The Junior Clast Present*
"Stranger in the Night"
Friday. Not. JO. at tp.m.
in School Gymnasium.
Enlleg Mrontiergman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATAJNUSKA VALLEY
4 *) PAGES
11 TODAY
VOLUME 5. NUMBER 12.
PALMER, ALASKA.
THURSDAY. NOV. 29. 1951.
PRICE. TEN CENTS
Local Civil Defense Gets Booster Shot
22 DAIRYMEN HELD
RESPONSIBLE FOR
RETURN OF $40,000
Responsibility of 21 local dairy
men for the return of nearly
$32,000 plus interest and court
costs to the Co-Op was deter
mined last Friday in a judgment
‘'handed down by Judge Anthony
Dimond in Third District Court.
The decision was reached in a
long delayed hearing which was
originally scheduled for Septem
ber 25. The 21 dairymen were
asked to show cause why they
should not be named technical
parties to a suit brought against
the Co-Op in September 1946 by
C. R. Monaghan, formerly of the
Valley.
^udge Dimond’s action Friday
marks the end of a long contro-1
versy over distribution of 1945
Co-Op profits. That year the dai
ry department was the only one:
to make a profit, and it was the
dairymen’s contention that their
earnings should have been deter
mined by dairy department in
come and not by the overall in
come from the entire Co-Op en
terprise. C. R. Monaghan pooled
his own claims with those of 21
other dairymen and brought suit
against the Co-Op in September,
1946. In a decision handed down
January 14^ 1948, Judge Dimond
agreed with the dairymen and
awarded them $31,904.84. The
*money was obtained in March of
1948 and distributed among the
22 dairymen on the basis of their
individual claims.
That same month the Co-Op ap
pealed the Third Court decision.
Last May, Judge Dimond’s deci
sion was reversed in the San
Francisco Court of Appeals, and
resitution of the money plus
interest and court costs was or
dered. The question following the
(Continued on Page 12)
TRAFFIC PROBLEMS FACING PALMER |
By CHARLES W. WILSON.
Chairman. Cily Planning Commillee.
Palmer can hardly be called a sleepy little town. It is a
small town by city standards but it is not a sleepy town. We
have some very bad habits in driving and in parking cars. This
is not hard to understand. Until quite recently the rough condi
tions of highways controlled speed. Most of our city streets
still do.
Until the town incorporated there was no method by whicn
traffic and parking could be controlled. The Planning Commis
sion has been assigned the task of analyzing these as well as
other problems and recommending measures for improving the
situation as quickly as is practical.
The parking congestion in a few places has reached a point
where it bothers most of us. We no longer find it possible to
park directly in front of the door we wish to enter. This con
gestion appears to be caused in part by all day parking in front
of buildings containing offices and/or living quarters. Double
and even triple parking in front of the theatre frequently com
pletely closes a street; that may some day result in a serious
handicap to fire trucks if it is not discontinued.
There are several things which can be done to reduce this
hodge-podge: Double or triple parking can be prohibited. Right
angle parking can be eliminated. All day parking could be pro
hibited on certain streets. Parking could be prohibited directly
in front of such places as the theatre entrance, postoffice, etc.
Reserved space could be established for Doctors and taxi cab
stands. Business men could help by providing off-street parking
for customers and tenants in the case of office buildings, and the
city could possibly arrange for off-street parking on presently
vacant lots as a temporary measure until city-owned parking
space can be provided.
Finally, all of us should give consideration to walking a few
steps from our cars instead of participating in some of the wild
confusion of double parking, triple parking, parking on the wrong
side of the street, and all-day parking in front of the P. O.
Maybe some of us would like to see Palmer a sleepy little
town—maybe w'e would like it better that way. For those who
would, it is just too bad. Palmer is growing and it isn’t asleep.
We can’t dry the clothes on the handle of the town pump any
more and it is .about time to stop parking in the middle of the
street.
Local Democratic Caucas Dec. 7
Betty Mears announced today
that a Democratic caucas for this
precinct will be held in the Co
Op Club Room, Rec Hall, Friday,
December 7, at 8 p.m.
A call for the caucas was issued
November 26 by William A. Egan,
chairman of the Third Division
Democratic Committee. In the ab
sence of the former chairman of
this precinct, Walter Huntley,
Betty Mears was appointed tem-!
porary chairman.
The local caucas is being held
in preparation for the Third Di- j
vision Democratic Convention to
be held in Anchorage December
15. The local precinct is allowed
12 delegates on the basis of the
number who voted in the last
Territorial election. These dele
gates will be chosen at the caucas
next week. i
Officials Reveal Palmer Is "It"
In Overall Plans for Evacuation
Santa's Deputies
Prepare for Local
Kiddies' Party Dec. 24
The Valley merchants have
been responding nobly to Santa
Claus’s call for help on his big
party scheduled for December
24th for children of the Valley.
He's asked all those who have
not contributed and still wish to
do so to contact Bill Head, this
year’s treasurer, or A1 Hagen.
This annual affair sponsored by
the Valley merchants has become
a big enterprise. To make up the
650 sacks of goodies needed for
the party there will be 200
pounds of Christmas candy, 250
pounds of mixed nuts and pea
nuts, six boxes of apples, and
four crates of oranges.
In addition to the goodies, the
children will be treated to eight
comedies, including Little Lulu,
Donald Duck, and other favorites.
And, of course, Santa Claus will
be there.
This year’s party will be re
stricted to children up to and in
cluding the 6th grade in school.
Parents are asked not to attend
the two o’clock party. This is de
signed for the children and there
is room only for them. At four
o’clock and at six o’clock the en
tire show—except for Santa Claus
—will be duplicated for all oth
ers who wish to attend. This is
all FREE as part of the Valley
merchants’ invitation to be their
guest for the day.
Tomorrow Last Day
To Pay School Tax
U. S. Commissioner Dorothy
Saxton warns that tomorrow is
the last day to pay school taxes
before penalties are invoked.
Long dormant interest in local
Civil Defense planning spurted
anew yesterday when Territorial
and Anchorage area officials re
vealed to a few hastily assembled
citizens the key role which Pal
mer will play in the evacuation
of the Anchorage area should the
need arise.
Coionels Earl Landreth and
James C. Crockett, director and
deputy director respectively of
Territorial Civil Defense, and Ed
Fortier, co-ordinator for the An
chorage area, arrived at noon yes
terday to explain Palmer’s role
in the Territorial plans. It was
COUNCIL MEMBERS
TALK TELEPHONE IN
ANCHORAGE WEDNESDAY
Three members of the city
council met yesterday with
Anchorage City Manager, Ro
bert Sharp to discuss telephone
problems.
The council members held
a closed session with the city
official to get information on
the operation of the Anchor
age phone system.
their belief that the City Council
should take over responsibility
for civil defense organization, ap
pointing a director and deputies
necessary to assume administra
tive control of the several func
tions. Only one city councilman,
A1 Hagen, was available for the
conference. William T. Zahradni
cek, who inherited Walter Hunt
ley’s appointment as local direc
tor a year ago, opined that ad
ministrative appointments made
before the city was incorporated
should not be binding and that
the Council now should appoint a
(Continued on Page 12)
C Of C Plans Christmas flighting Cnntest
Preliminary plans for a Christ- !
mas lighting and decoration con- ■
test for the Valley were outlined j
at a special committee meeting of
the C of C held last Saturday
morning in the Palmer Cafe.
Committeemen present .were Jim
Hurley, A1 Hagen, Jack Maze and
O. K. Kincaid.
Palmerites and Valley residents
will have the opportunity to tune
their imaginations to the maxi
mum degree of creativeness if
they choose to participate in the
contest.
Plans as formulated classify the
contest into three categories—
business houses, homes, and
farms. Lighting and decorations
can be outside and inside com-1
binations provided inside lighting
is visible through the windows
from the outside.
The area covered, generally,
extends west to Hallea Lodge on
Lake Lucille, north to Sutton,
east to Knik bridge on the Pal
mer-Anchorage highway, and
south to Matanuska and the Ex
perimental Farm.
The C. of C. has set aside prize
money totalling $150. This will
be shared by the three winners,
tops in each category.
Judging will be done between
Dec. 22 and 25. Judges will be
announced in a later issue of the
Frontiersman.
Persons desiring to enter the
contest become eligible by merely
registering at the Frontiersman
office, by letter or in person be
fore Dec. 22.
Xmas Lights Out 5-7 P.M.
C. A. Brewer, manager of MEA
has requested the Chamber
officials, to warn all users to hold
power consumption to a mini
mum during the hours of 5 to 7
p.m., the peak load period. Christ
mas lighting should not be used
during this period.
Children’s Xmas Party
Another Chamber - sponsored
committee was planned to create
wider interest in the lighting con
test and to aid in conducting the
annual Merchant’s Party for Val
ley children. This unit will be
composed of one representative
from the Chamber and at least G
others, one from each of the fol
lowing lodges and civic organiza
tions: the Elks, Moose, Masons,
Kiwanis, American Legion, and
Pioneer Grange. Representatives
of the organizations are being
contacted this week.
Under the new committee ar
rangement, planning and con
ducting the lighting contest as
well as the children’s Christmas
party will be shared by all or
ganizations in the community.
For the past several years ar
rangements for the party hav?
been directed by A1 Hagen of the
Valley Theatre with contribu
tions from local merchants and
aid from the Moose lodge.
According to Hagen, last year’s
affair cost $496.00. The previous
year it was $427. Costs this year
are expected to be higher. There
are more children and slightly
increased prices for goodies. This
will be something for the com
mittee to think about.
The new committee members
will be guests of the Chamber at
the next meeting, Wednesday
Dec. 5 at the Rec Hall, to discuss
plans for the forthcoming contest
and party.