THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
PIONEER
Published Weekly at Palmer, Alaska.
♦
JACK ALLMAN
Editor-Publisher.
♦
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at the post office at Palmer, Alaska.
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How Do You Feel About It?
How do you feel about a range law? Do you
think we need one right now, and if you do how
do you think it should operate? Please write in
and offer suggestions, but be sure and give the
problem some serious thought before doing so.
In some instances “fencing the stock” would work
a hardship on owners who have nothing but
heavily timbered tracts with scant feed among
trees. In other cases “fencing the crop” would
be unreasonably expensive to growers this com
ing season. Naturally, in time to come it will
work around to this latter condition, but right
now there are many acres waiting to be planted
in the spring which are unfenced, and it is late
in the season here when post holes should be
dug.
Yet, if something isn’t done, there may be a
lot of that “impounding” trouble that was ex
perienced this fall. It is loo bad that straight
neighborly feeling can’t solve this problem, at
least for the coming year, but apparently it won’t.
A few colonists who have been interviewed on
the subject have stated that they definitely feel
some law is needed. Let us have your views.
The latest bulletin on “Range Problems and Their
Solution” has just arrived from the Department
of Agriculture and is on hand at the PIONEER
office where it may be studied by anyone inter
ested.
The Measure Of A Man
A man’s ability to make fair decisions where
personal likes and dislikes are concerned is an
honest measure of his ‘size.’
Captain Heinie Berger, owner and skipper of
the MS Discoverer, proved himself ‘big’ one day
last week when iie sent the following telegram to
Col. 0. F. Ohlson, General Manager of the Alaska
Railroad who has been authorized to charter ships
with which to relieve the maritime strike situa
tion.
Berger’s telegram, reads:
Colonel Ohlson
Bell Street Terminal
Seattle, Washington.
“Leaving Seward for Seattle today on last
scheduled trip of the season; offer my ship
Discoverer and crew to assist under your
supervision in present transportation ^emer
gency Seattle for Seward and railbelt.”
If we are to believe what we hear this offer
has just that much more merit because of the
attitude the present management of the railroad
has far Heinie Berger.
Tales, too often repeated to be without some
foundation, relate how box cars were strung
across dock ends and keept there needlessly for
days so that Berger couldn’t get freight ashore.
One hears of denied wharfage privileges and other
obstacles. A 70 million dollar railroad fighting a
100 ton boat which parallels a little over a hun
dred miles of its line! Sounds a lot like “The
mountain laboring and giving birth to a mouse.”
An annoying mouse, though! Berger, by com
ing directly into Anchorage with his shallow
draught boat, forced the railroad to cut its rates
just about in half to meet his twenty dollar a ton
price into this terminal during the season the In
let is free from ice.
For this alone Alaska owes Heinie Berger a
unanimous vote of thanks.
More Trouble!
A couple of issues ago we spoke of the color
ful history of our old press. At that time both
Printer Jim Perrin and the editor were leud in
their praises of the ancient clatter-bang.
Had you been here when the old baby fell to
pieces right under Jim’s fingers while we were try
1 ing to get out the last issue we wouldn’t have to
tell you that our attitude underwent a sudden
! change. However, she’s in running order again
[thanks to an electric welding outfit and the
i mec hanical genius of Ellis Crawford] and we now
i hold our breath every time she turns over.
Please don’t te too hard on us if we miss
• another issue. It’s liable to happen any time.
KROGH’S STORE
MATANUSKA, ALASKA
GENERAL MERCHANDISE
“quality always”
Pontiac Dealer
Pontiac DeLuxe Touring Sedan
Just nicely broken in. Nearly at cost.
At Your Service
-The
Colony Bakery
Palmer, Alaska
JOE JANY and WM. GUSSIE Props.
Jim Wilson Makes
First Trip Out
Thirty-nine years ago Jim
Wilson landed in Alaska as
second mate of a whaler. He has
been here ever since, and for the
past 25 years has never been off
Cripple Creek in the Innoka dis
trict where he has been mining.
Last week he decided to take
a trip out to the States. He flew
into Anchorage where he was
j met by Mentie Morris, who
worked for Jim last summer.'
With Montie he took his first
automobile ride, enjoyed it more
than the plane trip, expects to
do a lot of riding around “Out
side”
Though Jim can’t tell a Ford
from a Packard, it’s pretty hard
to fool him on planes. Montie
says that planes are always
dropping in and out of the Innoka
district and that Jim can name
the make and pilot just the
minute one hoves in sight.
Jim, all dressed up in the first
“suit” of clothes he has owned in
almost half a century, is going
lout to visit his mother who lives
jnear Los Angeles. Jim is 67 and
his mother is 94.
Advertise in the PIONEER
Harold Kenny, who sleeps in
the jail, says that it is no safe
place. Someone stole his clothes
right out from under his nose.
Now he locks himself in every
night.
Heard at 6 a. m. coming from
one of the small cabins in “Sail’s
Alley."’ “Help! Help! Let me
out!” Strictly feminine voice. ..
in anger.
Couldn’t find out any more
about it, but seems that the pad
lock had been snapped by mis
take by one of the bulls. Any
way, we noticed that Billy was a
little late in shooting her hot
cakes across the counter that
morning. Where was Bertha?
Near Tragedy! Bill Hallett rush
ing madly about looking for his
bride of two days. Finding her
with another Bill. For 15 smack
ers, too, though it was a really
cute dress she had been out pur
chasing.
Mistaken first impressions:
Barrel chested Bill Bouwens
raising heck about someone get
ting away with his lip rouge, pow
der and eyebrow pencils.
Seems Bill uses these things in
his business as valley undertaker
and when they cleaned out the
old morgue the other day the
i boys burned everything, including
three new gowns. And nothing
this side of a 16x20 tent will go
around Bill.
Midnight observations:
Ed Coffey kissing his brand new
bride good night at the dormitory
door. jest like when he was
courtin’ her.
Father Sulzman reported that
Chief Plumber Bill Taylor had a
diflicult leak problem that was
causing him a lot of trouble. With
visions of water dripping through
ceilings and ruining records, mer
chandise and things like that, we
went to Bill’s tent to find out what
it was all about.
There was Bill, in his stocking
feet and walking on his heels. He
had a mop in his hands, dog mur
der in his heart, and blasphemy
on his tongue. A small pup, with
an amused grin on its face, peer
ed at him from beneath the bed.
Passenger Boat To
Sail About Dec. 12th
Word has been received that
the SS Arctic has been chartered
by the ARR and will leave
Seattle about December 5 coming
to Seward via Inside Passage.
This means that she will leave
the rail terminal for the State
about the 12th and she has ac
comodations for 45 passengers
on the upper deck and 550 be
tween decks. No detailed infor
mation has been received by the
railroad employees at the various
depots who will act as agents in
the matter of signing up reserva
tions, but rumor has it that most,
if not all, passengers will have to
furnish their own bedding, much
after the fashion of early day
j stampeding along the Yukon.