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PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
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VOLUME 5. NUMBER 19.
PALMER. ALASKA. THURSDAY. JAN. 17. 1SS2
PRICE TEN CENT®
ACS Takes Over Local Long Distance Service
Defense Asks Dismissal of Gambling
Charges Following Raid on Local Bar
Four men charged with gamb-'
ling at the T and T Sourdough
Bar, following a raid early Sun
day morning by the U. S. Mar
shal's office were tried in U S.
Commissioner’s Court Tuesday
morning after waiving their
rights to a trial by jury in their
individual arraignments.
The four men, who were re
presented by Attorney George
McLaughlin, were S. R. Justad
of Palmer, Shrader Hawkins of
Anchorage, J. C. Tomasi of Palm
er, and F. W. McAlister of Anch
orage.
U. S. Commissioner Dorothy
Saxton reserved her decision on
the case following McLaughlin’s
move that the case be dismissed
for lack of evidence that any
gambling was going on. The Com
missioner set Saturday. January'
19 at 2 p. m. as the time w-hen
court would reconvene and the
defendants would hear the de
cision on dismissal of the case.
The decision probably will
have a direct bearing on charges
made against two other persons
who also were arraigned Tuesday
morning. Ralph Horton was
charged with dealing or carrying
on card games in w’hich gambling
was a part. Arthur Thompson
was charged with maintaining
and operating a gambling es
tablishment where gaming or
gambling was carried on.
McLauglin, who also repres
ented Horton and Thompson, ob
served: “If there is no case on the
charge of gambling against the
four men, then there is no evi
dence in either of the other two
cases.”
Testimony given in the joint
trial of the four men charged with
gambling revealed that the raid
on the local bar took place about
one o’clock Sunday morning. U.
S. Marshal Walter Huntley, who
signed the complaints, testified
that he followed his three depu
ties into the room at the rear of
the bar room. There he saw
people sitting around the table
where they had been playing
fan-tan. There were money and
chips— all whites on the table.
Huntley estimated that there was
about $10 in bills in evidence and
that there were two $1 Canadian
bills under a cigar box lying on
the table. Under McLaughlin’s
cross examination he admitted
that he did not see the chips and
money put on the table and that
none of the men admitted
gambling.
Ray Ryan, the new chief depu
ty who recently arrived from the
States, was the next one to state
the prosecution’s case. He testi
fied that he entered the room
first and that the fan-tan game
was in progress at that time with
chips on the table but no money
and no cigar box. This was Ry
an’s first visit to Palmer.
U. S. Deputy Marshal Bill
Bouwens was the third to testify
He entered the room after Ryan.
Besides the cards and white
chips on the table, he saw two $1
(Continued on page 8)
i
Republican Club
To Be Organized in
Palmer Next Week
An organizational meeting
for a Palmer Republican Club
will be held at the Valey The
ater next Tuesday evening Jan.
uary 22, at 8 p. m.
All Republicans and those
interested are asked to attend.
Speakers from the Valley and
Anchorage will include Anch
orage Attorney Paul Robison,
Third Division Senator Heinie
Snider, Dr. Lee McKinley, and
John Gorsuch.
Final Riles Today
For Irving Newville,
Valley residents were grieved
last week-end to learn of the sud
den death of original Colonist
William Irving Newville at his
Butte home early Friday even
| ing, January 11.
Funeral services were held at
two o'clock this afternoon at the
BULLETIN: Funeral services
were postponed today due to
weather conditions.
; United Protestant Church with
Father Albert Sayers, rector of
the All Saints Episcopal parish in
Anchorage, officiating at the fi
nal rites. Graveside services held
■ at the local cemetery were in
! charge of the Northland Pioneer
i Grange, of which Newville was
an active member. Pallbearers
were Loren MeKechnie, Victor
Fal1, Sr., William Curtis, Harry
Duff William Casler, and Chet
Sandvik.
Coming to the Valley in 1935
from his native Michigan, Mr.
Newville established a reputation
as a progressive farmer in his 16
years of farming in Alaska. At the
time of his death he was presi
dent of the recently organized
Alaska Seed Growers' Association
for this area. Only last summer
he was given a citation for com
pleting ten years of faithful ser
vice as weather recorder for the
U. S. Weather Bureau. Of three
(Continued on page 8)
BOIL YOUR WATER,
HEALTH OFFICIALS
WARN PALMERITES
"Boil all drinking water in Pal
mer", was the warning contained
in a letter to Public Health Nurse
Marjorie Myren from James A.
Westbrook of the Alaska depart
ment of health.
"Until the Co-Op gets a com
merical type chlorinator, all wa
ter should be boiled or otherwise
purified", he stated following the
finding of contamination in Pal
mer water samples tested in the
Anchorage office.
Suggested ways to purify water
can be obtained from the local
health center.
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G OF C URGES
10 P. M. CURFEW FOR
YOUTHS UKDER 18
Through its representative. Bet
ty Mears, the Chamber of Com
merce last night urged the City
Council to consider a 10 p. m.
curfew in Palmer for all youths
under 18.
The recommendation came as a
result of a report by the Cham
ber’s committee on youth pr o
!ems and was approved by Cham
ber members at their regular
noon meeting yesterday.
The City Council, which had
previously given consideration to
■ such a proposal, instructed City
Attorney Harold Butcher to draw
up a proposed curfew ordinance.
Previously the curfew question
had been deadlocked by a choice
of the hour. It was argued that
school children frequently attend
school functions which extend
beyond the proposed hours. The
enforcement problem was also a
stickler.
The committee on youth prob
lems also proposed yesterday
noon that a list be kept of ques
tionable incidents observed by
chamber members and all others
who are interested in youth wel
; fare, which incidents would be
| reported to Clair Stock as chair
j man of the committee. Some of
.these questionable incidents
■ might be merely rumors, but in
, t! e bands of the local law en
| forcemeat officials they would be
I of invaluable assistance in re
i vealing where and how to go !
j about protecting the youth of the ;
j community.
The possibility of a roller skat
, ing rink as a positive recreation
j al program was also discussed.
Young people have frequently
pointed out that they go to the
i bars because there’s no other
place to go in Palmer.
Other action taken by the
Chamber of Commerce yesterday
was a decision in regard to par
ticipation in the Fur Rendezvous
(Continued on page 8)
Local Robbery Solved
Through Combined Law
Enforcement Efforts
A reported robbery at the Ivan
Branton home was quickly solved
this week through the combined
efforts of the city police chief,
U. S. Commissioner, Deputy Mar
shal and the C. I. D. of Anchor
age, with all property recovered.
The items included guns, dia
mond rings, watches and miscel
laneous jewelry, valued at ap
proximately $300. were alleged
stolen by a Ft. Richardson soldier
who is now being held at the Post
Guardhouse for an AWOL infrac
tion. The defendent admitted he
had entered the Branton home in
the afternoon. Further court ac
tion will be taken by military
authorities.
Officials had high praise for
local citizens who, through their
cooperation helped speed the in
vestigation.
Wind Returns as
Valley Digs Out
Gf Reca;d Snowfall
School was dismissed at noon
today as chill winds from the
north piled up increasing evi
dence of their return to the Val
ley after a week of only luke
warm activity. School authorities
wanted to get the children home
while it was still possible.
This time the winds had no
lack of snow to play with and
to confound heroic efforts of road
commission men to keep the Val
ley roads opened.
Only last night the city and
road commission had finished
digging out the roads after Tues
day night's snow'. Men had work
ed all day Saturday, Sunday, and
Monday to clear the record snow
which fell Friday night.
Reports about the number of
inches of snow which fell on Fri
day and Tuesday nights varied
throughout the Valley. Certainly
local people at last had had a!
small sample of what the poor!
people in the States have been
enduring for the past two months.
Max Sherrod said that he measur
ed Friday night’s snowfall at 14
inches. His moisture gauge re
corded .92 inches of moisture.
From the evidence of snow in his
truck bed, Ray Rebarchek re
corded the Friday night fall at 20
inches. Although travel on the
roads was virtually at a stand
still early Saturday morning,
many of them had been cleared
by noon, Leo Lucas and his “cat”
were greeted with joy by Palmer
residents who were clearly sur
prised at such service. By Sun
day evening most of the roads in
the city had been cleared. The
Airport Road remained blocked
until Wednesday afternoon be- 1
cause a misunderstanding about'
which “airport road” was meant. ;
The south end of Snodgrass Ave- |
(Continued on Page 8)
Fire Destroys
Homestead Home of
Harold Harris Family
The Harold Harrises and their
three small children escaped from j
their home with only the clothes
they were wearing when fire
quickly spread through their
homestead home south of Wasilla
last Saturday.
According to unconfirmed re- ■
ports, the blaze was well under
way when discovered. It is be- j
lieved to have been started by de-1
fective wiring in the basement, i
The basement was full of potatoes
Estimate of spuds lost in the fire
varied between 60 and 100 tons.
This loss was partly covered by
insurance.
Friends of the Harrises report
ed that the couple had worked
very hard during the past six or
seven years to develop their :
homestead tract. They had just
reached the point where their ef- ,
forts were beginning to “pay off.’’ ;
The family is residing tempor- ;
arily at the home of an uncle who j
lives at the Butte. 1
Ut. .H.U. .M. aii* .u.
SANDS SAYS LACK OF CAPITAL LED
TO DISCONTINUATION OF CONTRACT
Betty Alears Leaves
For Territorial
Democratic Convention
Betty Mears, Third Division
delegate to the Territorial
Democratic Convention, i s
leaving for Anchorage tonight
to attend the three-day con
vention which begins tomor
row, January 13 at Pioneer
Hall.
Governor Ernest Gruenmg
will be main speaker at the
banquet to be held Friday eve
ning at the Aleutian Gardens.
COUNCIL HEARS
PROTESTS AGAINST
LICENSE ORDINANCE
Certain provisions of City Or
dinance 14, which sets license
fees for business establishments
and provides for the collection
thereof, came up for criticism by
representatives of three local
bars at the meeting of the City
Council last night.
Although Cfc-dir a nee 14 was
adopted only after three consec
utive readings at City Council
meetings last fall, those protest
ing said that they did not know
the size of the fees until Police
Chief Bernie Bouwens called on
all the business men affected to
tell them about the licenses they
would need and the final date for
obtaining them.
Jan Koslosky protested that
the “special” public dance floor
fee of $150 was too high if it ap
plied to the small dance floors in
the Club 49 and the Shamrock
Lounge. Art Thompson and Ter
ry Starns of the T and T Sour
dough Bar, the only other one
affected, agreed with Xoslosky.
The license fee for ordinary pub
(Continued on page 8)
School Tax Collector
Fears Stampede on '
February Deadline
The School District tax col
lector, William Head, asks people
af the Palmer Independent School
District “please to have a heart.”
Over 75 percent of the 1951
school district real and personal
taxes still remain to be paid with
in the next two weeks. If people
lon’t start coming into the tax
rollec tor’s office to pay those tax
js soon, there’s going to be a ter
rific stampede around February 1,
the last day of payment before
penalties are added. People who
ivait until the last day should
;tart praying now for warm
veather on that day because only
ibout ten people at a time can be
jccommodated inside the office,
ocated in the Neal Wright build
ng. The rest of the line will have
,o wait outside.
Maynard Sands told the City
Council last night that the con
tract between the Matanuska
Valley Telephone Company and
the Alaska Communications Sys
tem had been discontinued as of
Tuesday, January 15.
Under the contract, which has
been in effect since July of 1949
when ACS took over the Alaska
Railroad telephone lines, the lo
cal telephone company was to
make collections from its custom
ers for long distance service over
the ACS communications facili
i ties. Sands told the council that
termination of the contract will
mean no discontinuation of long
distance service for most of his
customers. For those who have
already established credit with
ACS (for telegraph service) and
for those who now establish cred
it, long distance calls will mere
ly be plugged in to the local ACS
board. The local ACS office will
then be responsible for billing
and collection.
New ACS Set-up
Earlier yesterday, Col. John R.
Nichol, sector commander for the
Alaska Communications System,
notified Palmer residents that
billings for long-distance tele
phone calls would be'made from
the local ACS office effective
Wednesday, January 16.
Long distance toll service is be
ing provided from a booth in the
ACS office. To place a long dis
tance call from an individual
phone, it will be necessary to es
tablish credit with the AL'S. Some
people have already established
such credit for their telegraph
convenience. Others may do so by
filling out a form in the ACS of
fice. No deposit is necessary. Sgt.
Wayne Wheeler who is in charge
of the local ACS office will assist
local patrons in filling out the
credit applications.
Yesterday the ACS office in
Palmer initiated a 24-hour sched
ule in order to provide continu
ous long distance toll service for
the people of Palmer. As in the
past, there will be three circuits
to Anchorage. Two new service
men have been added to the local
staff. They are Cpl. James H. Ra
zor and Cpl. Raul T. Ridge. They
will assist Sgt. Wheeler and Cor
porals William Roberts and John
Williams.
Lack of Capital Responsible
Sands said that his difficulties
which led to the termination of
the contract were no secret, al
though the abrupt termination
was a surprise to him. According
to Sands, a registered letter warn
ing him of the possibility had
been received by him only yester
day although the letter was dated
almost a month before. Under the
circumstances, he had no time to
raise the necessary money to pay
his account as requested by ACS.
Sands told the council members
that he has tried to “hang on” in
the face of council indecision re
(Continued on page 8)
All Magazines at Cover Prices At
Palmer Drug Store
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