Valley frontiersman
VOL. III.
PALMER, ALASKA, OCTOBER 6, 1949
Number 4
Palmer Favors ANS School Plan
“School Won’t Come
If li’s Not Wanted,”
Warne Promises
“If the Palmer people don't want
the Eklutna School, under the
plan we've outlined, then we won’t
build it here,’’ assistant secretary
William Warne of the Department
of the Interior promised last Sat
urday afternoon. “Were all
through trying to put schools
where the people don’t want these
children,’’ he continued. “If you
don’t want it, and say so, then we’ll
locate it somewhere else.”
Secretary Warne was in Palmer
to confer with the board members
of the Matanuska Valley Farmers
Co-operating Association, and with
the school board.
He positively asserted that the
school would not be rebuilt at
Eklutna, should Palmer refuse it.
“We’ll build it, but it will be in
some isolated area,” he said “We
will not try again to build it in, or
near, a town, if Palmer disap
proves.”
Asked what approval would
mean, reduced to percentages, Mr.
Warne replied that his department
must have “general approval” of
the community.
Questioned with reference to the
institution’s staff and payroll, the
secretary said the school would
employ about 100 persons, exclu
sive of the added teachers, who
would be on the payroll of the
Palmer school district. He said he
couldn’t remember payroll figures
and refused to either confirm or
deny the reported figure of $50,
000 monthly.
Secretary Warne spent almost an
hour in reviewing problems per
taining to the location of the
school on the Bugge tract. He ask
ed how housing for teachers would
be taken care of, and suggested
that the community attempt to se
cure Federal housing aid.
Local District
To Colled Taxes
Last week's tax puzzler, relative
to who should collect taxes with
in the Palmer school district, was
solved this week by a written
opinion from J. Gerald Williams,
attorney general for the territory.
Mr. Williams has ruled that the
district will collect the tax.
His opinion, contained in a let
ter written to Mrs. Victor John
son, clerk of the Palmer district's
board, stated, in part:
“It is my opinion that the Pal
mer incorporated school district
should collect the property tax
levied on all property within its
territorial confines . . .
"Section Seven (of the property
.tax law) provides that for the year
1949 the returns shall be made on
or before the fifteenth day of July.
It is my understanding that you
were incorporated on the first day
of July. Therefore, you were a
legally incorporated school dis
trict on the last due date for the
returns for 1949.”
Assessor-collector Neal Miller is
thereby given legal power to go
about the chores assigned to him
by the board of the Palmer dis
trict.
Copies of Attorney-General Wil
liam’s letter were mimeographed
at the Palmer School and were
distribuuted to parents of all Val
ley school children. Extra copies
of this Letter are available at the
school office.
SCS CHIEF VISITS
Stanley Cosby, chief of the re
gional survey division of the Soil
Conservation Service, recently re
turned to Portland, Ore., after a
week’s visit here. Mr. Cosby came
north to study Soil Conservation
Service problems peculiar to the
Territory. While here he went
through the Kenai-Kasilof with
drawal area and made a trip to
Fairbanks. He left on his return
flight last Thursday .
Sportsmen Dinner
Features Rare
Game Delicasies
Octopus, red squirrels and por
cupine will be the entrees in the
limelight at Saturday’s game din
ner of the Matanuska Valley
Sportsmen. They’ll be the spice
that will season the more run-of
the-mill dishes of moose, caribou,
goat, duck and goose.
Clair Stock, club president, esti
mates that there will be at least
150 different Alaskan dishes on the
table when Sportsmen and their
guests sit down to dinner next
Saturday evening. In addition fo
the game, there will be Alaskan
salads. Alaskan fruits and a des
sert of ice cream topped with
sauces of Alaskan berries.
A decoration committee began
work at mid-week to prepare the
gymnasium for Saturday’s dinner
and dance. Food will be served
from buffet tables in the gym. It
will be prepared by club members
at home, and will be brought to the
school kitchen, ready for carving,
no later than 6 p.m. Saturday.
Dinner begins promptly at 6:30
that evening. Club members are
asked to limit themselves to one
guest only. Tickets must be pur
chased before dinner-time on Sat
urday.
The evening will end with a pub
lic dance, beginning at 9 p.m.
Schaeffer’s orchestra will play.
USGS Man Hunts Warehouse
James J. Ryan of the office of
the director of the Geological Sur
vey at Washington, D. C., was a
Palmer visitor last week. Mr. Ry
an was particularly concerned
with locating warm storage space
for the U.S.G.S. He was attempt
ing to find a warehouse large
enonugh to store 10 trucks, as well
as supplies consigned to the Alas
kan offices. He continued his hunt
at Fairbanks and Juneau, after
leaving the Valley.
ARC Plans Public Meeting
To Discuss Winter Roads
With only limited funds avail
able for snow removal work this
winter, the Alaska Road Commis
sion is now trying to “budget” its
winter snow-plowing stint, it was
reported this week by William J.
Niemi, district engineer. In order
to be thoroughly acquainted with
specific road problems in this area,
the ARC head has scheduled a pub
lic hearing for Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. in
the Gymnasium.
At this meeting, residents who
live on side roads not normally
plowfed through the winter will be
asked to appear. Anyone who can
offer conclusive reasons showing
the necessity for snow removal
work should be present.
This does not apply to main
travelled roads and the 12 school
bus routes in the Palmer-Wasilla
area, Mr .Niemi pointed out. These
roads will, of necessity, be kept
open. This hearing is for residents
whoh live back from these princi
pal roads, but who have urgent
need for cleared roads through the
winter.
Residents who live along any
of the following roads will find it
unnecessary to attend the hearing,
since these roads will be kept open
by the ARC:
1— The Springer system south
of the community center.
2— Lazy Mountain road to the
Lazy Mountain Children’s Home.
3— Glenn Highway from Pal
mer, east to the Richardson and
Alaska Highways.
(Continued on Page 7i
67 PERCENT OF 165
ATTENDING MEETING
vote For school
By a vote of 67 per cent of the
165 persons present at the public
meeting held in the Gymnasium
on record as favoring the plan ad
vanced by the Alaska Native Ser
vice fo restablishing a home and
dormitories here. As outlined in
the plan, native students will at
tend the Palmer school.
A breakdown of ballots cast
showed that 113 of those voting
favored the plan, while only 52 op
posed it.
Rev. Victor Alfsen. chairman of
the meeting, opened discussion by
reading a statement of the plan
from George Beatty. ANS director
of education. He then read a 23
question wire addressed to Mr.
Beatty by local residents, together
with the answers to the questions.
Among the points clarified by the
questions and answers were several
matters pertaining to schhool con
struction. The educational direc
tor's wire stated that the “Depart
ment of the Interior is prepared to
contribute toward the operation of
the Palmer School a sum propor
tionate to that contributed by the
commuunity itself.-’
The wire went on to list home
economics and shop laboratories,
a gymnasium, a music room and all
equipment, as a part of ANS con
struction plans if "the community
will supply the site for buildings
and playgrouunds. Title to the
building ultimately will pass to
the school board.”
(Continued on Page 8)
Second B'Bail Team
To Be Formed Here
When a sqquad of 30 men re
ported for practice with the Sham
rocks' basketball club on first call
of the season this week, it was de
cided to organize a second Valley
team.
The new basketball team is head
ed by Dale Roetman, and is, for
the present, a coach-less, manager
less and sponsorless outfit. How
ever, the independents already
have rounded up nine or 10 re
cruits, and they extend an open
invitation to other basketball play
ers to join their ranks.
Practice dates had not been fixed
at press time, but the men expect
to put in at least one practice ses
sion by the week's end. Players
should report to Dale Roetman
at Palmer Cold Storage, for more
definite information.
The squad hopes to find a place
on the schedule of the Anchorage
city league, in addition to its Pal
mer play dates. In the meantime,
acting manager Roetman would
like to discuss sponsorship prob
lems with any interested Valley
businessman.