FARMERS’ MARKET
OPENING 10 A.M.
SATURDAY
Kalley IFrontiergmau
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
PAGES
TODAY
VOTi 4. NUMBER 44
PALMER. ALASKA. FRIDAY. JULY 13. 1951
PRICE. 10c
Palmer Voters Okay Tax On Sales and Services
ALASKA'S FIRST FARMERS' MARKET
HAS GALA OPENING TOMORROW
Fryers, eggs, flowers, all kinds
of home baked goods, candies,
radishes, onions, lettuce and swiss
chard will be offered for sale
when Alaska’s first Farmers’
Market opens for business Sat
urday at 10 o’clock.
The market will be open every
Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.
m. until 6 p.m. Next week it is
expected that berries will be add
ed to the list of things to be sold.
Each week more produce will be
offered for sale as the growing
season progresses.
Bright red posters donated by
the Ketchikan Spruce Mill and
lettered by Irving Plitt have been
placed on the highway and at the
market site across from the Pal
i mer depot on property made
available by the Co-Op.
Governor Visits Site
Already the market has at
tracted the attention of groups all
over the Territory and in the
States as well. They are watching
its progress with interest and hop
ing, for its success.
Last Friday Governor Gruening
visited the market site on a short
trip to Palmer with Elmer Ras
muson president of the First Na
tional Bank of Anchorage.
“This market will be doing a
very fine service to the farmers
and the consumers of the Mata
nuska Valley-Anchorage area,’’
he said.
t Miss Florence Eby, the Market
master whose energetic cham
(Continued on Page 4)
FWS SAYS RED SALMON
RUN IN COOK INLET
EXPECTED THIS WEEK
The big run of red salmon is
expected the latter part of this
week, according to Howard Balt
zo, assistant regional director of
the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Baltzo and Clarence Rhode, re
gional director of FWS, made an
-inspection tour of Cook Inlet
fishing last week-end.
Bill Bouwens brought in sev
eral large reds caught at Goose
Bay Thursday. He said there were
quite a few coming up the inlet
now, but the big run hadn’t mate
rialized yet.
License Needed
Meanwhile, U. S. Commissioner
Dorothy Saxton reminded fisher
men that the new Territorial
“Sports Fishing” license is need
ed for salt water fishing, as well
as fresh water fishing. The FWS
requires no license for salt water
fishing.
4 According to information on
the back of each “Sports Fishing”
application, “The Act applies to
those persons engaged in sport
fishing including salt water fish
ing even though they may also
possess a valid fishing license
from the Fish and Wildlife Ser
vice snH +*•■— * " t also pos
sess I license.” j
SERVICEMAN DIES OF
INJURIES FROM CRASH
AT MATANUSKA BRIDGE
Two local boys escaped injury
in a serious collision of two cars
at the Matanuska Bridge about
1 o’clock Monday morning, but a
soldier driving the other car died
Wednesday of injuries received.
According to the report of the
Highway Patrol, a 1949 Chrysler
driven by James Creger, a serv
iceman from Fort Richardson,
failed to make the curve in the
west approach to the bridge and
swerved into the left lane just as
John E. Brown and Billy Meehan,
driving toward Palmer in a Ford
pick-up, were coming off the
bridge.
According to young Brown’s
statement, he quickly put his car
in reverse as soon as he saw the
Creger car swerve into his lane.
The impact of the crash pushed
the Ford back 17 feet, according
to the evidence of tire marks.
The Creger car plunged over
the logs marking the road com
mission’s paving of bridge ap
proaches, knocking the driver out
of the car. The Chrysler then
somersaulted end over end and
landed on its wheels in the river
near the shore. Newell Wright, a
passenger and also a serviceman,
remained in the car unhurt.
“If I’d had time to back up two
feet further,” Brown said, “we
wouldn’t have hit him.”
According to the Highway Pat
rol, however, the Creger car
would have crashed through the
log barrier anyway.
Dr. C. C. Bailey, who was called
to the scene of the accident, noted
the seriousness of Creger’s in
juries. Placing him on a stretcher,
Bailey drove the serviceman in
his own station wagon to the Air
Force Base Hospital in 35 mi
(Continued on Page 4)
Lake George Break-Up
Expected Any Day Now
Continued hot weather is rap
idly melting the glacier ice in
the famous self-dumping Lake
George, situated just 25 miles
from here.
“If the weather continues warm
the lake will probably go out
any day,” said Kenneth Westen
barger, who has been making
daily check flights since July 9.
The earliest recorded date in
the past six years was July 27.
Sale of Lake George Break-up
Ball tickets, proceeds of which
go to the Alaska Crippled Chil
dren’s Assn., will close at mid
night tonight. Break-up time
guesses allowed with the purchase
of each ticket are to be a special
feature of the ball.
PROPOSITION ASKED
BY CITY COUNCIL
CARRIES, 142-57
Since Tuesday night a lot of
people in the Valley have been
expressing their pride in Palmer.
That night it became known that
it was the mandate of the people
that they be taxed on their sales
and services to help pay expenses
of their city and school.
“Palmer,” they said, “has come
of age.”
Two hundred and one voted
in the election held Tuesday, July
10. Two votes for the sales tax
proposition were disqualified by
the judges because of mutilation;
the line against the proposition
had been crossed out. Final vote
tallied by the judges: 142 for the
sales tax proposition, 57 against.
Over 71 percent of those who
cast their ballots were for the tax
on sales and services.
Walter Huntley was the first
one to vote. Jennie and Charles
Elton were next. Voting was not
as heavy as that in the incorpor
ation election held last April 10.
In that election 367 Palmer resi
dents voted. Many of those who
voted three months ago were
known to be out of town vaca
tioning or on field trips this week.
Mrs. Katheryn Wilson, Mrs.
Kathleen Moore, and Mrs. Betty
Mears were judges for the elec
tion. They reported that several
of their customers announced
they had come to vote for the
proposition because of contrary
advice contained in propaganda
handbills flown from the sky
Monday evening and early Tues
day morning.
Free Show For All
Valley Youngsters
Free show for the kiddies ! !
That’s the announcement made
by A1 Hagen this week. Saturday
afternoon, July 21 is the impor
tant date. Scheduled to start at
one o’clock, a comedy or cartoon
will be shown to get the show
started. Then comes the extra
special attraction.
The “Starrettes” and "Water
hole Johnny” will entertain for
the remaining part of an hour
with music "especially for the
kiddies”. “Waterhole Johnny”
has appeared in many western
films, his most recent being in
“Sunset Trail” with, Roy Rogers.
He was with WLS Barndance and
other radio shows. He and Betty
Jo Starr member of the Starrets
are also recording artists, having
sold thousands of their records.
The other member of the Star
rettes is Norma Beal, an acom
plished bass viol player.
The program will be co-spon
sored by the T and T Sourdough
and the Valley Theatre.
The regular Saturday after
noon matinee will follow the pro
gram at 2:30 with the usual
charge for admission.
COUNCIL ACTS FAST ON SALES TAX
ORDINANCE; 1ST HEARING, JULY 19
wm mere De a 5>duu ceiling on
sales taxable? Will fares on com
mon carriers be taxed? How
about medical and dental serv
ices? And gasoline, will it be
taxed? Will utilities be taxed0
Hove about the sale of tangible
property by individuals?
These and many similar ques
tions plagued the City Council
last night as members met in
Severn’s Cabinet Shop to con
sider the preparation of an ordi
nance for levying and collecting
taxes on sales and services in line
with the mandate of the people
SUN KEEPS SHINING
WHILE MATANUSKA
FARMERS MAKE HAY
Friday the 13th continued the
lucky streak of brilliant sunshine
which for 11 straight days, more
than 18 hours a day, has kept
Matanuska Valley farmers happy
making hay.
All week temperatures have
been soaring into the 80’s with
highs of 82 on Tuesday, 83 on
Wednesday, and 84 on Thursday.
Oldtimers say the continued hot
spell is almost unprecedented in
Valley history.
Haying operations have been
in progress from early morning
until late at night as farmers has
ten to make the most of the fav
orable weather.
Lew Hanks of the Soil Conser
vation Service said today: “Farm
ers who depend on good brome
grass hay have had a golden op
portunity to get high quality
forage at a minimum cost of ef
fort.”
Hay for the farmers was also
hay for the whole Valley. The
dairy industry which provides
the Valley with some of its most
important exports is dependent
on the production of good quality
(Continued on Page 4)
Anchorage Firm Is
Apparent Low Bidder
On Eklutna Houses
The C. William Hufieson Co. of
Anchorage was the apparent low
bidder on the construction of 30
houses for the Eklutna Project
when the bids were opened at
project headquarters Tuesday
morning.
A. N. Talcott, acting officer of
the Eklutna Project in the ab
sence of Byron K. Felkner, pre
sided at the opening of the bids.
Bids were made for each of two
schedules. Schedule 1 included
the building of 20 houses at the
Eklutna government camp near
Continued on page 13
I expressed in Tuesday s election.
Sales tax ordinances for the
i cities of Nome, Wrangell, Peters
burg. Ketchikan, Juneau, and
Hoonah were discussed. It was
moved by Lloyd Severns that a
committee be appointed to study
Alaskan city sales tax ordinances
which appeared most applicable
to Palmer’s needs; that the com
mittee then draft a tentative or
dinance and report at a special
meeting to be held Thursday,
July 19, for the first reading.
Mayor Carl Meier appointed
Councilmen Mick, Hagen, and
Brown to the committee respons
ible for drafting the sales tax or
dinance.
Three Hearings
There will be three hearings of
the sales tax ordinance before it
is passed and adopted. Copies
will also be placed on bulletin
boards in the post office and at
the Trading Post the day of each
hearing. Opportunity will be giv
en to local people to express their
views after the first and second
readings of the ordinances.
Amendments and additions adopt
ed after each of these hearings
will be included in the next draft
(Continued on Page 13)
Local Masonic Lodge
Receives Charier In
Ceremony Next Week
The Matanuska Masonic Lodge
will receive its charter in cere
monies to take place Friday night,
July 20, at the school gymnasi
um, according to Worshipful
Master Lew Hanks.
The Most Worshipful Grand
Master, Harold N. Nelson of the
Washington Grand Lodge will
conduct the ceremony in which
the charter will be granted and
the officers installed.
He will be accompanied by
Grand Secretary John B. Prieiss
ner and Grant McMurray, deputy
of the second Masonic district of
Alaska.
Local officers to be installed
include Lew Hanks, Grayson E.
Murphy, M. E. Bergan, Charles
W. Wilson, Merle Anderson, Wil
liam Head, Wayne Wheeler, Ivan
M. Branton, James D. Evans, Bill
Roark and Keith O’Donnell.
Preceding the ceremony will be
a six o’clock dinner at the Co-Op
clubroom for the grand master,
grand secretary and the masters
and wardens of Alaskan lodges.
The ceremony will be public.
All Masons, their families and
their friends are cordially invited.
Refreshments will be served in
the school cafeteria following the
ceremonies.
The local lodge has been oper
ating under a temporary charter
since its organization last De
cember.