Public Reception Honoring
E. L. BARTLETT
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
8 P.M= io 10 P.M.
CO-OP CLUB ROOM
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September 17
The Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
TRY A FRONTIERSMAN
CLASSIFIED AD for that
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VOLUME 7, NO. 48
PALMER. ALASKA. THURSDAY, SEPT. 23, 1954
PRICE TEN CENTS
SEWER PROPOSAL HEARING SEPT. 30
Leading Democrats
Plan Valley Visit
Delegate E. L. Bartlett, H. J.
Barmen, and Hugh J. Wade, along
with several other Democratic
candidates will be guests of the
Palmer Democratic club tonight
in the Co-Op club room. The
public is invited to attend the
planned reception and meet their
candidates. Refreshments will be
served.
Del. Bartlett, well-known to
Valley residents, is seeking re
election to the office of delegate
to Congress. H. J. Lannen is
Democratic candidate for terri
torial commissioner of labor, and
Wade seeks the treasurer of Al
aska seat. Democratic candidates
tor territorial offices, the House
and the Senate are expected to
accompany the Bartlett party
on their trip to the Valley.
Prior to their Palmer visit at
S'.IO p.m., the group will be feted
at a pot-luck supper at Chugiak.
TWO KILLED IN
WRECK AT MILE 42y2
Richard K. Simmons, 33, and
Charles G. Davis, 33, both of An
chorage, were killed early yester
day morning when the car in
which they were riding overturn
ed and went off the highway into
a swamp at Mile 4216. It is be
lieved the men, both employes of
the Union Cab of Anchorage had
been in Palmer visiting prior to
the accident and were apparently
returning to Anchorage where
they lived at the Parson Hotel.
The 1954 Chevrolet sedan cab
which they were driving receiv
ed considerable damage in the ac
cident. Territorial Police, investi
gating the accident, reported the
cab had apparently been in the
water a considerable length of
time prior to 6:30 a.m. when a
passing motorist notified them of
the wreck. Simmons had worked
for Union Cab the past two years
and Davis for the past three years.
Only seven miles from the
scene of this accident, another
Union Cab driver lost his life
Friday evening when an automo
bile driven by Mrs. Isabel Shaffer
hit the Goat Creek bridge and
plunged to the water below. The
victim was Robert R. Jansen, 33,
of Anchorage. Mrs. Schaffer is
still confined to the Valley Pres
byterian Hospital where she was
taken by passing motorists.
ACS ANNOUNCES
NEW OFFICE HOURS
Winter office hours in the
Palmer office, Alaska Com
munication System, were an
nounced today by Sergeant
William Kelleigh.
Effective October 1 the of
fice will be open week days
from 8 a.m. to 9 p m. On Sun
day and holidays office hours
will change to from 11 a.m. to
2 p.m.
During all other hours the
office will be closed. In the
case of an emergency, an ACS
operator may be reached
through the city telephone op
erator.
Delegate to Congress E. L. Bart
lett who will visit Palmer tonight
along with Territorial Democratic
Candidates
M.T.A. Plans
Membership Drive
The planned membership drive
in the Matanuska Telephone As
sociation, Inc., will get under way
throughout the entire area next
Monday morning, Lew Hanks, as
sociation chairman announced
this week.
Headquarters for the drive will
be the office next to the city clerk
in the Wright Building. Anyone
not contacted during the drive,
who desires membership in the
i association, is invited to call at
the office where a part-time em
I ploye of the association will be
l on hand with application forms.
Members of various Homemak
ers’ clubs have agreed to make as
many personal contacts as pos
sible during the drive, selling
both memberships and equity
i stock in the association. Equity
! stock will cost $50, including the
$10 membership fee, Hanks said.
It will be necessary for the as
sociation to raise $16,650 before
REA funds can be released for
construction.
Word of approval of the $567,
000 REA telephone loan was re
ceived by MTA July 29, culminat
ing many months of ground work,
This is the first loan of its type
in the territory and will establish
the pattern for future loans, E. C.
Weitzell, chief of telephone oper
ations and loan division of the
Rural Electrification Administra
tion who visited Palmer shortly
after the loan was approved.
The new system will be com
pletely modern dial type, with
coverage from Sutton to Chugiak,
including Wasilla, Palmer, and
the Butte area. The system will
be built from the central office
out and it is important, Hanks
pointed out, that the needed
equity stock be purchased now
to secure adequate funds to as
sure improved service to the
many areas.
All money collected in this first
phase of the project will go into
a special fund to act as a guar
antee of faith to REA for the tele
phone loan.
THREE FILE FOR
FIVE-YEAR TERM
ON SCHOOL BOARD
To date three residents of the
Palmer Independent School Dis
trict have filed their intentions
to seek the five-year term of
school board members. They are
George (Ed) Smith, resident of
the Butte area; Rudolph Yerbich
of the Jonesville Mine area; and
Mrs. Barbara Skok. city resident.
Mrs. Skok, former Palmer sch
ool teacher, is the wife of Jasper
Skok, Jonesville miner, and the
mother of two children. While
teaching in the local school sys
tem Mrs. Skok held office in the
Palmer P-TA.
Rudolph Yerbich, father of
3 children, has made his home in
the Valley for several years and
is employed by the Evan-Jones
Coal mine.
Ed Smith, Valley Hospital As
sociation board member and
manager of the Palmer branch,
Ketchikan Spruce Mills, is mar
ried and with his wife and three
children, resides in the Butte
area.
School district voters will go
to the polls Tuesday, October 5 in
the Co-Op club room between
the hours of 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. A
qualified elector in the school
board election must be at least
21 years of age, able to read and
write the English language, and
have been a resident of the ter
ritory for at least one year and
a resident of the Palmer Inde
pendent School District 30 days
prior to October 5. Clerks for the
election will be Mrs. Harriet Cot
trell and Mr. Charles Schaefer.
V. Louise Kellogg will act as
judge.
ALL POTATOES SOLD
MUST BE LABELED
Potato growers are reminded
by Jim Wilson, commissioner of
agriculture, that the Alaska po
tato regulations require that all
potatoes sold must be labeled to
show the grade and the name and
address of the grower or packer.
The potato laws are for the
protection of both the consumer
and conscientious farmer who is
putting up a good grade, he point
ed out.
The enforcement work of last
year was largely responsible for
the improved acceptance of Al
aska potatoes last season, and
"we plan to increase our efforts
in this work this season” Wilson
stated.
PALMER MAN NAMED
KIWANIS LT. GOVERNOR
H. J. Hodgson, past president
of Palmer Kiwanis, was elected
Lieutenant Governor of the Al
aska-Yukon Division during the
recent Kiwanis International
convention held at Victoria, B. C.
Emil Ganschow, president of the
local Kiwanis club, made a re
port on his attendance at the con
vention and spoke most highly of
the beautiful landscaping in and
around the city of Victoria.
Club members also heard brief
reports on the recently held scien
ce conference. Hugh A. Johnson,
1953-54 president of AAAS, and
Marvin Slaughter acquainted Ki
wanians with some of the high
lights of the successful confer
ence.
(Continued on page 8)
City Council
Proceedings
United Nations Day
The City of Palmer has been
requested to participate in Unit
ed Nations Day on October 24,
according to a communication re
| ceived from James C. Ryan,
chairman of the Alaska commit
I tee. The correspondence was tab
j led for future action.
Heating System
John Weisenberger of Palmer
Sheet Metal and Heating and A1
Withey of Withey Plumbing and
Heating were present at the Sep
tember 21 city council meeting
and discussed with council mem
bers various types heating sys
tems suitable for the new fire hall
building on Wasilla Road. Spe
cifications will be prepared by
council members and the installa
tion put out on bid.
Renew Offer
The offer of the Maatnuska
| Valley Farmers Cooperating As
I sociation to sell their sewer out
fall system to the City of Palmer
for $26,000 plus a 20-year free
use clause, has been referred to
the Department of Agriculture
for permission to sell, according
to a letter from the local asso
ciation this week. A brief report
on the joint meeting of the Co
Op board of directors and city
council representatives was given
by the council committee.
Hire Help
1 Mrs. Marne Hanks has been
1 employed by the city in the of
fice of city clerk to bring all post
ing books up to date before they
go to the auditor for the annual
auditing.
Ask License Identity
The Department of Taxation for
the territory has notified the city
they are unable to furnish a com
plete list of license numbers but
that specific numbers for a
specific time can be furnished.
The list was requested by the city
to obtain names of traffic viola
tors who have not answered traf
fic summons. These pertain to
violators whose only identity has
been the license number of their
vehicle.
Health Officer Report *
City Health Officer, Dr. C. C.
Bailey reported to council mem
bers that 28 innoculations of
gamma globulin have been giv
en in this area since the first of
September.
Council members were told the
city fire trucks have been win
terized and are at present parked
in the vacant space next to fire
chief Joseph .Gallant's home
awaiting the completion of the
fire hall. A training meeting for
volunteer fire fighters will be
held Thursday night of htis week
at the chief's home. Acting Mayor
Betty Mears and Fire Chief Gal
lant will attend a meeting of the
Chugiak Fire Association on Wed
nesday of this week.
Costs for the #iew fire hall
(Continued on page 8)
LOCAL MAN STRICKEN
BY MENINGITIS
A Palmer man was hospitalized
last night with what has been
diagnosed as menginitis. His
name is on the critically ill list.
No City Office
Filings to Date;
Petitions Circulating
No petitions have been regis
tered for the three city council
| seats to be filled in the city elec
I tion on October 5, according to
Lenore Amerman, city clerk.
Three well-known Palmer men
; are at present circulating peti
' tions for signatures but none have
as yet filed their petitions. They
are former mayor, Alfred V- Hag
en who will seek one of the two
three-year terms, and Robert
Peterson, local business man, who
also seeks a three-year term. A1
J. DeJulio, present council mem
j ber, will seek the unexpired term
of the late Parker Lester. Two
years remain in this three-year
term.
All persons planning to run for
office are reminded that the fin
al date for filing their intentions
is Saturday, September 25. Al
though the office of the city clerk
(Continued on page 8)
FISHERY HEARING
SET FOR TODAY
The Fish and Wildlife Service
reminded all local residents that
the 1954 Commercial Fishery
hearing will be held this after
noon, September 23, at the An
chorage Y.M.C.A.
It is expected that the direc
tor of the FWS, John Farley, as
sistant director, Arnie Suomela,
and the administrator of the Al
askan Fishery, Clarence Olsen,
will be present at this hearing.
It is hoped that everyone having
an interest in the Cook Inlet
Commercial fishery will attend.
PROPERTY OWNERS
URGED TO REGISTER
FOR SEWER VOTING
All city residents are reminded
of the public meeting to be held
in the Co-Op club room Thursday
evening, September 30 at which
time the sewer proposal will be
discussed.
The city council went on record
j” his week as being in favor Of
he improvement district method
or the purpose of financing a
sewer system in the city, if the
i system is approved by the voters.
Property owners would be allow
ed a period of from one to 20
years to pay their sewer assess
ment costs at two percent inter
est. The interest rate is the same
as that charged by the Alaska
Public Works from whom the
money to finance the sewer sys
em will be borrowed.
City council members will be
in attendance at the meeting,
along with Charles Tryck, engin
eer from the Rutledge, Johnson
and Tryck engineering firm of
Anchorage, to answer all ques
tions pertaining to the needs of a
sewer system in the city of Pal
ner, the type of installation pro
posed, and the cost and the meth
ods of paying for the system.
Voters are urgently reminded
, that to vote on the sewer propos
al they must register prior to 5:00
p.m. on October 1. Taxpayers
whose names appear on the last
tax assessment roll or record must
register in order to vote on the
proposal. Registration has been
very lax, with less than 50 per
sons having signed the book in
the city clerk’s office. A favorable
vote of 65% of these registered
voters is required for the City of
(Continued on page 8)
NOTICE TO TAXPAYERS TO REGISTER
FOR ELECTION OF OCTOBER 5, 1954
Voters who are taxpayers of the City of Palmer
and whose names appear on the last tax assessment
roll or record, who wish to vote in the election to be
held on October 5, 1954, upon the proposition of
acquiring, constructing, and purchasing a sewer
system for the City of Palmer are required to register
in advance.
Registration books for such purpose will be main
tained at the office of the City Clerk located in the
Neal Wright Building from September 2, 1954 until 5
o'clock P.M. on October 1. 1954. Such taxpayers wish
ing to vote in said election upon said proposition must
personally register their names in such books within
the time above-stated. Accordingly all City taxpayers
are urged to register promptly in order to qualify
themselves to vote upon said proposition.
Advance registration of voters is required only for
the sewer proposition as above-slated. For all other
propositions to be voted upon in said election, includ
ing the election of City Councilmen, registration will
be done at the polls at the lime of voting and no
advance registration is required therefor.
LENORE AMERMAN
Acting City Clerk
CHUCK WAGON DINNER
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PALMER ELKS HALL
Sal., Sepl. 25-6:30 p.m.
Donation $2.50