Vol. 1, No. 72
Palmer, Alaska, June 11, 1948
Ten Cents
Valley Plans
For Power
Not Affected
The decision of the city of An
chorage to make application to
the Rural Electrification Admin
istration for a loan to develop
a power plant at Eklutna will in
no way hinder the future of
power development in the Mata
nuska Valley, H. G. Bryan, REA
representative, declared this
week.
“This is no new development,”
lie stated. “It’s an over-all plan
that REA has been considering
and attempting to work out for
the past two years. The Valley is
handicapped in any attempt to
develop Eklutna, because the site
is not owned by an REA borrow
er. We have been attempting, for
some time, to work out a plan
whereby the city of Anchorage, if
it could not obtain funds to de
velop Eklutna, could turn over
Ithe site to an REA borrower for
such development.”
Mr. Bryan said the develop
ment at Eklutna included plans
for a high voltage transmission
line to connect existing power
plant capacities in the area.
Speaking of the Anchorage ap
plication to REA, Mr. Bryan said
I it would be given every consid
eration by the department, but
he felt no action could be taken
on‘ it, until Congress amends the
act which set up REA. Present
regulations forbid REA loaning
money to any municipality of
more than 1,500 population. Also,
REA cannot loan funds to any
area now receiving electric serv
ice.
In the meantime, the REA pro
gram is forging ahead in other
(spots in the territory, it was re
ported. Materials are now on
order for power. projects at
Homer, Kodiak and Fairbanks.
--
Growers Sign
Crop Contracts
Members of Valley Producers,
Inc., this week were signing their
marketing contracts with the as
sociation. Members of the Pro
ducers’ seven-man board of di
rectors each were contacting a
quota of growers in order to fa
cilitate the contract signing.
Glen Woods, head of the grow
lers, said every effort is being
made to reach all Valley farm
ers who are interested in signing
a contract with the Valley Pro
ducers. However he feels it is
possible that some individuals
nay have been inadvertently
overlooked. He asks, if there is
Pny farmer who has not yet re
ceived his contract, that he con
act one of these board members.
^lads Johannsen, Glen
Woods, Ray Rebarchek, W. E.
Ross, W. A. Blum, Irvin New
ville or Alva Brooks.
The Valley Producers are now
eying to contact farmers who
vill have early crops of onions,
adishes and rhubarb, Mr. Woods
tated. Orders for these items al
eady have been received by the
•rganization.
« Voters Don't Come
*
Only two voting members
l/ere present at this week’s
llanned meeting of the Valley’s
Agricultural committee, so no
Sulfhees was conducted.
Leslie Green
Gets Approval
For Vet’s School
Wired authorization for the
establishment of a veteran’s fly
ing school in Palmer was re
ceived by pilot Leslie Green this
week. The program is expected
to get under way at the Palmer
airport by July 1.
Mr. Green, who has been living
and flying in the Palmer area
for the past two years, has had
extensive experience in training
schools in the states. He has been
giving private flying instruction
at the Palmer airport for some
time now.
Registration procedure in the
flying school, which requires a
40-hour training course, is simple.
A veteran must get a certificate
from the Veteran’s Administra
tion office and present it to Mr.
Green at the field. The pilot then
will enroll the applicant in the
primary training course. Both
ground and flight instruction will
be handled by Mr. Green.
There is no limit to the number
of applicants who may sign up
for the course.
Mr. Green said his plans were
not completely clear yet. How
ever he will either purchase or
rent a second plane, to be used
with his present Aeronca, in the
flying school.
New Building Soon
To Get Under Way
A new 50x70-foot building, to
be a one-story frame and stucco
structure erected on a concrete
basement, will be begun on the
lot next to the Shamrock Bakery
within the next few days, it was
revealed this week by owner
Matt Perkins. Basement excava
tion will commence as soon as!
frost is out of the ground.
Mr. Perkins said he planned
to construct the new building in
such a way that additional stories
may be added later, if business
conditions in Palmer warrant.
He plans to use the quarters in
the new building entirely as
store space.
If construction plans go ac
cording to schedule, the first ten
ants will be moving into the new
Perkins building within 60 days
from the beginning of construc
tion.
Shamrocks Win 2
During Past Week
The Shamrocks softball squad
has fallen into a habit of winning
ball games that no opponent has
been able to break, recently. The
nine travelled to Jonesville again
last week, to whip the Miners by
a score of 10-4.
They returned to their home
grounds on Sunday to meet a GI
team from Post Headquarters,
who gave them plenty of trouble
before the winning run crossed
the plate in the last half of the
seventh inning. The final score
in that game was Shamrocks 3,
Post Headquarters 2.
The Butte squad met the Army
in the nightcap and bested them
9-6.
There will be another double
header at the local diamond this
Sunday. The Shamrocks will
open play against the Army’s 175
Signal Service at 2:30 and the
Butte will meet an unnamed op
ponent at 3:15.
QUORUMLESS FAIR BOARD
DOES NO BUSINESS
Since no quorum was present
at last Tuesday’s regular busi
ness meeting of the board of di
rectors of the Matanuska Valley
Fair Association, fair business
remains at a standstill for an
other week.
A progress report from Mar
shall Selover was read, and the
members present informally dis
cussed the points covered in that
report.
Mr. Selover recommended that
several full-time ticket-sellers be
paid a 10 per cent commission
for the sale of automobile tickets,
that he be empowered to draft
last-minute help in completing
the sale of advertising for the
fair book (this to be paid from
his own commission) and that he
later be allowed to employ such
help as is needed to complete the
details of business before the fair
opens.
Mr. Selover further recom
mended that concessionaires be
rented booth space on the Mid
way at a per-foot cost (he sug
gested $4.50), with the renter re
sponsible for his own shelter.
The renter would be required to
post a bond in order to guaran
tee the removal of his booth after
the fair is over. For displays of
an industrial nature he suggested
a $10 minimum rental, if the fair
does not supply the shelter, and
Outside Ministers
Plan Valley Visit
A seminar of seven Presbyter
ian ministers, who have been at
tending the recent Presbyterian
conferences in Seattle, will ar
rive in the Valley next Monday.
They have come north to study
Presbyterian missions in Alaska.
The visitors, expected to ar
rive in Palmer from Anchorage
at about 10:30 Monday morning,
will go immediately to the Unit
ed Protestant Church, where a
short program has been prepared.
Don Irwin will tell the visitors
of the Valley’s history and Mrs.
Neil Miller will sketch the his
tory of the local church. W. C.
Mau then will present the major
problems confronting Palmer’s
church.
Following the formal program,
ladies of the United Protestant
Church will serve a luncheon,
after which the seven delegates
will leave for the Interior with
the Rev. B. J. Bingle.
Fair Board Holds
Special Session
Next Tuesday
There will be a special meet
ing of the board of directors of
the Valley Fair Association next
Tuesday evening at 8 o’clock. The
meeting will be held in the Ex
tension Office and all directors
are urged to be present.
This will be the final meeting
held before the premium book
goes to press, and there are still
matters of policy to be discussed.
The deadline for compiling ma
terial to appear in the book has
been set at June 15.
Fair manager Marshall Selover
spent last week in Anchorage,
where he completed the job of
soliciting advertising for the
b?ck.
a $25 rental if the fair provides
quarters.
Need for regulated police pro
tection and the ordering of print
ing of ribbons also was stressed
in the report.
Vacancies existing in the sup
erintendents’ lists were discussed
and directors volunteered names
of residents who might be will
ing to serve. Suggested names in
cluded Mrs. Harold Dinkel, Jo
seph Dickson, Mrs. Rose Johnson,
Harold Dinkel and Mrs. Martin
Olson. None of those suggested
have yet been contacted to see if
they will serve.
Mrs. Ilah Senski brought a re
port on the needs of Homemak
er’s clubs for space at the coming
fair, as well as a request for
space from the Wasilla Library
Association. Her report was dis
cussed but no action was taken.
All points under discussion are
to be acted upon at a special
meeting called for next Tuesday
evening at 8 o’clock. The meet
ing will be held in the Extension
Office, and M. D. Snodgrass will
preside in the absence of Parker
Lester.
Mr. Lester urged, before leav
ing, that every board member
make an effort to be present
since this is the last meeting be
fore the premium book is sent to
the printer.
Producers Request
Grading School
The Valley Producers, Inc.,
have requested that a grading
school be held in the Valley,
Parker Lester, Extension agent,
reported this week. Mr. Lester
has asked Dean G. W. Gasser,
territorial commissioner of ag
riculture, to plan for the school,
but has received no reply yet, re
garding possible dates.
The Producers also are inter
ested in attempting to get a
United States inspector here for
the school and later to carry on
the grading of local products. It
is not known whether it will be
possible to carry out this plan.
Monday Court Action
Is Dismissed
The case of John Haller of
Valdez vs Louis Burcher of Pal
mer last Monday was dismissed
in the court of W. E. Huntley, U.
S. Commissioner, when the com
plaining witness failed to appear.
Haller was struck by a vehicle
driven by Burcher on Monday,
May 31, and he had filed a com
plaint charging that Burcher was
driving while under the influ
ence of liquor.
United Protestant
Bible School Announced
Daily vacation Bible school
will begin at the United Protes
tant Church on Tuesday, June
15, it was announced today by
Mrs. Neil Miller, who is in
charge of the program.
Classes are to begin at 9 o’
clock and will continue until
noon, Monday through Friday,
for the next two weeks. Chil
dren must have passed their
fourth birthday if they are to be
enrolled in the school, Mrs. Mil
ler said. There is no age limit
in the urrer breeket.
Farm Experts
Being Added
To ARA Staff
Still more new scientists and
agricultural experts were arriv
ing in the Valley this week to
begin work on the largest agri
cultural research program ever
outlined for the territory.
Latest arrivals were Dr. A. H.
Mick, who will be in charge of
the soils classification work at
the experiment station, and Dr.
Iver Nygard, who will conduct
a soils survey and will assist in
getting the work correlated and
under way.
Dr. Mick comes to the Valley
from Michigan State College. Dr.
Nygard’s home is in St. Paul,
where he has been in charge of
district work. He formerly vis
ited the territory in the party of
agricultural scientists which
toured the north in 1946.
Scheduled to check in at any
time is Dr. C. L. Llefebvre, who
will remain in the Valley for
only a few days before going
on to Fairbanks where he will
be in charge of plant pathology.
Dr. Llefebvre will tour the agri
cultural areas throughout the
territory this summer, in order
to familiarize himself with plant
diseases common to Alaska.
Still others who are expected
to come in the near future are
Kirk Stone, who will make a
survey of economic conditions
in the territory and Walter U.
Fuhriman who is on loan to the
Department of Agriculture from
the Department of the Interior
in order to begin the territory’s
study of agricultural economics.
Mr. Fuhriman is expected to
spend about six months in the
Valley and the remainder of his
time in Washington, D. C., where
he will study the facts revealed
in Alaskan surveys dealing with
the economic side of territorial
farming. At least two more men
will be included in this party.
The project on which these
men will be working is most ex
tensive. It will include the col
lection of local price data, an
analysis of the local market con
ditions, study of the costs and
expenses of commercially clear
ing land in Alaska, a study of
farm indebtedness and the Alas
kan credit situation and the gen
“ (Continued on back page)
Valley Chamber
Invades Anchorage
Next Monday Noon
Valley businessmen again are
reminded of Monday’s Palmer
Day at the Anchorage Chamber
of Commerce luncheon meeting
in the Aleutian Gardens. All Val
ley residents are invited to join
the tour of local businessmen
and Chamber members who are
going to Anchorage that day.
Arrangements have been made
to delay the railcar’s leaving for
an hour that morning, in order
that more people will be able to
attend the noon luncheon. The
car will leave Palmer at 9:30,
and will return at 4:30 that after
noon.
Reservations are needed, in or
der that the Anchorage group
may know the number of guests
to expect. Mrs. Betty Mears,
Chamber secretary, will accept
the reservation of anyone who
wishes to make the trip