THE FRONTIERSMAN
Itatered as second class matter on Oct. 21, 1947, at the post office a*
Palmer, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
A. J. DeJulio_Owner-Manager
Editor_Virginia Gallant
Subscription Hates 50c a month, $5 a year In Valley Area
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Editor’s Note:
This column is open to any of
our readers who wish to express
personal opinions on current sub
jects. Letters appearing herein
do not necessarily reflect the
thinking or the policy of this
newspaper or its staff. Letters
must be signed by the writer and
must not contain libelous ma
terial.
To the Editor:
In looking around we find
that about 4,000 more people
went outside the past year than
came to Alaska during the year.
Many of these were construction
workers who received top wages,
plus Unemployment Security.
Must Alaska maintain, year
rfter year, these excursionists?
We might be better off if they
remained in the states. Previous
years we gained a few hundred
m population; those who purchas
ed or built their homes here and
decided to cast their lot in the
new state to be the Forty-ninth
of the U. S. A.
The Small Tract Home Site is
serving some who will remain
and eventually will be Alaskans.
When land laws make it possible
to acquire 160 acre homesteads
in the better agricultural areas
by direct purchase at $1.25 per
acre—plus a habitable house
some aid in clearing land, with
reasonabe leasing rights of near
by grazing land with option to
purchase within 25 years, to in
sure a livlihood for farm families,
while developing farm homes,
we would see thousands of Am
ericans settling Alaska within
the next 10 years.
The money received for such
land should be placed in School
Funds of the new state, to insure
educational privileges for new
settlers.
A property tax fee on land-, in
centive, up to $25,000 value on
improvements, a $5,000 net an
nual production. Thereafter for
Road Tax Fund or a Land: tax
of 10 cents per acre to accrue to
farm road building and mainten
ance in rural areas.
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Such provisions should be
made now to insure settlement
and development of public lands
to help Alaska become Self-sup
porting and to feed its growing
population.
To stabilize new industries and
develop our natural resources we
must reduce the high cost of liv
ing, and make possible develop
ment of low grade mining areas
It requires people and capital
to develop any new country. In
making it attractive to the in
vestor of capital, we make it pos
sible for employment of our
young people, who in turn re
quire schooling and preparation
for employment.
Alaska needs artisans, skilled
people in trades; machinists,
carpenters, electricians, cabinet
makers and skilled workers in
the new material daily coming
on the markets. The Community
Colleges, the new Methodist Col
lege, the vocational training cour
ses in agriculture, home ec train
ing, nursing and aviation.
Our University takes care of
( needs in mining engineering, edu
cational trained teaching, but
sadly lacking in agricultural edu
cation and training on the farm.
Short courses in mining are well
take care of, and available to all
Alaska.
We cannot live by these alone.
No country can long survive
without its agricultural resources
developed. We pay freight on
nearly all food stuff and manu
factured articles, and rob the
country of its natural resources
which lie in the top soil of thou
sands of acres of grazing land,
and many areas of tillable land.
The mining areas become tail- j
ing piles of stone and rubble,
with valley land soil washed
away, and lost forever. The rich
lode mines are worked out, and |
ghost mining towns fall to decay.
Our fisheries now half destroyed
and facing complete distinction,
our commerce in a one-way lane,
with high freight rates strangling
further development of home or
commercial projects building.
Gold production denied us, by
regulation by Administrative pro-J
cess; an inflated, monetary sys
tem, and union boss control forc
ing annual wage raises to the
point of strangulation of home
building and further manufactur
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rcury Motors
from 5 to 40 tip.
Fiberglass Boats
8 ft. to 16 ft.
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fDXOOrD^C HARDWARE &
UtlAMMUU 5 SPORTING GOODS
“Home of Dutch Boy Paints”
JWKIM « KM »«»»»»•»*« ****** MIC «»»»»♦»»»♦»<»« *«■■■»«!
• _ . N
7 WANT A S!U OF HEALTH
FOR MY CAR
NOT A bill of goodsry^
■
’ I
Well, sir, what you’re asking for is Service ... and this is
die station where you’ll get it!
We give your car every possible service—the kind of atten
tion you expect it to get.
If you want to get the most out of your motoring for the
least out of your pocket, come in and try us.. .
MOTOR-IN SERVICE
IVe take better care of your car
Ing plant construction. ,
We bury our heads in the sand
and continue to refuse to see
where we are heading.
The inflation of the dollar has
wiped away the earnings of 90
percent of our aged people to
where we have consumed all our
savings of a life time, and we
must accept old age security and
die in poverty. Unemployment
payments compensation for about
half the year.
We are now to the last great
bulwark, The American Farm
ers—we must join the ranks.
Sincerely,
M. D. Snodgrass
The Frontiersman
Palmer, Alaska
To the Editor:
Concern has been expressed
that opponents of statehood will
try to get elected to the Alaska
Constitutional Convention at
Fairbanks in order to sabotage
the constitution. On this account,
it has been urged that only those
who have worked for statehood
should be delegates.
This thinking overlooks an im
portant principle. The Fairbanks
gathering is vital to every Alas
kan, and all are entitled to be
represented there, — those who
favor statehood, those who op
pose it, and those who don’t
know. The convention is being
paid for by all the people, it will
affect all, and it belongs to all,
—not to any particular group.
Clashes of opinion are bound
to arise on the convention floor.
That’s what the convention is for,
to provide a place for working
out differences in the open.
Certainly special interest
groups will try to influence the
constitution for their own benefit.
This will not necessarily be lim
itea to ami-siaienuou wuc
way of doing this will be an at
tempt to put into the constitu
tion statutes which should right
fully be subjects of legislation.
This needs to be watched. Con
stitutions are designed to outline
principles and forms, compara- J
uveiy permanent. Legislation is
intended to deal with changing ,
issues, in response to the people. '
Voters can control the legislature
directly through referendum and
initiative, provided for in the
constitution.
To guard against discrimina
tion or sabotage, all interests and
opinions have a right to be heard
at Fairbanks. The convention will
be held in public; public hearings
may be called; the people will
vote on the constitution by June,
1956. These safety factors should
protect against attacks on the
constitution.
Judging by current talk, it is
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Palmer Shoe Repair
WE REPAIR AND REBUILD SHOES
ALSO CANVAS WORK
SEWING AND PATCHING
Dave and Mary Algarin
r doubtful that either the believers
in statehood or non-believers
now have a clear majority. Most
people, apparently, are undecid
ed. The character of the Fair
banks constitution will help them
decide.
The issue then, is not whether
we want statehood; but what
kind of a constitution we want
if Alaska should become a state.
The immediate task is to forget
parties and factions and get to
gether to work out a fair and
just representative government
for all diverse interests of the
Alaskan people.
Sincerely,
Ben Hitchcock
FRONTIERSMAN CLASSIFIEDS
ALWAYS BRING RESULTS
PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER
Your answer depends on what you’re adding. Two
apples plus two apples always equal four apples. But two
dollars plus two dollars soon become MORE than four dollars
when you put them in your savings account. The difference
(in your favor) is the interest that is added, as earned, to your
original deposit, and compounded regularly. This accumulat
ing interest, combined with your own systematic savings will
steadily add up to that new home, that college education for
your children ... or whatever else your dreams are made of.
Start your savings program next payday!
MATANUSKA VALLEY BANK
Palmer, Alaska
Open Thursday Evenings 6 — 8 P.M. —1 Daily 10 A.M.—3 P.M.
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