FLOWER SHOW
Sunday. August 12
Fair Building
Kalley Jrnntiergman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS Ok MS MTANUSKÄ VÄLLEY
4 L PAGES
10 TODAY
VOL. 4, NUMBER 48
v
PALMER. ALASKA. THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 1951
PRICE. 10c
Sales Tax Ordinance
Adopted by Council;
Others Coming Up
As the City Council adopted the
sales and service tax ordinance
by a unanimous vote after the
fourth reading last night, mem
bers were faced with the pros
pect of listening to an inordinant
number of ordinance readings be
jtr fore the wheels of city govern
ment can function with authori
ty.
With the adoption of the sales
and service tax ordinance, the
tax goes into effect September 1.
Tax collections are to be turned
in monthly to the City Clerk, the
first payment being due Septem
ber 30. Forms for reporting the
tax collections may be obtained
from him early in September.
Ordinances setting up a police
* department, providing regula
tions for personal conduct, and
prohibiting prostitution were re
ported out by police and safety
committeemen Frank Brown and
Lloyd Severns. The first public
reading of these three ordinances
followed. The second public read
ing will take place next Wednes
day evening, August 15. in Sev
ern’s Cabinet Shop. At that time,
the same committee will present
ordinances dealing with taxi con
trol, health and sanitation, traf
fic, and public safety.
In a discussion of the city’s ad
ministrative housing problem,
some consideration was given
last night to the possibility of
w conducting basement facilities
this fall. Pressing need is for an
administrative office for the City
Clerk, a jail, and storage for fire
equipment.
Receipt of an application for
the position of city policeman was
reported by Severns and Brown
of the police and safety commit
tee.
PARKER LESTER IS
NEW FAIR MANAGER
Valley Fair Association, Presi- !
dent Clair Stock announced this I
week the appointment of Park- ;
er Lester as fair manager.
Lester will begin his duties as
manager next week. He will be in
charge of all concessions, queen
contest, and supervision of the
exhibits. He will take over the
Fair Assn, office on the fair
grounds.
In the meantime, until Lester
takes over, Clair Stock was con
tinuing to handle the business of
the fair at the Palmer Fountain.
Fair queen tickets will be distri
buted to the local businessmen
some time this week, he said.
This week “Matanuska Valley
Fair” was painted in huge red
letters on the fairground fence
together with the September 1,
2, and 3 dates this year by Irving
Plitt.
To Reopen Bidding
On Eklutna Tunnel
“All bids for the construction
of the Eklutna Tunnel, Eklutna
Project, Alaska, which were re
ceived and opened on June 25,
1951. at the Palmer headquarters,
have been rejected”, Byron K.
Felkner announced this week.
Simultaneously, the construc
tion engineer in charge of the Ek
lutna Project issued notice for a
reopening of the bidding.
“Notice of readvertisement for
the construction of Eklutna Tun
nel is hereby made and the speci
fications under this readvertise
ment will be issued on or about
August 10, 1951.
“The readvertisement will con
sist of two schedules. Schedule
No. 1 will cover the work of a low
level tunnel identical to that ad
(Continued on Page 4)
Homemakers Council to Raise $1,000
Thru Clubs for New Valley Hospital
The Homemakers Council at its
regular meeting Monday voted to
raise $1,000 through the individu
al homemakers clubs in the Val
ley to go toward the furnishing
of a room in the new Valley hos
pital.
The vote followed a talk about
progress on the proposed new
hospital by Mrs. Jessie DeVries,
member of the Valley Hospital
Assn. Board. Mrs. DeVries said
the $314,000 structure to be con
structed under the auspices of the
Presbyterian Board of Missions
^.will be located behind the pres
ent hospital. The Hospital Asso
ciation Board is acquiring three
acres from the Co-Op as an ex
tension to the present site. Al
ready the land survey contract
has been signed by Richard Dem
ming, local surveyor. After the
t
new hospital is built, it is plan
ned to use the present hospital
for staff quarters.
$6 500 to be Raised Here
Asked about the $6,500 to be
raised locally to go toward the
construction cost, Mrs. DeVries
explained that this was a very
small amount for the community
to contribute toward its own hos
pital. Upwards of $125,000 is ex
pected from the Presbyterian
Board of Missions after 1953. Of
this amount, $50,000 was promised
in advance money so that con
struction on the hospital need not
be delayed. Amounts set aside by
the Territory and federal match
ing funds, together with the local
share are expected to add up to
Continued on page 13
General Steese
Sails hr Alaska
General J. G. Steese, president
of the Alaska Road Commission
1921 to 1927, during the construc
tion of the highway between
Fairbanks and Circle City which
was named after him, is shown
embarking on Alaska Steamship
Company steamer Denali at Seat
tle just before sailing for Alaska.
He arrived in Seward Monday.
General Steese, who makes his
home in Washington, D.C., is go
ing to tour the interior of the ter
ritory, stopping at Anchorage,
McKinley Park and Fairbanks.
From there he will motor over
the Steese Highway to Circle
City and then on down the high
way to Haines. He plans to return
to Seattle from Juneau on the
next voyage of the Denali.
During a part of the time that
he was president of the ARC,
General Steese also managed
The Alaska Railroad. That was
during the construction period.
Flower Show
Sunday, 1-8 P.M.
In a last minute invitation,
Mrs. Maud Hosier, publicity
chairman for the annual North
land Pioneer Grange Flower
Show, urged all Valley flower
growers to bring in their entries
to the main Fair building Satur
day afternoon.
The Flower Show will open
Sunday at 1 p. m. and will close
at 8 p. m. A bazaar and tea are
innovations this year, accompany
ing the annual Grange event.
COMPETITION GROWS
IN FAIR QUEEN RACE
With three Valley girls regis
tering this week, the total num
ber of Valley Fair queen con
testants has risen to five.
Hazel Bernhardt, 17, daughter
of Mr.and Mrs. William Barn
hardt, Palmer was the third
Palmer girl to register. A gradu
ate of Palmer high school, class
of ’51. Miss Barnhardt now is em
ployed in the Soil Conservation
office. She formerly lived in
Binghamton, New York, coming
to the Valley about four years
ago.
Patricia Kirsch. 17. daughter of
Eugene Kirsch, is another new
candidate. Miss Kirsch attends
Palmer high school where she
will enter her junior year this
fall. Before coming to Palmer a
little over a year ago, she lived
Continued on page 13
St. Paul Realtor, 70,
Hurries to Anchorage
After Housing Appeal
From St, Paul, Minn. Dispatch,
—August 3—Den E. Lane, now
70, real estate operator here for
47 years, received a “hurry up”
call today to relieve the housing
situation in Anchorage. Alaska.
Robert A. Baker, vice presi
dent of the First National Bank at
Anchorage, asked Lane to come
up and lay out a new residential
development with “the sky is the
limit” possibilities.
The Anchorage population is
now 35,000 with an extra 15,000
military personnel at nearby Fort
Richardson, Baker wrote Lane
that bank deposits in Anchorage
were $1,717,960 in 1940 and are
now $26,449,248.
“I’m interested in this appeal,”
Lane said. “I plan to give Anch
orage a real St. Paul residential
development. I plan to leave soon
and take Norman Johnson, archi
tect, and Eugene McDonough,,
(Continued on Page 13)
MVFCA members to
Hear Progress Reports
Of Officers, Managers
Members of the Matanuska
Valley Farmers Cooperating
Association will gather at the
gymnasium Wednesday morning,
April 15, about 11 a. m. for their
annual all-day meeting.
As in previous years, luncheon
will be served and a valuable
door prize is to be awarded. Of
ficers and managers of Co-Op en
terprises will make their reports
and financial statements will be
offered for approval.
It was not known today wheth
er there were^ two or three terms
of Co-Op board members expir
ing at this time. Carl Rasumssen
stated that he knew his term ex
pired. but he wasn’t sure which
of the other board members’
terms were up. Other members
of the present board include Roy
Brock, president; Rex Kibby;
Pat Hemmer; A. J. Carlson, and
John Church. Voting members
will elect two or three board
members to fill the places of
those whose terms expire.
107 Voting Members
Carl Rasmussen, secretary and
acting manager of the Co-Op re
ported that there are 271 MVFCA
stockholders but only 107 voting
members. Voting members must
produce yearly about $100 worth
of produce for sale through the
Co-Op. but the final determina
tion of voting membership lies
with the board.
FHA Auditors Leave
Rasmussen stated that the re
port of the FHA auditors who
completed two months w’ork
checking over Co-Op books and
accounts about two weeks ago
has not been received. This is the
first audit made by FHA since
the loan was made to the Co-Op
in 1940, Rasmussen said. FHA
auditors who made the appraisal
are Lloyd Cochrane of Denver
and O. A. Stevenson of Oakland.
California. It is expected that a
copy of their report will be re
ceived here in the near future.
Assessor says School District
Valuation Could Reach $8 Million
Palmer School District tax
assessor William Head warned
this week that individuals who
have not filed their 1951 tax
assessments will be subject to ar
bitrary assessments based on pre
vious years’ reports and that
those given such arbitrary
assessments, lose the right of ap
peal because of failure to file.
Head stated that the deadline
for filing these tax assessments
had been extended from July 1
to August 1 because the forms
were late in arriving. In spite of
the month’s extension, many
assessments have not been re
ceived.
Sale of ‘ Sb.OOU t arms
In further discussion on tax
matters, the assessor revealed
“There shall be a considerable
number of assessed values adjust
ed “upward” as the tax roll is
prepared in view of the number
of ‘$6,000' farms which have been
sold recently for prices ranging
from $18,000 to $22,000.”
“And further”, he went on to
say, “Anchorage and local papers
currently are carrying advertise
ments of properties for^ale which
fall in this same category.”
In no case coming to his at
tention has the sale price of a
(Continued on Page 4)