Matanuska Valley Colony Successful,
But Expensive, Stone Report Finds
Copies of Kirk Stone’s long
awaited report on Alaskan group
settlement, for which he did re
search in the Valley in 1941, 1940
and 1948, reached Alaska last
week. Mr. Stone, who heads the
geography department of the Uni
versity of Wisconsin, has pre
pared a 95-page report crammed
with facts, figures, pictures and
graphs which show the develop
ment of the colony into a per
manent agricultural settlement
in the Valley.
Mr. Stone’s conclusions on the
project are, that since the aim in
the establishment of the colony
was the settling of Alaska, the
plan was successful. He thinks
there are better and less costly
methods of achieving that success
however. The geographer out
lines nine points, in his final
chapter of recapitulation, where
in he feels plans for new Alaskan
settlements must show improve
ment over the Matanuska colony.
The points he lists call for:
1. More detailed and less hur
ried preliminary planning.
2. Better administration of
the colony, after it is created.
3. Better knowledge of the
land to be settled, and assign
ment of a larger area than the
40-acre tracts given to the Mat
anuska Valley colonists. ,
4. More careful selection of
the people who will make up
the personnel of future colonies.
5. More careful spending of
colony funds, and a better sys
tem of accounting.
6. An adequate transporta
tion system in existence before
- the colonists arrive.
7. Construction of home
Buildings before the settlers ar
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8. Belter planning for com
munity facilities—the Matanus-.
ka colpnists at first had noth
ing, and later had too much.
9. More cleared land ready
by the time the settlers arrive.
Mr. Stone concludes his report
with these words:
“The settlement of Alaska is a
desirable objective. An attitude
that additional settlement should
be rapid, and on a large scale, is
not defensible. What is needed
first is at least one year of ob
jective appraisal and planning,
and at least two years of inten
sive scientific investigation. Ad
ditional time will be needed to
formulate plans carefully. .. . The
experiences of colonizing the Val
ley prove that to the old slogan
‘ of ‘let’s settle Alaska’ must be
added the even older saying of
‘Haste makes waste’.”
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Civil Defense Chairman
Announces Raid Signals,
Shakes Up Committees
Palmer’s air raid signal will be
one long blast, followed by three
short toots on the Co-Op air
whistle, it was decided last Mon
day at the civilian defense com
mittee meeting. The all-clear
signal will be one long blast. A
test raid warning will be planned
soon, but the committee will
make further announcement of
that later, Walter Huntley, civil
defense head, said.
Should an emergency arise in
Palmer the committee’s Palmer
headquarters will be Dan Sulli
van’s house in North Palmer, near
the Westside Service Station, it
was decided.
Dr. F. R. Sims was named as
sistant co-ordinator of defense,
at the Monday meeting. It will be
his job to correlate activities at
headquarters.
Civilian defense committees
were reshuffled and grouped in
the interests of better protection.
The defense committee chairmen,
together with their specific du
ties, were re-defined as follows:
Jack Maze—First aid; irain
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in the Matanuska Valley
(Localed corner Valley Street and Glenn Highway)
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Located at Corner of Valley Street and Glenn Highway
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Everything to Make Your Home
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SPECIAL ON UNCLAIMED HATS
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STETSONS. DOBBS, MALLORYS AND MANY OTHERS
ONLY HATMAKER IN ALASKA
— HATS EXPERTLY CLEANED and BLOCKED —
E. PEARL and CO.
340 4th — ANCHORAGE
ing and organizing first aid per
sonnel, establishing aid stations.
George Small—Rescue; res
cue of injured or stranded per
sons.
Dr. C. C. Bailey and Dr. Ver
non Cates—medical care.
Rev. Victor Alfsen— Trans
portation of Sick and Injured;
transport sick and injured to
and from medical centers.
John Dunlap—Dispersal Are
as and Dispersal Plans; to plan
fpr and supervise the evacua
tion of women and children.
James Wilson—Food and Wa
ter; to supervise storage and
distribution of food supplies.
Bill Bouwens — Emergency
Policing; Protection of public
facilities; prevention of looting
and protection of public re
cords.
John Weisenberger — Conf
municalions; establish and di
rect wire and courier facilities.
Dick Demming—Bomb Dis
persal and Isolation; to close off
dangerous areas and to direct
removal of debris.
Ray Lancaster—Fire Fighting.
Oliver Onkka — Transporta
tion Pool; to establish motor
pools and to dispatch vehicles
for various other committee
uses.
William T. Zahradnicek—Care
of School Children.
Members of the civilian defense
committee and all other inter
ested Valley residents, will meet
again at Palmer School next Mon
day evening. The meeting comes
to order promptly at eight o’clock.
—' ---
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