V
Give Now!
VOL. 4. NUMBER 33.
Falley Mrnntiergman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
PALMER. ALASKA. FRIDAY. APRIL 27. 1951.
4 1 PAGES
IL TODAY
PRICE lflc
Farmers Market Association Formed
■ tiA nvauA AnA«*Pii
COURT ORDER
ON INCORPORATION
DUE MONDAY
Palmer should have its yes or
no decision on incorporation next
Monday.
On that day, Harold Butcher,
attorney for the prospective city
to-be, will present his petition
asking the court to legally create
th<? City of Palmer. Butcher, just
returned to Anchorage from a
case in San Francisco, had hoped
for action today, but Judge Di
mond is in Cordova Friday and
Saturday.
However, fast action is expect
ed Monday, and on Tuesday mem
bers of the council-elect will meet
for their first official action.
TTalk about protest on the in
corporation to date has been only
talk, with no formal action filed.
Some ballots which were ques
tioned have been examined. Most
were improperly marked.
Butcher said he will recom
mend the 14 under question be
disallowed. But in that event, the
cast-out ballots would only in
crease the majority voting for in
corporation.
Immediate Problems
The new city fathers admitted
tfyey are suffering labor pains.
First problem confronting them
is one of organization. Who will
they elect mayor? And then what?
Impatient citizens are flooding
the council-elect with demands
and complaints. There are hints
of disagreement in the council
manic ranks. But most of the
councilmen appear to be united
on what the city-to-be needs. Ini
tial steps on how to try to get
financial aid, have been taken.
Butcher, as legal consultant,
will meet with the council early
next week.
Palmer Prepares
For Action In
Clean-Up Week
Palmer is polishing up in pre
parations for clean-up week May
14-25, sponsored by the Health
Council.
We want a slogan, something
like “Make Palmer the Cleanest
City in Alaska,” Eugene Kirsch,
chairman, announced.
Stores, clubs, school and organ
izations are cooperating in the
drive.
The Kiwanis Club and the
Chamber of Commerce are offer
ing prizes for posters by pupils
of the Palmer school. Poster dead
fine is May 11, and selected ones
will go on display during clean
up week.
»“We all admit Palmer needs
cleaning up and this is our chance
fo do something about it,” Kirsch
said.
We Want to Live...
Rare privilege in health security is offered to
the men, women and children of the Matanuska Val
ley in the tests and vaccinations made available this
week through the Health Council in Palmer.
One test is for tuberculosis—the other for typhoid
—two dread enemies to persons of all ages and all
walks of life.
Giving their time and services for this public ser
vice are doctors and nurses who are trying to teach
the public the value of early detection and the means
of prevention, and the staffs who work behind scenes,
avoiding limelight, seeking no glory, doing a job which
may not pay off in money but will pay off in lives saved.
The opportunity to take the tests has been wide
ly publicized. The response was not too happy. Most
school children with written permission from their par
ents, went through the simple procedure—but the par
ents in many cases did not. In failing to do so they
have not calculated the risk to their own health.
Perhaps too few of us realize the privilege of hav
ing expert medical service and diagnosis available
during a set period. Perhaps too many of us say: 'This
is just another drive."
Certainly, it is a drive—to save health and lives.
Certainly, it is a drive to give to us the opportun
ity and privilege of the specialized services of health
experts whose time must be budgeted into weeks, days
and hours.
Certainly, it is a drive for our health protection.
Let us all accept this opportunity and in so doing help
safeguard ourselves, our families, our community, our
nation.
Palmer Backed As Location For 0 of A
Agricultural College. Says Snodgrass
A definite move to locate ;
University of Alaska school o
agriculture and applied scienc<
in Palmer, is under way, M. D
Snodgrass, former member of th<
Territorial legislature, disclosec
today.
Strong backers of the plan saic
they have agreed that the Mata
nuska Valley, highest producing
agricultural area of Alaska
should be the site of a collegi
which will train students to de
velop the growing potentialitie
of the Territory.
Setting forth the advantages o
Palmer and the Matanuska Val
ley as a site for the college, Snod
grass said:
“TH^ Matanuska Valley offer
an excellent site for a branch o
the University of Alaska for i
school of agriculture and appliet
science. v
“We should begin to give mor
thought to scientific practice an<
use of what, we have, and estab
lish our center of education close:
to the center of population. Th<
i
V ►
i Matanuska Valley and Anchorage
E and Homer areas contain nearly
! half the school population at the
. present time.
i “It seems to me that we should
l provide such an institution here,
rather than to send students to
1 Fairbanks or to the several col
- leges in the States at the extra
; cost to families striving to build
, homes.
i Agricultural College Essential
“Our university does not and
5 cannot offer a suitable course in
agricultural studies at a low cost
E necessary to attract our farm boys
- or girls—agronomy, horticulture,
■ dairying and animal husbandry,
soil science, and numerous short
3 courses suitable to our needs that
E could be offered here, Snodgrass
i said.
I “The center of the dairy indus
try is here. Also we have the Ex
i periment Station already estab
l lished, the regional Agricultural
* Research Laboratories built and
r in operation, with personnel suit*
i ed to part-time instruction in such
subjects. Students in agriculture
would have actual practice on
their home farms during school
and vacation periods, or in em
ployment in an up-to-date dairy
plant, or on the new farms that
are being developed throughout
this new and last frontier.
Site Needed
“I propose that our Grange set
about the exploration of all fac
tors necessary to promote a drive
for a school of agriculture for
Palmer. We should appoint a
committee to work with similar
committees from all other organ
izations and prepare a plan to
secure the necessary site of 40
acres or more for.such a school—
and prepare a bill to present to
the legislature.
“A review of the history of our
agriculture college at Fairbanks
will show we do not have any
thing to offer agriculture students
worth their time or expense at
the university. Current budget is
so low that it seems incredible,
(Continued on Page 12)
duilvinu ji ie beinu inuacn;
BY-LAWS PREPARED FOR VOTE
Red Cross Fund
Drive Nears Goal
The Red Cross drive rolls to
ward the finish line this coming
week.
Homes which have been missed
will be canvassed.
Clubs will have speakers. Busi
ness places will blazon posters.
“We know it is a cause to which
all should be glad to contribute,”
Walter E. Huntley, chairman, de
clared.
Adjacent farm districts already
have been covered by the Boy
Scouts. Three cars carrying the
Scouts in a one-day drive brought
in $208, the Rev. Victor Alfsen,
Scoutmaster, reported.
High car, driven by Mrs. A. L.
Bixby, netted $100. Scouts who
won the top honors are Lane
Johnson, Doug Bixby, Eden Sand
vik and Laddy Huntley.
Two other carloads of Scouts
worked equally hard. In the car
driven by Huntley were Tommy
Sharp, Johnny Mears, Larry
Johnson and Errol Hamann. In
the Rev. Alfsen’s car were Darrell
Frank, Neil Herman and Ronny
Aklestad.
“We do not know what emer
gency is ahead but we know when
disaster strikes the Red Cross will
be there and it’s up to us to do
our share to keep the Red Cross
prepared,” Huntley said.
Halt a hundred men and wom
en are making history in the Mat
anuska Valley today.
They met last Wednesday night
in the Grange Hall in Palmer and
voted to form the Farmers’ Mar
ket Association, Inc., to offer to
consumers on retail basis the
produce they raise and the wares
they make.
Big problems confront them —
site of the market, rentals, by
laws, election of officers, admin
istration. These will be discussed
next Tuesday night, May 1, when
everyone interested is invited to
a meeting at 8 p.m. in the Co-Op
clubroom.
The meeting last Wednesday
moved swiftly under Miss Flor
ence Eby, R. N., who had spurred
the idea, was elected temporary
chairman, and agreed to serve as
market master for the first year
without pay.
Site Offered
With time short to get into op
eration as the growing season rap
idly approaches, the problem of
where to locate the market so it
will be accessible to tourists,
and regular customers, sheltered
from wind, dust and sun, with am
ple parking space for farmers and
customers, was judged of primary
importance.
Several sites have been offered,
free of charge. A committee of
three was appointed to consider
possible locations. On the com
mittee are Howard Estelle, chair
man, Roy Brock and Mrs. Lloyd
Short. They will report their find
ings at the next meeting and de
cision then will be made so work
on building the booths may be
started at once.
Among the sites offered are:
1. The Co-Op grounds, adja
cent to the administration build
ing.
2. The Corporation (Alaska
Farm Rehabilitation) across from
the fair grounds.
3. Ev Yohn, next to the Val
ley Grocery.
4. A1 Saxton, triangular space
on the highway next to Estelles.
5. Virgil Eckert, next to the
Miller road.
6. The Valley Cleaners on ad
joining space.
Choice of sites is not limited
to these locations. The commit
tee, so it was voted, is free to
find and recommend other loca
tions on which members will vote.
Materials Donated
Building materials have been
contributed and are available the
minute the location is picked and
volunteer labor will put up the
market, Miss Eby reported.
Among contributors are: Sam
Johnson, 60 poles for uprights for
the stalls; Slim Hayes $20 for
2 x 4’s; Vic Vukomick, Goat
Creek Lumber Mill, all other lum
ber necessary to complete the
( Continued on Page 12)