Only 12 More Days
Until Christmas
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PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
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VOLUME 5. NUMBER 14.
PALMER. ALASKA. THURSDAY, DEC. 13, 1951.
PRICE TEN CENTS
VOLUNTARY "BROWNOUT" IN PALMER BEGINS FRIDAY
Jan Koslosky Assumes Managership
Of the Matanuska Valley Bank
Directors of the Matanuska
Valley Bank announced this week
that Jan Koslosky, president, is
taking over full time manage
ment of the bank.
The resignation of Jack Maze,
manager of the bank since Janu
ary, 1947, has been accepted. He
and Mrs. Maze, who has resigned
her position as teller, will devote
their full time to personal busi
ness enterprises in and around
Palmer.
The local bank was organized
in 1946 under Territorial Law.
Shareholders are local people,
among whom Jan Koslosky, Ma
yor Carl Meier, Dr. Foster Sims,
and Art Madison are on the board
of directors. Since its organiza
tion the bank has grown and
prospered with Palmer. The de
posits of the bank are in excess
of one million dollars, and there
is a surplus in excess of $25,000.
Depositors are fully insured
against embezzlement, theft, rob
bery, and fire through the Mary
land Casualty Insurance Compa
ny and other insurance compa
nies.
The new manager of the bank
and his brother, Harold, are own
ers of Koslosky’s Department
store in Palmer, the Hub Cloth
ing store in Anchorage, the Thrif
ty Merchandise Mart in Anchor
age, and. other business enterpri
ses both in Palmer and Anchor
age.
Jan Koslosky first opened his
small frame store in Palmer in
1935, the year the Colonists first
came to the Valley. Since that
time, Koslosky enterprises in Pal
mer have expanded until they
represent a value, at the present
time, in excess of one million
dollars. He is one of the few busi
nessmen in this area whose back
ground is almost entirely Alas
kan. Reared in the Anchorage
area, he obtained his elementary
schooling and graduated from the
high school in Anchorage. His
attendance at the University of
Washington and wartime service
in the armed forces from 1942
through 1945 marked his only
residence outside the Territory.
His father, I. Koslosky first came
to the Territory in 1897. He went
over Chilkoot Pass in the early
days of the gold rush and also
participated in the gold rush at
Nome. He went into business in
Anchorage in 1915.
Considering his personal back
ground and manifest faith in Al
aska’s future, the directors are
confident that Manager Jan Kos
losky of the Matanuska Valley
Bank will serve the Valley in its
best interests commensurate with
continued prosperity and pro
gressr
FAIRBANKS SHIVERS
INSIDE AND OUT AS
POWER FAILS AT -45
Fairbanks residents were
given a vivid prevue of what
a power failure could mean
in Alaska last Friday night
when the power failed at 9
p.m. and remained off all
night.
Outside thermometers regis
tered 45 below and some in
side ones reportedly dropped
to a -30 before emergency
power was rationed out at 30
minutes at a time in the vari
ous districts.
Cause of the power failure
was reportedly due to an over
load on the city’s power line
that caused it to burn out.
Fire Association
Would Turn Over
Equipment to City
At the “close out” meeting of
the Fire Association held Tues
day evening it was agreed that
the association would turn over
all equipment and properties to
the city if the City Council agrees
to certain stipulations.
First the city must agree to as
sume responsibility for insurance
on the volunteer fire fighters and
the trucks due January 1, for
the balance due on the new truck
and outstanding bills — all of
which amounts to a total less than
$1,200.
Secondly, the city must agree to
honor Fire Association agree
ments with the Co-Op and the
Alaska Railroad and/or enter into
new agreements with them.
Thirdly, the city must agree to
take care of the outside area un
der a plan similar to the one used
by the Fire Association in the
past or free of charge for the
next twro years.
The Fire Association will turn
over to the city a complete list
of the inventory which includes
ladders, hose, siren, three trucks
owmed and one leased, =ind other
fire equipment. The Fire Associ
ation would also turn over to the
city the two lgts owned in the
ARRC subdivision if the transfer
is agreeable to the city and the
ARRC. These assets would be
turned over to the "city only if
the given stipulations are agreed
to.
Only one piece of property
would not go with the transfer.
That is the museum piece fire en
gine which stands at the side of
the Valley Theater. That was
turned over to A1 Hagen in re
turn for rents now due him a
mounting to $300. It was original
ly purchased by the Fire Associa
tion for $111.
The Fire Association will cease
to function as such January 1.
At that time it is expected that
the city will assume the responsi
bility for fire protection in and
about Palmer. Membership fees
for the Association all expire on
January 1.
C OF C CANCELS
PLANS FOR XMAS
LIGHTING CONTEST
Due to the acute power
shortage, the projected Christ
mas Lighting Contest spon
sored by the Chamber of Com
merce has been cancelled, Jas.
Hurley, president of the local
chamber announced today.
nnm bbbb
i
Mayor's "Brownout" Proclamation
WHEREAS, there is a critical power shortage in the
Palmer-Anchorage area, and
WHEREAS, present electrical generating equipment
is working to maximum capacity, with grave danger of
breakdown, and
WHEREAS, there is urgent need for electric con
servation throughout the Palmer-Anchorage area so
that all citizens of the area may have adequate heat
and light in their homes for the duration of this winter,
nowr
Therefore, I, Carl H. Meier, Mayor, hereby call on the
citizens of the City of Palmer, and all persons in our
trading area to conserve power between the peak hours
of 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily, by
1. Shutting off all outdoor illumination dur
ing the peak hours.
2. By turning off all unnecessary lighting in
in stores, shops and homes during the peak
hours,
3. By turning off all unnecessary household
appliances and yard lights during the peak
hours of 5-7 P.M.
If all citizens of Palmer and the surrounding area will
cooperate in this effort, we will be able to supply elec
tricity to more than 70 homes in the area awaiting
power, and to supply energy for more coal production
in the Matanuska region.^
Signed and sealed this 12th day of December, 1951. at
Palmer, Alaska.
1
Signed: CARL H. MEIER, Mayor.
il;ri!;HMi::M!ii,ranra:.:!i;rrT!,::?T;iTT
NEW HOSPITAL ASSN.
TO BE BROUGHT UP AT
PUBLIC MEET SOON
*• In view of the requests which
have come from various civic or
ganizations and individuals in
connection with the hospital fund
drive, the Hospital Board and the
fund raising committee feel that
it would be a good idea to hold a
public meeting to clarify the re
lationship between the hospital,
the Presbyterian Board of Na
tional Missions, and the commu
nity.
According to Rev. Harry Gay
ley, Rev. Rolland Armstrong, the
field representative of the Pres
byterian Board of National Mis
sions and a member of the local
hospital board, will be in Palmer
in the very near future. At the
time of his visit, a public meeting
will be called. Sufficient an
nouncement of the time and place
will be made so that everyone in
terested can attend.
Paul Robinson, attorney for the
hospital, has informed the Hos
pital Board that it will be neces
sary to form a new corporation
to take over the assets of the
present Valley Hospital before
May, 1952. If the citizens of Pal
mer and neighboring communi
ties wish to form a new associa
tion at this meeting, the attorney
for the hospital will be present to
advise on the procedure neces
sary. Revised by-laws as recom
mended by the hospital board for
the Hospital Association will also
be presented for approval. ,
Carl Rasmussen lo
Relinquish Duties as
Acting Co-Op Manager
i
Carl Rasmussen announced this
( week that he will give up his du-!
ties as acting manager of the;
Matanuska Valley Cooperating!
Association January 1, and he and
Mrs. Rasmussen will leave short
ly afterward for an extended trip
Outside.
Rasmussen has been connected
with the Co-Op for the past 13
years, eight of which were de
voted to duties as secretary
treasurer and two to those of act
ing general manager.
The trip Outside has been
planned for a long time. Mr. Ras
mussen’s health has not been up
I to par for some time*.and he has
j felt the need of a rest from his
exacting responsibilities. He and
Mrs. Rasmussen plan to be gone
for about five months. They will
go first to Southern California,
where they have relatives, and
will later visit friends and rela
tives in Kansas, Oklahoma, and
Missouri.
Appointment of the new man
ager of the Co-Op is still pend
ing. According to Roy Brock, Co
Op directors hope that negotia
tions which have been under way
for the past several months, will
be climaxed soon with the an
nouncement of their choice as
new manager.
Business and Domestic Users Urged
To Conserve on Power from 5-7 p.m.
Open Letter Tells
Anchorage Officials
Of “Brownout” Action
The following letter was sent
Tuesday night to the Mayor of
Anchorage, members of the An
chorage City Council, and mem
bers of Anchorage Public Utili
ties.
"A special meeting of represen
tatives of the Palmer Chamber of
Commerce, City Council, Pioneer
Grange, Kiwanis. P.T.A. and the
Matanuska Electric Assoc, was
held this evening to discuss the
power crisis in the Anchorage
Palmer area and to devise ways
and means of cooperating with
the citizens of Anchorage; the
APU and other generating or
ganizations toward a solution of
the problem.
"By enthusiastic agreement
those in attendance voted to
sponsor a voluntary brownout
during the peak hours of 5PM to
7PM. All Palmer residents and
members of the Matanuska Elec
tric Assoc, are being asked to cut
down on home power consump
tion and city merchants are re
quested to cut off all but neces
sary lighting between these hours.
In many cases employee hours
will be staggered so that the eve
ning meal can "be prepared either
before or after the peak power
load takes place here in the Val
ley.
“It will interest the Board
members of the Anchorage Pub
lic Utilities to learn that the MEA
has arranged with the Matanuska
Farmers Cooperating Assn, to
supply 140 KW of energy at the
peak demand and the Jonesville
coal mine is supplying 180 KW to
ward meeting the present elec
trical crisis.
"Even with the drastic brown
out in our business area, conser
vation by housewives and our
generation of auxiliary power we
still do not have enough power
to serve the needs of our resi
dents, farmers and businesses.
"There are 70 homes com
pletely wired for electrical power
that cannot be connected because
(Continued on page 10)
IT WON'T BE LIT UP
LIKE A CHRISTMAS
TREE FROM 5-7 p.m.
A community Christmas
Tree donated by Lorin Smith
was set up this afternoon in
the square outside A1 Hagen’s
Valley Theater.
Within the fi' vt few days
it will be lit up like a Christ
mas tree except for the hours
from 5-7 p.m.
DONATIONS ON PALMER DAY IN ANCHORAGE BOOST HOSPITAL FUND TO $4,500
The Hospital Fund bank ac
count which stood at $2,550 last
week rose to $4,500 this week
largely as a result of canvassing
of the Anchorage area by local
members of the Chamber of Com
merce and Hospital Fund Drive
Committee sponsored by the An
chorage Chamber of Commerce
on Palmer Day last Monday.
The local delegation numbered
only 13. Those who were guests
of the Anchorage Chamber at the
regular noon luncheon at the Al
eutian Gardens included James
Hurley, Ed Smith, Hugh Johnson,
O. K. Kincaid, M. D. Snodgrass.
Miss Louise Kellogg, Miss Flo
rence Eby. Miss Barbara Rum
ball, Rev. Harry Gayley, A1 Ha
gen, H. J. Hodgson, Richard Dem
ing, and a representative of the
Valley Frontiersman.
City Manager Robert E. Sharp
lent an official sanction to the
fund drive in Anchorage by em
phasizing Anchorage’s interest in
the proposed new hospital in Pal
mer. He cited Civil Defense plans
which would make Palmer the
concentration point if evacuation
of the Anchorage area became
necessary. He stressed the fact
that not only civilian casualties
of a bombing attack might need
the hospital facilities but patients
at Providence Hospital would also
have to be accommodated in the
Palmer area.
Palmer Deserves One
Marshall Hoppin, president of
the Business Men’s Association,
opined that Palmer has one of the
most brilliant futures of any com
munity in the Anchorage area.
“Regardless of the need from
the Civil Defense standpoint’’, he
said, “I think Palmer deserves a
hospital.”
Former Mayor Z. J. Loussac, in
a wry reference to the small turn
out at the Palmer-area Demo
cratic caucus Friday night, added
a humorous note with a political
twist. "I think those Republican
groups down there in Palmer are
in need of some help”, he de
clared magnanimously.
Old and New
Ed Smith, chairman of the Hos
pital Fund Drive Committee,
passed around Exhibit A. a huge
picture of the present Valley Hos
pital, and called on Hugh John
son and O. K. Kincaid, treasurer
of the fund drive committee and
hospital manager respectively, to
give a few statistics about the
new hospital, its accommodations,
financing, and amounts received
to date. It was pointed out that
construction of the new hospital
would start as soon as the frost
is out of the ground next spring
and that it might be ready for
use a year from now. Kincaid
passed around Exhibit B. the
(Continued on Page 10)
A voluntary “brownout" of the
Palmer area served by the Mat
anuska Electric association was.
given unanimous approval Tues
day evening by representatives of
the City Council, the Co-Op the
Palmer Chamber of Commerce,
the Northland Pioneer Grange,
the Kiwanis Club, the Loyal Or
der of Moose, the PTA and MEA
in a hastily called meeting in the
Extension Service Craft Room
where the local power crisis was
described in all its harrowing de
tail.
The “brownout”, which will be
in effect only between the hours
of 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.—the peak load
hours, starts tomorrow evening,
Friday, December 14, and will
continue during the next two ar
three months or until the power
crisis is ended. All consumers in
the business area are asked L»
turn off neon signs and as much
of their interior lighting as pos
sible during these hours. House
holders are asked to co-operate
by cutting down all they can on
power consumption. The goal is
to keep local power consumption
within the 1,000 kilowatts allowed
MEA by the Anchorage Public
Utilities.
Power Limit Exceeded
C. A. Brewer, MEA manager,
told the assembled representa
tives that the local power load
drained from APU last Friday
evening when the mercury hov
ered about the 20 below mark
reached a danger high of 1,23®
kilowatts during the peak period.
.‘‘They almost pulled the switch
on us”. Brewer declared. This
load v.as in addition to small a
mounts of power released to the
local power association during
the peak period by the Co-Op and
the Evans-Jones Coal Co.
1,100 Want Lights
In his description of the power
crisis in the over-all Anchorage
Palmer area, Herb Hilscher of the
Alaska Development Board point
ed out that there are 1.100 in the
Chugach Electric Association area
outside the Anchorage city lim
its who are waiting for electricity
to be extended to their homes.
“These people deserve the same
rights the rest of us have to live
like human beings", Hilscher in
sisted, “and they could be served
if consumers in the Anchorage
area would do the same as you
fglks are doing, by voluntary cut
ting down on power consumption
during the peak period.”
Hilscher reported the recent
failure of attempts to obtain
emergency power in the Anchor
(Continued on page 10)
HIGHWAY PATROL
CITES TRAFFIC LAW
ON PASSING BUSSES
i
The Highway Patrol re
minded local motorists this
week of Section 30 of the Al
aska Traffic Laws regarding
meeting or overtaking busses.
The law says: “The driver
of any vehicle upon any pun
lie highway or city street up
on meeting or overtaking from
either direction any schoolbus
or passenger bus which has
stopped on the street or high
way for the purpose of receiv
ing or discharging any pas
sengers shall, bring the ve
hicle to a complete stop not
less than 20 feet from such
bus and remain stopped while
such bus is receiving or dis
charging passengers or such
passengers are being aided
across the street in connection
therewith."