VALLEY FRONTIERSMAN
PRINTED AT PALMER. ALASKA, EACH THURSDAY
By the Matanuska Press, Inc.
Entered as second class matter on Oct. 21, 1947, at the post office &r
Palmer, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
A1 J. DeJulio .-. . Publisher, Manager
Editor.Lucille Kennedy Mick
Associate Editor ...:..Virginia Gallant
Subscription Rates 50c a month, $5 a year
Mailed to all points in Alaska and the United States
Penny Wise and Pound Foolish
With the city of Palmer a year old and city services being
extended through several departments, the imminent problem of
multiple rentals furrows the brows of most councilmen.
Apparently no one likes to pay rent, but even a city can’t expect
to get it free forever. Some day in the future, Palmer will have
its own city administration building. Along with other more
immediate problems, the City Council already has given some
attention to this long range solution to the city’s housing problems.
Thomas Bourne Associates engineers early last January urged the
Council to make immediate application for such a project. Even
though the Council decided that other things were more urgent,
several members sketched rough floor plans for a building that
would accommodate all the city’s anticipated needs.
This month with another $60 rental for the city jail in prospect,
the Council is getting closer to the time when it might be considered
cheaper to build than rent. Although this time may still be far
off, the Council has these items to consider: $60 monthly is now
being paid to house fire equipment, but only part of the city-owned
equipment is quartered; $60 monthly is paid for the telephone
company’s inside plant; $30 monthly has been spent for a temporary
City Council meeting place, although this amount has been sus
pended while building is in progress at the site. With a possible $60
jail rental and a long delayed contribution toward the rental of
space used by its City Clerk, the Council should reasonably expect
to be paying over $240 monthly for rent within the next few
months. Still there would be no provision for the city’s street
equipment, the City Police Department, and the Municipal Court.
The sum of $240 per month is sufficient to amortize a bonded
indebtedness of $45,000 with interest at four percent in 25 years.
A more realistic monthly rental allowance—one in which the
present rental rates offered the city were raised to a par with those
being charged elsewhere in Palmer—could easily approach $480.
Such a monthly rate would amortize a $90,000 bond issue at four
percent in 25 years or a $101,000 bond issue in the same period
if interest could be obtained at three percent.
The City Council might well consider the old cliche about
being penny wise and pound foolish. Certainly it should investigate
now the possibility of a city administration building before too
much rental money goes down the drain without the city having a
thing to show for it. Considering the average sales tax revenue
over the past seven months, $480 monthly would be approximately
nine percent of the city’s current income.__
Area Outside Palmer
To Have Free Fire
Protection Two Years
The City Council last week
decided to extend to the area
outside the city limits free fire
protection service for a two-year
period, ending January 1, 1954.
Earlier, when the Council ac
cepted the terms of the now de
funct Valley Fire Association at
the time the equipment was
turned over to the city, it had
been agreed that service would
continue outside the city. It had
not been decided, however,
whether or not non-residents of
the city would have to pay the
fire association’s former member
ship fee of $10 yearly or the $75
fee for a single fire call. This
point has now been clarified.
Along with city residents, those
outside the city limits will have
free fire protection for two years
“as long as city properties are
not endangered.”
Asked about the relative num
ber of calls to the city and to tne
area outside by the fire associa
tion. A1 Hagan stated that about
two calls had been made outside
the city area to one inside.
Yukon Break-Up
New Source of Gold
For Alaska's Crippled
With the 1952 break-ups of the
Chena and the Tanana now his
tory—at least—attention of do
pesters is now focused on the
Yukon River.
The world famous Yukon River,
so often depicted by the great
novelists in their writings of the
North country, James Oliver Cur
wood and Jack London, is about
to be the source from which gold
is derived once again—Sometime
in the not distant future, when
this 1900 mile-long-giant breaks
its icy water barriers, sending
millions of tons of water racing
toward the Bering Sea—the 1952
winner of the ice guessing con
test will be determined.
This contest is sponsored by the
McKinley Foundation, and bene
fits the Alaska Crippled Chil
dren’s Association.
At this time the ice in the Yu
kon is still quite solid, as the
water has not started to rise as
yet. Also there is not much run
off at this time from the melting
snows on the banks of the river.
These recent reports emulate
from the United States Commis
sioner’s Office, directly at Fort
Yukon, and are sent to the Mc
Kinley Foundation in Anchorage
AES WOMEN HONOR
MRS. S. Bs FRACKER WITH TEA
About 25 women employees
and wives of the Alaska Agricul
tural Experiment Station gather
ed at the administration building
Monday afternoon to honor Mrs.
S. B. Fracker, wife of the assistant
to the Administrator, Agricultur
al Research Administration, with
a tea.
On her first visit to Alaska,
Mrs. Fracker said that the Terri
tory with its immensity and
beauty has an overpowering ef
fect on her. She was particularly
interested m the Valley Hospital
since she is one of the thousands
of Presbyterian women all over
the States who are collecting pen
nies for the new Valley Presby
terian Hospital.
Making their first appearances
at a social function were Ellen
Vallarie. three-month-old daugh
ter of Dr. and Mrs. Winston
Laughlin; and Catherine and Re
becca, 12-week-old twin daugh
ters of Dr. and Mrs. Richard
Washburn.
FRIENDS HEAR OF SUDDEN
DEATH OF G. N. ACHESON
Word was received in Palmer
this week of the sudden death on
May 11 of Gaylord N. Acheson,
Western Electric employe who
was working in Mississippi.
Death was caused by a heart at
tack.
Mr. Achison lived in Palmer
for about eight months last year
working with Western Electric,
and was known to his friends as
“Rusty.”
NELSONS LEAVE FOR
OUTSIDE VACATION
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Nelson
of Palmer expected to leave by
Stratocruiser from Anchorage to
day on a three month vacation
that will include visits in several
parts of Michigan.
Mr. Nelson is station agent at
the Palmer depot and is being re
lieved by Mr. J. P. Whitaker,
agent of the Moose Pass depot.
WASHINGTON NEWS LETTER
By MARY LEE COUNCIL
Secretary to E. L. (Bob) Bartlett, Alaska's Delegate to Congress
Swan Lake Project
Delegate Bartlett has urged
that necessary reviews of the
proposed Swan Lake power pro
ject near Ketchikan be expedited
in the hope that there will be
time to try to obtain congression
al authorization before the ses
sion ends.
However, the favorable Bureau
of Reclamation report has to be
reviewed by territorial officials
and members of the Federal In
ter-Agency River Basin Commit
tee before transmittal to the Presi
dent through the Bureau of the
Budget and then to the Congress
for authorization. Bureau of Re
clamation officials in Washington
fear that the time element is such
that these steps may not be ac
complished before adjournment
of Congress.
Anchorage Jail
The Senate has been asked to
include $84,000 in the Justice De
partment appropriation bill for
the 1953 fiscal year as a supple
mental appropriation for con
struction of the new federal jail
at Anchorage.
Congress last year appropriat
ed $400,000 for a new jail to house
43 inmates. The original plans
had called for a $950,000 build
ing. but Congress allowed only
$400,000, necessitating revision of
plans. “Although construction
plans have been drastically re
vised,” the presidential request
stated, “it appears that an addi
tional $84,000 will be required to
build a complete jail, as directed
by the Congress. This is mainly
due to extremely high construc
tion costs prevailing in Alaska."’
U. of Alaska Funds
The House passed this week
and sent to the Senate Delegate
Bartlett’s bill which would place
Alaska on a par with the States
and Hawaii in the matter of al
lotment of funds for agriculture
instruction at land grant colleges.
The law which would be
amended was enacted in 1935 and
omitted Alaska from its provi
! sions “presumably because of the
then small population of that
! Territory,” according to the com
mittee report.
“Since 1935,” the report con
tinued, “there has been a sharp
increase in the population of
Alaska and the Territory has also
assumed tremendous strategic im
portance. There is the possibility
of much more agricultural devel
opment in Alaska than now exists
and it is in the interest of a
sound national economy and na
tional defense to utilize the agri
cultural possibilities of the Ter
ritory to the fullest."
The share of the Territory un
der the House-approved bill
would amount to $21,500 a year
to be granted to the University
of Alaska for instruction pur
poses. The University receives
$50,000 each year for the same
purpose under separate law, and
if the bill passed this week is
enacted, the total grant to the
University for educational pur
poses would be $71,500.
ACS Bill
Chairman Vinson of the House
Armed Services Committee at the
request of the Department of De
fense has introduced a bill auth
orizing $4,517,000 for construction
of living quarters, operational
buildings and utilities at 30 sta
tions of the Alaska Communica
tions System.
“This program of rehabilitation
and new construction,” the re
quest stated in speaking of the
i| INSURANCE
of All Kinds
FIRE — THEFT
LIFE — ACCIDENT
ETC.
MAGAZINE
SUBSCRIPTIONS.
KAY PIPPEL
Insurance
Wright Building—Palmer
| program started in 1948, “was
necessary in order to replace the
inadequate, temporary wartime
and prewar construction, in many
places consisting of merely tar
paper-covered shacks. The pro
gram has now progressed to the
point that its conclusion is in
sight. The present proposal includ
es construction of living quarters
for 54 families, troop housing,
operational buildings and util
ities.
The $4,517,000 authorization
would include facilities at Anch
orage. $698,000; Barrow, $262,600;
Bethel, $228,900; Big Delta, $91
200; Cathedral Bluffs, $436,300;
Cold Bay, $65,500; Cordova, $2.
600; Craig, $15,600; Curry, $73,
500; Fairbanks, $180,300; Gul
kana, $232,000; Haines, $69,400,*
Harding Lake, $8,500; Healy, $75
000; Johnson River, $8,500; Ket
chikan, $233,500; and Kodiak,
$349,100. Other projects would be
at Kotzebue, $262,000; Naknek.
$53,000; Nome, $162,100; North
way, $94,800; Palmer-Tok Junc
tion, $115,000; Petersburg, $128,
200; Seward, $88,500; Sheep
Mountain, $189,000; Sitka, $76,200;
Unalaska, $89,200; Valdez, $173,
500; Whittier, $4,600; and Wran
gell $50,400
In addition, the bill would can
cel existing appropriation author
ization in the amount of $1,403,255
effective at Adak, Cape Fanshaw,
Eielson Field. Mile 33, Mitchell
Point, Narrow Point, Point Agas
siz and Thane.
Navy Oil in Alaska
The Defense Department ap
propriation bill which passed the
House last week carries $12,200,
000 for operation of Naval Petro
leum Reserve No. 4 and the Al
aska Communication System.
Approximately 10 shallow and
5 medium depth wells are plan
ned by the Navy in its explora
tion for oil in the Arctic in seek
ing funds for the 1953 fiscal year.
The Department had requested
$8% million for this work which
was cut by the House to $7^
million.
Captain Robert H. Meade. Di
rector of Naval Petroleum Re
serves for the Navy, in testifying
before the House Appropriations
Committee on the request stated
that a 30 million to 100 million
barrel oil field has been discover
ed in Umiat on the Colville River.
In addition, the Navy has dis
covered natural gas in five wells,
one of which is considered par
ticularly significant just east of
the Umiat field. "Another signifi
cant location.” he declared, "is
in the Barrow area, in which
natural gas is being used in the
operation of our camp.”
Naval Petroleum Reserve No. i, •
which is approximately 37,000
square miles in area, was set
aside by presidential executive
order in 1923. In addition, accord
ing to Captain Meade, there are
approximately 39,000 square
miles set aside by public land
order in 1943 made available to
the Navy for exploration. Cap
tain Meade, stated to the mem
bers of the committee that should
the results in the area withdrawn
in 1943 for oil exploration so
justify “we would come in to
the proper authorities with a re
quest to change the boundaries
of our Naval Petroleum Reserve
No. 4.” Secretary of the Interior
Chapman’s concurrence in this
statement was indicated in the
hearings.
The Army Signal Corps .asked
for an appropriation of $4,835,000
for operation and maintenance of
the Alaska Communication Sys
tem for the 1953 fiscal year which
was cut by the House to $4,700,
d)00. Testimony disclosed that the
dollar value of military and com
mercial use of the telegraph and
telephone service for Alaska for
the 1953 fiscal year is estimated
at close to $7 million. Of the
total traffic handled over the 2,
000 nautical miles of submarine
cable and by the 44 stations in
operation, approximately 63 per
cent is for the military 25 percent
for civilian commercial and 12
percent for other government
agencies.
JUNCTION OF COPPER AND KLUTINA RIVERS
VALDEZ HIGHWAY
SPORTSMEN’S AND
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