COMPLIMENTARY
ELECTION EXTRA
INSIDE
\TOL. 4. NUMBER 31
Malley Mrontiergman
Published nt the interests of the matanuska valley
PALMER, ALASKA, FRIDAY. APRIL 13. 1951
U PAGES
TODAY
PRICE 10c
Council-Elect Moves Fast For Funds
OPEN HOUSE AT NEW AHA HOMES;
PRIORITY TO W W II VETERANS
i-- -
Alaska Housing Authority will
hold open house Friday, April 20,
in the first 10 of 25 new homes
to be completed at Palmer by the
AHA.
This coincides with the annua)
meeting of the AHA board ol
commissioners who will be on
hand for the open house, E. Glen
Wilder, executive director, said,
They also will be guests at a spe
cial Chamber of Commerce lunch
eon Friday in the Rec hall.
“This is significant to the AHA
and to housing-short Alaska,” Mr.
Wilder declared. “It marks the
first home completion under spe
cial operation of the new Alaska
Housing Act. This Act, passed by
Congress in 1949, facilitates con
struction of housing units thru
out the Territory, principally by
offering inducements to private
builders.
“Many apartment buildings and
housing projects started last year
were financed and constructed
with its aid.
“However, some private build
ers have been unwilling to un
dertake new home construction.
The Alaska Housing Act provides
in such event where the shortage
is serious, the AHA may con
struct such housing. Congress ap
propriated money for that pur
pose. A fund also was granted to
make loans to private builders
and the AHA has out-standing
at this time approximately four
and one-half million dollars in
loans.
Homes Near Completion
“The 25 homes at Palmer were
undertaken by AHA only after
private sponsors refused to build
here. With approval of the Ek
lutna Dam, an already acute
housing shortage has become ex
(Continued on Page 4)
MEA Annual
Meeting To
Choose Bireelors
Matanuska Electric Assn, mem
bers will vote for five directors
ami on other important measures
at the annual meeting Saturday,
April 14, 8 p.m., school audi
torium.
Nominated for directors are H.
S. Bauer, Ray McCartney, Thom
as Lepak, Mrs. Cloyce Parks, Ev
erett Yohn, Robert Johns, Ted
Knutsen, William Casler, George
Small, Miss V. Louise Kellogg,
Richard Tunnicliff, Walter Tee
land, R. B. Graham, Parker Les
ter, and other nominations may
Joe made from the floor if the
nominees are willing to serve.
Program, in addition to busi
ness, includes social hour, movies
^nd prizes.
Poster Winners
Enter National
Semi-Finals
Five talented youngsters are
winners from Palmer Incorporat
ed School in the poster qontest
sponsored by the National Educa
tion Assn, on the theme “Vacation
In Alaska.”
They are Carol Colberg, Carla
Driggers, Jerene Stephan, Leon
Grover and David Ingalls.
Winning posters are being sent
to Juneau to be judged in compe
tition with other Alaskan schools.
Semi-final winners at Juneau will
go to San Francisco to be judged
at the NEA convention.
Twenty-four posters were sub
mitted. Honorable mention was
awarded to Carol Berry, Verna
Adams, Patricia Plumley, Adelard
Beylund, Karen McCartney, Dor
othy Jean Cathers and Francis
Tarpelli.
Faculty chairman of the com
petition, Mrs. Henning Blunck,
said all entries except winners
(which must go to Juneau) will ,
be on exhibit in the lower hall ]
of the school.
The contest was judged by fac- ]
ulty members Miss Barbara Rum- <
ball, Miss Evelyn Henrich, Mrs. ]
Barbara Smart and Mrs. Doris 1
Tippins. {
ARMY "TAKES OVER" PALMER
IN WAR EVACUATION DRILL
jt dimci iuuk.cu ii_K.tr an Army
camp Saturday as military exer
cise “Firestep” moved swiftly in
evacuation tests.
All technical services were re
presented, Quartermaster, Ordi
nance, MP’s, Medical, and sup
porting units.
Army headquarters were estab
lished in the Valley Theatre. Red
Cross marked medical units were
pulled close to the railroad tracks.
Portable radios zigzagged as
needed.
At street corners and highway
crossings housewives, truckdriv
ers, delivery trucks, all vehicle
drivers were waved down by stal
wart and courteous guys in uni
form and helmet, and cleared or
commandeered for evacuation
drill.
Speedy Evacuation
This third evacuation drill went
forward as planned, the Army re
ported. The idea was to try to get
as many evacuees as possible out
over the Alcan Highway to safe
ty into the States.
Evacuees theoretically were
furnished with enough rations,
first aid kits, blankets and motor
lubrication to make the journey
xo me oiates, and it they were
broke, with partial pay to carrj
them through. The evacuatior
was simulated until approximate
ly 1100 autos had passed out oi
the attack zone. In case of lack ol
cars, air and water transportatior
awaited.
In charge of the operations ir
this area were Maj. Gen. Juliar
W. Cunningham, commanding
general, U. S. Army, Alaska, anc
Evacuation Officer Col. James V
Carroll, headquarters, Fort Rich
ardson.
At the Valley Theatre, in fronl
of the stage in bright lights be
yond the dark and empty rows oi
seats, complete headquarters were
set up, with orders and reports
rolling, messengers and details
coming and going, communica
tions chattering. And in the foyer,
the Salvation Army passed out
food: not the traditional dough
nuts, but moose meat sandwiches
and coffee.
Civil Defease
Civil Defense in Palmer had
prepared for the test by setting
up a first aid clearing station in
the school and designated con
(Continued on Page 4)
EXTRA
Civic history was made when
Palmer voted April 10 to be
come a first class incorporated
city.
Newspaper history was made
in this area when the Valley
Frontiersman, Palmer weekly,
put out an election extra and
had it on the streets within
minutes after voting returns on
incorporation and city council
were officially recorded.
Popular demand for copies
of this EXTRA has been so
heavy that the edition was
sold out. By request of mail
subscribers who did not re*
ceive this EXTRA, and many
others who want additional
copies for historical and sou
venir files, THE VALLEY
FRONTIERSMAN is enclosing
in this regular weekly issue a
reprint of the election EXTRA.
BLAST INJURES FOREMAN
Theodore Mommsen of Wasilla
ection foreman for the Alaska
lailroad, was critically injured
\pril 12, when dynamite caps ex
>loded. Face and hands were lac
(rated. He was rushed to Valley
iospital, Palmer, then taken or
o Providence Hospital in Anchor
ige.
CONFERENCE SET WITH WILSON,
ALASKA PUBLIC WORKS; COURT
ORDER REQUIRED ON INCORPORATION
Palmer's brand new city council elect—high seven of a field of
18 chosen when citizens voted April 10 to become a first class in
corporated city—are not waiting for the mud to freeze under their
feet before tackling paramount civic problems.
Officially, the election is not verified until court order is received.
But last night the council elect met and delegated A. V. Hagen,
who received second highest vote, to contact Don Wilson of Juneau,
director of Alaska Public Works, and follow up previous conferences
on what funds may be available to meet immediate needs of the
new-born city.
meeting witn Wilson and tne
council is set for Saturday at 2
p.m. at the Matanuska Hotel.
Await Court Verification
Under the law, the election
which voted Palmer from a vil
lage to a first class city, must be
declared legal by the court. U. S.
Commissioner Dorothy Saxton
immediately after election filed
the returns with the clerk of the
court in Anchorage. Legal adviser
Harold Butcher of Anchorage,
who must present the proper
pleading before the court, is now
on a case in San Francisco. As
soon as he returns, within the
next few days, the required legal
1 procedure will be followed and
Palmer should be able to stride
ahead on its new citified feet.
Meanwhile, the council-elect is
going through all possible prelim
inaries so no time will be lost
when the court order comes
through.
Technicalities of funds avail
able for critically needed public
utilities, primarily water, are be
ing threshed out.
Mayor Must Be Named
One of the first actions by the
council-elect is to select one of
its seven members to serve as
mayor or chairman.
Members of the council, in or
der of the votes they received,
are Carl H. Meier, A. V. Hagen,
Lloyd W. Severns, Dr. Allan
Mick, C. A. Sanvik, Frank Brown
and Steve Ward. One of those
seven will be picked as front
man.
Kind of city government, or
ganization, personnel, ordinances
—all are immediate problems.
“Looks like midnight oil,”
agreed the seven.
Citizens Back New City
Hard-fighting opposition to in
corporation took the election re
turns on the chin and for the most
part declared their intention to
go along with the up-coming city
government on reasonable actions
and expenditures essential for
development of the community.
First talk of demanding a re
count of votes, and challenging
legality of electors, had simmered
down. U. S. Commissioner Sax
ton said no formal protest had
been filed with her office.
General reaction by the oppo
sition was voiced by several of
the non-incorporationists who al
so naa run tor city council just
in case.”
Bernard R. Bouwens, North
Palmer, and Robert Peterson,
both said they thought the seven
men elected to city council were
“a good choice—could not have
been better.” Other non-incorpor
ationists admitted the need for
public utilities and improvements,
and said they would do what
they can to back the fight for a
better Palmer.
Palmer 0. E. S.
Organized;
Officers Named
Matanuska Valley Order of the
Eastern Star formally was organ
ized at a meeting April 10 in the
Palmer Incorporated School li
brary.
Name was chosen, by-la w-s
adopted, and officers elected for
the coming year.
Past patron Henry W. Cuffell
of Anchorage, acting deputy ap
pointed by Most Worthy Grand
Patron Franklin W. Miles, assist
ed in the organization and cere
monies. Mrs. Cuffell, Worthy Ma
tron from Anchorage, was among
the honored dignitaries.
Officers elected for the coming
year included Mrs. L. E. Hanks,
worthy matron; Stanley Laird,
worthy patron; Mrs. Jack Cope,
associate matron, and Cloise
Parks, associate patron.
Next meeting will be called at
an early date.
2.000.000 POUNDS
FERTILIZER. FEED.
SEED UNLOADED HERE
Nearly two million pounds of
fertilizer, feed and seed have
rolled into the Palmer yards of
the Alaska Railroad during the
past few days for the Matanuska
Valley Co-Op. Farmers, taking
advantage of the 10 percent dis
count for unloading direct from
cars, are hauling their orders
away as fast as they are shipped
in, C. L. Nelson, Palmer AR agent
said. More shipments are due.
Two carloads of compressed al
falfa hay shipped from Seattle
on the open market were grabbed
as fast as they could be taken,
from the cars.