I A LITER ALASKA.
CARL RASK'JRCEN El a OR.
ublished by the Matenuskn Valley Farmers Cooperating Association a1
Palmer, Alaska, every Friday, .for the purpose of giving news of the
Association's work, problems and accomplishments. Local and gen-ralnrwsl.
Subscription by Kail 0 1.VS a year. Box # 1.00, Single Copy 70^.
THE WATATIUSKA VALLEY FARMERS STILL HAVE PROBLEMS.
We have read with breat interest, in the last few weeks about the
progress of the P/latanuska Valley Farmers and being, on the ground we are
also able' to observe just what the present boom amounts to, and while
we must admit that many favorable changes are being made, we c o not
think that the Valley has solved all of its worst problems and that we
still have conditions that must be improved or changed to insure success.
Less than five years 8,50 the Matanuska Valley Project was pronounced
a failure by a lot of people who had a chance to know just what had
been accomplished, and the people of the Valley were discourage- , and
it appeared that it must fail, some placed the bleme for the failure on
the management and. others on the people who were sent here to '• ~>v’ 1 c
homes for themselves through government aid.
Jud^eing it from a business standpoint the Project was banki ■ pt and
the business men who had been in charge predicted that it must fail
because it could not become selfsupporting. While' the Co-op. v' * oh is
the business part of the Project, wasstill funetioningj’-t was pi •'-’icted
that It too wpuld go in the red and an * 30,000 aeficit would
expieronced by this time, however as soon as the Co-op. was turned over
to people and men responsable to the people, elected to govern it, the
picture changed and insted of the expected deficit, a good si? d reserve
•ms accurrnlated from the n :t earnings, besides added f sci lit if for
cing business to aid the Farmers in selling their products.
Three years ago it appeared that the U.S. Government had nbrn^Dntd
the idea that it might bo a success and that its intentions w t tc
salvage what could be saved and as far as possiablr gi peopl to
return to their former homes in the States. This idea has ape .• rent 1 y
b en abondoned now and only praise is given to the men and wo •.n who
have stayed on and who are now enjoying a fair amount of suec "s. But
remember that most of these people are the same ones who were regarded
as failures and the cause of the lack of success,£ive years a<_.o.
It Is true that the higher prices promoted by the war has b n to our
advantage, also the money earned by Valley people who have us. d it to
purch*. se oquiptment and supplies, but remember that the Co-op. was
pulled out of the red before the war came along and that the farmers
were.slowly getting on their feet,even, before the war came along.
And now in spite of the added Income the average Valley Farmer is still
a long ways from safety, lack of farm machinery and livestock is on.
troublesome aspect, but the main thing Is the lack of credit facilities,
as long as the ambitous•farmer has to pay from 20 to 30'per cent of his
gross income on necessary loans for machinery, livestock and equiptment
he is in-about the same position as the'poor sharecropper in the South.
True he has a working interest in his farm but that is about all and
a farmer should certainly be entitled to a few of the comforts of life
during his working years. TTntil the credit facilities of the I. tanuskn
Valley are improved there will be a great lack of confidence in the
ultimate success of the Project on the part of-the people who are trying
to work the thing out. MABE A CREDIT UNION WILL HELP, THINK AFOUT IT.