AL V. HAGEN fa MAYOR
A BUSINESSMAN FOR
A BUSINESSMAN’S JOB
Paid Pol. Ad
DON'T FORGET TO
VOTE
OCTOBER 4, 1955
8 A.M. — 7 P.M.
The Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
TRY A FRONTIERSMAN
CLASSIFIED AD for that
item you may have for sale,
rent or lease.
VOLUME1 8, NUMBER 49
PALMER. ALASKA. THURSDAY, SEPT. 29, 1955
PRICE TEN CENTS
City Council
Proceedings
Councilman William T. Zah
nadnicek served as meeting chair
man in the absence of Mayor
Charles Wilson during the Sep
tember 27 meeting of the City
Council.
* * *
Hex Ehrhart, tax assessor-col
lector, delivered the 1953-54 de
linquent tax roll for Council
study. The total delinquency runs
almost $20,000, Ehrhart reported
—about 10 percent of the tax as
sessments. The list was accepted
by Council and will be reviewed
by the budget and finance com
mittee. The delinquent list will
be published in The Frontiers
man following the review.
* * *
The bid of Ray McCartney, of
Macs Plumbing and Heating, was
aocepted by members of the City
Council and the contract to in
stall the heating system in the
City fire hall building, was
awarded at $4,238 with additions
as recommended by McCartney
which bring the total to $4,861.00
McCartney said the work would
take about four weeks for com
pletion. When construction work
and the installation of the heat
ing system is completed the office
of City Clerk and police head
quarters wiH be located at ~ the
city hall.
* * *
Vacation, time was granted to
Russell Felzien of the street de
partment. He requested October
(> and 7 as time off
* * *
Discussion on street and cul
vert work to be completed be
fore winter was referred back to
the street committee for addi
tional study.
* * *
James C. Ryan of Fairbanks, as
chairman of the 1955 Alaska ob
servation of United Nations Day,
requested the cooperation of the
City of Palmer in taking proper
cognizance of the day.
* * »
Twelve City limit signs will be
purchased to be placed at en
trances of the city. Eight of the
signs are to designate city limits
only—four will be identified by
additional lettering stating City
of Palmer.
* * *
Employees of the City of Pal
mer are now under the Social
Security program, according to
City Clerk Frank Connally, who
stated the program went into ef
(Continued on page 8)
VOTE FOR A BUSINESS MAN...
John F. Gore
Candidate for City Council
• VETERAN
• HOME AND PROPERTY OWNER
• CITY BUSINESS MAN PAST 9 YEARS
CITY RESIDENTS VOTE TUESDAY, 4TH
REA APPROVES
SECOND LOAN TO
POWER ASSOCIATION
The Malanuska Electric Asso
ciation recently received REA
approval to lend $15,000 to the
Central Alaska Power Associa
tion, it has been announced. This
is the second loan that MEA has
made to CAPA; the first for
$25,000. Both loans have been ap
proved by REA in Washington
D. C. The money is to be used
for exploratory work in the
Cooper Lake region where offi
cials hope to develop hydroelec
tric power.
Among business conducted at
the September 26 meeting of the
local electric association board of
directors was the donation of $50
to help form a 4-H electric pro
ject in the valley. Lew Hanks
has indicated his willingness to
lead such a project.
Electric service will be extend
ed, on a limited basis, in the Big
Lake area, it was announced. Ap
proximately 15 consumers will be
served, according to Cy Brewer,
MEA manager. First preference
to be given operating dairies.
Others to be served will be deter
mined by the date of their appli
cation for service. However, he
-pointed out, there can be no ex
tentions beyond existing lines at
this time
The sum of $65,000 has been
made available to MEA through
Washington and will be used
primarily in extension work,
Brewer said. The money repre
sents a sum originally set aside
for the Buffalo Coal Mine. A stop
order requested by MEA several
weeks ago was granted by REA
this week making the sum avail
able to MEA.
At a special committee meet
ing to be held this Saturday MEA
officials will meet with educa
tors from Anchorage and Wasil
la to discuss the feasibility of
MEA making payments to the
Chugiak and Wasilla areas in lieu
of taxes. Brewer was most firm
in pointing out that this is defin
itely in the exploratory stage—
that nothing may come of it but
that the board feels that it is
well worth checking.
SNIDERS RETURN
Former Senator and Mrs. Ger
ritt (Heinie) Snider of Wasilla
have returned to the Valley fol
lowing several month’s vacation
spent in Holland.
TO PUBLISH
| DELINQUENT TAX LIST
;! As soon as the City of Pal- ;!
> mer and Palmer Independent ;!
;» School District delinquent tax ;j
rolls have been reviewed they ||
' j will be published in The Fron
Itiersman it was announced jj
this week. This might serve as !;
a last chance for those delin- !»
quent in their tax payments to !;
avoid having their name ap- ![
pear on the published list. !;
Payments may be mailed to !;
Rex Ehrhart tax assessor or !;
may be paid at his office in j;
the Wright building. The list ||
consists of delinquent taxes
for the years 1953-54. j!
MTA Improves
Telegram Service
MTA manager, Robert Part
ridge announced today that ef
fective October 1, it will be pos
sible for Matanuska Telephone
Association subscribers to have
collect ’telegrams received by
them and charged to their res
pective local telephone accounts.
Partridge states that this is an
other step forward in giving
MTA members stateside tele
graph improved service.
The added telegraph service
was the result of negotiations be
tween the MTA and the Alaska
Communication Service during
the annual meeting of the Alaska
Telephone Association held at
Valdez in August. Partridge said
that ACS representatives advised
the Alaska association that the
chief signal officers in Washing
ton D. C. had approved the ACS
request to expand the provisions
of the existing telegraph agree
ment to include the acceptance of
incoming collect telegrams.
University Plans
Mining Course
For Area This Winter
University of Alaska mining
extension courses will be offer
ed in 12 Alaskan communities
during the 1955-56 academic year,
Earl H. Beistline, dean of the
school of mess, announced today.
The courses will be conducted
in Palmer, Kenai, Valdez, Seldo
via, Haines, Kodiak, Skagway,
Anchorage, Juneau, Fort Rich
ardson, Ketchikan, and Seward.
The University offers the cour
ses tuition-free to all interested
persons. Instruction is given
every week-day evening for two
hours. Persons who complete the
four-week course will receive
certificates of training.
Instructors are Leo Mark An
thony, assistant professor of
mining extension, and Edward
Barnes, instructor in mining ex
tension. They will notify the lo
cal news media when they sche
dule classes. In addition to stan
dard course, geochemical pros
pecting will be offered for the
first time this year. Prof. An
thony will conduct the geochemi
cal courses in Juneau, Anchorage
and Ketchikan- Two courses will
be offered in Anchorage.
ATWOOD TO SPEAK
AT K3WANIS DINNER
Publisher Robert Atwood of
the Anchorage Times will be
speaker at the Kiwanians’ char
ter night anniversary dinner sch
eduled for 7:30 p.m. October 1
at Elks Hall.
Guests for the annual affair
this year will be teachers of the
Palmer School system and nur
ses of Valley Presbyterian Hos
pital.
Committee Hears Need
For More Farm Loans
The special need for more lib
eral financial credit for Alaskan
farmers was brought out with
great emphasis during the House
Interior Subcommittee hearing
held in Palmer last Saturday.
The ability of Alaskan farm
ers to produce food for over a
million people was pointed out
by Dr. Allan Mick of the Alas
ka Agriculture Experiment Sta
tion. To enable farmers to reach
this production point, Mick stat
ed that there is a need for: more
credit to farmers; additional
grants and . aids for education
and expansion of the programs of
the Soil Conservation Service,
FHA REA, ACP, and Bureau of
Reclamation. Following question
ing by members of the commit,
tee, Dr. Mick reported a high
degree of cooperation among the
agencies—a greater degree than
in many places, he added. Don
Irwin, director of the experiment
station, stated the need for ex
tending the research program;
reforming land laws; a stepped
up program of roads; more hy
droelectric power and spoke of
moose damage in the valley. Ir
win also spoke of the erosion
control needed in the Butte area
where the Matanuska river is
sluffing off land on two farms.
I- M. C. Anderson of Anchorage,
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also familiar with the erosion
problem, spoke on the subject.
The men pointed out that it has
been 10 years since the problem
was first brought to the atten
tion of officials in Washington
D. C.
James W. Wilson, commission
er of agriculture, spoke of the
animal disease eradication pro
gram; told of Alaskan f armers to
compete with stateside markets
in negotiating for military con
tracts; stressed the big need for
a good economical loan program,
in addition to the Territorial pro
gram now in existance.
Stuart Durrant, Co-Op general
manager, told the committee of
his observations of Valley farm
ers during the past year. “There
is a great need for more and
better roads in the farm areas”,
he pointed out. The spring break
up is a big problem to the farm
ers. More money should be made
available for development; clear
ing. This will promote more effi
ciency, more crops and an even
tual price decrease, he pointed
out.
With the limited amount of
time running out, Rep. Leo O’
Brien of New York asked that if
possible all additional testimony
be submitted to the committee
(Continued on Page 5)
W^VWWWV^W^^^WS/VWVWVWWN
LIMITED NUMBER OF
CULVERTS AVAILABLE
A limited number of cul
verts will be installed by the
street department before win
ter it was announced this
week.
Property owners interested
in having culverts installed at
their property are asked to
contact City Clerk Frank Con
nally as soon as possible. A
policy established by the City
Council permits the city to
furnish culvert not to exceed
20 feet. Additional footage is
to be paid by the property
owners. The decision of the
need for culverts will be at
the City’s discretion.
Six Seeking
School Board Terms
Voters of the Palmer Indepen
dent School District will go to
the polls next Tuesday to name
two School Board members who
will be elected to fill vacancies
of a five-year term and a one
year term.
Candidates for the vacancies
have until 5 p.m. Friday after
noon to file their intentions at
Central School office- To date
six residents have filed; two for
five-year term and four for the
one-year term.
Mrs. Barbara Skok is seeking
election for the five-year term.
She is the incumbent, having
been elected to complete and un
expired term several months ago.
A former school teacher, Mrs.
Skok is married to Jasper Skok,
and the mother of two children.
The second candidate seeking
election to the five-year term is
George Allen. Mr. Allen, also is
parent, makes his home at the
Saxton farm and is active in the
Scout program in the valley.
Candidates for the one-year
term are Andrew Norris of
Jonesville, Howard Campbell of
Palmer, Mrs. Faith Krause of
Palmer, and Everett Adams, also
of Palmer. All candidates are
married, make their home in or
about the Valley and have chil
dren of their own. Each has ex
pressed his or her interest in the
aid and assistance they wish to
offer the educators and the chil
dren of the district in gaining
the best education possible.
Polls will open at 8 a.m. in the
Co-Op club room and remain
open until 7 p m. Voters in the
entire school district will vote
at the Co-Op club room.
OFFICE OF MAYOR
AND TWO COUNCIL
SEATS TO BE FILLED
The number of candidates who
are seeking election in the forth
coming city election October 4
totals seven. Of these, two are
seeking the mayor’s office and
five are running for the two,
three-year posts on city council
Mayor Charles W. Wilson will
seek re-election to that office.
Mayor Wilson was elected by the
Council to fill the vacancy creat
ed by the resignation of former
mayor, Don McKechnie. The va
cancy was filled first by Coun
cilwoman Betty Mears who serv
ed until the Council elected May
or Wilson. Former mayor, and
now Councilman, Alfred V. Ha
gen filed a petition seeking elec
tion to the mayor’s office. How
ever, it has not yet been deter
mined whether or not he can be
a candidate for the mayoralty.
City Attorney John Shaw has
stated that in his opinion Hagen
was not eligible to run for the
office of mayor while holding a
seat on the Council. Attorney
Shaw went to Anchorage before
press time to make a further
. check and said he expected to be
able to give a final answer to the
question this evening or tomor
row morning. If it is found that
Councilman Hagen cannot run
for the mayoralty without first
resigning his position on the
Council, he will be faced with
the choice of resigning from the
Council or not being eligible to
run for the office of mayor. If he
does not wish to resign from the
Council then his name will not
appear on the ballot as a can
didate for mayor.
Seeking the two council vaca
ncies are William T. Zahradnicek,
incumbent; Jan Koslosky, Lee
Hartley, John (Jack) Flint, and
John Gore. Zahradnicek, who is
superintendent of schools, has
(Continued on page 5)
PERMANENTS
HAIR STYLING
SCALP TREATMENTS
VALLEY BEAUTY SHOP
Phone 3301
LAVONNE JOHNSON
. Owner-Operator
Plenty of Ripe and Green
Tomatoes at the
Green House
MAUD'S FLOWER SHOP
Theatre Building
FOR GOOD CLEAN GOVERNMENT
VOTE FOR
Charles W. Wilson, Mayor
William T. Zahradnicek, City Council
John (Jack) Flint, City Council
For Transportation to the Polls,
Call 3371 or 2Q6I
PD. POL. ADV.
ANNUAL FOOTBALL DANCE, Sat, Oct 8
SCHOOL GYM $1.50 Couple 9P.M.-IA.M. ■ Music by Ralph Avey’s Rhythm Boys ^ Public invited