PALMER MOOSE BASKETBALL TEAM
AND GIRLS’ ROCKET TEAM
WELCOME CORDOVA!
The Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE NIATANUSKA VALLEY
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VOLUME 7. NUMBER 20
PALMER. ALASKA, THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 4. 1954
PRICE TEN CENTS
Twenty-Four Attend
First Recreation Meet
Twenty-four persons, represent
ing local organizations, attended
the first full-scale meeting of the
formation of a recreation com
mittee (or council) in the valley.
Hugh A. Johnson, Kiwanis
representative, acting temporary
chairman, presented a short ex
planation of the purpose of the
meeting. “Many groups have
been interested in a recreation
program for a long time, some ef
forts have conflicted, some have
been wasted”, he said. “We have
two major propositions to con
sider today. (1) A skating rink
tennis court and (2) the desire
ability of an area-wide recreation
council, to plan and develop an
integrate development program
for recreation.”
Johnson introduced various
representatives who brought out
the origin of the proposed coun
cil and project; the extensive pos
sibilities of such a formed group,
and many of the problems that
will have to be faced and solved
before the successful completion
of the proposals.
As Johnson pointed out, the
council would be a group who
would assist any organization
with their organized youth ac
tivities whenever and wherever
needed. They would not take
over the supervision of these ac
tivities, but would act only in an
assisting manner when requested.
It was felt by several attending
that such an organization could
be instrumental in not only ac
quiring tennis courts and skating
rink, but many other worthy rec
reational projects including hand
crafts, photography, swimming
and sports not now enjoyed ex
tensively by the youth of the
valley.
Following a motion by Charles
Wilson of the City Planning Com
mission, representatives agreed to
report to their parent organization
and return for another meeting
Sunday afternoon, February 28
when it will be decided whether
or not a council will be formed
and whether or not the tennis
court and skating rink project
should be undertaken as the first
project of the council.
The transfer of Patrolman Bert
Kellogg from Achorage to Ketchi
kan was announced last week by
Superintendent of Territorial Po
lice A. P. Brandt.
REAL PROPERTY TAX
FORMS MAILED TODAY
Real property self-assess
ment forms will be in the mail
this week for all city resi
dents.
Although the forms request
return by the first of Febru
ary, an unavoidable delay in
the City Assessor’s office,
maizes this impossible. The
chairman of the City Finance
Committee requests the co
operation of residents in re
turning the forms as soon as
possible.
Personal property forms are
coming in very well, the asses
sor announced this week.
MARCH OF DIMES
CAMPAIGN IS SUCCESS
From last Thursday evening
until 1:00 a.m. Sunday morning
residents of the Matanuska Val
ley turned out in force and help
ed make the local 1954 March of
Dimes a success. Although total
figures have not yet been deter
mined it would appear as though
a record amount will have been
collected through the "integrated
work of various local organiza
tions an individuals.
During the Kiwanis-Rockets
basketball game Lowell Krise,
local polio victim spoke to the
crowd and inspired them to dig
down for an additional $75. All
agreed that the game was well
worth the price of admission,
even though the men did trim
the gals 20-13 in a very surprising
manner. No one knew the Kiwan
ians were really going to play
basketball. George Small, referee,
was kept busy trotting from one
end of the gym to the other. His
biggest trouble seemed to be in
keeping his attractive blue skirt
in place.
in me second game, piayea ne
tween the Palmer Moose club
team and the Anchorage Pan
handle Flyers, the Palmer men
handed the top Anchorage league
team a surprise defeat, 48 to 45.
Basket Social
Friday night a very successful
basket social was held at the Ma
tanuska Hotel, under the spon
sorship of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence
McNarry. Ten attractively decor
ated baskets brought a total of
$156.75 when auctioned off by
A1 Smith of Sutton. The smallest
bid was for $9-50—top bid went
to $31.00 before the auctioneer
called out, “Sold”.
March of Dimes Dance
The famous Matanuska Valley
weather acted up late Saturday
afternoon and evening, keeping
the crowd attending the Beta Sig
ma Phi sponsored March of Dimes
dance, down to a smaller num
ber than anticipated. However,
those attending enjoyed them
selves and the girls announced
the dance a success, in that they
came out in the black with some
left over for the campaign fund.
During the dance 157 dimes were
turned in for L. P. Rorrison of
Palmer who had been saving
them throughout the year in an
ticipation of the 1954 Dimes cam
paign.
Collection Boxes
Ed Smith and Dick Jones are
collecting the many coin boxes
that were put out in various
public places during the month of
January. A total count is expect
ed to be completed by next
week’s issue of The Frontiers
man.
Mary Ann Linn of Palmer is
among 52 former Washington
State College students who have
made reservations to resume their
college education starting with
February 4 5 registration, accord
ing to wor ' receive from Claude
Simpson, WSC director of admis
sions an registrar.
TAX REPRESENTATIVE
TO BE AT HOTEL
FEBRUARY 3 TO 6
While most ti x. payers will
be able to prepare their re
turns themselves, a representa
tive of the Internal Revenue
Service will be at the Matan
uska Hotel from February 3
to February 6 from 8:15 a.m.
to 5:45 p.m. to give any ad
vice or assistance needed. No
charge will be made for this
service.
Any person whose total in
come in 1953 was $600 or more
must file a return. No refunds
can be made unless a return is
filed.
Anchorage Merchants
Agree te Sell Only
Alaska-Grown Potatoes
All but two Anchorage-area
grocers have agreed to sell only
Alaska-grown potatoes as long
as the demand can be met by po
tato growers members of the
Matanuska Valley Chamber of
Commerce were told at the Wed
nesday noon meeting.
The signed agreements were
secured by George Jackson,
board member of the Anchorage
Chamber of Commerce, follow
ing consultations with James
Wilson, commissioner of Agricul
ture and a member of the local
C of C; I. M. C. Anderson, Farm
ers Home Administration offi
cial, and John Croul, of the An
chorage C of C.
The action has been dubbed by
the Anchorage merchants as “An
chorage Potato Party”. t
Jackson predicted that a sim
ilar purchase action may be tak
en by the Military.
The agreement is expected to
relieve local farmers of their
bumper crop, now in storage in
nearly every available spot in
the valley.
Chamber secretary, Betty
Mears, reminded members that
1954 dues are now due and pay
able. Rates are $12 per year for
either individual or organization
membership.
Palmer Scouts
To Observe
Naiional Seoul Week
Boy Scout Week will be ob
served nationally from February
7 to February 13.
This week will find Scouts,
their parents, local institutions
and public officials paying
tribute the the leaders of the
89,000 Scouting Units for the con
tribution they are making to their
communities by helping boys be
come men of good character.
Rally Planned
In Palmer, Scoutmaster Harry
Wimmer will be assisted in putt
ing on the annual Boy Scout Ral
ly Wednesday evening, February
10. In years past the Rally has
been held in Anchorage and Pal
mer has traveled there for par
ticipation. However, this year the
Anchorage Rally is being held on
February 12, the date that the
Palmer High School basketball
team meet the Fairbanks Male
mutes on the Palmer court. To
avoid conflicting activities on that
date Palmer will hold their own
Rally this year on the 10th.
Members of Palmer’s two
Scout troops will participate.
Scouts from the Wasilla troojD
have been invited. There will be a
variety of contests, including ice
rescue bridge building, first aid
work, knot tieing work and vari
ous other competitive activities.
The Rally will be held in the
Palmer School gymnasium begin
ning at 7:30 p.m. Over 30 boys
are expected to participate. All
parents and friends are invited
to attend and encourage their fav
orite teams.
Scouts to Attend Church
On Sunday morning, February
1, all Boy Scouts have been in
vited to attend church services
at the United Protestant Church,
sponsors of Troop 654. These
Scouts and all others who will be
attending some other church, are
invited to weajr their Scout uni
forms to the services.
A special meeting called for
parents and interested adults
January 28 did not bring out as
many as was hoped for.
(Continued on page 8)
BETTY HEARS FILES FOR HOUSE SEAT
City Couneilwoman Betty
Mears this week filed on the
Democratic ticket for House of
Representatives. She is among
the 43 Third Division candidates
who filed for the territorial leg
islature before the deadline Feb
ruary 2. Of these were 23 Demo
crats and 13 Republicans who fil
ed for the 10 House seats; four
Democrats, two Republicans, and
one Independent filing for the
two Sentate seats.
In a surprise manuever short
ly before closing time Barbara
Dimock, Republican, an Anchor
age business woman, withdrew
her candidacy for re-election to
the House and filed for delegate
to Congress.
Mrs. Mears, active in local civ
ic affairs since coming to Palmer
in 1947, holds several offices in
the Democratic party. She is a
member of the Democratic Cen
tral Committee of which there are
four members in the Third Divis
ion; is treasurer of the Divisional
Committee, and was a delegate to
the Democratic Territorial Con
vention held in Juneau the latter
part of January. Mrs. Mears, who
went to Juneau especially to get
agriculture on the party’s terri
torial platform, was instrumental
in getting five planks of the plat
form to include agriculture pro
posals.
She is serving her second year
of a three-year term as city coun
cil member in Palmer; has been
a member of the City Planning
Commission over two years, and
is secretary-treasurer of the lo
cal Democratic Club as well as
secretary of the Matanuska Val
ley Chamber of Commerce, an of
fice she has held for the past
four years.
Her husband, Lester Mears is
employed by the Matanuska Val
ley Farmers Cooperating Associa
tion grange. The Mears have two
children, Mary Ann who is at
tending the University of Nevada
and John,' Palmer High School
student. With her mother, Mrs.
Minnie Clark, Mrs. Mears oper
ates Betty’s, a womens’ apparel
shop in Palmer.
Palmer Plans Warm
Welcome for Cordovans
STEAMSHIP OFFICIALS
EXPLAIN RATE HIKE
D. E. Skinner, president and
general manager of the Alaska
Steamship Company told a rep
resentative group of Palmer busi
ness men that the reasons for the
10 percent increase in water
transportation February 10 is nec
essary because of substantial in
creases in cost of operation since
the last increase in March of
1952.
Illustrating his talk with pre
pared financial statements,
Skinner showed where the steam
ship company realized a net prof
it before taxes of only $22,641, in
spite of a $16,970,000 1953 gross
business. High costs of operation
include over $1 million for sub
sistence and lodging; over $1 mil
lion for fuel; over $4 million for
stevadoring and over $5 million
for wages. A six week strike dur
' ing the summer season in 1952
caused a $408,672 loss in 1952.
In pointing out the necessity of
the increase Skinner told the
men that improved service will
be offered. The unitization pro
gram will be extended, teletype
communication system and other
means of speeding up delivery
will be used.
Fred Zieke, Co-Op general
manager, Jim Wilson, commis
sioner of agriculture and Herman
Leirer, Seward dairyman, pointed
out hardships to the farmers if
the freight increase on seed, feed,
hay and fertilizer goes through.
Zieke requested that these items
be given special consideration by
the Pacific Coast Maritime Con
ference, of which Coastwist Lines
and the Alaska Line are mem
bers.
Several times during the meet
ing it was brought out that no
public notice had been given of
the increase, scheduled to go in
to effect February 10. Skinner
said the Federal Maritime Board
had been notified and added that
any changes would have to also
go before the Federal Board.
Skinner was accompanied by
George Hutton of the Coastwise
Line and John Titas of the Alas
ka Line Anchorage office.
“WELCOME CORDOVA”—Be
ginning sometime after noon to
morrow this will be the Valley
by-word for the following two
days when members of the
Moose Club basketball team; the
womens’ team; and several of
their loyal followers will arrive
in Palmer from Cordova for two
days and nights of basketball and
fun.
From the time the “Chowder
Heads” hop off their chartered
Cordova Airline planes until they
wave a farewell on Sunday they
will be busy visitors. Luncheon,
smorgasbord, dancing, dinners
and tours are planned by the lo
cal Elks and Moose lodges. Co
hosts and hostesses will be mem
bers of the local basketball teams.
Two double-header games are
planned the first to get under
way Friday night in the school
gymnasium. The women will play
the first game beginning at 7:30
p.m., followed by the men at 9
p.m. ;
Immediately after landing at
the Palmer Airport the visitors
will be treated to a hot lunch at
Moose Hall. Featured on the
menu will be fried rabbit and
Matanuska Valley baked potatoes,
along with moose meat and ham.
Following Friday night’s game
members of the local Elks lodge
and the local basketball teams
will co-host a smorgasbord to be
held at the Elks Home for the
! team and visitors.
Rising bright (?) and early (?)
on Saturday morning, the visit
ors will be offered an opportun
ity to tour the Valley—shop
around—or just visit. Members of
the Matanuska Sk; club have of
fered transportation for those who
would like to visit the club’s ski
area.
Saturday evening the second
double-header game will be play
ed in the gym, followed by a pot
luck moose meat dinner which
will be served cafeteria style at
Moose Hall by members of the
local Moose club. Entertainment
is being planned and dancing
will follow.
Even the weather man said he’d
try to cooperate and WELCOME
CORDOVA.
PALMER HAYSHAKERS
VS
CORDOVA CHOWDER HEADS
(BOTH WOMEN AND MEN)
BASKETBALL GAMES
FEDRUARY 5-6
Palmer Gym
7 p.m.
WELCOME CORDOVA!
PALMER B.P.O.E.
No. 1842
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