' Tragic Spenard
Fire Takes Lives of
Four Small Children
Tragedy struck in Spenard on
Monday morning when four small
children, daughters of Mr. and
Mrs. Thomas J. Fleming, were
burned to death in their small
two-room cabin.
Origin of the fire was undeter
mined. Mrs. Vera Shaw, grand
mother of the children, had gone
outside for just a minute and was
* unable to gain entrance to the
flaming cabin. In a futile attempt
to try to get in through the win
dow by breaking it, her hands
were badly cut. Mrs. Shaw had
been caring for the children in
the absence of their mother who
was in the States. The father was
at work at the Spenard Service
Station.
The Spenard Volunteer Fire
Department was at the fire scene
within six minutes of the alarm,
but the firefighters were unable
to get near the flaming cabin to
attempt rescue.
The little victims of the fire
were Verann. aged four; two
year-old Rosielee; and Priscilla
and Patricia. 10-m o n t h s-old
twins.
FORMER LOCAL
BUSH PILOT WEDS
ANCHORAGE GIRL
Of interest to many people in
Palmer was the marriage of Er
win Long and Gloria Stoker in
Anchorage’s First Methodist
Church, Saturday, December 15.
For nearly two years Erwin
Long, brother of Merrit Long,
worked out of Palmer as a bush
pilot. While here he stayed with
the Merle Andersons.
The Longs, who are ardent ski
enthusiasts, are spending their
honeymoon at Curry. They both
are employed at the District En
gineer’s office.
OPS WARNS AGAINST
ARBITRARY MARK-UPS
ON DRINK PRICES
JUNEAU — Following com
plaints that some bars have in
creased the price of drinks due
to the recent excise tax, George
N. Apostol, enforcement director
for the Office of Price Stabiliza
tion. warned that such increases
may be in violation of ceiling
prices.
“Bars, like restaurants, are
a eovered by Ceiling Price Regula
tion 11 and must maintain their
food-cost ratios.” Apostol said.
“Any arbitrary' increase of 5 nr
10 cents a drink is likely to be
in violation of ceiling prices.”
Apostol pointed out, however,
that if bars show an increase in
their liquoT costs during any
four-month period, they may ad
just their prices to be within
their liquor-cost ratio at the end
of their period. There is little,
likelihood, he said, that the re
cent tax increase of 26 to 30 cents ,
a fifth could be reflected in a 3 j
or T'J cent increase in drinks.
_ I
COFFEY INSURES 1
f ]
EVERYTHING. REMEMBER? |
HEAR
A. V. Richey, B.A., B.D., M.R.E.
Pastor
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
(Meeting in Carpenters' Hall)
Sunday School. 10 AJi.
Sermon, 11 A.M.
“Virgin Birth of Jesus"
Sunday Night, 7:15 p.m.
"This Is Christmas”
Special Program
A Merry Christmas to You All
SELF EMPLOYED
LIABLE FOB
SOCIAL SECURITY TAX
Persons who are in business for
themselves, with certain excop- I
tions, are covered under the old j
age and survivor insurance pro-!
visions of Social Security. Inter
nal Revenue Collector Clark
Squire stated today.
Public law No. 734. effective
January 1, 1951. provides that if
you work for yourself in a trade
or business as a sole owner or
partner, your net income from
such business in 1951 is $400.00
or more, and you do not have
$3,600.00 or more from a job cov
ered by social security, you must
pay the self-employment tax of
2 1/4% for 1651. The computa
tion will be made on a separate
Schedule C to be filed with your
1951 income tax return.
Excepted from coverage under
the law is income from perform
ance of service as a self-employed
farmer, physician, lawyer, dentist,
osteopath, veterinarian, chiro
practor, naturopath, optometrist,
Christian Science practitioner, ar
chitect. certified public account
ant. licenses or registered ac
countant, full-time practicing ac
countant, funeral director, or pro
fessional engineer; as an ordain
ed, commissioned, or licensed
minister; or as a member of a re
ligious order.
All self-employed persons cov
ered by the law are required to
have a social security number
which can be obtained through
your Social Security Office. In
formation with respect to bene
fits under the act may also be
obtained from any Social Security
Office.
FEDERAL EMPLOYEES
GET FOUR-DAY HOLIDAY
According to a recent an
nouncement by President Tru
man, Federal employees will en
joy a four-day Christmas holiday
and a three-day New Years va
cation.
Offices will close at the usual
time Friday evening and will not
re-open until eight o’clock the
morning of December 26th. How
ever, Uncle Sam is not giving an
extra day to his help for nothing.
In return for the extra day Mon
fay, December 24, Federal em
ployees are supposed to work on
Saturday, December 29; and to
make up for Monday, December j
31, they are to work on Saturday, j
January 5.
New Babies
A daughter, Nanette Linda, was
born to Mr. and Mrs. Harold
Loomis of the Palmer Star Route
at the Valley Hospital December
14. The little girl is the couple’s
first child. She weighed seven
pounds and three-fourths of an
ounce.
—■■■■ ■
|> r»ifw» Am—tll> y t.
I’ve discovered that the easiest
.ay to be aure of pleading friends
it Christmas ia to give them the
-rifts you’d like moot to receive your
ielf. This rule haa worked beauti
fully for me for many years — and
■ren worked In reverse this year.
Yeu see, my birthday ia just a few
weeks before Christmas—and when
..y husband, Jim, found that 1 had
nought several Urge mantel mirrors
m give to my friends for Christmas,
<ie decided that a mirror was just
-ebout the best birthday gift he could
fivfe me.
And how right he was! I’m simply
delighted with my new plate glass
mirror — it makes my entire living
room seem larger — and is going to
be such a decorative background for
my Christmas decorations that I’m
really thrilled to have it before
Christinas.
I’m certainly $lad, too, that !
showed my gift mirrors to Jim, and
explained that I chose Pittsburgh
Plate Glass mirrors because I knew
they were the finest made. Good
quality is so important, you know —
and they will be just as clear and
attractive ten years from now! I’m
sure my friends will be as delighted
as I was with this gift — it makes
giving so much more fun when you
know that the gift will be welcome,
doesn’t it?
This may be the idea you’ve beer
looking for—and there are so many
attractive new designs — oval
shapes, oblongs, square designs —
not only for mantels but for every
room in the home. And when you
consider how much light and decora
tive beauty a mirror can add tc any
room. it. useem li'.o t'..c iuial
Chiislfn*: gift, •io.-ar.’t i'.’
EKLUTNA PROJECT HEAD
RETURNS WITH BAD NEWS
ABOUT POWER PLANT
LOCATION
Byron G. Felkner returned on
Sunday night from his trip to the
Denver headquarters of the Bu
reau of Reclamation’s chief en
gineer.
He brought back what is prob
ably the final decision on the lo
cation of the power plant in the
Eklutna Project. According to the
present plans it will not be built
underground in the mountain
fastness as had been previously
hoped. The decision, which will
be disappointing to many in this
area, was credited to extra cost
and uncertainty about the rock
structure which would “roof” an
underground plant.
Coffey Insures Everything!
Remember?
Listings of All Kinds
Wanted
A Fen Choice Lois Are Available
IN TWIN LAKES SUB-DIVISION
At Tremendous Discounts for Cash
HOUSES, ACREAGE, LOTS and FARMS
JACK MAZE
REAL ESTATE
Phone 75j11 Phone 120
W
Lutheran Children'*
Christmas Program
To Benefit Hospital
The children of the Lutheran
Church in Palmer are inviting the
entire community to join in
Christmas worship and see and
hear the beautiful Christmas pro
gram which they will present on
Christmas Eve. Monday, begin
ning at 7:30.
The beautiful story of the Sa
viour’s birth will be told in song
and recitation, while full color
scenes of the Christmas Gospel
are shown on a screen. A candle
light processional by the children
will help to make this a presen
tation which will bring real beau
ty and gladness to all who at
tend.
Generous sacks of Christmas
goodies will be given to all chil
dren in attendance.
A free will offering will be re
ceived w'hich will then be turned
over to the fund for our Commu
nity Hospital as a children’s
Christmfis gift to the future good
and health of our community.
The young people will have
their Christmas party on Sunday
evening at seven o’clock, and the
regular worship service will be
held on Christmas Day at 11 a.m.
ELEVEN CANDIDATES
TO BE INITIATED
INTO BPOE NEXT WEEK
The local Elks will hold a for
mal initiation of 11 candidates at
♦he Fair Administration building
Wednesday December 26, at 3
p.m.
Local officers will be in charge
of the initiation ceremonies.
To be initiated next week are
Samuel A. Swetz, Bertram R.
j Curry, David Vanek, Kasper
Keiser. John Lee, James Thorn
i low. Peter Mathias Poison, Theo
dore R. Buzby, Robert W. Pip
pie and Howard A. Campbell.
Twelve others were initiated
on December 7th. They were Da
vid A. Bryant. Claiborne Lee.
Harry Duff. Jimmie Render, John
A. Velush. Philip L. McRae, Har
old V. Stuart, Edgar B. DeLand,
O. R. Mitchell, V. R. Wilkinson
. Murray J. Athearn, and Simon
J. Newcomb.
Pre-Xmas Social Spotlight on
Cllcs' Purple Bubble Ball Saturday
FEWER WOLF-KILLS
REPORTS AGENT
Bob Burkholder, local preda
tory agent for the 1 ish and Wild
life returned to the Valley re
cently following a two week trip,
working out of Tadina-Nilchina
area. Working from the Talkeetna
Mountains on the south to the
Denali-Tangle Lakes area on the
north and the eastern side of the
Richardson highway, Burkholder
said that the caribou appear to
be quite numerous throughout
the entire area.
Wolves are present but few and
far between. Pour grey wolves
were killed at Clarence Lake and
a single wolf was sighted in the
Klutina-Tazlina Lakes area but
was not killed. Predatory agents
have* been using hair seal bait
after locating infested regions
from the air. Strychnine tablets
and hair seal blubber are easily
digested by the wolves and kills
are usually located very near the
bait.
The fact that lewer wolves
seem apparent in these areas is
principally due to the program
being carried out so successfully
j by the predatory agents.
The social spotlight plays tlus
pre-Christmas week-end on the
Purple Bubble Ball to be given
by the local Elks at the school
gymnasium on Saturday evening
from 9 p.m. to 2 a m.
The Purple Bubble Ball is one
of the two annual chanty balls
sponsored by the B.P.O.E. to raise
money for local charitable activi
ties. The new Palmer lodge plans
to give Christmas baskets, warm
clothing and toys to several needy
families in the Valley. In making
up the list of such needy families*
local Elks found that there were
more families than they could
handle. Other organizations are
helping out.
With the accent on purple, the
Elks’ ball should be a very color
ful affair. Although it will bc
semi-formal. officers of the lodge
will wear formal attire. The hall
will be decorated with nearly a
thousand purple bubbles (bal
loons).
Clarence Bell, who heads the
social and community welfare
committee of the lodge, is the
party chairman. He is being as
sisted by Ben Hudgins and A1
DeJulio.
The Palmer School Pep Club
will be in charge of the checking
concession.
Moore's Garage
General Automotive Repair
Crankshaft Grinding
Rebore Service
Post Office Box 789
Palmer, Alaska
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The Ideal Gift
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