Valley FRONTIERSMAN
Published each Wednesday and Saturday
Palmer, Alaska
•»
Entered as second class matter on Oct, 21, 1947 at the post office
at Palmer, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Viola Daniels . .Editor
Evon DeLand.Advt. Manager, Palmer
George Lynch.Advertising Manager Anchorage Area
No printed material in the Valley Frontieranan may be re
produced except by permission of the editor.
Subscription rates.75c month, $8 a year
Delivered by carrier in Palmer. Mailed to ail points in
Alaska and the United States.
Printed In Anohorage plant of Anchorage Dally Times
Daniels —In the Lion’s Den
“When you are burning up—call us!
“We may not get there first—
“But we put out the fires.”
♦
This advertisement, which appeared in the last issue of the
Valley Settler, has been the cause of no little merriment among
Valley residents. However the Valley Frontiersman submits that
there’s nothing funny in the situation which prompted that ad
vertisement.
Most of us know the circumstances which led to its printing.
But how we can be so shortsighted as to feel a situation which
easily might have resulted in the loss of lives, or at least extensive
damage to property, can be funny, is a little hard to understand.
An examination of those circumstances, which sent a truck
unable to fight fire to a fire, seems absolutely necessary. A reading
of the contract by which that truck remains in the Valiev should
follow as another absolute necessity.
And the provisions of that contract, which require that the
truck be manned by an adequate crew of trained volunteers, housed
in a heated storage spot and driven by an authorized driver only,
would reveal that the affairs of the Valley Volunteer Fire Asso
ciation are no laughing matter.
Fire drills, which were to train the men who are expected to
fight Valley fires, are non-existant. Attended by a faithful few in
the beginning, those few soon lost interest when the fire chief be
came so negligent in his duties that he failed to attend a drill, let
alone give instruction in the use of equipment.
Heated storage was provided for the truck during the first
month it was on loan to the Valley. It was promised in the new
quarters, to which the truck was moved. Last week’s fiasco proves
how adequate that heat has been.
Authorized drivers have been appointed, but they rarely are
found behind the wheel of the truck when it is driven to the fire.
They report that they have arrived at the fire-house, on the oc
casion of a fire, only to find that the truck already has been driven
away.
The Frontiersman further submits that the Valley Volunteer
Fire Association is actually a dead organization. Not even the
members of its so-called board of directors have paid the required
$10 which Association by-laws assess as membership dues.
There were, at press-time, two paid-up members of the Valley
Volunteer Fire Association. They were Mrs. Ivan Johnson and
John W. Curtis.
Although Association by-laws require an annual election of
“‘officers be held each October, no election was held during October
of 1947. By-laws further require that quarterly meetings shall
be held on the first Monday of January, April, July and October.
The date for the Association’s next quarterly meeting falls on
April 5, which is next Monday. However there is some doubt that
the meeting will be held. The Association’s present acting chair
man has expressed himself as not in favor of it. “No other organiza
tion in this Valley goes by its by-laws, so I don’t see any particular
reason why we should,” he reasons.
But the Frontiersman submits that with that kind of reasoning,
there probably never will be another quarterly meeting of the
Valley Volunteer Fire Association, nor an annual election of officers
—that is, there won’t be unless the residents of this Valley wake
up and begin to take an active interest in its functioning.
It is very possible, indeed quite probable, that the Railroad
loaned firetruck will be lost to us again, unless we do take some
steps to organize an active and efficient volunteer fireman’s as
sociation.
Fire protection is a must for our Valley. Every project we have
before us in the weeks ahead, from the hospital’s bond campaign
to the Grange’s clean-up program, would come to naught if fire
destroyed the heart of our business district tonight. And fire could
do that. There is no planned program of firefighting in the Valley
which could halt it.
Therefore the Valley Frontiersman pleads with each of you,
men and women alike, to attend tonight’s (Tuesday’s) special meet
ing of the Association’s so-called board of directors, which has
been opened to the public. Come with your suggestions, your plans
and your protests.
It’s your Association. No one, with the exception of Mrs.
Johnson and Mr. Curtis, have any stronger voice in its proceedings
than do you. You MUST help if we are to retain any semblance
of a firefighting organization.
FRONTIERSMAN ADS BRING RESULTS
VALLEY CLEANERS
For Pick-Up and Delivery Service
Call 6Y3
Open Monday to Friday nights ONLY
Wednasiey, March 51, 1343
A Few Words
To The Wise . ..
(Sponsored by the Valley Minis
terial Association)
In Isaiah 26:9 we read, “When
thy judgments are in the earth,
the inhabitants of the world will
learn righteousness.” The judg
ments of God in the Gospel of
Jesus Christ have rid mankind
of many evils. Only a knowledge
of God’s judgments will be ef
fective in benefitting us, when
we have need of ridding our
selves of obnoxious laws and
practices still with us.
Alaskan law declares that a
child born of unmarried parents
shall become legitimate upon
subsequent marriage of said
parents. No doubt our legislators
thought this a great advance over
the law that forever made crim
inals of innocent children of il
legal practices of sinning adults.
I But must we continue to be
1 plagued by such unjust laws
which are the result of man’s
judgment?
We need to learn righteous
ness. We are ignorant of it until
we receive the revelation of God
through Jesus Christ. To brand
the child a criminal, depriving it
of legal rights of family and in
heritance until its parents, over
which it has no influence, decide
to act, is wnat our present law
does. The child is outlawed, “il
legal,” until its outlaw parents,
who are free of responsibility,
voluntarily decide to marry. It
it no wonder we have so many
outlaws when we make them so
at birth.
Jesus said, “Allow little chil
dren to come unto me, for of
such is the kingdom of heaven.”
God declares little children to
be innocent. Arizona law, a
Christian statute, declares that
all children are the legal off
spring of their natural parents,
giving them right to full parental
support and inheritance rights
whether their parents are mar
ried or not. Let us haste to the
house of God and learn His
judgments.
Alaska will prosper in direct
proportion to the prosperity of
its Christian church. We cannot'
stay away from church and
curse at the preachers and pros
per, or learn anything of the
Lord. It is the solemn duty of
each and every citizen of our
comunity to learn the right way
—and that can only be learned
at church.
—Sanford L. Davis
Many Go To Town
Palmerites thronged the streets
of Anchorage last Monday, as
uusiness irips canea several xo
that city. Among those who made
the trip to town were W. E. Hunt
ley, Bill Bouwens, George Small
and Dave Bryant.
Coffey Insures Everything—
Remember? —Adv.
Elite
Shoe Repair Shop
(across from laundry)
COMPLETE SHOE SERVICE
For the BEST
Shave and Haircut
VIC’S BARBER SHOP i
(In Rec Hall) ■
--J
Wertanen’s Yanler
Service
METERED DELIVERY
Gasoline, Diesel and Stove Oil
Ph. 6-23Y-ll Eino Wertanen
Matanuska Electric
Association, Inc.
For Power Distribution
WHETHER it’s a full-course meal with a hearty
meat entree, or a meatless supper that fea
a casserole dish, we have ALL the essentials for
that meal.
Wide Assortment of Cheeses
Complete Selection of Meats
PALMER COLD STORAGE & LOCKER SERVICE
For AU Your Refreshment Needs
in Palmer
VISIT
FRONTIER BAR
FRONTIER LIQUOR STORE
FRONTIER CAFE
All three open 24 hours daily,
seven days each week
Teeland's
We’re A GENERAL Store
Generally We Got Everything,
except when it’s out of stock
4>
General
Store
TEELAND’S
Wasilla
Shopping |
Center J
i
J. VIC BROWN & SONS
‘The Lire Jewelers"
★
ALASKA RAILROAD WATCH INSPECTORS
| Across {roar* City HsU
The Alaska Railroad
Offers Valley Residents a complete passenger and
freight service—daily except Sunday
SCHEDULE
Lmt* Palmar . 3:30 p.m.
Arrival Anchorage .5:30 p.m.
Leave Anchorage . 9:30 a.m.
Arrives Palmer .11:30 a.m.
Fare—$2.55 one way; $3.40 round trip
FOR INFORMATION
Call Palmer Depot — or Anchorage, ARCO 11