LITTLE LEAGUE REGIONAL
GAMES, JULY 31 AND
AUGUST 1, ANCHORAGE
The Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
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VOLUME 6, NUMBER 45
PALMER. ALASKA, THURSDAY. JULY 30, 1953
PRICE TEN CENTS
I
By A. J. D.
inequable, Injustice and
Expensive
Something is amiss with
the proposed City water
distribution rates. Accord
ing to the rate schedule
A-hich appears on page 8
names will be assessed $6
monthly and business es-j
tablishments will be re
quired to pay $15.75
monthly regardless ofj
quantity of water used.
The inequability of this
assessment is apparent to
anyone with a minute bit
of observation.
It's a little difficult to
see the logic in why cloth
ing, grocery, hardware;
stores, and other business-!
es not utilizing water to
orocess their products for
commercial resale are,
compelled to pay the same
'ate as beauty parlors,
aundries’ hotels, cleaning
olants and restaurants,
who consume much more
A'ater which is essential for
the proper marketing of
their services and pro
ducts.
As one complainer re-j
marked to us, "I don't use
enough water in my estab
lishment to fill a 5 gallon
pail each day. I use it for
washing my hands about
twice daily. Why in thun
deration I should have to
oay the same rate as the
laundries and restaurants
I'll never be able to under
stand."
It's hard for us to un
derstand too! We're in
about the same category.
The injustice of the
A'hole arrangement lies in
the fact that few if any
oeople have been enlight
ened about the meterless
setup.
The first City council
approved installation of
water meters when they
accepted the A.P.W. con
tract requiring meters.
This is the only equable
method of charging for
water used.
No doubt a good many
oeople of the city felt the
Continued on page 5
COUNCIL DISCUSSES
CITY ACTIVITIES;
SET WATER FEE
Returning to the city council
meeting this week for a decision
in the request for free telephone
use by the Valley Health Coun
cil, Mrs. Minnie Clark heard the
recommendation of the telephone
committee which authorized the
free use of one phone for the
duration of the Health Counci:
fiscal year, in as much as they are
facing a $600 deficit in this year’s
budget. It was recommended b>
the committee that the cost oi
the telephone be included in theii
next budget.
Replying, Mrs. Clark thankee
the council for their assistance
and pointed out that the Health
Council will need assistance ir
the future to insure the continu
ance of the public health nurse
in Palmer. Members of the health
and safety committee plan ^
study of'the situation.
Fire Department
Mayor Alfred Hagen told coun
cil members a new motor is being
installed in the fire truck, as weh
as a new light and siren.
Telephone Department
Joseph Gallant, chairman of the
telephone committee, reported
the reply to the ctiy request for
an agreement on the joint use of
the M.E.A. poles would be forth
coming in a letter from the M. E.
A. board of directors. He made
further reports on inquiries for
larger quarters for the telephone
office and asked council opinion
on where the new switchboard
will be set up for testing. Mayor
Hagen suggest the committee
make further studies and offer
recommendations at the nexl
meeting.
Water Department
An application for a water line
connection on line north of the
main entrance to the new San
vik and Roark apartment build
ing was reported by Don Me
Kechnie, water committee chair
man. Original plans call for in
stallation at the rear of the
building. Council discussion or
the installation of water meters
brought out that installation costs
at this time would run too high
Meters will be installed at a latei
date when finances permit. A
rate of ten dollars for a permil
and inspection fee was establish
ed for water users hooking ontc
the new city system. All plumb
ing from the property line to the
house, as well as throughout eacl
house, will have to pass the Ter
ritoral plumbing code before
hook-ups to the city system wil
be completed. A qualified em
ploye of the water departmen
will make the inspections. In
dividuals will be required to pa:
for their own connections. Ii
addition to the permit fee, ser
vice will be billed one montl
in advance. Members of the wate
committee recommended all .pri
vate lines (from city line ti
house) be buried eight feet be
low surface.
It was pointed out that th
contract fdjr the system call
for a specific number of cor
nections. Persons now buildin
who desire city water must mak
application through the Cit;
Clerk and council. Any change
in original contract must be a{
proved by APW officials in Jun
eau and the contractor.
Mayor Hagen appointed Coun
cilmen Felzien, Moore and Gal
lant as a committee to act i:
obtaining stop signs for enforce
ment of city traffic regulation
NEW DAIRY STRAIN FOR VALLEY
I
Top Picture show Henning and Alma Blunck with
Roxana Jane’s Laird as he was unloaded at Palmer—a bit
gaunt but in good condition.
Middle Picture shows the seven Brown Swiss heifers
from which the Blunck herd will be built. Showing them
are, left to right, Blunck, Mrs. Blunck, Pat Cullison and
Mary Cullison.
Bottom Picture shows Roxana Golden Jeannie, age 12
months whose grandmother is 1952 reserved grand cham
pion at the Waterloo National Dairy Show with a record
of 20,235 pounds of 8.96% milk—801.23 pounds butter fat.
Showing her is Mrs. Gerdes, former owner. Roxana Golden
Margaret is being shown by Mrs. Blunck. This heifer carries
blood from 1941 and 1950 champions. Roxana Jane’s Laird,
shown by Blunck, was sired by Laird of Lee’s Hill, proven
and sold at auction recently for $8,000.
Increase Water Supply
Shortage Still Felt
Members of the Co-Op main
tenance crew, under the direc
tion of Frank Clark, have been
working this week on water ex
pansion for the present system.
Although the expansion will
permit pumping more water
into the system, users were
warned that the supply is still
very limited and Will have to
be conserved. Users are asked
to please refrain from watering
their lawns or washing cars
during the water shortage.
$75,000 APPROVED
FOR EXPERIMENT
STATION WORK
I Senate conferees on the Agri
: culture Department appropriation
bill won out in their approval of
$75,000 for Experiment Station
work in Alaska, according to word
received this week from Delegate
E. L. Bartlett, Washington D. C.
The House allowed $62,500
when passing the department’s
money bill for the 1954 fiscal year
and the Senate had upped that
figure to $75,000,
PALMER LITTLE LEAGUE ALL-STARS
! LEAVE FOR REGIONAL MEET TOMORROW
t Tomorrow morning at 10:00
■ a.m. members of Palmer’s All
r Star Little League baseball team
i will leave for Anchorage where
• they will participate in the re
i gional meet. Teams from Palmer,
: Fairbanks, Anchorage, and pos
- sibly other cities will compete for
) the right to go to Vancouver,
■ B. C. and possibly to the national
championships.
i Transportation for the young
3 sters will be needed, Bill Fogg
- said this week. Cars and drivers
l will be appreciated, he said, and
j asked anyone able to make the
f trip to meet at the Little League
s field at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow
morning.
Games will be played Friday,
July 31 and again on Saturday,
August 1, at the Anchorage Lit
tle League field on “C” Street.
Coach Ray McCarney and Virgil
Wilkinsen, assistant coach will
accompany the 12-year-old boys.
Striking new uniforms for the
all-star team were donated by
L. W. McNary of the Matanuska
Hotel and Bob Totten of the Pal
mer Bar. They are all white with
blue trim and will be issued to
players tonight.
farnFloan board
TO MEET AUG. 3-4
Jim Wilson, Commissioner of
Agriculture, announced this week
that an organization meeting of
the Territorial Loan board will be
held in Palmer August 3 and 4.
The meeting, to be held in the
Department of Agriculture office
in the Wright building, is being
called for organization of the
board and to establish policies foi
the administration of loans.
Wilson was in Homer last weep
where he discussed the loan pro
gram with two members froir
Homer and farmers in that area
Bluncks lo Start
Brown Swiss Herd
Following four years of prepar
ation, Henning and Alma Blunck
reached a goal set up that long
ago when on July 19 at 1:00 a.m.,
they arrived at their home one
mile south of Palmer with eight
head of purebred Brown Swiss
cattle, trucked from Illinois and
QUEEN CONTESTANTS
MAY NOW REGISTER
All Valley girls, 15 years of
age or older, who are single
and wish to enter the 1953 Ma
tanuska Valley Fair queen
contest are asked to contact
Dorothy Saxton at her office
in the Theatre building. Mem
bers of Theta chapter. Beta
Sigma Phi have offered to as
sist the fair board with the
contest this year.
Although contestants need
not be sponsored in order to
qualify, organizations and
business houses are invited to
sponsor a Valley girl in this
annual event. Tickets will be
available for contestants soon,
Alba Brooks, fair president,
said this week. The contest
will be officially opened at
that time.
1953 Fair Books
Ready for Exhibitors
Catalogs for the 1953 Matan
uka Valley Fair have been com
pleted and are ready for distri
bution, Gene Kirsch, fair manager
announced. They will be dis
tributed through the following of
fices: Department of Agriculture
: in the Wright building; Extension
Service office in the Co-Op area;
at the administration office in
the fairgrounds and at Brooks
Equipmeht in the Severn build
ing. All persons interested in ex
hibiting in the fair are requested
to get a copy of the book from
one of these locations. All ad
vertisers will receive a copy
i through the mail, Kirsch said.
Concession Space
Organizations or individuals
who plan to operate a concession
at the fair have been asked to
contact Kirsch at the fairgrounds
for a copy of the concession
agreement forms, now ready for
distribution.
Grounds Improvement
Improvements on the fair
grounds have been started,
Kirsch said. The race track is
being enlarged to a 40-foot width
and will be fenced on the out
side where necessary. Horse rac
ing will be one of the features
during the 1953 fair, with An
chorage entries already coming
in. Brooks said this week it
looks like there will be some good
races. Prizes for relay and time
races will be announced shortly,
he added.
John King and Kirsch are get
ting ready to put up the fencing
along Fairview Avenue. Although
the fair board had hoped to be
able to erect a permanent heavy
wire fence, they have found thal
time does not permit it before
the fair. Barbed wire will be
strung around the grounds foi
temporary fencing and possibly
the permanent fence can be pul
in after the fair, they said.
Four quonset huts have beer
put back on their foundations
(Please turn to page 5)
Wisconsin to Palmer, a distance
of 4,100 miles.
The Bluncks left Palmer on
June 28, travelled by train to
Seward; boat to Seattle; plane to
Chicago and train to Fort Wayne,
Indiana where an International
truck which was purchased
through the local Co-Op Garage,
was waiting for them at the as
sembly plant. They later drove
to Princeton, Illinois and then
Lake Mills, Wisconsin where
seven heifers and a bull of out
standing breeding were purchas
ed.
Starting their Alaskan trek, fol
lowing a visit at Duluth, the
Blunks ran into trouble when
their two-ton truck struck a soft
shoulder, sending them dowrn a
25-foot enbankment. Unhurt ex
cept for bruises and minor cuts,
they found the cattle upside
down, feet in the air. With the
help of several truckers, the cat
tle were soon grazing along the
road. Within a week repairs were
made and they were again head
ed north.
Before reaching the border at
Sweetgrass, Montana, the cattle
were unloaded and fed three
times. Arriving at the border on
July 11, they found they had a
two day rest ahead of them for
truck travel through Canada is
prohibited on Sundays.
During the latter part of the
trip the cattle were unloaded each
day, fed, watered and sprayed, to
avoid any risk. Arriving in Pal
mer on July 19, the cattle were
thinner but in good condition.
Blunck has been employed in
the maintenance department at
the Co-Op. Mrs. Blunck has
taught in the Palmer schools for
the past three years. The 10,000
miles of travel by boat, plane,
train and finally truck are mem
ories for the Bluncks now, but
Valley Crest, their dairy farm, is
now stocked with fine Brown
Swiss cattle from which they in
tend to build up a sizeable herd.
AL SAXTON NAMED
COMMUNITY CHEST
CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN
Two new board members have
been added to the local Com
munity Chest organization. They
are A1 Saxton who is this year’s
campaign chairman and Fred
Stassel who will serve on the
budget committee. They were
named at a meeting held July
2.
Ed Smith, president, said this
week that the local Community
Chest campaign is expected to be
held sometime in early October.
Budget forms are being distribut
ed to area organizations who are
members of the local unit.
Committees for the 1953 cam
paign are as follows A1 Saxton,
chairman, Ed Smith and Jasper
Skok. Budget committee: Mrs.
William Zahradnicek, Fred Stas
sel and Richard Jones. Publicity
committee: Mrs. Jim Hurley,
Mrs. Virgil Eckert and Mrs. Ros
co Taylor.
Organization officers are Ed
Smith, president; Jasper Skok,
, vice-president, Richard Jones
treasurer and Mrs. Rosco Taylor,
secretary. Miss V. Louis Kellogg
was present at an advisory capac
ity.
Sun. Eve
5 to 9 pjn
All You Can Eal - Adults $3.00 - Children $1-50
ALMER CAFE
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