Don't Forget the Potato
Demonstration to be Held
Thursday, February 19
THE FRONTIERSMAN
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
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VOLUME 6. NUMBER 21
PALMER, ALASKA. THURSDAY. FEB. 12. 1953
PRICE TEN CENTS
NEW KNIK POTATO
AVAILABLE TO
GROWERS THIS YEAR
At a joint meeting of the Pal- !
mer-Wasilla districts Of the Alas- ;
lea Certified Seed Growers As- ,
sociation, further distribution of ;
the Knik variety of potatoes was !
•discussed and decided upon, ,
George Crowther, executive secre- .
;ary announced this week. ;
Members of the association will ;
oe given first chance to obtain |
this seed for recertification he
said with a deadline of March 1
set for members to get their or
ders in. Orders should be accom
panied by full or partial payment
layable by check or money order.
After March 1 and until June
15, Crowthers said the five grow
ers holding this seed will be able
to sell to anyone interested in ob
taining the Knik potatoes for seed
purposes only. If, however, after
June 15. any of these five growers
still have not sold all their Knik
potatoes for seed purposes, the
remaining portion may be sold on
the commercial market.
The five growers that have the
Knik Certified Seed potatoes are:
Loren Weiderkehr and Ed. Blom
of Palmer and Floyd Davis, Carl
Fritzier and Joe Gislason of Was
illa. At any time, anyone buying
the Knik seek potatoes from these
growers may make application for
recertification. The price set for
the seed is $10 per hundred for
certified stock and $12 per hun
dred for foundation stock. , '
Bin inspection will take place -
immediately and it is expected
that all of the five different lots
will meet foundation stock re
quirements.
Crowther urged that orders be
placed with the growers before
March 1.
ROUNDUP SET FOR
CIITY'S STRAY DOGS
Acting upon several comnlaints
of dogs running loose, the City
Council and Mayor A1 V. Hagen
have instructed Police Chief
Bernard Bouwens to pick up all
stray dogs.
According to figures released
by City Clerk Mooers, only 26
male dogs and six females have
been licensed in the city of Pal
mer since January 1. According
to Article 12 of the city licensing
ordinance, “Persons owning or
controlling dogs must comply :
with the 1 censing provisions as
to dog lie* uses and impounding
fees all as set out on Section four
of this ordinance.” Section four
states the license fees as males
and spay d females, 2; females, ;
unspaye< $5 and impounding
$3.50 p’ 50 cents per day im
pounde
Chapt 114 of the 1951 Alaska
Session aws states that any un
licensed dog running loose and
picked » by authorities shall be
impount id for a period of five
days, and if not claimed at the
end of oat period, shall be de
stroyed. Upon claiming an im
pounded dog, the owner shall pay
the imp mnding fees plus the cost
of a license. This regulation is
Senate Bill No. 45 and was pas
sed Ma*ch 24, 1951. Dogs living
outside city limits must be licen
sed thr< ugh the Territory, accord
ing to "his bill.
NO DRIVING ON '.'J
AIRSTRIPS, WARNS
AVIATION HEAD '
Tony Schwamm, Department j
of Aviation head warned again.;
this week against driving on
airstrips. I;
Several complaints have ;
reached his office, he said, of :
motorists, driving on the local
airport' landing strips. “Viola-!;
tors will be prosecuted,” he! \
stated. J;
The danger is not only to the";:
pilot trying to come in but al- ;
so to the motorists and his pas- !
sengers as well, he pointed out.;!
The only direct road to the;
airstrips runs in front of Les;
Green’s hangar. In order to get:
to other parts of the field, mo-; \
torists must use this road.:;
There have been constant vio
lations of the regulations, Sch- 1
wamm said and added that le- ■
gal action will be taken to stop
the misuse of the airstrips.
LOCAL KIWANIS
MINSTREL SHOW SET
FOR APRIL 9, 10, 11
Valley residents and their
friends should draw a big red
circle on their calendars now,
;ays Hugh Johnson, production
nanager of the 1953 Kiwanis Min
strel Show. On April 9, 10 and 11
;he local Kiwanis Club will stage
ts annual colorful collection of
minstrels and song in the school
auditorium.
Keith Stanton, last year's “edu
:ated,” black-faced Cromwell, is
this year’s producer and writer.
Miss Lois Thompson, well-known
teacher and vocalist, is chorus
firector. The entire Kiwanis Club
and dozens of townspeople will
‘get in the act” befoi'e 'opening
night, Johnson predicted.
A sparkling new show is being
staged in the tradition of for
mer Kiwanis shows. New cos
tumes, curtains and lights are un
ler construction and several new
acts are being added to perennial
favorites, he said.
Start Rehearsals
The first rehearsal of chorus
numbers for this year’s production
will be held Thursday evening,
February 19 at 8 p.m. in the music
room at the Palmer school. “Any
one who can carry' a note in a
nucket is invited,” according to
Manager Johnson. All vocalists
from past shows are1 urged to sing
igain. “We hope new residents
will come out and. get acquaint?
id,” said Johnson. Plans call for
14 female and 12 male voices for,.
;he chorus, plus several specialty
numbers.
$50 Damage al
Experiment Farm
Don Irwin, director of Agricul
ture Research Administration
pointed out this week that severe
penalties exist for unauthorized
entrance to federal buildings.
His warning followed the dis
covery this week of damage
amounting to $50 at the Matan
uska Experiment Farm where
someone had forced his way into
one of the federal buildings on
the night of February 9.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
i
* i r\ y v
President Lincoln delivered his address at Gettysburg,
often called the peak of American eloquence, at the dedica
tion of the military cemetery there November 19, 1863. The
official version follows:
‘'Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought
forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty
and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created
equal.
“Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing
whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so
dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battle
field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of
that field, as a final resting-place of those who here gave
their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether
fitting and proper that we should do this.
"But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate—we cannot
consecrate—we cannot hallow—this ground. The brave men,
living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it,
far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will
little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it
can never forget what they did here. It is for us the
living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work
which they who fought here have thus far so nobly ad
vanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great
task remaining before us—that from these honored dead
we take increased devotion to that cause for which they
gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly
resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that
this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—
and that government of the people, by the people, for the
people, shall not perish from the earth."
ALASKA’S MOST OUTSTANDING MOTHER TO
BE CHOSEN; WILL GET SPECIAL HONORS
Who are Alaskas most out
stnding mothers? The search is
under way this month and any
person or organization who wishes
to make a nomination for some
worthy; Alaskan mother may
write Mrs. Paul V. Clumpnen in
Anchorage, it was announced tliis
week by Mrs., Clumpner, of., the
Anchorage Woman’s Club.
“This is such a wonderfOl way;
to pay tribute,to our worthy Alas
kan mothers, “Mrs. Clumpner,
territorial chairman, Alaska
Wfothers Organization of the Am
erican Mothers Committee of the
Golden Rule Foundation, said to
day. “ I hope to be beseiged with
requests for nomination blanks,”
she' said.
To- be eligible, a mother must
have the following qualifications:
First, she must be a successful
mother as shown by the character
of her children. (2) She should re
flect religious and spiritual integ
rity. (3) She should exemplify in
her life and conduct the precepts
of the Golden Rule so she may be
designated as a Golden Rule moth
er. (3) She should embody traits
regarded in mothers. Courage,
cheerfulness, patience, affection,
understanding and a homemaking
ability. (5) She should have a
sense of civic and international
understanding have been active in
community betterment or in ser
vice for public benefit. (6) She
should be qualified to represent
the mothers of America in all re
sponsibilities attached to her role
should she later be chosen as “The
American Mother.”
When Alaska’s mother is chos
en,. she will be honored at special
ceremonies. Her biographical
sketch will be forwarded to the
National headquarters in New
York, where her qualification will
be considered along with entries
from the 48 states, Puerto Rico,
Hawaii and the District of Colum
bia.
The American Mother of the
Year and all State Mothers will
be honored at the awards lunch
eon, May 8, at the Waldorf-As
toria, New York.
MOOSE CAUSES $400 DAMAGE
Damage amounting to approxi
mately $400 were caused to a 1952
Buick sedan owned and driven
Clinton DeWitt of Wasilla when
a moose leaped from a bank on
the Wasilla road and struck the
vehicle Sunday night.
James Wilson May Be
New Commissioner
Of Agriculture
In a wire to the Matanuska
Valley. Republican Club this
week, Representative M. D.
Snodgrass requested ponfirma
tion of the club endorsement of
James Wilson, former Co-Op
general manager, as Commis
sioner of Agriculture. A return
wire assured Snodgrass of the
endorsement given to Wilson
early in January at the Repub
lican caucus. From all indica
tions, the Agriculture commit
tee of the House will recom
mend Wilson for the positon.
FOOD COSTS MAY
DROP SAYS
ARA ECONOMIST
According to a press release
from the Alaska Agricultuial Ex
periment Station, food surveys
show little change in costs to
Alaskans during 1952. Retail food
prices in Alaska began leveling
off in mid-1951, they said and a
few items now actually are cheap
er than they were 12 months ago.
The survey showed that a list
of 22 groceries in a sample of
stores in 56 cities throughout the
States during last October would
have cost $10. In Seattle they
would have cost 10.35. Two mon
ths later the same groceries would
cost $13-08 in Juneau, $14.75 in
Anchorage, $14.86 in Palmer and
$15.62 in Fairbanks. Juneau pric
es on these common items were 25
percent above hte U. S. average,
Anchorage and Palmer were 41
and 42 percent above and Fair
banks was 50 percent above the
U. S. average.
“Although food continues to
cost Alaskans far more than it
does people living anywhere in
the States, there are hopeful signs
that our relative position may not
become any worse. There are
several indications that the sit
uation may be relieved slightly
in the months ahead,” said Hugh
A. Johnson, agricultural econom
ist.
New Garage Opens
In Valley Saturday
A new' Service' station and gar
age to be known as Sisley’s Ser
vice Will be open to the public
Saturday, Fe.brtiary 14.
; Owner Jack Sisley has built a
lew 32x40 building with 12 foot
Joors at the top of Bailey Hill,
Mile 49. Sisley said the station
will be open for service dailv
from 6 a.fn. to 11 p.m. and will
handle all types of repairs, parts
and supplies. He will sell Union
‘76” gasoline, Goodyear and Gen
aral tires and tubes and Exite
batteries. All work will be guar
anteed, he said, and added that he
plans to establish a flat rate for
vehicle repair work.
Sisley has been in the Valley
since March of 1949, and with his
wife and four children makes his
home at Mile 49. He is owner and
operator of the J and L Sisley Ex
cavating and General Contracting
business and will continue these
operations. The family came to
Alaska from Rapid City, South
Dakota where Sisley was engaged
n logging and garage business.
LABOR, MATERIAL
DONATED BY
M>CAL PEOPLE
'Volunteer contractors and car
pentes this week started construc
tion of a new wing for the present
Valley Hospital and hope to have
the major work completed by
Saturday night.
The need for more beds at the
Valley Hospital has been an ur
gent problem for some time. At
the meeting of the hospital Board
of Directors February 6, it was
decided to see if it was possible
to interest local contractors and
carpenters in helping put a new
wing on the present hospital.
A quickly called meeting was
held with several local contrac
tors and carpenters the following
afternoon and all agreed to pitch
in and get a wing built this week,
if possible.
| As a result, construction of the
I wing was started early Wednesday
morning and near completion of
the 16x32 permanent wing is ex
pected by Saturday night. Con
; tractors said this morning that
probably only the finishing would
j remain undone by then. They ex
pect to have the siding, roofing
and windows done by tonight. The
new wing will be used as a ward,
with six to eight beds and sanitary
facilities.
Th.e hospital is purchasing some
of the materials and some labor
but the majority of the labor and
materials for building, electrical
and plumbing work is being do
nated by local firms and individ
uals. The new wing will be of a
permanent type construction, ad
ded to the permanent building of
the present hospital. The board
feels that money spent in this
wing will b e of great benefit to
our present hospital, which is bad
ly overcrowded and will later
serve as a building for the nurses’
home when the n£w hospital is
completed.
Local churches are cooperating
in the venture by furnishing noon
meals for the workers. United
Protestant Church furnished the
meals Wednesday and will again
on Friday; St. John’s Luthran
Church furnished the noon meal
today and the Church of God will
have the workers on Saturday.
CAR OWNERS REMINDED
OF REGISTRATIONS;
FEBRUARY 28 DEADLINE
Only 16 days remain for Alas
kans to purchase their 1953 ve
hicle licenses, U. 8. Commissioner
Dorothy B. Saxton reminded this
week.
To assist those unable to get
in town during the day, Mrs. Sax
ton announced she will be in her
office the evenings of February 18
and 19 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Ve
hicle owners are also reminded
that in order to purchase their
plates they must have the 1952
registration (license reecipts) with
them.
During the first month of this
year, 406 cars and 275 trucks were
registered through the local of
fice in comparison to 1400 drivers
licenses issued during the same
period.
The office will be closed on
February 12 and February 22,
Mrs. Saxton said.