valley Frontiersman
VOL. II. No. 11
PALMER, ALASKA, NOVEMBER 24, 1948
TEN CENTS
P-TA Sponsors School Incorporation
KINGS GIVE
LOCAL LIBRARY
' NEW SITE
The Palmer Library has found
new quarters through the cour
tesy of A1 and Ethel King of
Palmer Automotive Service, it
was announced this week by Mrs.
E. F. Graves. On Jan. 1, 1949 the
library will be doing business in
the garage quarters recently ra
cated by B. & C Supply.
The space has been offered to
the library rent-free. The library
must pay for the installation of
a light meter and for its monthly
electricity, but otherwise there is
no expense involved.
► Should the Kings find other
tenants for the quarters offered
the library, they have promised
that other space in the basement
will be made available.
Since there is no longer any
♦ problem of prepairing books for
storage, Mrs. Graves said that
books would continue to be issued
without interruption. The move
will take place sometime late in
December, but the definite date
will not be announced until later.
Most of the work of packing
books for moving will be handled
by Mrs. Graves and by Mrs. Fos
ter Sims. However the two are
asking that men volunteer to
help with the work of carrying
out the bookcases, which must be
moved intact. There also will be
need for a truck to help effect
the move. Anyone who wishes to
help the library transfer its books
should get in touch with Mrs.
Graves as soon as possible.
4 The entire library board has
expressed its gratitude to the
Kings for making it possible to
continue the library. “It shows
the deepest interest in the com
munity,” Mrs. Graves stated.
“When w'e have people like the
Kings willing to offer such ma
terial assistance, it proves there
< isn't anything Palmer can’t do.”
Appointed to School Board
C. W. Peters has been named
the third member of Palmer’s
school board, it was announced
this week. Mr. Peters was ap
pointed to the vacancy left by
the resignation of George Small,
by action of Mrs. Don Irwin and
Glen Woods, remaining board
members. The appointment is
\ temporary, lasting only until the
’Ik-egular school board election in
,l'|f spring.
Moore Reports
On Railbus
L. A. Moore, public relations of
ficial of the Alaska Railroad,
brought a report on railbus oper
ations to the Chamber of Com
merce at the group’s recent
meeting. Mr. Moore stated that
since railbus operations began in
May, costs of operation had to
talled $9,418. while revenue
figures reached only $5,685.
The Railroad officials asked
co-operation of Valley residents
in making use of the railbus,
which he said must show at least
a balance in revenue and cost if
it is to continue operation. He
stated that revenue had in
creased during recent weeks,
and he hoped it would continue
to do so throughout the winter.
Mr. Moore also told the Cham
ber membership that he was in
terested in acquiring 1,000 feet of
fair ground property to be used
as an industrial site for busi
nesses which cannot find ware
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MOOSE DISCUSS
MEETING SPONSORSHIP
Members of the Moose Lodge
were expected last night to de
cide if the organization is to
sponsor a public meeting, at
which there will be a forum dis
cussion of incorporation. A com
mittee of two, William Roark and
Bill Lentz, were named at the
last meeting to obtain more in
formation on the matter.
These men were to report their
findings and their recommenda
tion at last night’s meeting, at
which time it was expected the
lodge would make a definite
answer.
BUS LINE
ENDS RUN
A history of seven years of ser
vice in the Matanuska Valley
ended last Sunday, with the an
nouncement that O’Harra Bus
will no longer run any buses on
the Anchorage - Palmer - Wasilla
route. A bus company spokesman
said the run was no longer pro
fitable and therefore must be
abandoned. It is a permanent
arrangement.
O’Harra Bus, now in receiver
ship, was first organized in
Fairbanks by Kenneth O’Harra
nine years ago. Two years later
he moved to Anchorage and in
stituted the Matanuska Valley
service, as well as a Fort Rich
ardson run.
One bus, that on the Gulkana,
run, is still continuing service.
That bus travels through Palmer,
going north on Tuesdays, Thurs
days and Saturdays. It leaves
Anchorage at 9 a.m. arriving in
Palmer about 11 a.m. Passengers
for Valley points may ride to
Palmer on that bus, or may ride
from Palmer to Anchorage on
the return trip on Wednesdays,
Fridays and Sundays. The bus
pulls into its Palmer depot at the
Co-Op Fountain not earlier than
4 p.m.
The bus company spokesman
said the move was regretted, but
that there was no alternative at
this time.
A report circulating from an
unknown source states that the
O’Karra line, the Matanuska
Valley line and the Anchorage
City Transit System all soon will
be merged under the manage
ment of a firm known as North
e r n Transportation.
LONG ARM OF LAW
ENCIRCLES BANDIT PAIR
Palmer had ail the appearance
of a Western movie climax late
last Thursday evening, as FBI
men, highway patrolmen and
Anchorage policemen closed in
around the Lodge, where “bad
men” Joe Jerry and Carl Hicks
were thought to be hiding out.
Hicks was apprehended at the
Lodge, where he submitted pas
sively to capture. Jerry, a native,
latei was taken at Felton House.
The pair are accused of the
beating and robbery of 76-year
old John Karalis of Anchorage.
They broke into the man’s cabin
Wednesday night. After beating
their victim and threatening to
cut his throat, Jerry and Hicks
fled with more than $6,000 in
Alaska Railroad paychecks and
government bonds.
They were traced to Palmer,
when an Anchorage cab driver
reported that his cab had been
chartered for a Palmer trip and
that he had been tipped with a
war bond.
Before their apprehension
here, the thieves had cashed $600
wortli of the Karalis checks.
Both men have signed con
fessions admitting the assalt
robbery.
Hicks is well known in the
Valley, for earlier in the year he
was employed on the Oscar Ker
ttula farm.
WILL SEEK
SIGNERS
TO PETITION
First concrete action to be tak
en in the matter of school in
corporation came at last week’s
Paren t-Teacher’s Association
meeting. At that meeting the
membership voted, upon motion
of Ralph Moore, to sponsor the
incorporation of an independent
school district in the Valley. Mr.
Moore defined the terms of his
motion as including responsibil
ity for the circulation of a peti
tion to organize such a district.
The matter will be more thor
oughly discussed at a special
meeting of the P-TA executive
committee, to be held at Apt. 6
of the Ward Building on Friday
evening at 7:30. At that time a
committee will be named to take
charge of the petition.
Last Tuesday’s meeting was de
voted to a discussion of school
district incorporation. Don Irwin
presided. Roland Snodgrass, who
made a study of the matter sev
eral years ago, and Carl Rasmus
sen participated in the discus
sion.
Mrs. Thelma Cope, president of
the P-TA’s program committee,
announced that programs had
been planned for the remainder
of the year. These program plans
are:
December meeting—a Christ
mas program.
January meeting — family,
night, to begin with a pot-luck
supper and end with a movie.
February—FBI speaker, to dis
cuss some phase of juvenile de
linquency.
March — Captain Salvatore
Pelle of Fort Richardson will be
asked to show Post movies deal
ing with atomic bombs.
April—Election of officers, fol
lowed by installation ceremony.
It was reported that the execu
tive committee had discussed the
influence of comic books on chil
dren. However the committee
decided that no action would be
taken, since there was no unani
mous agreement on the harmful
features of comic books, and also
because local merchants appar
ently have little freedom of
choice in purchasing comic books.
It was reported that Cub
Scouting had been re-activated
in the Valley. There are now
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