cub Scout Pack No.
54, Palmer Boy Scout Troop No.
*>4, and Gordon France and his
burro.
Employment Office
Open This Menth
To Aid Harvest
Mrs. Germaine Hamrick of
the Alaska Employment Secur
ity Division is now holding
regular office hours at Carpen
ters hall in Palmer, which will
continue through Sept. 28.
Hours are from 7 a.m. to 1:30
p.m. daily, Mondays through
Saturdays.
The Employment security
Division has established these
hours as an aid to Matanuska
Valley farmers in finding suf
ficient help to harvest their
crops.
Those interested in working i
in the harvest, as well as farm- !
crs needing workers, are urged
:o get in touch with Mrs, Ham
'ick. A temporary telephone
las been installed in her office,
ind the number is PI 5-3120.
rHEATRE GUILD
VtEETS SEPT. 11
The regular meeting of the
Hatanuska Valley Theatre
Uuild will be held Tuesday,
Sept. 1, in the home of Juanita
Helindy, Apt. 4, Pioneer Ap
irtments, at 8 p.m.
This is an open meeting, and
myone interested in theatre
sroduction is invited to come,
tccording to Jack Riley, presi
lent.
Casting for “The Curious
savage” will continue tonight
ind tomorrow at 8 p.m. in the
Experiment Station library.
AN EDITORIAL
RANK STUPIDITY
We often wonder if the Congress of the United
States is actually sincere, in their efforts to take the
voting taxpayer into consideration, when enacting pork
barrel legislation.
At a time that spells crisis for the United States in
a monetary way, they blissfully go on a path, to sure
devaluation of the dollar.
Presently Congress has included a project that holds
vital interest for not only the Matanuska Valley but
taxpayers at large. The Bradley Lake hydro-electric pro
ject is in a bill that stands a very good chance of pass
ing the Congress this year. If Bradley Lake is built, the
coal industry of Alaska will undoubtedly wither and
die in a matter of time.
Bradley Lake will from a cost angle, triple the
amount that would be needed to build a coal-fired mine
mouth power plant. In this day and age, does not trying
to save the taxpayer's buck mean anything?
After a hydro-electric plant is built very little in
the way of payrolls is added to the economy of the area
wnere it is duiit. inot only would numerous |obs be
created from a mine mouth plant—but the irony of the
entire situation is that — POWER would be CHEAPER
from a coal plant.
For a number of years our country has been
running deficit after deficit and the day of reckoning is
now in the near future. Kennedy or any one of the so
called spend-thrift boys can tell you that everything
is on the status quo, but when one of our friendly coun
tries in Europe pulls the pin, and creates another run on
our already depleted gold supply, we wonder what the
boys in the pin-stripes in Washington will have to say.
Not too long ago the people of the Valley raised
hell over the proposed conversion of military bases from
coal to gas—via letter and telegram—that succeeded.
Now is the time for all good taxpayers to come to
the aid of his pocketbook. Bombarding Washington with
letters, telegrams and anything, will do much to—not
only help out lowering the Kennedy deficit but aid the
entire economy of the area and all of Alaska, in a con
tinual battle for lower power costs.
It is rank stupidity to spend three times as much
money as needed, to generate power that would cost
over two mills more, than for a mine mouth power plant
costing one-third as much.
Private, Commercial Pilots’ Exams
To Ba Given Sept. 10 at Grange Hall
An agent of FAA will be in |
Palmer on Sept. 10 to conduct }
formal private and commercial
pilots written examinations, ac
cording to Dick Hamilton of
Hamilton Flyteways. FAA re
presentatives will be at the
Grange hall in Palmer from 5
p.m. on.
Haedie Kill
Caused by Rust
In answer to inquiries about
needle-kill on spruce trees.
State Forester A. Earl Plourde
has stated that this condition
is caused by spruce needle rust.
The life cycle of this disease
requires that certain phases be
completed in the foliage of an
alternate host plant; hence,
this needle rust infects both ,
spruce and Laborador tea, the
forester said. Mortality is de
termined by the degree of in
fection on individual trees and [
humid conditions are favorable
to the spread of this disease.
General control measures are 1
economically impractical at \
the present time, but control
for individual ornamentals is ‘
feasible, according to Plourde
Recomemnded control is spray
ing of infected trees with a
good commercial fungicide at <
two week periods from the
time when new tree growth ap- i
pears until the middle of July. 1
The examinations mark the j
completion of the Sanderson
Ground School course, a series
of audio-visual classes which
have been conducted for the
past six weeks by Laurine Niel
sen. The course included pre
flight facts, meteorology, the
EGB computer, navigation, ra
dio navigation, and FAA regu
lations, taught with the aid of
full-color photographs, draw
ings and charts in 35 mm film
strips. Naration on hi-fi LP rec
ords explained the visual
scenes.
The examinations are not
limited to those who have tak
m the Sanderson course, but
ire open to all student pilots,
Hamilton said.
A new Sanderson course will
legin Oct. 1. Those interested
»re asked to get in touch with
dick Hamilton or Rene Nielsen.
GARDEN CLUB TO SEE
WILD FLOWER DRAWINGS
The Matanuska Valley Gar
len Club will hold its regular
neeting at the home of Edna
Vehking on Tuesday, Sept. 11,
it 8 p.m.
R. W. Tyler of Homer will
;how his collection of 400 wild ,
lower drawings. These are his ,
iwn work done in water color, i
Club members invite anyone :
nterested in seeing this col
ection to attend the meeting.
Tofal Attendance
Reaches 25,000
In spite of Sunday's tempera
mental weather, the 1962 Al
aska State Fair attracted well
over 25.000 visitors in four days
of events. Bill Miller, fair man
ager, said this week. This is not
a record, since last year’s at
tendance hit close to 30,000, he
said, but added that this year’s
show proved to be a greater fi
nancial success because of the
higher price of admission. All
grandstand events were free
this year.
Always a highlight of the
fair is the queen contest, won
this year by Colleen Sharon
Kendall, 18, of Anchorage,
against stiff competition sup
plied by five other contestants.
For the first time in the history
of the fair, the judges tied in
their choice of second-place
winner, or First Princess, nam
ing both Terry Niemann, 18. of
Palmer, and Victoria Johnson.
17 of Milo 17 niooo TrirrU„,o„
i '. ui 11. uicim x 11 £, 11 v\ ci \
Chosen by the girls themselves
was Miss Congeniality, Linda
Cope, 18, of Palmer.
Miss Kendali turned down a
trip to Europe in favor of a
$1,000 scholarship to Alaska
Methodist University. She will
enter the Miss Alaska Pageant
next summer as Miss Alaska
State Fair.
No decision has beer, made a;
to which First Princess will at
tend the Fairbanks Winte
Carnival pageant, which is thi
preliminary for the Miss Uni
erse contest. Miss Congenial
ity will represent the Alask
State Fair at the Anchorag
Fur Rendezous in February.
Vicki uunnson, wno sold th<
most raffle tickets, received ;
Lady Bulova wristwatch witl
a jade and gold band as a re
ward for her selling ability
Vicki is also credited witl
selling the winning ticket, helc
by Roy Blackwell of Anchor
age. Blackwell was not pres
ent at the drawing, and has not
yet claimed his prize, which is
a choice of a boat outfit or $50C
in cash.
The five daily winners of the
FUEL CONTRACT
GOES TO MRAK
Chugach Electric Association
yesterday announced the award
for furnishing coal fuel to the
Knik Arm power plant. The
award was made at $7 per ton,
'.o.b mine, to the Mrak Coal
Zo. in Palmer.
The coal supply contract re
quires approximately 140.000
tons of coal to be deli'ered
iver a three-year term.
According to L. .1, Schultz,
7hugach's general manager, the
uel bids received this year
irom the petroleum and coal
aippliers were extremely com
petitive and required consider
ible study before making the
iward to Mrak Coal. He added
hat the award made to the
ilrak company will result in
■onsiderable fuel cost saving
>ver prior years, and will help
7EA to hold power costs
iteadv in the face of continual
y rising production, cornmod
ty and service costs.
Senate Considers Bradley Proposa
Testimony from the Corps
of Engineers was heard Tues
day and Wednesday of this
week by the U. S. Senate Pub
lic Works Committee concern
ing the Bradley Lake hydro
lectric project on the Kenai
peninsula, according to the
Aug. 31 newsletters of Sena
tors Gruening and Bartlett.
The Bradley project is part
of the omnibus and harbors
bill, which, if approved by the
public works committee, will
go to the floor of the U. S.
Senate for consideration in this
session.
Mason LaZelle, MEA man
ager, was informed of the hear
ing this week by Herbert Bea
ser, legislative assistant to
Sen. Gruening, who pointed
out that, although no public
witnesses are to be called,
statements or objections may
be submitted to Sen. Dennis
Chavez, chairman of the Pub
lic Works Committee, Room
4202, New Senate Office Bldg.,
Washington 25, D. C.
Construction of the Bradley
project would almost surely
write off the chances for con
struction of a mine-mouth coal
fired steam plant in the Mat
anuska Valley, LaZelle de
clared.
Besides jeopardizing the or
derly development of the only
known source of competitive
industrial power available to
Alaska (Rampart Dam), it
would also jeopardize the con
tinued existence of the coal in
dustry in the Matanuska Val
ley, which is already fighting
a competitive battle with gas, i
the MEA manager said.
He hammered home the
point that construction of Brad
ley would destroy a source of
power proven to be less expen
sive. Mine mouth plants at Sut- j
ton could deliver power in the ;
Anchorage area at the rate of j
8.9 mills per kilowatt hour,
while power from Bradley
would cost at least 10.7. He
compared the initial cost of
construction (about $60,000,000
for Bradley, less than $20,000,
000 for the mine-mouth plants),
also the problems of transmis
sion, including winter mainten
ance of 180 miles of line over
rough terrain, as opposed to
about 60 miles of accessible
right-of-way between Sutton
and Anchorage.
Valley residents who wish
to protest approval of the con
struction of the Bradley pro
ject may write or wire Sen.
Chavez at the above address, or
members of the Alaska delega
tion, Senators Bob Bartlett, and
Ernest Gruening, and Rep. Ral
ph Rivers.
door prize drawings ($5 in
cash), were Peggy Lazenby,
Palmer, Kathy Hulbert, Pal
mer, Nancy Chance, Palmer,
Lt. Scheib, Elmendorf, and Bill
Butler, Wasilla, on Friday,
Aug. 31; Lt. J. D. Roberts, Fort
Richardson, Edith Van Kiaver
en, Anchorage, Irene Hayes,
Anchorage, Ann Busha, Anch
orage, and Kay Johnston, An
chorage, Saturday, Sept. 1; Tom
Corcoran, Anchorage, Bob
V/ersert, Big Lake, Jerry Pon,
Fort Richardson, Rose Huffey,
Kenai, and Mary Jane Anga
son, Sitka, Sunday, Sept. 2;
Howard Estelle. Palmer, Pat
Moffitt, Palmer, L. Mastrude,
Palmer, John Holland, Spen
ard, and S. C. Powers, Anchor
age, Monday, Sept. 3.
Mrs. Hazel Harris, Fair sec
retary, reports that, after go
ing through only about a third
of the admission ticket stubs,
she has found adresses from all
parts of the United States, in
cluding Lousiana, Texas, Flori
da, New York, Chicago, Minne
sota, California, Washington,
and Oregon. Almost all parts
of Alaska were also represent
ed.
Hardwoods Training
Session Planned
Two training ssesions will be
, sponsored during the week of
Sept. 10, by the Alaska Depart
ment of Natural Resources, in
cooperation with the state di
; vision of tile 17. S. Forest Ser
vice. Region 10, state forester
A. Earl Plourde announced this
; week. Classroom instruction
t, will be held in the Williwaw
i Lodge and field trips are plan
- ned to appropriate areas of in
. | terest.
A three day log and lumber
grading session, with special
emphasis on hardwoods, will be
conducted by two Lake States
Region staff members on Sept.
10, 11. and 12. Cal Stott, a na
tionally known authority on
forest inventory, will conduct a
two-day continuous forest in
ventory session beginning Sept.
13.
Representatives of the North
ern Forest Experiment Station,
U. S. Forest Service Regional
Office, State Division of Lands,
! and the Bureau of Land Man
! agement will be present. At
| tendance is by invitation only.
Aug. 29 Downpour
Sets Valley Record
-X _ TIT, J_
I day noon, Aug. 29, set a rec
! ord. according to C. Ivan Bran
ton, agricultural engineer, and
Neil Michaelson, sod scientist,
| both with the staff of the Alas
ka Agricultural Experiment
Station,
The downpour was the high
est rate of precipitation ever
recorded here, dumping 2.1 in
ches of rain per hour for a four
minute period.
The next highest rate of pre
cipitation was recorded on Aug.
ti, 1959, when a combination
hail and rain storm measured
.93 inches per hour for a 45
minute period.
Blanton and Michaelson
keep these records in conjunc
tion with irrigation studies con
ducted at the experiment sta
tion.
MIGRATORY BIRD
SHOOTING HOURS
FOR COOK INLET
Times given are actual start
ing and stopping times for
shooting.
Date Start Set
September:
[ 6 -4:35 6:50
7 _4:38 6:47
8 _4:40 6:44
9 _4:42 6:41
10 _4:45 6:38
11 _4:47 6:35
12 _4:50 6:32
13 _4:52 6:29