The Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
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VOLUME 8, NUMBER 24
PALMER. ALASKA.
THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 1955
PRICE TEN CENTS
MIA Sees Early Release
Of Construction Funds
The area coverage design of
the Matanuska Telephone Asso
ciation sytsem went into the
Washington office of REA this
week, according to Lew Hanks,
association chairman. “It is pos
sible that they will approve this
design within ten day. If they
do the next step will be the re
lease of fund£* which in turn will
set off a series of developments
toward the construction of the
system this summer”, Hanks
stated.
As soon as funds are released
the association will purchase the
present telephone system from
the City of Palmer. Last fall
city voters approved the sale of
the city system and voted a fran
chise to MTA.
Also among first moves will1
be the preparation of contracts
for construction. During the in
terim period association board
members are making progress to
ward the acquisition of space
for exchange sub-stations. Build
ings will measure approximately
40 ft. by 70 ft. and will be lo
cated in Palmer, Wasilla, Sutton
and Chugiak.
Exchange names have been
selected for each locality as fol
lows: Palmer, VALLEY; Sutton,
ALPINE: Chugiak, MIDWAY,
and Wasilla, FRONTIER.
Jlapks stated that authoriza
tion to ad vance. $3,000 to the en
gineer was received from REA
last week. This is the first auth
orization to make a payment that
has been received from the
Washington office.
POLIO VACG2NE
TO BE GIVEN HERE
Dr. C. C. Bailey of Palmer
said this week everything is
ready to begin the Salk polio
immunization program through
out the valley as soon as the vac
cine arrives.
Nearly 100 percent consent has
been received from parents of
pupils of the first and second
grades in schools of Palmer,
Chugiak and Wasilla. Out of 162
first and second graders in the
Palmer school system, 151 con
sent slips have been returned by
the parents. Chugiak has 45 and
Wasilla 27, close to 100 percent
return from those two areas.
The success of the polio vac
cine was announced this week
and will be made available to
children of the mentioned age
group, free of charge, through
the National Foundation for In
fantile Paralysis.
Innoculations will be supervis
ed by Dr. C. C. Bailey, local
health officer for this area.
Members of the M. V. Nurses’
Assbciation and Jeanne Shaver,
public health nurse will assist.
Mann Leiser
Speaks to Kiwanians
Palmer Nursery manager, Mann
ILeisser was guest speaker at the
Kiwanis Club luncheon meeting
field in Rec hall, Monday, April
12. Mr. Leisser spoke on land
scaping and preparation of soil
Hid fertilizer for planting.
Committee for the Ladies’
flight buffet dinner reminded all
JSjwanians that the dinner is all
mi for 7:30 Saturday evening at
the Elks home.
GARDEN HEADQUARTERS
Bulbs:
• Dahlia • Anemone • Lily
• Ramniculus • Gladiola
Seeds:
• Burpee’s Famous Seeds
Garden Aids:
• Black Magic • Chlorodust
• Vermiculite • Nico-fume
Arriving Soon:
• Bose Bushes • Peonies
• Bleeding Hearts
• Exhibition Dahlias
BSATANUSKA VALLEY
GARDENS
Theatre Building
ARC Announces Limits
On Valley Roads
Hoad restrictions throughout
the valley area were announc
ed by the Alaska Road Corn
mission this week. Effective
Friday, April 15 loads will be
limited to 50 percent of gross
and a 35-mile an hour speed
limit will be enforced.
A similar restriction has
been placed in effect between
Anchorage and Glennallen on
the highway. The Richardson
Hiway loads are restricted to
75 percent of the normal gross
axle weight with the speed
limit at 35 miles an hour.
Fire Department
To Assist Homeowners
In Fire Prevention
Effective April 16 all grass and
trash burning in Palmer will be
limited to those persons who no
tify the City Fire Department
of intention to burn. The an
nouncement was made this week
by Fire Chief Ray Lancaster who
stated anyone wishing to burn
is requested to call the City
Clerk's office, leave name and
choice of burning day. “We will
supervise such burnings on
Thursdays and Saturdays,” Chief
Lancaster said.
The objective, he pointed out,
is to keep up the present no
fire record and prevent property
damage. With the exception of
a chimney fire on January 2 of
this year, there has been no
property loss by fire within the
city limits since August 2, 1954.
Chief Lancaster stated that no
refuse fires should be kindled
less than 50 feet away from a
building and such burning should
be done in an incinerator. At the
present time the fire department
and Chief Lancaster are working
on the problem of stump row
and brush piles in the city and
hope to have a solution as to
how they may safely be burned,
by next week.
Persons living outside the city
limits also are asked to exert
great caution in burning.
All persons interested in fire
fighting and prevention are in
vited to atend regular meetings
which will be held at the fire
hall each Tuesday night at 7:00
p.m.
RECRUITING OFFICERS
TO VISIT PALMER MAY 3
Master Sergeant A1 Segar of
the U. S. Army, Chief Donald
Jones, U. S. Navy, and Sergeant
Leonard Gaston, U. S. Marine
Corp will be in Palmer on Tues
day, Mary 3 at which time they
will hold a consulting session
with graduating senior boys of
Palmer High School.
The representatives of the
three military branches will an
swer questions pertaining to
their own branch. “In this man
ner,” Sgt. Segar said this week,
“we hope to assist them in find
ing the branch of service to
which they are best suited and
in which they will be the hap
piest.”
Time in the service is facing
nearly every boy, he pointed out.
By obtaining information in each
branch; clearing up misunder
standings; relieving fears, and
explaining the various specialist
schools available to a service
man, we hope to help them find
the service branch they want to
join.
The men will be in Palmer
throughout the afternoon and
may be contacted at the local
post office, following their talk
at Palmer High School.
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TRACK MEET SET
FOR MAY 7
AT FAIRGROUNDS
Palmer High School will be de
fending champions when' schools
of Western Alaska meet here on
May 7 for the seventh Western
Alaska track meet.
Trackmen of the local school
have been turning out each after
noon for practise sessions in the
lot near the Co-Op. Snow and
mud at the Fairgrouds will pre
vent any activitiy there for some
time. The meet will be held on
the track in the fairgrounds pro
viding it is in shape, William
Zahradnicek, school superintend
ent said this week.
Schools who are expected to
participate are: Palmer, Anch
orage, Fairbanks, Wasilla, and
possibly Seward and Kodiak.
Hospital Committee
Closes Out Aeeount
The hospital fund campaign
which began in November of
1951 was brought to conclusion
this week when the final finan
cial statement of the Valley Hos
pital Fund Committee was pre
sented and approved. The state
ment was found to be in excel
lent condition, according to
George Small, Katheryn Wilson
and Minnie Clark who approved
the report.
Ed Smith, chairman of the
lengthy campaign, this week ex
pressed his personal thanks to
the many individuals ,organiza
tions, churches, and concerns
who contributed both time and
money to raise a total of $19,
506.80.
Fifteen thousand dollars of this
total went into construction costs
at the new hospital, and with the
exception of $24.50, the balance
was spent on construction of
housing for the generator. The
$24.50 will be used for the in
stallation of a recognition plaque
which will be installed in the
hospital lobby. Each concern, or
ganization, or individual who
contributed $500 or more will be
recognized on the plaque, accord
ing to the order in which the
funds were received.
The committee was named
over three years ago with Smith
as chairman and O. K. Kincaid
as treasurer, who along with
Jack Maze and Carl Meier, con
tributed the first five dollars
each, opening the bank account.
A kick-off dance netted $1,600
and the Evan-Jones coal miners
pledged $1,500. Since that time
funds have ben raised by nearly
every organization in the val
ley. Contributions have come
from many Stateside churches
and firms and many individuals
have made donations.
When Kincaid resigned because
of other work on the hospital
construction, Hugh A. Johnson
was named treasurer of the com
mittee. In acknowledging the in
valuable assistance given thro
ughout the campaign Smith es
pecially thanked the treasurers
for their diligent work.
DR. C. C. BAILEY
HONORED BY
GIRL SCOUT COUNCIL
Dr. C. C. Bailey of Palmer was
this week awarded a certificate
of appreciation by the Susitna
Girl Scout Council of Girl Scouts
of the United States of America.
The award was made in recog
nition of his interest and support
of Girl Scouts through annual
physical examinations which he
has given without charge since
1950. Mrs. Charles Wilson, for
mer neighborhood chairman Su
sitna Council, made the presenta
tion, along with Mrs. Seth Cook,
- camping chairman 1950, 1951,
1952; and Mrs. Oliver Onkka,
camping chairman, 1953.
In accepting the plaque Dr.
Bailey expressed his appreciation
and assured the Girl Scout repre
sentatives that he intended to
continue the program which they
all agreed is so important in the
Scout program.
Complete physical examina
(Continued on page 8)
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New Land Clearing
Machines Available
To Local Farmers
Two new machines designed
to make land clearing easier and
cheaper, will be used in the Ma*
tanuska Valley this year. Agri
cultural engineers at the Experi
ment Station hope they will do
a better job of clearing land at
a lower cost than methods now
in general use. This will be the
first time the machines have
been used in the valley.
A heavy-duty Rome disc har
row, similar to one used in the
Fairbanks area, will be used to
break ground after clearing. The
harrow has eight 30-inch cut
out discs and will take 35 to 45
HP to do a maximum job. It will
penetrate ground to a good depth
and should do a good job of cut
ting roots.
Root picking always has been
a chore where land has to be
cleared for row crops. A root
picker, designed and built in
Canada, will be used to gather
roots after breaking with the
Rome disc or other breaking
plow. Similar to the old-fashion
ed dump rake, it has teeth made
from auto spring material. Can
adian reports indicate it has
worked satisfactorily on land
clearing work there.
Both machines will be made
available this year to selected
valley farmers who have suitable
areas for experimental work and
who are interested in trying them
on their land. It is anticipated
that a number of public demon
strations will be held on the
farms of co-operators to show
how the machines perform.
Power will be furnished by the
farmer. The Rome disc will re
quire the equal of a D-4 or lar
ger tractor; the root picker, a
Farmall H or larger.
Anyone interested in cooperat
ing with the Experiment Station
in using either or both machines
this spririg is asked to contact
the district agricultural agent,
Grayson (Pat) Murphy as soon as
possible.
Six Students Named to
Nationat Honor Society
In an impressive ceremony
held April 13 the Palmer High
School chapter of the National
Honor Society inducted six new
members. They are Jerene Ste
phan, Judy Bryant, Carol Barry,
Jenetta Lindsey, Howard Essling
er, and Norman Stadem.
The members were chosen on
the basis of scholarship, leader
ship, and service. Each record
was carefully checked to ascer
tain at least a “B” average
through his whole high school
attendance by faculty members
and sponsors, following which
present society members named
them to the society.
The school cafeteria was decor
ated in the theme of “Rainbow
of Desire”. A rainbow was plac
ed on the wall, at the end of
which was a torch, to signify the
torch of knowledge.
The ceremony opened with
present members marching into
the hall, carrying lighted cand
les, following which Cathy Mul
lins sang “Somewhere Over the;
Rainbow”. Carol Colberg, presi
dent of the society, spoke to the
gathering on the basis of which
new members were chosen and
challenged each member of the
student body toward this goal.
Each society member wore a
band of ribbon with one of the
following subjects printed on it:
Character, Attitude, Leadership,
School Spirit, Scholarship, Pa
triotism and Service. Each mem
ber spoke on the subject he re
presented, following which new
members were pinned by pres
ent members. The*ceremony was
concluded when new members lit
their candles and marched out of
the room with other society mem
bers.
The local chapter of the hon
or society was started in 1947
and this is one of the few times
when such a ceremony was car
(Continued on page 8)
Electric Rale Cut
Anticipated by MEA
Recall Hearing Slated
For Friday Afternoon
Word was received today
that Judge J. L. McCarry will
hold a hearing on Friday
afternoon in Third District
Court in Anchorage at 2 p.m.
pertaining to the recall peti
tion against Acting Mayor
Betty Mears.
Auto Parts Store
To Open in Palmer
Around May t
Construction of the new build
ing which will house the Auto
motive Parts and Equipment
company is well under way at
the Howard Estelle business site
on Valley street. With the com
pletion of the new store, Auto
motive Parts and Equipment
company will have four outlets
in the territory. At present time
they have stores in Anchorage,
Fairbanks, and Ketchikan. 'the
business is owned and operated
by Mr. and Mrs. Ed Glover and’
Mr. and Mrs. Ed McEllogott, all
of Anchorage.
Mali Onkka. valley resident
the past 20 years, has been nam
ed manager of the Palmer .
store. Onkka said this week the
company hopes to have the store
open for business around the
first of May.
Automotive Parts and Equip
ment company is the franchised
territorial jobber for National
Automotive Parts Association
and carries parts for all make
cars and trucks in the NAPA
line and others.
Construction work on the mod
ern building is being done by
Ferb Bailey, and will be leased
to the company by Howard Es
telle.
GIRL SCOUTS BEGIN
COOKIE SALE SAT.
Girl Scouts throughout the Ma
tanuska Valley will begin their
annual cookie sale this coming
Saturday, April 16. Proceeds
from the yearly ev£nt will go
toward their camping program,
including expenses of a summer
day camp, planned for the first
time this year; and expenses of
King’s Lake Camp. Three cents
of each sale wilj remain in the
troop treasury.
The cookies, which are manu
factured by the National Biscuit
Company, will sell at 50 cents a
box. Purchasers will have their
choice of two popular types—
the creme filled sandwich cookie
or the chocolate covered mint
cookie.
All Girl Scout leaders are ask
ed to pick up cookies for their
troops at the home of Mrs. Keith
Lovejoy late Friday afternoon.
Girl Scouts will restrain their
sales to their own neighborhoods.
If any orders have been given
in advance of the sale, those per
sons who do not get cookies are
asked to contact Mrs. Lovejoy.
Fair Association
Annual Meet April 15
All members of the Valley
Fair Association are reminded
of the annual membership
meeting which will be held, at
the Co-Op club room on Fri
day evening at 8 p.m. All
members are urged to attend.
Association president, A1
Brooks, said this week any
one owning common stock is
an eligible member. It is not
necessary to pay a dollar each
year . • . the original stock
purchase is sufficient, no mat
ter when it was purchased.
Two vacancies on the board
of directors will be filled and
annual reports will be present
ed.
Over 400 persons attended the
annual membership meeting of
the Matanuska Electric jtesocia
tion on April 9. Of those attend
ing, 216 were voting members
who carried on Mitional 14Z
proxy votes. Chart's W. Wilson
was elected to the board of direc
tors and Aaron E. Combs of Was*
ilia was re-elected io a position
on the, board.
During reports made by board
members during the evening, it
was announced that cut of ap
proximately 10 perc^.it in oresc
ent, electric rates is f
the near future. The
must be authorized by *vEA in
Washington, D. C., hr been made
possible by pre. -t revenues
from the systeir through the
new. Eklutna i . 'lectric pow
er project just recently
cut in th- * huge generator.
Mem- ^ of the Palmer School
band presented a musical pro
gram, followed by a Court of
Honor by Palmer Boy Scouts.
Prizes awarded during the
evening went to A. W. Egvet,
Roger Langdon and Bill Bou
wens who were awarded corsag
es; Harold Dinkle, electric toast
er; Mrs. James Smith, travel
iron; William McAllister, electric
drill; Gle: steam iron;
iviel Baake, ^ri-hot cup; Myrtle
Lindsey, $15 cash; and Ralph
Moore, $10 cash.
Predicts Possible
Food Cost Rise
Food prices in Alaska are fluc
tuating wildly again, according
to news from the Alaska Agri
cultural Experimertt Station.
Prices rose moderately during
the past three months at Ketchi
‘ kart, Sitka and Juneau but con
tinued to drop at Palmer, Anch
orage and Fairbanks, according
to the' quarterly grocery survey
conducted by the Station.
Price changes seem to bear lit
tle relation to recent changes in
the national supply picture. Only
coffee of the 30 foods priced
dropped in all Alaskan cities.
This confused situation may in
dicate another general round of
higher prices. This has occurred
before under similar circumstan
ces, according to Hugh A. John
son of the Experiment Station,
Interior cities of Palmer, An
chorage and Fairbanks showed
a continuing decline in grocery
costs. However, the decline this *
quarter was smaller than for the
September - December quarter.
This indicates that prices already
have risen on some food items,
he said. Average prices in
southeastern cities increased
0.3% at Ketchikan; 1.8% at Sitka
and 5.4% at Juneau between De
cember 14, 1954 and March 15,
1955. The fact that the index
- (Continued on page 8)
Make a Date
Saturday, April 23rd
GRANGE SPAGHETTI
DINNER
SINGING WAITRESSES
SERVING
5:30 to 8:Q0 P.M.
NOTICE
Dr. E. E. Bach, optome
trist, will be in Palmer
for eye examinations
May 4
For appointment call Lavonne
Johnson at Valley Beauty
Shop, 3301.
ANNUAL MEETING VALLEY FAIR ASSOCIATION
APRIL 15 - 8:00 P.M.
CO-OP CLUB ROOM