FREE
Blood Typing Program
Saturday, January 31
Valley Health Center
The Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATAMUSCA VALLEY
THY A FRONTIERSMAN
CLASSIFIED AD in that
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VOLUME 6. NUMBER 19
PALMER. ALASKA. THURSDAY. JANUARY 29, 1953
PRICE TER Com
COUNCIL APPROVES '
PAY INCREASES FOR
SOME CITY EMPLOYES
Members of the City Council
voted Tuesday night to increase
the salary of the City Clerk to
$600 a month, starting February
1. Additional pay increases were
granted to the telephone operators
who will receive $1.50 per hour,
with the chief operator to re
ceive $1.75 per hour. These in
creases also go into effect Febru
ary 1.
New business hours have been
established at the clerk’s office,
starting February 1, it was an
nounced. The office will be open
daily from 8 a.m. to noon and
from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and from 8
a.m. to noon on Saturdays. From
8 a.m. to 10 a.m-, however, the
city clerk will be working on
records, opening the office to the
public at 10 a.m.
Rosalind Miller has been hired
temporarily by the city to help
bring back records up to date.
Sales tax income for the
month of December amounted to
approximately $8,000. This
amount represented regular
monthly returns plus collections
on accounts in arrears.
A plan-print of the Palmer sign
proposed for erection on the
Glenn Highway by the local
Chamber of Commerce, was pre
sented for discussion and received ,
the approval of the council and i
mayor.
The city planning commission
made several recommendations,
among which were the following:
(1) Status of City Mapping: The
Commission recommends that
every possible effort be blade to
speed up this work. (2) Location
of Power, telephone and tele
graph pole lines: Recommend!
that all changes, extensions or
new construction of this nature be
placed in alleys as near as pos
sible to the property line. Also
recommended that duel use be
made of these pole lines by MEA,
ACS and the city telephone sys
tem whenever possible. (3) Own
ership by the City of Streets and
Alleys: The City Engineer report
ed that good progress is being
made on this Droject.
Sub-divisions within the City
Limits: The Commission recom
mends an ordinance requiring that
all subdivisions, re-subdivisions,
plots and re-plots be recorded
with the City Clerk, and that
before accepting for record each
new sub division, re-subdivision
plot or re-plot shall be accompan
ied by a recommendation of the
Planning Commission and approv
al by the City Council. It is fur
ther recommended that this ordin
Continued on page 8
ASKED TO EXHIBIT
VALLEY PRODUCTS . |
During the January 21 meet- ;
ing of the Matanuska Valley ;
Chamber of Commerce it was ;
announced that the Portland
C of C has invited members of;
the local Chamber to attend;
and/or display valley products !
| at the Alaska Day celebration! I
; to be held in Portland Febru- !; I
; ary 16. Pamphlets on the Ma
; tanuska Valley and Palmer ;
; will be sent for distribution at j;
; the celebration. It is hoped that '•]
; some of the famous Valley pro-j;
duce can also be sent for dis- j|
; play. ;!
^V>w*^>/VWW»/VA/>AA/WWA/WSA/V/SAA/WV
1-2:00
Donation
MARCH OF DIMES DANCE January 31st JS
Door Prize 18 pc. Camp Kit-Good Music - Palmer School Auditorium
*
Opportunity For
Blood Typing
All Day Saturday
The valley-wide blood typing
program set fo rail day Saturday,
January 31, will be held at the
Valley Health Center with Frank
Pauls of the Alaska Department
of Health in charge of the pro
gram. He will be assisted by
members of the local nurse’s as
sociation.
Many persons have indicated to
the local council their intentions
to participate in the program.
Workers point out that pre-regis
tration is not necessary. Anyone
desiring to have their blood typed
is urged to take advantage of this
opportunity. There will be no
charge for the service.
A record of all persons and
their blood type will be retained
in the Valley for quick referenc
in the event of an emergency. As
one council member pointed out,
many times valuable time is lost
typing an injured or ill patient
who has no record of his or her
blood type. With a record for easy
reference, time and possibly life
can be saved. Participants will
receive a billfold size identifica
tion card indicating type and RH
blood factor in addition to metal
identification tags. Help is still
needed to prepare the rnetal tags,
it was announced. Anyone who
can operate a typewriter and can
spare a day in Anchorage is ask
ed to contact the local health
center.
EXTENSIVE DAMAGE
CAUSED BY STORM
The Valley is slowly repairing
the extensive damage caused by
heavy winds January 25 and 26.
Oldtimers say it was one of the
hardest winds ever felt in the
Valley. Many telephone and elec
tric lines are still down, although
workers at the Matanuska Elec
tric Association said they expect
ed to have their damages repair
ed by tonight.
Three electric poles went down
Sunday night in the Jonesville
area, cutting off the mine and
many families. For about an hour
the whole Valley was without
current while the crew check at
the ..sub-station for ..clearance.
There were outages at the Butte;
a tree blew across the lines near
the airport; two trees blew across
lines at Lazy Mountain and cut
out trouble at Four Corners kept
the MEA crews out and busy un
til midnight Sunday and Monday
nights. Tuesday and Wednesday
nights they were still repairing
at nine o'clock. No figure could
be determined as to the damages
done, but MEA personnel esti
mated it will run into several
hundred dollars.
Chimneys were blown off sev
eral homes, including the G. A.
Krise home and Harriett Bell’s
residence.
Many farmers suffered high
losses when hay slacks were
blown away, water pipes were
frozen and broken and roofing
bown off. Much valuable top soil
was also lost.
Complete sand-blasting work
was done on the north side of
many painted houses. Paint on
one of the gas pumps at Tost’s
Service was completely ground
off, leaving bare metal on.one
side.
Continued on page 8
Help Strengthen This Arm
Over 500 Ton
Seed-Fertilizer
Enroute to Palmer
Scheduled to arrive in the Val
ley sometime during the month
of March is more than 500 tons of
seed and fertilizer, consigned to
the Matanuska Valley Farmers
Co-operating Association, Fred
M. Zieke, general manager an
nounced this week. The tonnage
is running about the same as last
year, he reported.
However, he added, an addi
tional 120 tons of ammonium ni
trate will also be shipped to the
Co-Op for sale to those farmers
who had previously placed their
orders. This is the first time
shipment of ammonium nitrate
that has been permitted except
in limited amounts following the
fatal explosion at Texas City in
1947. There was none shipped in
to the Valley this past year.
The Anchorage Dairy has or
dered" over 60 tons of ammonium
nitrate and Zieke said this would
bring the total amount coming
to the Valley to somewhere
around 200 tons
Farmers have been very co
operative, Zieke reported, in
placing their orders early
KEISAR SERVICES HELD
Funeral services for Ka par
Keiser, 51-year-old miner \ ho
was killed at the Buffalo Mine
January 21, were held at 2 p.m
January 25 in the Moose Hall.
Chapel services were conduct
ed •jy Palmer Elks, headed by
iVfiatt Onkka and th/e Palmar
Moose lodge, headed by Leo Lu
cas.
Graveside services were con
ducted by Mine-workers Local.
Bearers were: Mike Ulrich, Ever
ett Pedersen and Warren Rice,
co-workers and Bill Lentz, Paul
Stringfield and John Reed of the
Moose lodge.
Talent Show Deemed
“Smash Hit” by
Capacity Audience
Nearly $300.00 was realized
from the March of Dimes talent
show held in the school auditori
um January 27.
The program, previously plan-,
ned to start at 8 p.m. was so full, ]
the sponsors advanced the open-'
ing time to 7:30 and the auditori
um was filled to capacity very
soon after 7:30.
Master-of-ceremonies, Jim Hur
ley introduced the many fine acts,
preceeded by a flag presentaton
by members of Boy Scout Troop
654.
Opening the show was Gary
Varrel and Sally Reed who did an
exaggerated Charleston dance fol
lowed by Bill and Darlene Cottrill
with a musical skit; Muriel
Hanks, baton twirling; Bobby
Johns, accordian solo; Theo Col
lins, pantomime; Bridgie Wright,
ballet acrobatic; Nancy Steinburg,
accordion solo; Roy Felix and
Jerry Sisley, a skit; Joan Franch
er, tap dance; E. Ross Stenburg,
accordion solo; Emory Roberts,
vocal solo; Mai-cina Hartner, vo
cal solo; Susie Ellington and Bar
bara Anderson, musical skit; Shir
ley Erickson, vocal solo: Judy
Rogers, vocal solo; and Charlotte
Campbell and Kristie Verrall,
duet.
Dana, Robin anS Terry Nie
mann opened the adult section of
the program with two musical
presentations. Gary and Lowell
Krise offered piano and coronet
selections; Bob Smith, vocal solo;
Jessie DeVries, vocal solo; the
Surprise Quartet, consisting of
Fred Stassel, Doyle Smith, Emil
LeWalters and Brian Cleworth
presented two numbers. Doyle
Smith, vocal solo; Lois Thompson
vocal solo. Norman Rousey brou
ght the very fine program to a
Continued on page 8
Snider, Snodgrass,
McKinley Named As
Legislature Heads
M. D. Snodgrass of Palmer will
head the agriculture committee
of the House of Representatives.
He was named to the position as
the 21st Alaska legislature pre
pared for its 60-day session, start
ing January 27.
Charles D. Jones, 77 of Nome
and one of the four living mem
bers of the Territory’s first legis
lature 40 years ago, was unani
mously elected president of the
Senate. Rep. George Miscovich
was named House speaker.
The appropriations commitee
headed by Sen. Butrovich, also in
cludes Senator John Gorsuch of
Anchorage.
Heading the mining and manu
facturing committee will be Sen
ator Gerritt Snider of Wasilla.
House members to head com
mittees include Rep. Lee McKin
ley, permanent help committee:
“There is much work to do,”
Jones said following his election
as president of the Senate. “We
have a harmonious start and hope
we will continue so.” Jones was
a former United States marshal
in Nome, where he has lived since
1900. In his first address to the
Senate, he forcast a strenuous
session.
FORM ALASKA
HOSPITAL ASS’N.
Nine representatives of non
federal terirtorial hospitals anc
one representative who represent
vice hospitals, attended the two
day meeting held in Anchoragf
ed all seven Alaska Native Sei
January 26 and 27.
Representing the Valley Hos
pital was O. K. Kincaid, manager
who was elected secretary-treas
urer of the newly organized Alas
ka Hospital Association. All ma
jor hospitals in the Territory were
represented. The group voted tc
hold annual meetings to coordin
ate hospital needs throughout the
Territory. Other officers electee
were Paul W. Nelson, administra
tor of the Seward Sanitorium a:
president; .Sister Staneslaus of St
Joseph’s Hospital in Fairbanks a:
vice president and Rev. Howarc
E. May of Cordova and Philif
Hutchinson of Juneau as direc
tors. Hutchinson is with the AN£
in Juneau at present but will be
administrator of the new 400-bec
ANS hospital in Anchorage wher
it opens.
Present at the meeting were
representatives of the Washingtor
Blue Cross who announced tha
a substantial increase in benefit:
will be paid by Blue Cross to A1
askan hospitals starting the firs
of March. New contracts will be
issued, they said. The revision i:
the resut of a study conducted tc
determine the difference in oper
ation costs in the territory anc
the states.
Present also were members o
the Alaska Board of Health, the
Alaska Nurses Association anc
Miss Gertrude Wetzel of the A1
aska Department of Health.
The new organization will func
tion primarily through commit
tees and directors. Four standin;
committees were appointed; Pur
chasing and Standardization: Ad
ministrative Policies and Proce
dures; Personnel and Public Rela
tions; Accountant, Statistics
Medical Records and Financing.
DANCE TO CLIMAX
LOCAL MARCH OF
DIMES CAMPAIGN
The nation-wide campaign to
raise polio-fighting funds closes
Saturday, January 31 with the
March of Dimes dance, this year
sponsored locally by the Moose
Lodge and Women of the Moose.
Tickets have been on sale thro
ughout the Valley the past two
weeks and the hard-working com
mittees have completed all ar
rangements.
Dancing will start at 10 p.m.
and go on until 2 a.m. in the Pal
mer school gymnasium. Formal
dress will be optional. Jack Leek,
chairman, announced they have
procured the music of orchestra,
a favorite with Valley-dancers. A
door prize will be awarded during
the evening, the lucky winner to
receive an eighteen piece camp
kit. Other prizes will be awarded
for winners of a prize-waltz con
test to be held. Tickets may be
obtained from lodge members or
at the door.
In a last-minute appeal, Basil
O’Connor, president of the Na
tional Foundation for Infantile
. Paralysis, reminded campaign
>rkers that more polio sufferers
an ever before are counting on
e March of Dimes for needed
financial aid.
“We simply cannot let a single
polio victim suffer for lack of
funds,” Wililam Rempel, local di
rector said today. ‘‘We must raise
enough money here in the Val
ley to help aid those who were
stricken in prior years and pro
vided for those unfortunates who
may need our help this year.”
Half of all money contributed
to the March of Dimes is used by
our chapter to help pay cost of
treating local polio patients or,
in emergencies, polio patients
elsewhere. The other 50 per cent
finances March of Dimes research,
professional education and epi
demic aid programs.
Treatment of polio may Pe very
expensive, Rempel pointed out.
Four out of five patients need
and receive aid from county
chapters of The National Founda
tion for Infantile Paralysis. Pa
tient care takes 69.7 percent of
all March of Dimes money, in
cluding National and local funds.
Research and education takes 18.1
per cent; state offices 3.5 per cent;
medical department services, 2.1
per cent; services to chapters, 1.6
per cent; administration expenses,
4.14 per cent and public informa
tion 0.6 per cent.
NO DATE SET FOR
DEMONSTRATION
Fred M. Zieke, general man
ager at the Co-Op announced !
this week that the demonstra-'
tion to be co-sponsored by the '
Co-Op and the Department of'
Agriculture will be held as
soon as the equipment arrives
in the Valley. Latest word in
dicated the equipment has:
been shipped but no arrival
date was given. For this reason,
Zieke said he felt no definite
date should be set until it has;
actually arrived in the Valley.
Local farmers will be notified!
by mail, he added.