valley Frontiersman
VOL. II, No. 7
PALMER, ALASKA,
OCTOBER 27, 1948
TEN CENTS
PALMER PROPERTY VALUED 2 MILLION
Feed,Food
Aboard Barge
A shipment of 69.2 tons of feed
is scheduled to arrive aboard the
Alaska Railroad barge 754 at
Seward tomorrow, the ARR’s
Traffice Department announced
today. The feed will alleviate a
shortage in the Valley that has
been termed critical.
Palmer and Wasilla will both
receive a share of the 2220 tons of
essential cargo aboard the rail
road barge. Palmer’s consign
ment totals 137.3 tons, including
the feed. The cargo consists
chiefly of groceries and lumber,
in addition to the feed.
About two tons of supplies for
Wasilla are aboard the barge
which left Seattle October 20.
Eighteen Railbelt communities
will receive consignments which
are limited to essentialh such as
food and building materials.
Screening of cargo was done at
Pier 50 in Seattle by L. A. Moore,
assistant to the general manager,
and E. J. Kunz, ARR traffic man
ager. The two will go to Seward
toimorrow to expedite shipment
of the cargo to rail points.
A second ARR barge is tenta
tively scheduled to leave Seward
about the first of next month.
LAMONT HAMBY
DIES SATURDAY
LaMont Hamby, Valley resi
dent for the past several years,
died at his home here early last
Saturday morning. Mr. Hamby
had been critically ill for some
time.
The deceased is survived by his
widow, Kay, and by a young son,
Billy.
Funeral arrangements had not
been completed at press-time.
Services will be held from the
United Protestant Church, but
the date of those services still
was in doubt today.
ALL MATANUSKA FOODS
TO BE SERVED AT DINNER
WASILLA — Exclusively Mata
nuska-grown, will be the foods to
be served at the Harvest Dinner
of Wasilla Grange No. 2. That
dinner is scheduled for Nov. 5.
It will be served in the Commu
nity Hall between the hours of
5:30 and 8:30 p. m.
Dinner proceeds will be used to
buy dishes and silver for the
Wasilla Grange. “That way, the
Grange will be able to hold more
dinners in the near future, and
will have something to eat them
on,” one committee member vol
unteered.
Masked Ball Planned
For Carnival Celebration
Wasilla Pair
Almost Drown
WASILLA—Mr. and Mrs. W. C.
Fleming narrowly missed death
by drowning in the icy winter
waters of Lake Lucille last week.
The accident happened just at
dusk, when the Flemings set out
across the lake with a boatload
of sawdust to be used as insula
tion for their homestead cabin.
A motion of Mr. Fleming’s un
balanced the boat, and it slowly
filled with water and sank be
neath them. They clung to the
boat, which floated upside down
with its anchor dragging, and
began to cry for help.
Their calls were unnoticed for
some time, but finally w'ere heard
by the little Short girl. She
called her father, who enlisted
the help of Heinie Snider. Mr.
Snider hastily launched a boat,
only to find himself in posses
sion of one oar and single oar
lock. He paddled canoe-fashion
to the overturned boat, where
he found Mr. Fleming almost
submerged beneath the surface.
In all, the Flemings estimated
they spent almost 45 minutes in
the w'ater. They were hospital
ized at the Valley Hospital for
the night, but other than hoarse
ness caused by their continuous
calls for help, they suffered little
injury.
Business Census
Is Planned
A business census soon is to be
undertaken in the territory, it
was revealed here this week.
J. Harris, a representative of the
Bureau of Census, Department
of Commerce, visited the Valley
to get local data which will be
used in compiling a question
naire to be sent to all Alaskan
businesses.
Mr. Harris, who already has
visited several cities in the ter
ritory, reported that he had
found the same point of view on
the part of the majority of busi
nessmen with whom he talked.
He declared 90 per cent of the
territory’s business heads frank
ly state that they are here for
the sole purpose of making as
much money as possible in a giv
en period of time, after which
they plan to return to the states
to make their home.
Carnival, the annual event at
which students of Palmer High
School play host to all of the
community, will be celebrated
with a round of fun at conces
sion booths set up in the halls of
the school on Saturday night.
The evening will be topped with
a masquerade ball, to begin in
the Palmer gym at 9:30 p. m.
Carnival concessions will open
at 7:30 Saturday evening. They
include types of entertainment
for the whole family. Booths will
be greater and prizes better than
in any other year, according to
announcement from the Carni
val committee. Smartly styled
electric clocks, enormous Panda
bear::, Scotties and tinkling mu
sic boxes make up only a few of
the articles on the Carnival prize
list.
Concessions this year will in
clude these attractions:
Senior and junior bingo <to be
held in the library), doll stand,
ball roll, B.B. gun booth. Ring
the Goose, novelty stand, dart
throw, Hall of Horrors, hat check,
two fishponds and a lunch stand.
Admission to the Carnival,
which is free to all, will be thru
the doors of the gymnasium lob
by, where the money-changers’
booth will be set up. Carnival
visitors are asked to exchange
their coin of the realm for Car
nival currency at this booth.
The Carnival dance is to be a
masquerade, with prizes offered
for best adult and children’s cos
tumes, according to the an
nouncement of Wayne Bouwens,
dance chairman. All who attend
are urged to come in costume. In
addition to the costume prizes,
attractive door prizes also will be
given away.
Tickets for the Carnival dance,
which will be on sale only at the
door, are to cost $1.25 per couple.
A four-piece Anchorage combo
will provide the dancing music.
Plans for the coming Carni
val are in the hands of the
school student council. Council
president Lewis Geiwitz has
named these members to the
Carnival committee.
Gayle Eckert, chairman; Don
Hutchinson, Bonny Larsh, Bar
bara Hecker, Lewis Geiwitz, Hen
ry Anderson and Wayne Bou
wens.
Dolores Bandy and Fred Crot
triwel were married in Wasilla
on Saturday, Oct. 16. They were
attended by Mr. and Mrs. Bob
Peterson of Palr
k
TAXES WOULD
BRING $15,600
ANNUALLY
The property value of the area
of Palmer which probably would
be included in an incorporated
city is approximately two million
dollars, W. C. Mau, chairman of
the Chamber of Commerce evalu
ation committee, reported at last
week’s luncheon meeting.
Mr. Mau said the committee
had assessed the proposed area
carefully, taking each piece of
property shown on the map and
fixing its value. No value was ac
cepted until all members of the
committee had all agreed on the
figure set, he said.
Supposing that taxes were as
sessed against 75 per cent of the
value of real estate at a 10 mill
rate, the annual income possible
to the city of Palmer through
the real estate taxroll would be
$15,600, Mr. Mau asserted. Addi
tional revenues of at least $1,000
could be taken from fines and
licenses.
Mr. Mau’s committee prepared
an estimated budget for th^ city
of Palmer, which he submitted
as follows:
Police and fire chief $4,800
(one position)
Street repairs and mainte
nance . 5,000
Clerk-treasurer (part
time) 500
Professional services 1,500
Building amortization 2,250
Building upkeep 1,000
Stationery, supplies 500
Street lights 600
TOTAL $16,150
Don Irwin, also a committee
member, explained the various
types of incorporation possible,
and outlined the powers of an
incorporated city of the first and
second class and of a utility dis
trict. He said the major differ
ence between an incorporated
city of the first and second class
is that a first-class incorporation
permits the floating of bonds
with which to purchase utilities.
A utility district also permits
the floating of bonds, but does
not answer any of the other
needs of a city, nor does it pro
vide any type of central govern
ment.
Asked to explain what incor
poration could do for Palmer Mr.
Irwin replied that the commu
nity could expect no Federal as
sistance without it. “We cannot
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