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board tournament
finals at Gym Friday
ir«H Saturday nights.
k r -—
« Malley - Mtontiergmun «
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
Nurses' Hard Times
dance al Gymnasium
an March 11.
_
VOL. THREE^JfO. 24
.. 1
PALMER ALASKA. FRIDAY. FERgUA^Y 24. 1§50 MA*CfJ 3J *f$Q
PRICE 14c
$46,000 Annual Revenue Possible To Palmer
Co-Op Sales Up More
Titan Half Million
Members Are Told
Peach, goodwill and an increase
of $650,000 in gross sales keynot
ed last week’s annual member
ship of the Matanuska Valley
Farmers Co - Operating Associa
tion, Carl Rasmussen, board sec
retary, said this week. The boost
in sales pushed the Co-Op’s total
sales of 1949 to a million and a
half dollars.
Mr. Rasmussen said every fa
cility handled by the Co-Op
showed an increase in business.
Even housing units and the Mat
anuska Valley Lodge showed fig
ures'in black this year, it was re
ported. Biggest single factor re
sponsible fo rthe increase was a j
jump in sales of potatoes,-milk
and ice cream.
Just by way of adding spice to
the general air of brotherly love,
however, the Co-Op membership
accepted the recommendation of
its boai'd of appeal the 1945 court
decision won bv Valley dairymen;
felt rightfully belonged to the Co
Op to regain milk profits they
left rightfully belonged to the Co- '
Op’s dairy industry. Court deci- j
sion upheld the dairymen in that;
suit.
A*Seattle attorney, Jack Cluck,
is now in the Valley to consult
with E. A. Davis, Co-Op attorney,
on the matter of the appeal. As
soon as proper papers can be
made out, the appeal will be filed,
Mr. Rasmussen said.
Mr. Cluck will “in general, re
',:ew the existing situation,” the
Co-Op secretary said, and will
consult with Mr. Davis on all
pending litigation. The attorney
also will study the present mar
keting contract of the Co-Op, to
determine if the document should
be revised.
Meanwhile, the 1946 suit of the
dairymen looms nearer on the
court calendar. At first scheduled
for early March, the suit has been
postponed and probably will not
(Continued on Page 4>
Health Rail Unit
Gomes to Wasilla
WASILLA — The medical rail
car, operated by the Territorial i
Department of Health, arrived in
Wasilla Monday and will be here;
for several more days. Under the j
-direction of Dr. Roger Witzel, the j
technicians on the unit are offer
ing x-rays, physical examinations
and blood tests to anyone wanting j
these services. They also will!
fluorinate the teeth of all Wasilla
school children.
* There is, of course, no charge
for the services offered by the
/ health team.
Appointments for the medical
services can be m^de at the Was
illa Post Office. Dr. Witzel par- j
ticularly urges that families come j
as a group to obtain the media^lj
services they need.
In addition to a doctor, nurse
* and laboratory technician, Health
Department personnel with the
/ unit includes a dentist and a den
tal technician.
Kiwanis Club To Sponsor
Calf Raisinq Project Here
A calf-i'aising project, under
the sponsorship of the local Ki
wanis Club, was announced in
the Valley this week. Aoplica
lions from boys and girls who
wish to participate will be re
ceived until May 1, the committee
in charge announced. Participa
tion is limited to children be
tween the ages of 10 and 16 years.
Copies of the application blank
and of contest rules may be se
cured either from James Hurley
at the Alaska Rural Rehabilita
tion Corporation office or from
M. D. Snodgrass at the Fair of
fice in the Rec Hall.
The Kiwanis committee, which
includes Alva Saxton in addition
to the men named above, will re- j
ceive applications and will pass
on the eligibility of each. Early
applications will receive first con
sideration.
Once a child is considered elig
ible for the project, the Kiwanis
MEA FIXES APRIL 8
AS MEETING DATE
Members o fthe Malanuska
Electric Association, Inc., are
reminded of the coming annual
meeting on April 8. The meet
ing will be held at 8 p.m. in
the Palmer Gymnasium. Fi
nancial reports, election of
members of the board of di
rectors and a discussion of ru
ral telephone line operation by
REA co-ops will be on the bus
iness agenda of the evening.
Besides the strictly business
portion of the evening, there
will be movies, entertainment
and refreshments, it was an
nounced by Mrs. Ruth Pierson.
Meeting notices addressed to
MEA members in the Valley
will go out in the mail early
next week.
A young h^ose that wandered into the Palmer Cemetery recently fell into an open grave and was
trapped until . ■*rning when mechanical assistance gave him a lift. Picture at left shows wreck
ing crew ready to .. '"t the imprisoned moose out of his untimely grave; the next picture shows task
nearly accomplished.
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Club will purchase a calf, at a
cost of not more than $35, and
assign it to participants in the
Project. The child receiving the
calf mast assume all responsibil
ity for its care, must promise to
exhibit it in a special class at the
Matanuska Valley Fair next fall,
must keep records of feed costs
and expense, must promise to .re
pay the $35 purchase price within
a three-year period.
The Kiwanis Club will make
periodic prize awards to project
members who make outstanding
progress, Mr. Hurley said.
The Club is seeking sponsors
from among the town’s business
men to help finance the project.
It was emphasized by commit
teemen Hurley and Snodgrass
that boys and girls must apply
through the Kiwanis Club to par
ticipate i nthis calf-raising proj
ect.
VALLEY CENSUS
WILL BEGIN
ABOUT APRIL I
Nose-counting in the Matanus
ka Valley by the Bureau of the
Census will begin about the first
of next month, it was announced
today by James Brown, territorial
assistant supervisor.
Thir. year’s census enumerator
will have a good deal more to
worry about than the names and
addresses of everyone in his as
signed area, Mr. Brown pointed
out. In addition to counting peo
ple’, the enumerator will be look
ing into the matter of each per
son’s race, sex, age, employment,
schooling and income.
And in the Matanuska Valley,
’n * Mition to questions about
people, the enumerator will be
asking questions about the type,
condition an dvalue of housing,
and the facilities and equipment
of sucii housing. From farmers,
the census taker wil lwant to
(Continued on page 8)
I
FAIR BOARD
MEETS TUESDAY
The annual meeting of the Mat
anuska Valley Fair Association
will be held on Tuesday, March
7, it was announced this week by
M. D. Snodgrass, president of the
Fair’s board of directors. The
meeting will be held in the for
mer library at the Rec Hall, and
will begin at 8 o clock.
Mr. Snodgrass especially re
minded Association members to
note .thejdhang6 in meeting place.
A prev^ftv announcement said
the meStmg"would be held at the
former library.'
At this meeting, members will
hear the final financial report of
treasurer Maud Hosier, concern
ing last year’s Fair. In addition,
there will be at least three va
cancies to be filled on the board
of directors, Mr. Snodgrass said.
Terms of three members expire.
It i&afissdble. that there also may
^gsignatior^g.from
carrj^
One of the chl^f
ness, to be discussed mjTCGJtytec
tion with next year’s Far’ plans,
is the possible leasing of Fair con
cessions to a California carnival
company. Preliminary arrange
ments have been completed, and
contracts can be signed or reject
ed as soon as membership ap
proval or disapproval has been
expressed.
All Fair Association members,
or any interested in becoming a
member, are urged to be present
at t his meeting. A quorum of 15
members must be present before
business can be transacted. Mem
berships will be sold at the meet
ing place prior to meeting time,
Mr. Snodgrass said.
LUEBCKE CALLED OUTSIDE
! Highway patrolman A1 Lue
bcke, who recently transferred to
Fairbanks on temporary assign
ment, has been called Outside by
the death of his brother. Mr.
Luebcke went to Boise, Idaho. He
expects to return to Fairbanks,
where he will fulfill a six weeks’
assignment while the regular pa
trolman is on a stateside vacation.
C OF C COMMITTEE
STUDIES COSTS FOR
CITY OF PALMER
Should the city of Palmer be
ncorporated. under boundary
limitations established by a
Chamber of Commerce committee
two years ago, its potential rev
enues, estimated on a 10-mill ta*c.
would b slightly moer than $46,
000, Bill Head of the incorpora
tion study committee reported
last Wednesday. Mr. Head em
phasized that the report was
based on estimated figures only,
and could not be considered an
actual pattern of Palmer rev
enues and expenses, applied them
to Palmer situations which ap
pared similar, and arrived at the
total.
Minimum requirments for the
city of Palmer, in the way of
paid personnel, would be a city
clerk, two policemen, a fireman
and a combination tax assessor.
Mr. Head said.
To conduct the business of the
-itjKji^—would be required that
Palmer own a- motor grader, sti
mated cost $14,000, a tractor doz
ir, estimated cost $14,000, and a
arge truck for maintenance, es
:imated cost $4,800- Maintenance
operations would require at least
:wo paid employes.
Mr. Head emphasized that
city revenues would not be de
pendent on taxes. "Taxes are
by not means the chief source
of revenue fo rAlaskan cities."
he stated. "If the city of Pal
mer were incorporated , it
would receive a hundred per
cent refund on liquor licenses,
sixty per cent refund on mer
cantile licenses, a hundred per
Cciix retuna on pinball machine
licenses, all the fees from build
ing permits, money from collec
tion of penalties and fines, in
terest on delinquent taxes, and
other special fees on which the
council might decide."
The study committee made an
nformal census survey of the
aroposed area of incorporation
ind found there were 238 resi
iences in the area, 55 business
jstablishments and an estimated
aopulation of 510- The total as
;essed valuation of businesses in
he area is $1,337,000 as assessed
ay the school district. The esti
nated value of homes in the area
vas placed at $300,000 by Mr.
lead.
The committee recommended
hat the proposed boundaries be
;ive nspecial study, and a boun
laries committee made up of
(Continued on Page 5>
WcSwain Infant
nterred Wednesday
Funeral services were held last
Wednesday afternoon for Patrick
/TcSwain. infant son of Mr. and
firs. Malcolm McSwain of the
Jlenn Highway. Services were
onducted by the Rev. Kenneth
lughes an dthe Arnold Memorial
’hapel. Burial followed in the
’aimer cemetery.
The tiny boy wa sborn at Val
ey Hospital on Feb. 23, and lived
inly a little more than»three days.