Vol. 1, No. 23
Palmer, Alaska, December 6, 1947
Ten Cents
ARMY OFFERS VALLEY $250,000 HOSPITAL
Co-op To Talk
Of Sale Plans
For Buildings
A seven-point program rec
ommended by its directors, as
well as a consideration made at
the resolution of the Dairymen’s
Association made at the Novem
ber meeting, are scheduled for
discussion at next Wednesday’s
meeting of the Matanuska Val
ley Farmers Co-operating As
sociation. That meeting will be
held at 8 o’clock in the gym
nasium.
The board of directors is
expected to outline a plan of
operation under which a num
ber of the co-operative’s pres
ent holdings will be sold.
Ticketed for sale are the water
and sewer system, dormitory,
garage, posloffice, commun
ity hall, six staff houses. Ex
tension building. Recreation
hall, hatchery apartment
buildings and thesewage dis
posal building.
FHA approval has been ob
tained for the sale of these units.
The Co-op would retain the
powerhouse, the office building,
warehouse, Trading Post and
creamery and dairy.
A program of remodelling for
the powerhouse will be consid
ered, with suggestions calling
for the purchase of either a new
high pressure steam boiler or
of a high pressure steam gen
erator of the oil-burning type.
Recommendations a f f e c ting
the produce department also are
expected tobe considered at the
meeting. Plans call for the tem
porary discontinuance of that de
partment, with the ultimate goal
operation by a membership
group. Matters of accounting
procedure are scheduled for
study also.
The Dairymen’s resolution,
presented by Ernest Harrington
at the November meeting, is ex
pected to be acted upon. Their
plan calls for the establishment
of separate co-operatives for the
operation of all service units, the
operation of the produce depart
ment and the operation of the
dairy and creamery.
To Anchorage
Mrs. Dorothy Henke was in
Anchorage last Tuesday on a
short business trip.
Leola’s Gaining
Allhough Virgil still leads
in the Frontiersman subscrip
tion contest, Leola DeLand
has moved ahead of Richard
to take second place. The con
test still has another nine days
to run.
Contest standings Thursday
morning were:
Virgil .1300
Leola . 600
Richard . 450
Barbara. 360
Joan. 70
Bryant & Hartley
Test Own Job
First to try out the results of
the Bryant & Hartley construc
tion on the east-west runway of
the Valley airport were—Bryant
& Hartley.
Work on the port was offici
ally termed complete last week,
and Dave Bryant and Jim Hart
ley immediately exchanged the
driver’s seat of a tractor for
places in the Bryant plane.
They took off from the new
strip, en route to Anchorage.
They report it to be in good con
dition, and they feel they ought
to know—after all, they built it
and they flew from it.
Fire Drill Planned
Members of the Valley Volun
teer Fireman’s Association will
hold a regular drill with the
new fire equipment Sunday aft
ernoon at 2 o’clock, it was an
nounced by A1 Hagen.
There also is a special meeting
of Fire Asociation members
planned for Tuesday at 8 o’clock
in the Legion Clubrooms.
BULLETIN
Wilbur E. Keith, 19, was given
another year and a half sentence
added on his 18-year term after
he pleaded guilty in the third
district court Thursday to es
cape fro ma federal jail. Keith
stole a car and drove beyond the
Alpine Inn. He was caught by
Wesley I. Gilman, territorial
highway patrolman.
EARLY BIRD GETS FINE
Ted Larsen of Palmer last
week was tried and convicted in
the court of U. S. Commissioner
Walter E. Huntley for illegally
killing a moose. Larsen was
given a $350 fine.
Palmerites take time off from Christmas shopping and office
stints to try out the sundaes, sandwiches and sodas served at
Bert's Drug Store Fountain, the Valley's newest eatery. In
the photograph above, Mrs. Marie Wright and Mrs. Barbara
Meiers are serving sundaes to customers. Lunchers wielding I
spoons are, from left to right, Mrs. June Barker, Rex Monog
han, Harold Morton, and Mr. and Mrs. Lauritx Loherg. (Photo
by Palmer Photographic Center.)
Valley Bank
Grows Too Big
For Quarters
Encouraged by the excellent
showing it is making only four
months after opening, the Mata
nuska Valley Bank has decided
to capitalize for a greater sum,
Directors Stanley McCutcheon
and Buell Nesbett said today.
During Sunday’s meeting of
the board members, who include
Jack Maze, Andrew Hassman,
Harold Koslosky, Mr. Nesbett
and Mr. McCutcheon, the direc
tors decided to double capitaliza
tion.
It was also decided to sell
stock to residents of the Valley,
McCutcheon said. About $180,
000 is on deposit in the bank.
A spring expansion of the
quarters was also planned, Mr.
Maze revealed. The new con
struction will extend to the rear
of the present bank and will
utilize space behind Koslosky’s
liquor store.
Saturday Game
Slated for PHS
Palmer high school basketball
quintet will make a home-town
appearance Saturday evening
against the 200 Quartermaster’s
five of Fort Richardson. There
will be an inter-squad curtain
raiser at 7 o’clock, Coach L. K.
Gibson announced.
The t w o - g a m e Fairbanks
series, scheduled to be played
this week, has been postponed.
The high school squad is sched
uled for a tilt with the Medics of
Fort Richardson next Saturday
night, and will meet Anchorage
high school on the following
Saturday.
Although greatly handicapped
by the absence of Lynn Sandvik
and Earl Onkka on Saturday,
Palmer’s basketball picture will
be brighter the week following.
Earl, believed lost for the season
after a recent appendectomy, has
medical clearance and will begin
turning out for practice next
Monday.
Lynn Sandvik will be back
from Chicago in time to play.
Breaker Gives
Pupils a Break
A breaker tripped open at the
Eklutna plant, source of the Val
ley’s electrical supply, and
plunged parts of the Valley into
darkness for five hours last Mon
day.
W. C. Mau, head of the Mata
nuska Electric Association, Inc.,
said one phase was out from 3 to
8 a. m. Monday morning. The re
maining two phases were off for
only five minutes.
Lines have been patrolled in
an effort to locate the source of
trouble, but it has not yet been
traced.
The power strike gave Pal
mer’s students an unexpected
holiday, for the three-phase fur
nace at the school could not be
brought back into action to heat
the school plant.
Girl Scouts Plan
Saturday Sale
Girl Scouts of Palmer will hold
a Holiday Sale in the lobby of
the Recreation hall Saturday,
Dec. 6, it was announced today
by Miss Mietzi Bleck, Scout lead
er. The sale begins at 10 a.m.
Both Senior and Intermediate
Girl Scouts are participating in
the event to raise money for
purchase of Scout supplies.
Items to be sold include hand
made articles suitable for gifts,
home-canned foods of all types,
pastries and homemade candies.
Finemans To Trade
Alaska For Arizona
Dr. Z. M. Fineman has re
signed his position as agronomist
at the Alaska Experiment Sta
tion to accept a new post at the
University of Arizona. The Fine
mans returned to Palmer only
last Tuesday, after several
week’s leave in the states.
Dr. Fineman will be head of
plant breeding for the state of
Arizona in his new post. He will
be located at the experiment sta
tion in the Salt River valley, near
Phoenix.
The Fineman’s plant to be in
the Valley just six weeks before
they leave for Arizona.
New Building
Would Go Up
On Old Site
A $250,000 hospital unit is
available to the Valley if local
residents will grasp the oppor
tunity to bring it here, Dr. R. E.
Garret told Chamber of Com
merce members last Wednesday.
Equipment and material to re
place the community s hospital,
which was destroyed by fire, can
be obtained through Fort Rich
ardson, the doctor said.
The offer was made through
Lt. Gen. Nathan F. Twining,
commanding general armed
forces in Alaska, with whom Dr
Garret conferred last week.
Terming Valley needs a “true
emergency,” General Twining
told the doctor to “list what you
need, and we’ll get it for you.”
Doctor Garret then outlined
his plan for new hospital fa
cilities for the Valley. He said
Palmer would need three
buildings, either Quonsel huts
or K-D buildings, to be used
as wings connecting to a cen
tral structure to be erected on
the foundation of the de
stroyed building.
Boilers of the former hospital
still are in good condition, and
the concrete foundation, which
contains an estimated $20,000
worth of material, is usable. Dr.
Garret plans the construction of
a new concrete or cement block
building, steel reinforced, to
house expensive equipment, the
surgery, nursery, maternity
room, and main offices. From this
central fireproof structure, the
three wings will extend. They
will be used as wards.
Urged to list the equipment
needed, Dr. Garret asked for a
surgery table, an anesthesia ma
chine, good x-ray equipment,
electro-cardiac and basal metabo
lism machines, linens, beds, mat
tresses and all necessary equip
ment to accompany each hospital
bed.
Dr. Garret urged need for im
mediate action, saying that plans
should be organized for laying
the groundwork.
(Continued on Page 10)
$3,000 Goal Set For Fund Drive
A $3,000 goal, drive dates for
the period between Dec. 10 and
Dec. 22 inclusive, and the accep
tance of four drive beneficiaries
were confirmed in short order
at last Monday’s meeting of the
Community Fund committee.
The Alaska Crippled Chil
dren's Association, Boy Scouts,
Health Council and Valley dis
aster fund were ticketed for a
share in drive proceeds.
One or two other agencies
were discussed, among they the
Lazy Mountain Children’s home
and the community Christmas
fund, but were not included. If
other service organizations wish
to be participating members in
the 1947 drive, they must be
present at next Monday’s com
mittee meeting.
No action was taken on the
community Christmas program
for it is believed the idea will be
abandoned this year. A meeting
has been called for next Tuesday
evening at 7 o’clock, to which all
clubs and organizations are asked
to send delegates who will decide
the matter. That meeting will be
held in the Extension office.
It was reported that the Lazy
Mountain Children’s home will
need no help, except in an emer
gency. In the event of such an
emergency, they will be allowed
to draw from the disaster fund.
To promote interest in the
drive, the committee decided
to sponsor an essay contest in
Palmer school. A prize of $10
will be offered for the best es
say submitted in grades seven
through twelve, and in grades
one through six, on the topic:
, "How Ihe Community Fund
i Will Help Us in the Valley."
[ The contest begins on Dec. 8
r and will close at the end of the
l school day on Dec. 13. There will
1 be a second prize offered in both
i divisions, in addition to the $10
: first prize.
Three judges, Rev. W. L. Zeile.
Marvin Allyn and J. L. Dickson,
were named to select the best
essay. Cash prizes were contrib
uted by Les Ray, drive chairman,
and by the Valley Frontiersman.
Other donors are expected to be
added to the list later.
The next meeting of the Com
munity Fund committee, the
final one before the drive opens
on Dec. 10, is called for Monday.
Committee members will meet
at the home of Les Ray at 8
o’clock that evening.