The VALLEY SETTLER is published
every Thursday by the Matanuska
Valley Farmers' Cooperating Asso
ciation at Talmer, Alaska.
Mng. Editor, Mrs. Verna Eastham
Subscription rates: |l,00 a year
by mail: $1.50 a year
Mailed anywhere: IQtf a copy
This paper is issued for the pur
pose of giving- information and
news of the Matanuska Valley
Farmers' Cooperating Association's
work, problems and accomplishments
and also news of local and general
interest; and to help foster the
cooperative spirit of the farmers
of the Matanuska Valley,
We solicit the frank and honest
expressions of opinion and ideas
from members and employees of the
Cooperating Association and the ’
people of the Community at large.
WHAT IS THE CIVIC ASSOCIATION?
Half of us don't really know and
yet we are a part of it. Let's
make it our business to read and be
familiar with the Constitution of
the Matanuska Valley Civic Associa
tion before our meeting on Tuesday,
This Association was founded on a
mutual belief that in unity there
is strength—strenth to protect the
individual in. his right to life,
liberty and the pursuit of happi
ness and make possible the further
ance of the best interests of the
community in which we live.
To do this we organized ourselves
and elected a Council, chosen from
each District, to represent us. By
this form of government it became
possible for every individual in
directly or directly to work in the
government of his community.
Any one in the Valley believing in
and practicing cooperative princi
ples may become a member of the
Civic Association. The Civic Asso
ciation is an organization whereby
we are able to manage our civic and
social community life and the Coop
erating Association permits us to
manage our economic life—buying
and selling.
Well, the l«ng and the short of it
is that a lot of us hav.e felt that.
' - r ■ ,!
the Civic Association 'can’t do any
thing' just bocause it isn't able to
get us something for nothing, par
ticularly from the A.R.R.C. The A
A.R.R.C, was established for the ™
purpose of getting our community on
a sound economic basis. It might be
compared to a city in the United
States becoming heavily indebted to
some large financing company. Such
a concern has to protect its inter
ests and no local group can have
the power to go againstthose inter
ests as long as that company is fi
nancing the community.
The Civic Association has a very
strong advisory power and by repre
senting the majority of the people
in organized planning, it is possible
for its members to determine to some
considerable extent the policies of
-our local administration and the
development of our community.
It is our government and we want this
government to help develop a prosper
ous community. We want to plan
libraries, parks and playfields,
community centers and all the other
things that spell a really success- fk
ful community life. That is what we
want and what we must demand. We
must see that each and every one of
us does his share to that end.
THEY'VE GOT WHAT IT TAKES'
Even the most dyed-in-the-wool pessi
mists are 'almost' satisfied with
the results of the recent election
to choose a new Board of Directors
for the Cooperating Association.
It seems to be a general opinion that
the new Board lias 'everything it
takes'. There are Colonists, non
Colonists and 'old settlors'; and
furthermore there is a nice mixture
of 'bread and cake'.
In other words, we feel we have a
Board that will work together and
really accomplish something. Cer
tainly there are men of experience
with Cooperatives and general busi
ness. There are conservatives and
visionaries. Most important of all,j
every one of them is a worker who ®
believes in the country, the Cooper
ating Association and the ultimate
success and strength of the community
.Vhr.t more could we ask? Let's help.