Sportsmen's third an
nual Game Dinner at
Palmer Gym at 6:30
tomorrow evening.
Knlley Mrontiergmstn
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
U PAGES
TODAY
VOL. 4. NO. 5
PALMER. ALASKA. FRIDAY. OCTOBER 13. 1950
PRICE 10c
Profiteering Disproved By Investigators
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Valley Precincts
Switch Backing
To Republican Party
Palmer, Wasilla and Eska, for i
the first time in many elections, j
switched their allegiance to the i
Republican party last Tuesday. |
Voting was light in Palmer and in I
•Eska. Only 437 ballots were cast
in the Palmer precinct. Wasilla
voters turned out en masse to cast
their ballots for the home-town
condidate, Gerrit “Heinie” Snider.
Ballots in the Palmer precinct
more often were split between
Republicans and Democrats, than
has been the trend in more recent
elections. If a voter did indicate
a straight party ticket, his choices j
were more apt to be Republican.
Only four local ballots were
spoiled. One voter marked out
all names on his ballot and wrote
in, “None of these are for the
people. I will vote for a third
party only.” He didn’t say what
party candidates he would like
to see on his ballot.
In Palmer precinct, ballots were
cast for these candidates:
Delegate to Congress—Bart
lett, 286; Peterson, 126.
Treasurer—Roden, 282.
Commissioner of Labor—Ben
son, 249; Kimball, 153.
Senator—Snider, 354; Enge
-greth, 243; Rivers, 110; Loussac,
59.
Representative — Snodgrass,
321; McKinley, 269; Gorsuch.
236; Gill. 205; McLane, 181;
Egan, 179; Chase, 170; McCutch
ean, 170; Kay, 157; Conright,
155; Osbo, 148; Pollard, 146;
Scavenius, 139; Carlson, 112.
Eska voters recorded these
choices:
Delegate to Congress—Bart
lett, 18; Peterson, 7.
Treasurer—Roden. 20.
Commissioner of labor—Ben
son, 12; Kimball, 11.
Senator — Snider, 22; Enge
breth, 18; Rivers, 4; Loussac, 3.
Representative — Snodgrass,
19; Scavenius, 16; McKinley, 14;
McCutcheon, 13; Chase. 13;
Egan. 12; Gill. 12; Conright, 11;
Kay, 11; McLane, 11; Osbo. 10;
Carlson, 9; Gorsuch, 9; Pollard,
5.
Wasilla-ites favored these can
didates: :
Delegate to Congress—Bart
lett. 95; Peterson, 42.
Treasurer—Roden, 86.
* Commissioner of Labor—Ben
son. 81; Kimball, 46.
Senator — Snider, 136; Enge
breth, 45; Rivers, 30; Loussac,
19.
Representatives — Snodgrass,
98; GilL 71; McCutcheon, 65;
McKinley, 61; Chase, 55; Gor
such, 55; McLane. 53; Conright,
51; Osbo, 50; Scavenius, 47; Kay,
47; Egan. 47; Pollard, 39; Carl
son, 37.
Farm Loop Residents
To Get Daily Mail, Too
The Farm Loop road also is in
cluded in the new daily star route
mail service, scheduled to start
Nov. 1. This area was overlooked
in last week’s story of extended
mail routes.
Schapiro And Totenburg Will Present Concert
Of Piano, Violin Music At Palmer Gym Tonight
Cleaning Plant
Leased
Valley Cleaners has been leased
for the winter months, owner
Mary Witt announced today. Ef
fective Nov. 1, Mr. and Mrs. C. J.
McMahan will operate the plant,
under the managership of Mrs.
Ralph Goodrich.
The McMahans are long-time
Alaskans and have been winter
residents of Palmer for some
years. Mr. McMahan formerly
trucked between Valdez and Chit
ina, and later operated the star
mail route up the Glenn High
way, before Cliff Steadman as
sumed the contract.
The McMahans also are gold
mine owners and operators. They
have holdings in the Nelchina
country on Albert Creek.
The new plant operators will
move to the quarters now oc
cupied by Mr. and Mrs. Witt, be
side the cleaning plant.
The Witts plan to leave the
Valley about Nov. 1, to drive Out
side. They will spend the winter
months vacationing in Washing
ton, Oregon and California. Mrs.
Witt will make a business trip
back to the Valley next Spring,
but she does not plan to stay. The
Witts’ permanent home will be
established in eastern Washing
ton, where Mrs. Witt’s daughter
resides.
Leaiherwork Lessons Attract
14 to Evening Crafts Session
There were 13 women and one
lonely man, determined to learn
the art of leathercraft, who gath
ered for the first evening session
at the Crafts Workshop last week.
The workshop, planned to give
craft lessons to Valley homemak
ers, is in session each Friday, and
meets an additional two nights a
month on Wednesday.
29 SHARE OWNERSHIP
OF WASILLA LOTS
WASILLA — There were 29
Alaskans who left Wasilla last
Friday, owning a section of the
town. They were the new own
ers of town lots, sold at public
auction. Considerable interest
| was shown in the auction.
Prices for the parcels of Wa
silla ranged from a low of $35 to
a peak price of $130.
The new owners of Wasilla
property are:
(In Block Four) C. L. Cadwal
lader, Lot 3; Roy A. Morrison,
Lots 4 and 5; Pete Corcoran, Lot
6; Red Hanson, Lot 7; Jim Bald
win, Lot 8; C. L. Cadwallader,
Lot 9; Bob Romig, Lot 10; Mrs.
Bob Romig, Lot 11; Bob Romig,
Lot 12; Red Hanson, Lots 13 and
14; Phil Serell, Lot 15; Brandow,
Lot 16; Walter Teeland, Lot 17;
John Zak, Lots 18 and 19; Peter
Nelson, Lot 20; Wasilla Commun
ity Church, Lot 21.
(In Block Five) Pat Carter,
Lots 1 and 2; Bob Dow, Lot 3;
A1 Hagen, Lots 4 and 5; Bruce
Kendall, Lots 6 and 7; Shorty
Gustafson, Lots 8 and 9; Frank
Sorenson, Lot 10; Hal Halvorsen,
Lot 11; Smith, Lots 12 and 13;
Heinie Snider, Lot 14; Bruce Ken
dall, Lots 6 and 7; Shorty Gus
tafson, Lots 8 and 9; Frank Sor
enson, Lot 10; Hal Halvorsen, Lot
11; Smith, Lots 12 and 13;
Heinie Snider, Lot 14; Bruce Ken
dall, Lots 15 and 16; Mrs. Bob
Romig, Lot 17; A1 Hagen, Lot 18;
Melvin Bjorn, Lots 19 and 20; Pat
Carter, Lot 21; Bob Romig, Lot
22.
(In Block Six) Jack Fabyan,
Lots 3 and 4; John Lemon, Lot
5; Irving Sawby, Lots 6 and 7;
Ed Christensen, Lot 8; Red Han
son, Lot 9; Bob Romig, Lot 10;
Bob Dow, Lot 11.
Maximum Schapiro and Roman
Totenburg, artists of the Arctic
Trails Concert Association, will
appear in a concert tonight at the
Palmer Gymnasium. The musi
cians will begin their perform
ance at eight o’clock.
The violinist and pianist are
presented here under the spon
sorship of Beta Sigma Phi. They
thrilled a capacity audience of
1,000 people at a concert in An
chorage earlier this week. Soror
ity members hope that tonight’s
presentation will be so enthusi
astically received that it will be
possible to make Palmer a sched
uled performance for all Arctic
Trails artists.
Although Schapiro, the pian
ist, has been in Anchorage on
three other occasions, he never
has been heard in Palmer. His
concert history includes appear
ances as soloist with the San
Francisco Symphony, the Chicago
Symphony, the Vancouver Sym
phony and the Hartford Sym-.
phony. He also has appeared as
featured artist at the Bach Fes
tival at Carmel and has been
guest artist with the Paganini
String Quartet.
Mr. Shapiro will be heard to
night as accompanist for Mr.
Totenburg, violinst.
His present tour is Totenburg’s
first visit in Alaska. He is a Pol
ish artist who began his career
in early childhood when he went
on concert tour with the Moscow
Orchestra as a child prodigy. He
first appeared in America with
the National Symphony at Wash
ington, D. C.
The violinist also has made a
South American tour with Ar
tur Rubinstein.
Tickets for tonight’s concert
may be purchased from any so
rority member. They also will be
on sale at the door. The tickets
will cost $2.40 for adults and 60
cents for students (tax included).
Sorority head Dorothy Saxton
has made these assignments, in
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LESS SPUDS THIS YEAR BUT THEY'RE
LOTS BETTER, CO-OP MANAGER SAYS
Potatoes might be fewer this
year, in the storage bins of the
Matanuska Valley Farmers’ Co
Operating Association, but they
are bigger and better than ever
before, manager James Wilson in
sists.
He attributes the excellence of
this year’s crops to the ideal har
vest weather. The spuds were
more mature, when picked this
year, than they sometimes have
been in past seasons. They even
came out of the ground looking
tidier than they usually do.
However there’s no denying
the fact that there just aren’t as
many of them as there were last
year. Co-Op manager and Co-Op
farmers alike blame it on the
drought of the past summer.
However they’re almost inclined
to feel that the greatly improved
quality of the Matanuska potato
of 1950 will offset the lessened
quantity.
The decrease in stored potatoes
this year, reduced to weight,
amounts to about 200 tons. It’s es
timated that Co-Op farmers grew
about 2,000 tons of potatoes this
year, as compared to the 2,200-ton
figure of 1949.
Reduced to dollars and cents,
that 200-ton drop means that Val
ley Co-Op farmers can expect to
draw potato checks totalling only
a quarter of a million dollars this
year. In 1949, their spud money
amounted to $300,000.
However those figures are only
strong guesses on the part of
Manager Wilson. He finds it dif
ficult to estimate, because many
farmers have built their own
storage facilities this year.
MAZE’S ACCUSATIONS
NOT BORNE OUT
BY COMMITTEE
Charges of profiteering, hurled
at last week’s Chamber of Com
merce meeting, proved to be ab
solutely unfounded, an investi
gating committee of three busi
nessmen found this week. Cham
ber members were told last week
that local merchants and busi
nessmen were subjecting Bureau
of Reclamation workers to sky
rocketing rentals and prices.
Also disproved, as so much
scuttlebutt, were the assertions
that there were “40 unhoused
Reclamation families sitting in
the Hotel lobby” and an addition
al “caravan of 25 families due to
arrive in Palmer any day now.”
There is absolutely no truth in
either statement.
At the time of the investiga
tion, early in the week, it was
found that three families were
quartered at the Matanuska
Hotel, who desired family ac
commodations. They have been
quartered elsewhere since, al
though they have been replaced
by two other families in need of
housing.
Other families have been lodged
in rooms, rather than in house
keeping quarters, until perma
nent quarters can be located.
However there are no families
without shelter in Palmer.
Byron Felkner, project engi
neer, asked to estimate his hous
ing needs, replied that a total of
50 to 60 houses would be needed
in all, but most of them would not
be required before spring. He
said he knew of two other fam
ilies and five single men en route
at this time. He expects seven
other families, ranging in size
from couples to families with one
or two children, within the next
two months.
Almost all Reclamation em
ployes want some kind of house
keeping quarters, he said. Even
the single men are seeking quar
ters with cooking facilities so that
they may prepare their own
meals. In the spring, there prob
ably will be additional housing
requirements for contractor per
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