Valley ywntktsman
VOL. III.
PALMER, ALASKA, NOVEMBER 3, 1949
NUMBER 8
Postoffice Asks Bids On Star Routes
REA To Spend
Five Million
In Alaska In '50
Plans have been made for the
setting aside of a five million dol
lar fund for Alaskan loans next
year, Herbert G. Bryan, Alaskan
representative of the Rural Elec
trification Administration. an
nounced upon his last Sunday's re
turn from a regional conference at
Spokane, Wash. This sum is in ad
dition to the six million dollars in
funds already committed, Mr. Bry
an clarified.
Of the five million dollar total,
$450,000 will come to the Matanus
ka Valley, if loan applications are
approved at REA headquarters.
This money will be used to exent
present lines to Jonesville and
Chugiak, to take care of Valley ex
pense for the joint participation
plan for power from the steam
plant of the Chugach Electric at
Anchorage, and for required sys
tem improvements for the new
loads the line extensions will
bring.
Little other business was con
ducted at the conference, aside
from the earmarking of funds for
the coming year s work, Mr. Bryan
said.
Conferees .were saddened, Mr.
Bryan stated, and business termi
nated, when they learned of the
tragic death of William J. Neal,
deputy administrator of REA. Mr.
Neal was killed in a highway ac
cident in New Mexico, when the
automobile in which he was riding
collided with another driving on
the wrong side of the highway.
Theodore C. Perry, driver of the
automobile in which Neal was rid
ing, also met death in the accident
“Mr Neal was personally con
cerned for, and intimately ac
quainted with the Alaskan REA
program,’’ Mr. Bryan sa'd, “Alaska
lost a good friend, when he went”
Youth Council To Meet
At School Tomorrow
There will be a youth council
meeting at the Palmer School at
8 o'clock tomorrow evening, it was
announced today by William T.
Zahradnicek, school superintend
ent. The council is a project spon
sored by the Valley’s Kiwanis Club
through which the club hopes to
interest all local civic and frater
nal organizations in the problems
of youth recreation here.
Mr. Zahradnicek, who heads the
Kiwanis committee for the council
has invited 10 representatives from
local organizations and an elected
delegate from the Valley Minister
ial Association. In almost ervery in
stance, the president of the group
has been asked to attend.
‘49 Community Chest Qoal
Set at $3,000 7or Zhe Valley
The Valley’s Community Chest
goal for 1949 was set at $3,000 at
last week’s board meeting, Miss
Louise Kellog announced. That was
the sum fixed for the 1948 drive,
but receipts did not reach that fig
ure.
It also was decided to extend the
drive’s concluding date to Nov. 20,
to give solicitors more time to
reach everyone.
No contributions had been turn
ed in by solicitors at the time of
last week’s meeting. However Miss
Kellogg said she expected the first
financial report to be submitted at
a meeting tonight, since some soli
citors already have been calling
upon homes and businesses in their
district
Valley residents who are acting
as solicitors, under the direction of
Jack Newcomb, chairman of the
Variaty Vogues
To Sell Shoes
Michael McKay, formerly of Fin
ley’s Family Shoe Store in Anchor
age. today announced plans for op
ening an order house for shoes in
Palmer. Mr. McKay, who specializ
es in fitting shoes, will carry a na
tionally-advertised line of work.
rasnal anrl spmi-rirpss shops for
men and women.
The shoe salesman will set up his
samples in space provided by Var
iety Vogues. Following the fitting
he will airmail orders to the man
ufacturer’s supply house, and will
be able to make delivery on the
ordered shoes in about 10 days.
Mr. McKay expects to add a line
of children’s shoes later in the year
He is qualified and will be prepar
ed to do corrective fitting.
McKay will be ready to take shoe
orders as soon as Variety Vogues
opens its doors in the morning.
Mr. McKay and his wife plan to
make the Valley their home. Even
tually, he hopes to open a com
pletely stocked store here, but
those plans are not expected to ma
terialize for some time.
LEGION PLANS DANCE
The American Legion will hold
a dance in the Palmer Gymnasium
on Nov. 12, it was announced today
by Bob Peterson, dance committee
chairman. The dance will be pre
ceded by a basketball game, to be
played between the Shamrocks and
an unannounced opponent, Mr.
Peterson said.
Schaefer's orchestra will provide
music for the dance. Additional
plans will be announced next week
Mr. Peterson promised. Assisting
him on the dance committee is
Richard Demming.
campaign committee, are:
Rev. Victor Alfsen, W. C. Allen,
Mrs. Frank Balogh, Earl Barry,
Mrs. Oscar Beylund, Mrs. Alva
Brooks, John Bugge, Mrs. Frank
Clark, Mrs. Richard Demming,
Clayton Esslinger, Rev. George
Geiwitz.
A1 Gregerson, Mrs. Ralph Good
rich, Mrs. Lee Hartley, Mrs. L. O.
Hays, Mrs. William Hecker, Mrs.
James Hermon, Mrs. Harvey Hiber,
Mrs. Harlow Hodgson, Mrs. James
Hurley, Mrs. Victor Johnson, Mrs.
Fred Larson, Leo Lucas, Marian
Mielke, Dave Niemann Carl Ras
mussen,
Bill Smith, Mrs. Harold Stephan,
Mrs. A. Stewart, Mrs. William
Sweetman, Mrs. Bernard Swoboda,
Mrs .Harold Winegarner, Charles
Wilson and Mrs. Vic Vucovich.
Independents Will Play
No-Schedule Ball,
Keep Team Intact
Although denied admission to
the Anchorage City League basket
ball circuit, Palmer’s Independ
ents still plan to play a full season
of ball this year, team captain
Dale Roetman announced today.
The team had hoped to find a spot
on the Anchorage schedule but
were barred by league officials’ de
cision to hold competition to six
teams.
Captain Roetmaft called his
squad together late last week and
and informed them that there was
no league opening. He suggested
that men wishing to play in the
Anchorage circuit transfer to the
Shamrocks, second Palmer team,
a member of the league. However
the men vetoed the suggestion una
nimously, stating they preferred to
play as a unit.
Roetman said it was possible that
a second league would be organ
ized in Anchorage, in which event
the Independents would find a spot
on the schedule. If those plans do
not materialize, the Independents
hope to pick up enough engage
ments with Army fives to make a
full season’s schedule.
‘We like playing together as a
team, and we’re going to do every
thing we can to continue as we are
for the season,” Mr. Roetman stat
ed. “We think we’ve got a squad
that we can mould into a pretty
fair ball club, and that’s the way
we want to work it out.”
Men on the Independent’s roster
include:
Lee Young, Gil Anthony. Rex
Hardage. Walt Parcells, Lynn
Sandvik, George Hermon, Jim Her
mon, Jim Gleason, Duane Huntley
.and team captajn Roetman.
ROUTES INCLUDE
PALMER, ANCHORAGE
AND WASILLA
A call for bids for the carrying
of mail, issued by the U. S. Post
office on Sept. 27, requests bids for
a star route between Palmer and
Wasilla, and for a star route be
tween Anchorage and Palmer, post
mistress Beatrice Huntley pointed
out this week.
Bids will be received until 5:15
p. m. on Jan. 5, 1950. The contract
period covered by the bid extends
from July 1, 1950 to June 30, 1954.
The proposed Wasilla route calls
for service three times weekly. The
mail would leave Palmer at 9:30
a. m. on Monday, Wednesday and
Friday, travelling to Wasilla by
way of Four Corners. The return
trip would depart from Wasilla at
not later than 1:30 p. m., coming
back to Palmer by way of the Mat
anuska Experiment Station.
Post office to post office service
would be required on this route,
with local box delivery and col
lection service along the way.
The bidder is required to quote
the desired rate per round trip.
Bond of $2,000 is required with
submission of the bid on this route
The request for bid on the star
route between Anchorage and Pal
mer specifies daily round-trip ser
vice except Sundays and holidays.
The bidder would be required to
leave Anchorage daily at 8 a. m.,
arriving at Palmer by 11:30 and
departing on the return trip at 1
p. m. Again bids are to quote the
round trip rate. Bond of $1,000 is
required.
Interested bidders may obtain
further information on these star
routes from Mrs. Huntley.
Carnival Pays Off
In Fun And Cash
Dollars and dollars worth of fun,
and a monetary gross profit of
about $1,300 was realized by the
Student Council of Palmer High
School at last Saturday’s annual
Carnival. Bills still must be tallied
and receipts re-checked before the
students can announce the exact
sum to be banked from the Carni
val take.
Door prizes offered by the senior
class at the post-Carnival dance
went to Ted DeLand and Glenn
Miller, Bobby Jo Hemmer an
nounced. Costume prizes went to
Bob Zeitmeier and the Hoskins sis
ters, Ida and Lila.
Out-of-towners walked away
with the waltz and jitterbug prize
dances, so contest sponsors didn’t
bother to record heir names