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LITTLE LEAGUE
BALL GAMES
JULY 6 — JULY 8
6:35 P.M.
The frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLET
TRY A FRONTIERSMAN
CLASSIFIED AD for that
item you may have for sale,
rent or lease.
VOLUME 8, NUMBER 36
PALMER, ALASKA. THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 1955
PRICE TEN CENTS
Charles W. Wilson New Mayor of Palmer
«
WILL COMPLETE
iNEXPIRED TERM
Charles W. Wilson of Palmer
was unanimously elected Mayor
of the City of Palmer at the
June 28 meeting of the Common
Council. He will complete the un
expired term of Don McKechnie
who resigned from his elected
office several months ago. Mayor
elect Wilson has taken an active
interest in city business since the
incorporation of the city over
three years ago, and has served
on the Planning Commission
Board. He is Territorial conser
vationist with the Soil Conserva
tion Service. His term in office
will expire in October, 1955.
Since the resignation of former
Mayor McKechnie, Betty Mears,
council woman, has been serving
as acting mayor.
* * *
Other phases of business con
ducted at the meeting included
the sale of the City of Palmer
telephone system to the Matan
uska Telphone Association. The
report on the sale is printed else
where in this week’s publication
of the newspaper.
Chairmen of the fire and police
committees were authorized by
Council vote to complete neces
sary work in the fire hall for
the construction of a city jail, a
storage room for Civil Defense
materials, and necessary floor
ing.
* * *
Planning and zoning commit
tee reports included a suggestion
that public hearings be held be
fore any final zoning is done
within the city. Meeting dates
will be set during a July meet
ing of the Council.
* * *
The bid date for the proposed
maintenance of the city garbage
dump will be extended to July
12, following approval of a mo
tion to that effect.
* * *
The fire committee reported
that 300 feet of two and one half
inch fire hose is needed by the
City of Palmer volunteer fire de
partment and approval for the
purchase of the hose was given
(Continued on page 8)
VWVSAAAAA/WVVVVVWVVVVVVWS^W,
I New shipment Haeger pottery !;
for your flower arrangements, !;
also frogs and oasis. Large |!
copper hanging baskets.
Excellent books on flower - jj
arrangements.
Maud's Flower Shop j:
<! Theatre Building
CUT WORMS DOING
GARDEN DAMAGE
Home gardeners and farmer5*
are warned to be on the look
out for cutworms and root
maggots which have begun
working in radishes and other
crops, two to three weeks lat
er than usual.
Several gardens have been
destroyed or seriously damag
ed in the Palmer area this past
week. Dr. Richard Washburn
of the Alaska Agricultural
Experiment Station suggest
ed that if gardens or crops are
infested that something be
done about it immediately, or
it may be too late.
REA, CITY APPROVES
ELECTRIC RATE DROP
The approval of the proposed
rate change for the Matanuska
Electric Association has been re
ceived from the Washington of
fice of the Rural Electrification
Administration, according to Cy
Brewer, MEA manager. Brewer
said this week the changes were
approved on both the commercial
and home rates.
Permission to put the rate
change in operation in time for
the August 1 billing was request
ed of the City of Palmer. Ap
proval of the rate change was
granted by the Common Council,
City of Palmer, during the regu
lar Council meeting held June 28.
Approval of rate changes must
be given by the City in accor
dance with stipulations set up at
the time the MEA franchise was
granted.
• “The average reduction,”
Brewer said, “will result in ap
proximately a 10 percent sav
ing, although in the lower brack
ets the savings may run as high
as 30 percent in some instances.”
This wide-spread appliance of
the ^ate reduction will result in
a wide-range savings to MEA
consumers, he added.
! Tickets are Available for ;!
| Anchorage Shrine ;!
CIRCUS i|
; At Bob Rehard's Barber Shop,
; Wright Bldg, or at Alpine Inn
! No need to stand in line for ;!
’ tickets when available here at >
same prices. !;
*V>AAAAAAAAAAAAA/W\A/^A^\^AAAA^AA
DON’T FORGET...
JIMMY SNOWSHOE AND HIS
GREAT SHOW OF THE ARCTIC
PLAYS TONIGHT ONLY
ELKS HALL-JUNE 30--8 P.M
Benefit of Palmer Elks Charity Fund
AL V. HAGEN
NAMED MANAGER
1955 VALLEY FAIR
Alfred V. Hagen was this week
named manager of the 1955 Ma
tanuska Valley Fair and will be
gin his new duties at once. Ha
gen, who is secretary of the
M. V. Fair Association, will be
reimbursd for traveling expen
ses but will draw no salary, in
accordance with by-laws of the
association that stipulate that no
member of the board of direc
tors shall occupy a paid position.
The named manager has been ac
tively connected with the Valley
Fair, devoting many hours to the
promotion and success of past
Fairs, for the past several years
and as manager will set up what
is expected to be the biggest and
most widely publicized fair in
the territory.
He has served as a member of
the Fair Board for many years;
was president of the association
in 1953 agd already hSs given
many hours of service to the
forthcoming fair. This is the first
year that the association has not
had a paid manager.
The board of directors of the
Valley Fair Association, has been
meeting each week, formuating
plans to complete arrangements
for the 1955 fair at an early date.
Several changes will he iouna
in this year’s premium book, in
both the catagories and the priz
es. The changes have been made
following suggestions offered the
board by superintendents of the
various departments.
Ralph Farnsworth, president
of the Matanuska Airmen’s Asso
ciation, visited the board meet
ing and told of the possible air
trip to the valley next year of
the Flying Farmers of America. |
Board members voted to extend
an invitation to the group of
flying farmers to visit the valley
and attend the 1956 Valley Fair
as association guests. Farnsworth
told board members of the sup
port the Matanuska Valley
Chamber of Commerce already
has given the proposed trip.
The FFA is composed of farmers
who derive at least 51 percent
of their income from farms. They
(Continued on page 8)
ARCTIC FILM
SHOWING TONIGHT
All persons planning on seeing
Jimmy Snowshoe and his great
show of the Arctic were remind
ed this week by members of the
Palmer Elks lodge that there will
be one showing only of the in
teresting film on Thursday night,
June 30, beginning at 8 p.m. All
proceeds from the show will go
toward the lodge’s various char
ity projects. The show will con
sist of films, including an excit
ing polar bear hunt, a river voy
age in southeast Alaska, totem
poles, fishing trips, a history of
sea lions and seals and many,
many additional scenes taken in
all parts of the territory and
covering nearly every phase of
life in Alaska. The public is in
vited to attend the show. Ad
mission will be $1 each.
IMTA EXTENDS
EMBLEM CONTEST
Robert Patridge, MTA man
ager, this week announced the
extension of the association’s
emblem contest. The closing
date, previously set for mid
night tonight, has been chang
ed to midnight July 15. To
date several entries have been
received. By extending the
closing date the association
hopes to be able to get more
entries, especially from the
outlying areas. Entries must
be submitted on white paper,
drawn in India ink and carry
the entrants signed name and
mailing address on the reverse
side. The emblem chosen will
be used on the association’s
letterheads and equipment.
WASILLA VFV PUNS
4TH OF JULY EVENT
The annual Fourth of July
celebration in Wasilla will again
this year be sponsored by mem
bers of the Wasilla Veterans of
Foreign Wars and the VFW Aux
iliary unit.
Races, games, Alaska’s favorite
game, contest, baseball and
FREE ice cream and soda pop for-*
all children, are favorite events
being planned for the holiday
celebration. Members of the
Auxiliary unit will operate a hot
dog stand, with prices set at a
very reasonable rate, it was stat
ed.
Post Commander John Dunlap
has extended a cordial invitation
to all persons of the valley to
attend the celebration. Events
will get under way a 12 o’clock
noon a the ball diamond in Wasil
la.
Poultry Specialist
Doing Survey Work
John Harnann, poultry spec
ialist of the U. S. Department of
Agriculture, visiting in IPalmer
this past week, is working with
the Territorial Department of
Agriculture on the possible de
velopment of regulations govern
ing the marketing of shell eggs
in Alaska. The proposed regula
tions would over eggs shopped
into the territory, as well as those
produced in Alaska and would
be equitable to shipper and pro
ducer—giving a uniform stand
ard for the consumer.
Grading eggs consists of the
size and quality involved, he
pointed out. There is some grad
ing going on now. However, he
added, there is no control or reg
ulation for producers to follow.
Prior to his trip to Alaska
Ham-ann stopped in Washington
where he examined egg ship
ments destined for the territory.
Upon arrival in Alaska these
same eggs will be checked for
drop in quality during shipment
from the states to the territory.
Fresh qualities can be maintain
ed if properly handled, he stated.
While in Alaska he is visiting
local producers and the M. V. F.
(Continued on page 4)
Hospital Announces
Court Action On
Delinquent Accounts
Court action will be filed early
in July on all delinquent accounts
that have been turned over to
Thomas Langford, collection
agent of Anchorage, by the Val
ley Presbyterian Hospital, ac
cording to word received from
him by members of the hospital’s
board of directors.
Action will be filed alphabeti
cally on all accounts that have
made no payment or have not
notified the agent by letter stat
ing why they are unable to make
payment. A letter, with a return
addressed envelope, was sent to
each delinquent account on May
31, 1955.
Payments on These accounts
and all other accounts due the
hospital, may be made at the
business office at the Valley
Presbyterian Hospital.
Lew Hanks Begins
Agent’s Duties Friday
Lew E. Hanks, recently named
new district agricultural agent
for the Matanuska Valley, will
begin his duties Friday, July 1.
The new district agent shares
the Extension Service office in
the American Legion building
with Mrs. Marylou Rideout, dis
trict home demonstration agent
in the valley since 1949. In the
same year Mrs. Rideout joined
the Extension Service staff,
Hank arrived in the valley to
work with the Soil Conservation
Service. He transferred to Pal
mer fro Watsonville, Calif.
A native of Shelley, Idaho,
Hanks received his bachelor of
science degree in forestry from
the University of Idaho in 1949.
After a year with the Potlach
Forest, Inc., at Lewiston, Idaho,
he entered government service
With the SCS in Watsonville.
Since his arrival in the Ma
tanuska Valley he has been ac
tive in community affairs. Hanks
has been instrumental in organ
izing the Matanuska Telephone
Association, of which he is now
president. Hanks also owns and
operates a partially developed
farm in the valley.
Hanks is president of the As
sociation of Alaska School
Boards, treasurer of the Palmer
School Board and chairman of
the Alaska committee for the
White House Conference in Ed
ucation. He also is a member of
(Continued on page 8)
SALE GOES INTO
EFFECT AFTER
MIDNIGHT TONIGHT
For the sum of $30,288.03 the
City of Palmer telephone system
was on June 28 sold to the Ma
tanuska Telephone Assocation,
Inc. The sale was consummated at
the Tuesday night meeting of
the city council and marks the
first big step toward the area
wide telephone system planned
by MTA. Change-over date was
set at 12:01 a.m. July 1, 1955.
Acting on behalf of the MTA
board of directors who were pre
sent at the transaction, Robert
Patridge, MTA coordinator, dis
cussed terms of the contract
with council members prior to
the. actual presentation of the
check. “I and the board of di
rectors, feel this is a true and
fair sale price”, he stated. The
only noticeable charge in the con
tract . agreement was the respon
sibility of deposit returns. Fol
lowing a discussion on this part
of the contract it was agreed
that the responsibility for re
turning deposit money to sub
scribers will be assumed by the
city. Subscribers will be asked to
present receipts for deposits
made to the city, prior to re
funds. * '
Lew Hanks, M,TA president,
was unable to be present at the
meeting. In addition to Patridge,
those in attendance were John
King, A1 Withey, Jim McDowell
and Phil O’Neill, all board mem
bers and William Bauler, engin
eer.
Following the acquisition of
system, MTA board members
met and immediately named Pa
tridge manager of the MTA sys
tem. He has been serving as co
ordinator of the association the
past three months. ?
Immediate changes that MTA
will apply to the present system
include the move of their busi
ness office from the Wright
(Continued on page 5)
I
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCrf
of Palmer
SATURDAY. JULY 2
7:30 P.M.
Singspiralion - Food
Fun - Fellowship
SPECIAL FILM
"IN HIS NAME"
All Young People Welcome
[
SMART HAIR STYLINGS
by LaVonne
Evening Appoinimenls
VALLEY BEAUTY SHOP
Pbone 3301
GRAND OPENING
VALLEY GROCERY
SATURDAY, JULY 2
Under New Management
Francis M. Henry
FREE-Cake and Ice Cream
From 1:00 ’til 5:00 P.M.
FRIED CHICKEN-FROG LEGS
SANDWICHES
GASOLINE Palmer Hiway