VALLEY FRONTIERSMAN
Entered as second class matter on Oct. 21, 1947, at the post office at
Palmer, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
PRINTED AT PALMER, ALASKA, EACH FRIDAY
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Opal Lu Smith .Editor
Valdez High School ..Valdez Correspondent
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
February 21, 1951
' Palmer, Alaska
Valley Frontiersman,
Palmer, Alaska.
Dear Editor:
You have done a good job of
keeping your readers informed
upon the much discussed issue of
Teachers’ Salary Raises. As a
local teacher and president of the
Palmer Teacher’s Association, let
me thank you for your admirable
support.
But I wonder if the people of
the community and the territory
really understand the vital im
portance of this issue. I wonder
if it would take a “territorial
teacher walk-out” to bring the
point home. Not that I encourage
such tactics. Far from it! We
teachers (unfortunately) are too
patient, too concerned with the
importance of child-education to
take such drastic steps. But, and
this is important, exactly such
measures were taken in the
States. And they are not impos
sible here.
An adequate and fair salary
adjustment for teachers in Alaska
is necessary. Now! And it seems
contrary to all legislative intel
ligence to delay such immediate
action or wrangle about political
issues involved.
The present teacher salary ad
justment, now being considered
by our Territorial legislature, is
both unfair and undemocratic.
The fact that our territorial legis
lators are failing (or side-track
in) a much needed explanation
to the public is an insult to the
people’s intelligence. They have
begged their votes; they have re-1
ceived their votes. And in return?
—the usual empty promises!
I can think of only one line
which describes them so well. A
quotation from “The Bitter Cup”:
“For he was a good politician,
more so than a good man.”
Just what are these men doing,
which prompts this outburst, you
ask?
The answer depends upon
whether or not our District is en
titled to being able to secure the
better teacher for our children. It
depends upon whether or not the
teaching profession in the Terri
tory will be turned into a “Pro
fessional Monoply” in favor of
Southeastern Alaska. It depends
upon whether or not we of the
Third District will offer prospec
tive teachers good salaries, and
thus, secure some of the better
teachers. It depends upon whette
er or not we of the Third District
will have to be content with the
“scrapings of the barrel,” when
Southeastern Alaska secures the
best by offering the most.
Does this make sense to you?
Or did you (the reader) think
that teachers are too inhuman or
too pedagogical to think of finan
cial security? Did you think that
a teacher will not eat the same I
expensive food you eat? wear the |
same expensive clothes you wear? •
pay the same expensive room- ;
rent you pay? . j
When will legislators (wlio are ;
supposed to be intelligent) realize
that teachers are human beings?
—subject to the same seasons?
the same living conditions? the
same trials (and even more so)?
the same responsibilities (and
even much more so!)?
You probably think I ridicule
too harshly. You probably think
I write a subjective letter, based
purely upon professional gripes.
You undoubtedly thing I attack,
unpatriotically these noble law
makers.
It grieves me indeed to make
the following quotation from a
letter I received from someone in
Juneau. This letter is dated Feb
ruary 16th. It grieves me because
it is difficult to accept such words.
“I know you people (teachers
from Palmer) have been sending
a lot of mail down; but those
form letters are received with a
smile. I was told yesterday by
one of our legislators that they
were about as effective as the
I Communist vote in Russia.”
This, then, expresses better
than I could think to express the
legislative attitude toward the
teachers’ plea for a fair and ade
quate salary adjustment. But let
us continue the quotation.
“They feel that, unless the let
ter carries a plea based upon ex
perience, it is not a very import
ant letter.”
What, in the eyes and heart of
a mighty legislator, constitutes a i
plea, based upon experience? And j
by what mental warp of imagina
tion does any legislator compare j
our teachers’ letter-efforts with
Communist votes in Russia!
Do these law-makers of our
Democracy expect people who
v ted for them to accept such
ridiculous comments? Do they
expect the fathers and mothers
of school children to sit back and;
accept such ridicule of our teach
ers? I certainly hope not! I have
more faith than that in the fa
thers and mothers of the children
I teach! I have enough faith in
them to expect them to write to
these legislators and see that jus
tice is done in this vital issue of
a teachers’ salary adjustment!
And I certainly have enough
*************************
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J. VIC BROWN & SONS
"The Alaskan Jewelers"
523 Fourth Ave., Anchorage Phone 22051
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Prompt Attention to Mail Orders
Serving Alaskans for 35 years—ask any old-timer
faith in these fathers and moth
ers (taxed almost beyond reason)
to know that they will not accept
as an excuse such idotic questions
as: “Where is the money coming
from for this teachers’ salary ad
justment?”
No! Such a question is with
out reason. For, if money is an
issue in this matter, then our leg
islators are more interested in
politics than in our welfare. Did
they not propose to take the to
bacco tax (ear-marked for educa
tion) away from education? And
now, after that strategic act
(which was supposed to be po
litically sound) can they dare to j
question money matters where |
the education of our children is
concerned? Can they dare to take
the bread from a man’s mouth,
hold it behind them, and say:
“It is better for your health that
you do not eat”?
The question for adequate
teachers’ salaries is not a new is
sue. But, if the interested people
will investigate that issue and do
something about it, then we, as a
democracy, are finally taking a
step toward giving the children
of our nation the advantages
that necessarily go with having
well-paid teachers.
Sincerely ask yourself this
question: How long must teach
ers endure the mockery of being
the poorest paid of any profes
sion? And along with that: Why
must a profession involved with
the education of your children be
accepted so matter-of-factly? And
finally: What can I do about it?
I can answer these questions.
I can tell you that the teachers
of Palmer sent our legislators
over 400 letters, expressing their
desire that Dr. Montgomery’s Sur
vey would be applied to teachers’
salary adjustments, as fair and
equitable. I can tell you that Mr.
Huntley, our Third District leg
islator has written to each of us,
personally, and promised his co
operation. I can tell you that
Warren Dahlstrom, president of
the Anchorage Schools, is now at
Juneau and exerting a tremen
dous effort to secure such salary
adjustment.
But Mr. Huntley and Warren
Dahlstrom are but winds “crying
in the wilderness,” unless the
people themselves come forth and
show interest in this vital issue.
I can tell you people, who are
interested in the education of
children, to write to your legis
lators and inform them that you
also sponsor our plea for a salary
adjustment, based upon Dr. Mont
gomery’s Survey.
But . . . will you? Please? Now?
Sincerely,
Joseph Hudock.
Coffey Insures Everything—
Remember?
a**********************)*
| CUB SCOUT NEWS
All parents and friends of Pal
mer Cub Scouts are invited to at
tend the monthly pack meeting
to be held "February 26 at the
school gym. The meeting is
! scheduled to get under way al
[ eight o’clock, according to the
announcement made here this
week.
Mr. James Kindler, newly ap
pointed Cub master of Pack 354:
will give a short talk on the Cut
Scout Pow-Wow, held at An
chorage February 17. A ten
month program has been planned
for the ensuing year and some
time will be devoted to outlining
the themes. Plans will also be
formulated at this meeting for
the annual Blue and Gold ban
quet, tentatively set for March
26. Mr. Clark McHuron will be
in charge of games for the eve
ning.
Den 3 held their weekly meet
ing at the home of Mrs. Johns.
There were five Cubs present.
We are still working on our
scrapbook but we hope to have
it completed for our pack meeting
to be held Monday, February 26.
Submitted by Keeper of the
Buckskin Roger Broger.
TERRITORIAL PUBLICATIONS
The Agricultural Extension
Service this week announced the
•release of Circular No. 13, “1951
General Fertilizer Recommenda
tions for Alaska,” prepared by
the Alaska Experiment Station.
This circular contains fertilizer
recommendations for home gar
dens, green house crops, and
lawns, in addition to recommen
dations for field crops. The Ex
tension Service also plans to re
lease a circular on vegetable gar
dening very soon. Both of these
publications will be available for
“distribution.
Also now available for distribu
tion is Circular 14, “Recom
mended Varieties of Field Crops
for Alaska, 1951.” The circular
was prepared by staff members
of the Alaska Agricultural Ex
periment station agronomy de
partment.
BILLS ACCESSIBLE
The Valley Frontiersman is on
the Territorial Legislature’s mail
ing list and has been receiving
copies of Senate bills, resolutions
and memorials as well as the
Senates daily Journals. These are
accessible at the Frontiersman’s
office to interested persons in the
Valley.
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ings held “underground,” by appointment in private homes until
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RATES: $5 to $15 O Month Books Extra
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