Fair board meets with
former superintend
ents at former library
on March 22. (
VOL. THREE—NO. 27
Malley Wrontiergmztn
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
PALMER, ALASKA, FRIDAY. MARCH 17, 1950
Grange Kid Dance at
Palmer Gymnasium on
April 1.
PRICE 10c
Truck Travel Ban Possible By April 1
Airport Job Should
Get Under Way Hero
In About Two Weeks
A bid award, and a couple of
okays from the territorial depart
ment of aviation and the Civil
Aeronautics Administration are
all that stand in the way of be
ginning work on the Palmer air
port, Tony Schwamm, territorial
commissioner of aviation said this
week. He said he didn’t expect
the whole process to take more
than two or three weeks, at the
most.
Palmer Construction Co., a firm
of Anchorage business men, was
low bidder on the Palmer airport
work. The company’s figure was
$121,227.70. Officers of the Pal
mer Construction Company in
clude John Hern, Howard Robin
son and Mack Jones.
Seven firms, in all, submitted
bids on the job of lengthening and
finishing runways at the Palmer
port. They included:
Lytle & Green, Morrison-Knud
son, J. S. Ramstad, Stock &
Grove, Wiggins Constniction Co.,
S. Burch & Sons and Palmer Con
struction Company.
Wiggins Construction was sec
ond low bidder, with a price of
$128,056 for the job.
Following the routine investi
gation of the winning bid and ap
provals by CAA and the territori
al department of aviation, the
green light will be on for work
at the local field. Mr. Schwamm
said the money was available for
the work, and there should be no
further tie-ups.
All the planned work on the
two airstrips is scheduled for
completion during the coming
construction season.
LOCAL C. OF C.
QUITS AGAIN ON ITS
INCORPORATION JOB
The Valley Chamber of Com
merce wrote finis to the last of
their multiple municipal incorpor
ation studies this week and then
washed their hands of the matter,
ft was decided that Chamber ac
tion could not extend beyond a
study of the project.
Facts and figures on municipal
audgets and expenses for other
\laskan cities were compiled into
i report and mimeographed. The
Chamber accepted a committee
•eport extending possible city
aoundaries to an area approxi
nately 1,000 acres in size. The
nap will be mimeographed and
idded to the Chamber report and
he whole made available to in
erested residents of the possible
:ity area.
Several suggestions leading to
urther action were advanced at
Vednesday’s meeting, but no defl
ate steps were taken by the
hamber. One member spoke in
avor of a public meeting, at
vhfeh report facts could be aired
rally; another thought that the
T alley Frontiersman ought to
onduct a poll to sample public
pinion; still a third Chamber
(Continued on Page 5)
Fair Board Seeks Financial Guarantee,
More Leeway On Midway Concessions
A detailed dissection of the con
ract for Midway attractions ai
"his year’s Matanuska Vallej
Fair, offered by the California
Amusement Company of Sacra
mento, Calif., took up most of the
time at a lengthy fair board meet
ing last Monday evening.
The newly elected director:
j painstakingly combed the con
] ract to make certain that the As
! ociation’s members would be
I carefully protected from financia.
loss, and at the same time be as
<ured of a bigger and better Mid
way at the September fair.
Of particular concern to the
board members, were amend
nents to certain clauses of the
| contract which would permit the
I vssociation's board to book addec
! ittractions for the Midway, i:
they were not in direct conflic'
with those offered by the Califor
Grangers WiH Decide
To Buiid or Wait
At Thursday Meeting
The future building program
}f Northland Pioneer Grange,
in so far as construction is con
rerned this year, hangs in the
balance at next Thursday's
meeting. Eugene F. Kirsch,
Grange master, said today. Mr.
Kirsch asks that every member
attend this meeting, in order
that plans may be thoroughly
discussed and a decision made
in lime to take advantage of
the coming construction sea
son, if it is thought advisable
to proceed with a building this
year.
nia company; the board also
; wanted contract assurance from
the California Amusement Com
; pany that it would not present its
carnival in the Valley area prior
to the fair dates.
Finally the directors asked that
the California Amusement Com
1 pany furnish an advance payment
of $1,000 as a guarantee of good
faith and performance bond .
1 Offficers for the coming year
also were named at Monday’s
meeting. Elected were
Clyde King, Sr., president; M.
D. Snodgrass, vice-president; A1
! Hagen, secretary; Tom Lepak,
treasurer.
Clayton Esslinger, accountant
■ i who recently completed the audit
[ I of last year’s fair records, ap
peared before the board to pre
;, sent his report. Mr. Esslinger
found that the fair operated at a
Mining Movie to Bo
Shown Sunday
The color movie of placer gold
mining, “Alaska Gold,” will be
shown in the Palmer Gymnasium'
at 2:30 Sunday afternoon, it was
announced this week by Eugene
Erickson, Originally scheduled
to be shown in conjunction with
the University of Alaska’s mining
extension course, completed here
recently, the film arrived too late
for the class sessions.
Mr. Erickson, instructor of the
mining course, issued a particular
invitation to all former students
of the class, to see this film, which
traces the history of placer min
ing in the territory. The movie is
from the University of Alaska’s
: film library.
Chest Members Asked To Decide
On New By-Laws, Welfare Council
There will be a membership
meeting of the Valley Community
Chest on March 31, it was an
nounced today by Miss Louise
•Kellogg, board chairman. The
meeting, called for the purpose of
revising Chest by-laws and for
the formation of a welfare and
disaster fund council, will begin
at 8 o’clock in the former library.
All Valley residents who con
tributed to the Chest drive, re
cently completed, are members of
the Community Chest organiza
tion, and as such are entitled to
vote, Miss Kellogg explained.
Primary changes recommended
in the by-laws include the crea
tion of a third class of member,
institutional members (institu
tional members would be agencies
participating in Community Chest
funds); increase in board mem
bership from seven to nine direct
ors; make board membership a
three rather than a two-year
term; change the date of the an
| nual meeting from September to
February.
Present Chest board members
feel that the welfare and disaster:
fund council is a decided must!
for the proper administration and
execution of a social service pro-;
gram in the Valley. This council, j
as visualized by the board, would j
correlate- public and private wel
fare services already in existence
and would administer the Chest’s
disaster fund.
If the proposed changes in by- ,
laws are accepted by the general
membership of the Community;
Chest, there also will be an elec
tion at the March 31st meeting, <
Miss Kellogg said. <
• The group will select an addi
tional pair of directors and will '
elect the members of the welfare j<
» and disaster fund council. ;
net loss of $403.62 last year. He
strongly urged that a methodical
system of bookkeeping be estab
lished, in order that the fair’s
accounts might be more efficient
ly recorded.
Clair Stock suggested that an
operating budget be prepared im
mediately for the coming 1950
fair. The board approved the sug
gestion and the budget is expect
ed to be roughed out for the next
director’s meeting, which is sched
uled for Monday, March 27.
On Wednesday, March 22, the
fair’s directors will meet with all
former department heads and all
parties interested in the work of
the fair, to discuss this year’s pre
mium book changes. That meet
ing will be called to order in the
former library at 8 o’clock that
evening.
SCHOOL ELECTION
TO BE HELD HERE
ON APRIL 4
The regular yearly election of
the Palmer Independent School
District, scheduled by law for the
first Tuesday in April, will be
held here on April 4, it was an
nounced today by Lucius Ross,
board president. The election will
be held in the Palmer Gymnasi
um between the hours of 9 a.m.j
and 6 p.m.
Two of the present board of
ficers, president Ross and vice
president Jack Maze, have ful
filled their terms of office.
Candidates for the Palmer
school board may place their
names on the April 4 ballot by fil
ing a declaration of intention to
run at the school office. This
form, which may be secured from
the school office, must be filed
before noon on April 3.
Any qualified voter in the
school election also is eligible to
run for the school board. A qual
ified voter is one who conforms
to the following regulations:
(a) He must be 21 years old.
or more, and must be a citizen
of the United Slates
(b) He must have been a con
tinuous resident of the territory
fo rthe entire year prior to the
election.
(c) He must have been a con
tinuous resident of the Palmer
School District for 30 days be
for the entire year prior to the
(d) He must be able to read
and write the English language.
31en Allen Couple
Married at Wasilla
WASILLA — Miss Jennie Nic
>lai and A. C. Tibbetts, both of
jrlen Allen, were married here
this week by U. S. Commissioner
May Carter. Miss Marjorie Myren
md Mrs. Mary Lynn were attend
ints fo rthe couple.
Commissioner Says
Heavy Traffic to Be
HaHed on Paving
Although the unseasonable mild
weather of the past two weeks is
making slush of Palmer roads and
highways, there is as yet no evi
dence of thawing beneath the
pavement of the Anchorage High
way, Frank Metcalf, territorial
highway commissioner, said this
week. During the peak break-up
period, that highway, as well as
all other paved stretches in the
territory, will be closed to truck
travel, Mr. Metcalf reiterated.
The highway commissioner es
timated that if the present warm
weather holds, the highway could
be counted on to remain open for
another two weeks for truck trav
el. Mr. Metcalf said he could not
attempt to estimate the length of
time the stretch might remain
closed, since break-up conditions
vary considerably from year to
year.
The closing regulations will be
made effective through the co
operation of the territorial high
way patrol. The local patrolmen
will have the latest available in
formation on highway conditions,
and can offer the best advice as
to when the strip is apt to be
closed to truck traffic, the high
way commissioner explained.
Asked to define the conditions
under which an emergency per
mit might be issued, Mr. Metcalf
said no rigid rules had been pre
scribed, but that each case would
be judged separately at the office
of Col. John Noyes, Juneau head
of the Alaska Road Commission.
Local truckers, who believe
their operations over the pave
ment are essential, should imme
diately forward an application for
an emergency permit to the Ju
neau office. Their letter of re
quest should explain the charac
ter of their business and the total
tonnage that would need to be
hauled as emergency freight.
Discussed in particular was the
need for prompt delivery of Val
ley milk to the Anchorage mar
ket. Mr. Metcalf said he thought
it might be possible to re-open
the closed highway at special pe
(Continued on Page 5/
Dillon's Seventh Grade
Wins First Place
In Skit Night Event
Charles Dillon’s seventh grade
students won the second section
}f the skit night entertainment,
presented last Friday evening, it
was announced this week. Mr.
Dillon’s class presented a sketch
mtitled the “Good Old Days.”
The sophomore class rendition
af the “Shooting of Dan McGrew”
was judged second best and Al
bert River’s eighth grade took
third prize with the “Sleeping
Beauty.”
Skit night is sponsored annual
ly by the junior class of Palmer
High School, which does not par
ticipate in the competition. The
show grew so large this year, that
it had to be split and offered on
two separate evenings.