The Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
TRY A FRONTIERSMAN
CLASSIFIED AD for lhat
item you may have for sale,
rent or lease.
VOLUME 7, NUMBER 41
PALMER, ALASKA, THURSDAY, AUGUST 5. 1954
PRICE TEN CENTS
Top REA Officials
Planning Valley Visit I
Ancher Nelsen. Minnesota tar
mer and state co-op leader ap
pointed by President Eisenhower
to head the Rural Electrification
Administration’s 1.000 rural elec
tric systems, will tour Alaska
this August, it was announced
this week. While in the territory
he will deliver the main address
at the annual meeting of the Al
aska Rural Electric Cooperatives
Association to be held in Fair
banks August 12, 13, and 14.
Coming to Alaska with Nelsen
will be Jack O’Shaughnessy, head
of REA’s telephone program; K.
Wilde Blackburn, REA solicitor,
and Chris Schultz, REA director,
western area. The four REA offi
cials are expected to probe into
the many details and problems
facing rural electric and telephone
cooperatives in their united ef
fort to bring greater power and
telephone expansion into the ter
ritory. The REA officials are ex
pected to visit the Valley area
during their stay in Alaska.
Gus Norwood, executive secre
tary of the Northwest Public
Power Association, will attend
the meeting and speak on a ter
ritorial power agency for the de
velopment of power and will also
help on proposed legislation. Don
Durham of the National Rural
Electric Cooperative Association
insurance department will go in
to the insurance problems and
safety program of the coopera
tives. Robert Jennings of the Bur
eau of Reclamation will report on
plans for the* bureau for future
power development in the terri
tory.
Ancher Nelsen Is from the grass
roots of the cooperative field,
having helped organize his own
electric cooperative, the McLeod
Cooperative Power Association at
Gienc-oe, Minnesota and has serv
ed as vice-president and director
of the association. He has been
vice-president of the Minnesota
Electric Cooperative, a stateside
organization of REA cooperatives
and a directors of the Farmers’
Cooperative Association. He has
served 13 years as state senator
in Minnesota and in 1952 Was
elected lieutenant governor of his
state. Nelsen became interested in
the Alaska problems soon after he
became administrator, as one of
his sons was stationed at the
air base in Fairbanks.
In addition to hearing Nelsen
and other invited guest speakers,
the ARECA will hold annual
election of officers and will elect
a director to represent them on
the board of the National Rural
Electric Cooperative Association.
Present officers are Mrs. Justine
Parks, Chugiak, president; Wiley
Robinson, Anchorage, vice-presi
dent; Ed Jarvi, Anchorage, secre
tary. and Nick Eidem, Fairbanks,
treasurer. The officers will make
them annual reports. Included in
the president’s report will be her
report on the activities of the
Alaska director.
Cooperatives who are members
(Continued on page 8)
> CANCER CAMPAIGN
\ NETS $424 TOTAL
I A total of S424.00 was realiz- ;
ed in the recent Cancer cam- ;
paign in the Matanuska Val- ;
ley, according to Mrs. Charles ;
Wilson, campaign chairman. ;
“We are very pleased with ;
this year’s results,” Mrs. Wil- ;
son said this week when mak- ;
ing the announcement. We !
should like to offer our thanks !
to the many individuals who I
volunteered their help, and to !
? the various organizations who '
f made donations, she added. ■
\ Anyone who has not yet j
$ mailed in their contribution to |
S this year’s campaign may do ;
> so by mailing it to CANCER, ;
> c/o Mrs. Charles Wilson, Pal- ;
? mer.
4-H Camp is Cancelled
As Precautionary
Measure
Because of an anticipated
small attendance and an ap
preciable need for discretion
in encouraging large gather
ings, the 4-H camp, planned at
Kings Lake next week will not
be held, it was announced this
week by Dr. Allan Mick, direc
tor of Extension Service.
The decision was made after
conferring with various phy
sicians locally and in the An
chorage area. Dr. Robert Wil
kins, Anchorage health officer,
recommended strange group
ings be avoided at this time.
Dne of the most frequent sug
gestons offered by the National
Foundation for Infantile Par
alysis is that children avoid
contact with strange groups.
Inasmuch as 4-H members
would be attending from many
different cities and towns, it
was felt adviseable to cancell
this week of camping.
■
Rodeo Rained Out;
Will Now Be Held
August 7 and 8
Although the planned rodeo
rained out this past week-end, ;
members of the Arete Trails Rid
ing Club were not dismayed.
“We’ll just have a bigger and
better one this week-end”, mem
bers of the club reported.
Members have been practising
this week on their various events
and have everything ready to go
this week-end. The first show will
be presented Saturday afternoon
at 2 p.m. at the Fairgrounds.
Anyone who had purchased tick
ets for last week’s performance is
assured they are still good. Those
who have not yet purchased tick
ets may do so at the entrance
gate.
The second show will begin
Sunday afternoon at the same
time. No evening performances
are planned because of the two
and one-half hour lengths of the
shows.
There will be a refreshment
concession on the grounds.
Democrats Plan
Joint Caucuses
Pursuant to the ruling by the
attorney general a divisional
Democratic convention is to be
held in Seward August 8, begin
ning at 1 p.m., according to Anna
Mae Vocacek, chairman Democra
tic Division Committee,
j The purpose of the convention
will be to nomnate a Democratic
candidate to be placed on ballots
at the forthcoming general elec
tion to fill the vacancy created
by the death of Senator John
I Gorsuch.
Joint Democratic caucuses will
be held August 6 at the Bertren
Curry home in the AHA housing
; area. The meeting will begin at
: 7:30 p.m. for Palmer precincts
one and two, as well as the Eska
precinct. A total of 20 delegates
| will be named to attend the con
| vention in Seward. The total
! breaks down to eight delegates
| from Palmer precinct one; 10
from Palmer precinct two, and
two from Eska. Any delegate who
can not attend the convention
may be represented by proxy.
Refreshments of coffee and cake
will be served.
—
Dr. and Mrs. Foster Sims left
this past week-end for Washing
: ton, D. C. where they will attend
, the American Legion national
l convention.
HORTICULTURE
FIELD DAY SET
FOR AUGUST 13
The annual tour of horiculture
crops at the Matanuska Experi
ment Station will be held Friday
evening, August 13. beginning at
6:00 p.m.
The public is cordially invited
to attend this tour. Many inter
esting things relating to the pro
duction and management of po
tatoes, vegetables, small fruits
and ornimentals will be shown.
Some of these are: Early potatoes
will be harvested and the tubers
on exhibition; chipping potato
varieties: weed control work:
vegetable variety trials: studies
relating to rate of fertilization
and spacing of cabbage, respberry
and strawberry variety trials, etc.
Dr. M. F. Babb and Dr. Curtis
Dearborn will be present to dis
cuss these projects with those at
tending and will answer ques
tions.
Local Garage
Suffers Fire Damage
Fire of undetermined origin
caused damage amounting to sev
eral thousand dollars at Motor
In Service station on Colony St.
early Monday morning.
The fire was discovered by Bert
Duff, who with his father Harry
Duff, own the service station.
Firemen were called about 3 a.m.,
and remained at the scene of the
fire until nearly 6 a.m.
Firemen were called about 3
a.m. and confined the fire to the
interior of the building. Much of
the damage resulted from smoke
and water when sawdust insula
tor, in the walls of the building
caught fire. One truck remained
at the fire scene until around
6 a.m. Vehicles parked near the
the garage awaiting repairs were
pulled out of the fire range by
Leroy Johnson.
The city fire department was
called out again the following
morning for an overheated range
in the Frontier Cafe. No damage
was reported.
City Council Notes
An invitation to attend the Al
aska Rural Electric Cooperatives
Association meeting to be held
in Fairbanks August 12, 13 and
14 was received by the City of
Palmer.
* * *
During committee reports ade
quate lavatory space in food
handler’s and public gathering
places was discussed. Members of
the public health committee will
make a further study of local
conditions.
* * *
Council members approved the
establishment of precedure to be
followed by telephone operators
at the time of a fire. Included in
the schedule, which will be drawn
by members of the fire commit
tee and the fire chief, will be a
directive for operators to avoid
answering rings for a two minute
period after a fire alarm has
sounded. During this period the
operator will devote her atten
tion to sounding the siren, con
tacting fire and police chiefs, and
volunteer firemen who reside out
side the hearing distance of the
fire siren.
Acting Mayor Betty Mears an
nounced that volunteer mechani
cal work has been offered to the
fire department by Lester Mears.
Letters will be mailed to all
business establishments in the
city urging their participation in
the volunteer fire department by
encouraging one or more employ
ees to join the department. It is
the hope of the Council that the
department will be built up to
full strength. Volunteers must be
at least 21 years old, of good phy
sical condition and sober. They
must answer all fire calls when
ever possible, and attend regular
training meetings. The training
meetings may be in the form of
practice runs. Members of the fire
coromittee will meet with the
fire chief this week to work out
a scheduled plan whereby regu
lar practice sessions will be set
up. Volunteers will be paid for
a dry run for these sessions coun
cil members agreed.
* * *
A motion to instruct the en
gineering firm of Rutledge, John
son, and Tryck to complete draft
ing and office work on establish
ing street grades in the City of
Palmer was passed. The comple
tion of the survey work is nec
essary for furthering the installa
tion of culverts in the city. A 60
foot culvert was installed this
week on Railroad Street at Moose
Creek Avenue crossing.
The Rock crusher and other
equipment purchased from the
Lucky Shot Mine have been
moved down, Councilman Felzien
reported.
• • *
Two emergency ordinances
were read and approved during
the August 3 meeting. The first
was an ordinance prohibiting
telephone operators from publish
ing information heard, acquired,
or learned by them during their
tour of duty as a city employe.
The second was an ordinance
repealing Ordinance 49 calling for
(Continued on page 8)
Firs! Four Queen Candidates
To Receive Free Photographs
AMMONIUM NITRATE)
DISCUSSED AT
CHAMBER MEETING
Matanuska Valley Chamber of
Commerce members heard about
ammonium nitrate manufactur
ing possibilities and discussed the
Palmer Airport at their August
4 meeting.
Dr. Allan Mick of the Experi
ment Station told members of
the visit this week of a Depart
ment of Commerce official who
was investigating the possibilities
of commercial manufacture of am
monum nitrate in Alaska.
In bringing chamber members
up to date, Mick told them am
monium nitrate is classified as
an explosive and has been dif
ficult to obtain in Alaska. This
i past season, he pointed out, Fred
i Zieke, then general manager of
1 the Co-Op, negotiated for ship
| ments at S154 a ton, about $50
i a ton less than estimated by the
' Alaska Steamship Company. This
figure was compared with the
lower cost of $88 a ton to farm
ers in the States.
The cost of producing ammoni
um nitrate is dependent upon
available power, other natural in
gredients are available in Alaska.
The visiting official’s tour in- ,
eluded visits to the coal fields.
Up to a few years ago produc- i
irg ammonium nitrate was con- j
sidered a big operation. Today
because of the demand, research
has been made possjble and small
er plants are now possible.
The shortage of ammonium ni
trate is a world-wide problem.
Dr. Mick pointed out, with sales
allocated by manufacturers. The
shipment received in the territory
this past season was 100 tons less
than requested.
Airport Discussed
Nothing further has developed
(Continued on page 8)
COUNCIL TO ELECT
MAYOR, COUNCILMAN
TO UNEXPIRED TERMS
Existing vacancies in the
city council and mayqr’s office
we re discussed again this week
at the August 3 City Council
meeting. Council members
were advised by City Attorney
John Shaw that the office of
Mayor, according to territorial
law, shall be filled by the elec
tion of a mayor by the city
council. The present term of
mayor has more than a year to
run. Since the resignation of
Mayor Don McKechnie Coun
cilwoman Betty Mears has
been acting mayor. Council
members plan to contact sev
eral city residents in an at
tempt to fill the two vacancies.
In the October election there
will be three seats on the coun
cil to fill. The two-year terms
of both Russell Felzien and
Don Moore will expire. The
third tax office to be filled will
be the unexpired three-year
term of the late Parker Lester.
If someone is appointed to fill
this vacancy, it will be only
until election time, completing
the first year of the three-year
term.
REPUBLICANS SLATE
TWO AREA CAUCUSES
Republicans of the two Palmer
precincts will caucus tomorrow,
August 6.
Precinct No. 2 (outside city)
will meet at 2 p.m. at Brook’s
Equipment. The caucus was call
ed by A1 Brooks, committeeman
and Mrs. Archie Moffitt, commit
tee woman for the purpose of
electing three delegates to the
Republican Third Division Con
vention to be held Saturday after
noon, August 7 in the KENI stu
dio, Anchorage at 3 p.m.
Saturday’s convention has
been called for the purpose of
naming a candidate to run for
election to the senate seat left
vacant by the death of Senator
John Gorsuch. Governor Heintz
leman's deadline for nominations
has been set at August 10, leav
ing only a little time for the ma
chinery to be set in motion.
In addition to electing conven
tion delegates, the precinct cau
cus will consider names to be
proposed for the senate seat.
A call for caucus in Palmer
Precinct No. 1 (inside city) has
been issued by A1 V. Hagen, com
mitteeman and Mrs. Russell Fel
zien, commitee woman for tomor
row' afternoon at 5 p.m. at the
Valley Theatre. Precinct one will
> name” four delegates to the Anch
orage convention.
Following the convention in An
chorage, there will be a dinner at
the CEA hall on Gambell street.
The public is invited to attend
the dinner, and the convention,
whether named as a delegate or
not. The dinner is expected to be
gin sometime after 7 p.m.
“BIG MOVE”
NOW UNDER WAY
Operation “Big Move” got un
der way in this area about 5:30
this morning. Civil Defense and
police officials were contacted
and are cooperating with military
in the exercise.
Tight security measures are be
ing enforced in the exercise, as
announced by the military several
weeks ago. Planes and trucks
moved Army and Air Force per
sonnel into the Palmer area
throughout the morning. Their
length of stay in the city and
area vras not announced.
.ms an incentive iu get me ivia
tanuska Valley Fair queen con
test “on the road”, board mem
bers this week offered to the first
four girls who register, six free
photographs for their posters.
This is one of the initial expenses
of queen candidates. Board mem
bers have made arrangements
with the Palmer Studio and girls
will have four poses from which
to choose.
Any valley girl, who has been
a resident since July 1 and is
single, and over 15 years of age
is eligible for the contest. Con
testants are asked to contact eith
er Dorothy Saxton at her office
in the Theatre building, or Betty
Rice, at her home in the AHA
housing area. Either may be
reached by phone for further in
formation. A new queen’s robe
and crown is now in production,
Rusty Dow said this week, and
will be completed in time for the
highlight of the 1954 Valley Fair,
the crowning of the Queen.
RIDES ASSURED
FOR FAIR; GOVERNOR
MAY ATTEND
Governor B. Frank Heintzle
man has notified the Matanuska
Valley Fair Association that if at
all possible he will be on hand at
the opening of the 1954 Valley
Fair. An invitation has been ex
tended to the territory’s top of
ficial to participate in the opening
of the fair.
Rides Guaranteed
I Joe Brodbent of Anchorage has
1 assured the Valley Fair board
I that he will bring a merry-go
| round, ferris wheel, airplane ride
ar.d a double loop-o-plane to the
1954 Fair. In addition he will
contract for 100 feet of conces
i sion space in which he plans to
' offer amusement booths and pop
! corn and other type food conces
sions. The ferris wheel is 24 feet
I high, with cages for the protection
I of small fry who want to try a
ride, he said. A 5-year contract
will be negotiated by the Fair
Association with Brodbent for fu
ture showings at the fair. In ad
dition, he has requested permis
sion to rent storage space in fair
buildings in which to winter his
equipment.
Concessions Assured
This year fairgoers will not
have to worry about whether they
will be able to get food at the
Fair. Several organizations have
notified the fair board of their
intention of having food conces
sions. There are already hot dog
stands, sandwich dispensers, pies
and coffee and others spoken for.
Any organization or individual
who plans to operate a concession
during the fair is asked to con
tact Gene Kirsch, fair manager,
immediately while space is still
available.
Gene Kirsch Matanuska Valley
Fair manager, was given author
ization to hire a seretary for the
coming fair, and will open his of
fice in the administration build
ing August 10. A temporary office
I has been maintained in the Thea
tre building the past few weeks
TWO POLIO CASES
REPORTED TO
PALMER HEALTH OFFICER
Two cases of poliomyelities
were reported this week to *Dr.
C. C. Bailey, Palmer Health of
ficer. One case, that of Miss Helen
Goodwin, proved fatal when the
28-year old woman died at Pro
vidence Hospital Monday of this
; week. The second case is that
of a young Palmer boy. Dr. Ar
thur J. Colberg, who reported
both cases to the health officer,
! stated the boy’s case is non-par
I alytic.
RbRSKR’S FRVORITE RRHIE EUERRIUES.
PALMER ELKS LODGE HOME 8KW P.M. PRIZES, PRIZES, PRIZES EVERYBODY WELCOME