Vol. 1, No. 37
I
Palmer, Alaska, January 31, 1948
Ten Cents
Valley C of C
By-Laws Given
Face-Lifting
’fne Valley Chamber of Com
merce, the business men’s or
ganization of the Matanuska
Valley, is going to begin to
function on a business-like basis
if the board of directors have
anything to say about it.
Three board members gave
existing by-laws a thorough
combing over last Tuesday even
iftg and came up with an almost
totally new set which will be
presented to the Chamber mem
bership at the next meeting.
The principal change in ex
isting regulations would take
routine business from the hands
of the membership and place it
under the jurisdiction of the
board of directors. It is felt that
change would streamline the
procedure at regular meetings,
which often are tediously pro
longed. Tuesday’s group recom
mended that the existing board
of five directors and officers be
increased to nine—five directors
and four officers.
The change, as suggested,
would require an annual election
of officers and directors. On even
years, three directors would be <
elected for a two-year term and'
two for a one-year term, with
two directors elected for a two
year term on odd years.
The existing board of direct
ors also voted to recommend the
(Continued on back page)
Soil Board Meets j
During Farm Week j
The first meeting of the terri- [
tory’s newly created Soil Con
servation Board will be held on
Feb. 18 and 19 in Palmer, Don
Irwin, head of Alaskan experi
ment stations, announced this
week.
The group will be organized
and orientated in its work at a
two-day series of meetings, in
preparation for a serious tack
ling of Alaska’s soil conserva
tion problems.
As set up by the legislature,
the board is made up of three
farmer members. They are Lyn
don Funk of Fairbanks and
Frank Lynn and Max Sherrod
of Palmer. Those men in turn
will be assisted by an advisory
committee, whose members in
clude:
Frank Heintzleman, regional
forester of Juneau; I.M.C. Ander
son, head of Farm Home Admin
istration of this area; C. W. Pet
ers of the Alaska Rural Recon
struction Corporation of Palmer;
G. W. Gasser, commissioner of
agriculture, and Lorin T. Old
royd, director of the University
of Alaska Extension Service,
both of Fairbanks, and Mr. Ir
win.
Mr. Irwin said no appointment
had been announced from the
regional office of soil conserva
tion in Portland, which is send
ing a representative to the Alas
kan area. However, J. H. Christ,
4 "regional head of the Northwest
♦, division of the Soil Conservation
Service, has been notified of the
coming meeting, and has been
asked to have the representative
iere on or before that date.
New Appointments
At Valley Station
Are Announced
Two recent appointees have
been announced to positions ir
agricultural work at the Valley
experiment station, Don Irwin
head of Alaskan experiment sta
tions, stated this week. One mar
has been named to take charge
of the dairy-breeding project ir
the Valley, and an agronomisl
has been appointed to replace
Dr. Zola Fineman, recently re
signed.
H. T. Hodgson has been namec
the Valley's new agronomist. He
comes to Alaska from the 4-K
Clubs department of Iowa State
College and is expected to arrive
in the Valley sometime in March
Mr. Hodgson first will go tc
Washington, D.C., in February
for final instruction for his new
job, and then will stop at state
side experiment stations tc
gather seeds and material for his
Alaskan position.
Two men are being considered
for the position of horticulturist
at the local station. Mr. Irwin
said the appointment is expected
soon.
Dr. O. E. Reed, chief of the
dairy industry, has written oi
the appointment of a Mr. Sweet
man as head of the Valley’s
dairy breeding project. Mr.
Sweetman is expected to come
north with the imported bulls
being sent to the Valley for the
artificial insemination program
to be instituted here. The animals
are expected to arrive here
sometime in March.
There are a number of added
positions to be filled in the Alas
kan agricultural program accord
ing to Mr. Irwin. “However,
housing is our controlling factor
right now,” he added. “We can’t
(Continued on Back Page)
Valley Folks
Break Into Print
Valley faces and tall tales
were providing readable items
for the stay-at-home magazine
readers this week. Two articles,
one in the latest issue of The
Farm Quarterly and the second
in the February issue of Outdoor
Life, tell about life as it’s lived
in the Matanuska Valley.
The first, elaborately illus
trated in full-page technicolor,
is a lengthy and quite accurate
article entitled ‘ The Promised
Land.” It features more Valley
names than it would be possible
to list on all fingers and toes.
Pictures which catch the eye
include land clearing and house
construction work on the Frank
Balogh farm, a full-page tech
nicolor photograph of Father
James Snead and “Frankie,” to
gether with several neighbor
children, and a shot of Bill Bou
wens as the Valley’s gun-totirr
arm of the low. (“He always
wears it,” the article says.)
Copies of The Farm Quarterly
are not now available for sale
in the Valley. However Bert’s
Drug Store has placed an order
for 50 of the issue, and the maga
zincs are expected to arrive in
the near future.
The second magazine article
features a story of the sheep hunt
led last fall by guides Leo Lucas
and Jimmy Simpson of the Val
ley. It’s told at length in the cur
rent issue of Outdoor Life, whicl'
is on sale at all local newsstands
..... 111 ii iii wiii w'lwwwni'ii mil him
The perfect peace oi a beautiful summer's day in the Valley
is reflected in the placid calm of the waters of Lake Eklulna.
Eklutna is the property of the City of Anchorage, which pur
chased it for a million dollars. It is one of the greatest po
tential sites for a hydro-electric power unit in the territory,
having an estimated maximum output of seventeen million
kilowatts. Preliminary surveys of the site were completed
only last year. (Photo by Palmer Photographic Center).
Local Sportsmen Take
Steps To Reorganize
Under the guidance of temp
orary chairman Clare Stock, and
with temporary secretary Bruce
Graham writing down all the
decisions, the first steps were
taken toward reorganizing a
Sportsman’s club in the Valley
last Wednesday evening.
Mr. Stock explained that the
plan was to revive the former j
organization, or to organize a
new group along similar lines.
In line with that plan, Mr. Stock
appointed Bud Locker, Ralph
Goodrich and Claude Carroll to
a by-law committee; they were
asked to investigate the former
club’s by-laws and make recom
mendation for changes where
needed. That committee will re
port at the next meeting.
It was announced that some
material and equipment belong
ing to the former organization
is still on hand.
The purpose of fhe proposed
club was generally discussed
by those attending the meet
ing. Several present pressed
the plan of union with the
National Rifle Association.
Others spoke of the conserv
ation work, the game cultiv
ation and planting which could
be made possible through the
voice of a united group.
Dr. F. R. Sims asked that the
function of the club be made
wide enough to cover all recre
ation. He suggested it might be
an outdoor hunting and fishing
group in season, and perhaps be
come a bowling club during the
winter months. He touched on
the need for recreation in the
Valley, saying he felt that an
organized group might do much
to bring several types of recre
ation here.
A discussion of those eligible
to membership brought out twe
facts: First, the group is to be
considered a Valley-wide organi
zation: second, women are to be
welcomed as members. Juve
nile memberships were dis
cussed, but no definite action
was taken.
It was decided to fix initial
membership fees in the group
at $5, with each member pres
ent at Wednesday's meeting
making a personal effort to
bring one other to next week's
meeting. A membership com
mittee made up of F. R. Sims,
Bill Bouwens and Jack Maze
was appointed to recruit addi
tional members.
The group voted that the
club’s name should hereafter be
the Matanuska Valley Sports
men.
No officers were elected a
this first meeting. Nomination!
from the floor and an electior
of officers is scheduled for th(
next meeting, which will be helc
Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 8 o’clocl
in the basement of the Mata
nuska hotel.
Ralph Goodrich was appoint
ed to inventory equipment anc
supplies owned by the formei
club and to bring a report o
that material to the next meet
ing.
I. M. Sandvik offered land
to the group for use as a rifle
range. He said the ground is
located at the Butte and is
ideally located for any type
of club shooting.
Approximately 35 Valley mei
and women were present ai Wed
nesday’s meeting. There was i
membership of 187 in the for
mer organization, which dis
banded during the war.
Three Groups
Plan Events
For Farm Week
This .year’s Farm and Home
week program in the Valley will
be the joint contribution of the
Extension Service, the Grange
and the Department of Public
Health, Parker Lester, local Ex
tension agent, announced this
week. Mr. Lester said the pro
gram was not yet planned in its
entirety, but much of the week’s
work is now outlined.
Lorin T. Oldroyd, director of
Extension Service of the Univer
sity of Alaska, and Mrs. Lydia
Fohn-Hansen, home demonstra
tion leader, will be in Palmer for
the week. Dates for the occasion
still are tentative, but present
plans schedule the program for
the third week in February.
Mr. Lester said he hoped the
I Valley’s new agricultural com
mittee would be organized in
time to participate in the plan
ning of Farm and Home week.
This committee, to which eight
Valley residents will be named,
is expected to hold its first meet
ing early in February. Mr. Les
ter said he expected to announce
names of committee members
later this week.
The Department of Public
Health plans to deal with the
dairying phase of farm work as
its contribution to the week’s pro
gram. That section of the pro
gram is in the hands of Lloyd
Morley, Anchorage sanitarian.
Grange plans will not be
formulated until early next
week, after the planning com
mittee holds its first meeting.
Members of that committee in
clude Mrs. Harold Stephen, Mrs.
Bill Bouwens and A1 Brooks.
At least a part of the program
of Farm and Home week will
be staged in Wasilla, Mr. Lester
said.
During the early part of the
week, the territory’s new Soil
Conservation Board and its ac
companying advisory committee
will meet in Palmer. Those com
mittee meeting dates have been
fixed for Feb. 18 and 19.
Library Group
Names Officers,
: Plans Building
i
l
i
t
WASILLA—The local Library
Association met this week for
annual election of officers and
organization of plans for the
coming year’s work.
Mrs. Esther Hanson and Mrs.
Martin Olson were re-elected to
their positions of president and
secretary-treasurer. Mrs. Harold
Dinkel was named vice-president
of the group.
It was decided to push a build
ing campaign for a new library
this year, and a finance com
mittee was appointed to study
means of adding to the fund.
The association now has $500 in
its building fund.
Committee members who will
plot the painless transfer of
funds from community pockets
to the library treasury are Mrs.
George Stinson, Carl Paulsen
and Ernest Line. James Pendle
ton will see that the planners’
methods of attack get all possi
ble publicity.