~*1EA Manager Back
Trom Two-Week
Washington Trip
Cy Brewer, manager of Matan
uska Electric Association, return
ed to Palmer this past Sunday fol
lowing a two-week trip to Wash
ington, D. C. where, among sev
eral other activities, he attended
•'the Rural Electrification Aminis
■ tration manager’s meeting held
r "March 1-5.
During his visit to the capitol
city, Brewer learned the joint pole
use agreement between the MEA
and the City of Palmer has been
approved by REA and returned
Ho the Valley.
Work on the Bureau of Recla
nnation contract for power was
also accomplished by Brewer and
"Hie said on his return that he be
Hieves the contract is now in final
•Horm and will be forwarded as
soon as new copies are made.
In talking over MEA extension
-policies, the MEA manager re
ported REA officials appeared
satisfied with the present policy
on extensions in this area.
The request to the REA for a
loan for the Matanuska Electric
Association will be held in abey
ance until a study is completed,
■Hie stated.
Other good news brought back
**t>v Brewer included a report on
•the status of the Matanuska Tele
phone Association’s purchase of
<he City of Palmer’s telephone
system. Early this year when
Justine Parks was in Washington,
she found the Loans Division
'■had not even started work on the
^request. By the time Brewer got
Hhere it was out of Loans and is
expected to be out of the Engin
eering Division next week. It
should be ready for final Loan
•Oivision study by the first of
"Hhe month, Brewer reported.
An interesting side-trip was
made by Brewer to the Senate
Chamber, where the Statehood is
sue was being discussed. Enroute
Crewer jokingly remarked to Del.
"Bartlett’s secretary that Alaskans
are better shots than the Puerto
Ricans and from then on he said,
guards appeared at the strangest
times each place he went, until
Hie finally explained to one of the
guards that he was only foolin’ ”.
MOOSE LODGE PLAN
BENEFIT DANCE SAT.
The public is invited to attend
a Moose Lodge sponsored bene
fit dance to be held at Moose hall
on Saturday night, March 20.
Music for dancing will be fur
nished by the Moose Lodge orch
estra. Admission will be $1.50 per
couple.
UULlil
NORTHERN
NEON
CORP.
SIGNS
6
Trucks, Cars Lettered
Manufacturers of
Neon Signs, Marquees,
Store Fronts and Tube
Lighting
540 Barrow-Dial 43734
ANCHORAGE. ALASKA
PACIFIC WHALE
INCREASE SEEN
Secretary of the Interior Doug
las McKay recently said that a
Pacific gray whale census being
conducted at Point Loma, Calif
ornia indicates this year’s count
will exceed 1,000 whales, as com
pared with 850 last year.
The census is being conducted
by the Fish and Wildlife Service
in cooperation with the National
Park Service as these giant sea
mammals pass southward along
the California coast in their an
nual winter migration.
The whales move each winter
from the far north to the lagoons
of lower California to breed. In
terest in the gray whale stems
fiom its past economic promin
ence an dthe decimation it suf
fered at the hands of the whaling
industry in the late 1800’s and
Far-reaching changes over last
year’s fishing regulations are con
fined in the 1954 Alaska com
mercial fishery regulations issu
ed recently by the Interior De
partment. However, fishing in the
Cook Inlet area will be on the
same basis as last year, namely,
two days a week.
Among those changes, to be
come effective 30 days after pub
lication in the Federal Register,
are: Fifty percent reduction in
the take of herring on southeast
ern Alaska; voluntary curtail
ment by Bristol Bay operators,
fishing for red salmon, of amount
of gear to be used in 1954; clos
ure of many seining grounds in
southeastern Alaska, shutdown of
148 of the 266 trap sites operated
in southeastern Alaska in 1953,
and elimination of fishing for
pink salmon in the Prince Wil
liam Sound area, except in the
Eshamy section.
“The Department’s interest is
in a healthy fishing industry for
Alaska,” Secretary of the Interi
or McKay stated in announcing
the regulations. “It is vital to the
territorial economy. It was plain
after the 1953 season that drastic
action would be necessary to re
verse the downward trend of the
salmon catch. The spirit of co
operation which has been shown
by the Alaskans in meeting this
TOURS
CHARTERS
REASONABLE RATES
DELIVERIES
Valley Taxi Service
Located in Matanuska Hotel
Telephone 4 Palmer, Alaska
ALASKA RAILROAD TRAIN SCHEDULE
Northbound
Read Down
7:30 a.m.
12=01 p.m.
Each Thursday
Lv. Seward Ar.
Ar. Anchorage Lv.
Southbound
Read Up
8:05 p.m.
3:30 p.m.
ANCHORAGE. McKINLEY & FAIRBANKS
Mon.. Wed.. Fri., Northbound — Tues., Thurs., Sat*. Southbound
8:30 a.m
12:50 p.m.
4:36 p.m.
8:30 p.m.
Ar.
Lv. Anchorage
Lv. Curry Lv.
Lv. McKinley Lv.
Ar. Fairbanks Lv.
ANCHORAGE AND WHITTIER
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday. Saturday
8:15 p.m.
4:10 p.m.
12:26 p.m.
8:30 a.m.
11:45 a.m.
9:30
3:00 pjn. Lv. Whittier Ar.
5:05 pan. Ar. Anchorage Lv. _
Call Your ALASKA RAILROAD Agent for
Information
Lutheran Church
To Dedicate Hiw
Pews This Sunday
St. John’s Lutheran Church will
dedicate 17 beautiful new pews
and a matching hyn board this
Sunday, March 21, during the 11
a.m. service. The church service
will be followed by a pot-luck
dinner and fellowship, with re
cognition of lay workers.
Rev. Edward Imme stated this
week, “This beautiful church
furniture is unique in several re
spects. First, they are a demon
stration of the beautiful quality
of native Alaskan wood. It is not
necessary to go Outside for good
lumber. Every bit of wood in
these pews is native Alaskan
Spruce.
“They represent the fulfillment
of one Christian man’s dream of
doing something for his church,
as the wide boards for the seats
and backs were carefully selected
years ago by Mr. Lawrence Arndt
and donated to the church. Mr.
Arndt was killed in an airplane
crash in 1951 and did not live to
see the fulfillment of his dream,
but the furniture to be dedicated
Sunday is a monument to his
thoughtfulness and generosity”. •
The beautiful wood for the
ends is also Alaskan spruce and
was purchased locally at the Ket
chikan Spruce Mills yard.
The work, from rough boards to
finished pew, was done entirely
by volunteer labor. Mr. Bud L;e
bing granted the facilities of h s
shop and machinery for planing |
and cutting. Detailed plans were *■
drawn by Mr. Summer Smith, and
and the actual construction was
done in the church basement un
der the supervision of Mr. Ed
Ueeck. The finishing and varnish
ing was done under the super
vision of Mr. George Allen.
A total of 680 man hours of vol
unteer labor went into the con
struction of the 17 pews from
rough boards to the finished pro
duct.
situation augues well for that fu
ture day when Alaskans assume
sole responsibility for this im
portant resource.”
Local Merchants
Tc Participate
In Style Show
Tickets to the Spring Style
Show being sponsored by Theta
Chaper, Beta Sigma Phi on April
2, will go on sale in the city the
first part of next week, it was
announced today.
Local merchants who will par
ticipate by showing their new
Spring styles are: Bettys’, Koslos
ky’s and Kimball’s.
As an added feature this year,
the show will include styles for
the quite-a-bit-younger set, rang
ing in ages from four to 12. Suits,
formal and informal dresses,
slacks, and other clothes for re
laxing, along with proper acces
sories will be shown.
The show will be presented i
April 2 at the Elks Home. Admis- j
sion will be one dollar per per
son and refreshments will be
served following the show\ Mrs.
Marne Hanks will be moderator.
Anchorage Travel
Bureau
Lloyd C. Olsen, Owner, MgT.
Authorized Agent for all
AIR — SHIP — RAIL — BUS
No extra charge for our
services
P. O. Box 1673 — Phone 23391 i
THAT'S YOU
ALL DRESSED UP IN
CLEAN CLOTHES
Good grooming begins with
clean clothes — and clothes
get clean at Brown's Good
cleaning is real economy—
clean clothes last longer.
Save money on prompt, de
pendable cleaning and press
ing.
BROWN’S SHOP
I
ST. MICHAEL'S PLAN CARD GAME SERIES
.Following the success of re
cently held card parties at St.
Michael’s Church basement,
members of the parish decided to
hold a series of parties, to be
leld every two weeks.
The next party will be held
Monday evening, March 22 and
the public is cordially invited to
attend. Various type card games
will be played, beginning at &•
p.m.
>■>»■>->■»»->->-» >>>>>> >->■» > > > > >> > > > > » V
Motor - in - Service
GENERAL REPAIRS - WELDING
GAS & OIL
Harry Duff Phone 65J11 Bert Duff
^^<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< <<<<<<<<■<<<<< < <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
i
MATANUSKA VALLEY BANK
Palmer, Alaska
OPEN FRIDAY EVENINGS 6—8 P.M.
DAILY 10 A.M. — 3 P.M.
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-»->-> >>>>>>
» v> > > > >>■»»>>> »»■> > v-v^ > v>->> >> >-»»-»->-»-vvv-v>-v^
WHAT ESSAY WINNERS WROTE
ABOUT ALASKA'S SALMON INDUSTRY
Alaska’s boys and girls are well aware of the salmon industry’s vital role in
the growth and development of the Territory. Here as excerpts from winning
essays submitted in the Alaska Salmon Institute’s second annual $1,200 Stu
dent Essay Contest:
Solly O'Neill, Anchoroge Junior
High, $300 first prize,
elementary school division:
"Food to people all over the
world is furnished by the
Alaska salmon industry which
is also the Territory’s chief
source of tax revenue . .. One
of the most important things
the salmon industry does is to
furr.isi employment to thousands of people, in the
cannery and on fishing vessels."
Carol Ludwigsen, Ketchikan High
School, $300 first prize,
high school division:
"What the citrus fruit is to
California, the salmon is to
Alaska. The Territory sup
plies more canned salmon to
the people of the world than
any other state or country....
Salmon is a good source of
protein, the body- and brain
building food; iodine, the pre
ventative for goiter; calcium and phosphorus, which
give the body heat and energy; Vitamin A and mem
bers of the Vitamin B comp'-x. .
RcnclU Evenson, Fairbanks,
SI00 second prize,
.elementary school division:
"We Alaskans especially
should eat salmon because it
is good food for us as growing
children and also because by
using this good Alaskan prod
uct, we will all help Alaska
grow."
Frankie Barnreiter, Petersburg,
$180 second prize,
high school division:
"This valuable (salmon) in
dustry has had much to do
with the development of Alas
ka .. . the Alaska salmon in
dustry is a benefit to all Alas
kans, adding much to the de
velopment of the Territory."
Elizabeth Lopez, Clarks Point,
$50 third prize,
elementary school division:
“ . . . other Americans should
be proud of the Alaska salmon
industry, just as we Alaskans
are."
Lillian Pietila, Palmer,
$50 third prize,
high school division:
"Besides furnishing work and
a means of income, the fish
ing industry has brought peo
ple to live in Alaska. ...”
Alaska Salmon Institute
SEATTLE . KETCHIKAN . JUNEAU