The tyranny of a prince in an
oligarchy is not so dangerous to
the public welfare as the apathy
of a citizen in a domocracy.—
Montesquieu on the duty of a
citizen, 1748.
The Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
TRY A FRONTIERSMAN
CLASSIFIED AD for that
item you may have for sale,
rent or lease.
VOLUME 46, NUMBER 3
PALMER. ALASKA, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1952
PRICE TEN CENTS
AL V. HAGEN IS NEW MAYOR OF PALMER
THREAT TO VALLEY HEALTH PROGRAM
PROMPTS SPECIAL MEETIHG TOHIGHT
Two weeks ago The Frontiers
man carried a story about the re
signation of Miss Myren and the
need for raising the Health Cen
ter budget in order to bring the
Valley’s contribution more nearly
in line with what other, smaller
■communities are already contri
buting. To raise the local con
tribution to the public health
nurses’s salary from the present
$600 yearly to $100 monthly, the
Health Council raised its budget
to over $20,000 and the communit
ies of Wasilla and Chugiak were
asked to pay $250 each as their
share of the total, apportioned ac
cording to school population. The
share of the Palmer School Dis
trict, to be raised through the cur
rent Community Chest Cam
paign, was over $1,500.
Last week, in answer to re
quests for a prompt replacement
for Miss Myren, the Alaska De
partment of Health notified the
local Health Council that the com
munity must also pay for the
maintenance and upkeep of the
nurse’s car in addition to the $100
monthly contribution toward her
salary if another nurse is assign
ed to this area. This addition
would bring the Health Center
budget to over $2,500 and still not
provide for replacement of the
present car which has grown old
and decrepit in its many trips
over Valley roads during the past
three and one-half years.
Members of the new City Coun
cil; the Palmer Independent
School District Board, the Valley
Hospital Board; representatives of
the Palmer, Wasilla, and Chugiak
Parent-Teacher Associations^ and
all others interested in the health
and welfare of the greater Valley
ara are invited by the Health
Council to attend meeting of vital
importance to this area Thursday
October 9, at 8 p-m. in the Co-L*.
rlub Room.
Dr. Elizabeth Bishop, assist
ant Commissioner of Health, will
present information regarding a
proposed Matanuska Valley
Health District. She will tell about
proposed limits for the district,
financial support that can be ex
pected from federal and Territor
ial funds through the Alaska De
partment of Health, and local re
sponsibility. At a meeting of the
Community Chest Board last
Wednesday, she gave a similar
talk which clarified the issue for
the small audience present. In
view of more recent developments
in the Health Council’s attempts
to get a replacement for Public
Health Nurse Marjorie Myren
after November 1, it was felt that
the pertinent information should
be repeated for the benefit of
elected officials and the many
groups intrested in Valley health
problems.
The time has come when the
Health Council and others inter
ested in health must seek means
of financing these necessary ac
tivities • through sources other
than volunteer contributions.
Last summer the Health Coun
cil went on record favoring the
organization of a,Matanuska Val
ley Health District, which would
include the Wasilla-Knik area and
the Chugiak-Eklutna area as pro
posed. Last year, before planning
for the health district had crystal
ized, two talks by the then As
sitant Commissioner of Health
offered only the vaguest outline
Continued on page 12
BULLETIN
Bob Betline, newly elected City
Councilman, was badly mangled
in a tangle with a moose this
afternoon. He was taken uncon
scious and bleeding to Valley Hos
pital. No details are available at
this time.
LONG-TIME RESIDENT
KILLED IN ACCIDENT
Instantly killed, shortly after
7 a.m. October 8 was Raymond
Sollers 48, a 17-year resident of
Palmer and employe of Arctic
Plumbing and Heating Co. The
accident occurred nead the new
water transmission line on Bailey
Hill when a truck boom came in
contact with the three-phase
Jonesville line, carrying 7200
volts.
Ditching operations were going
on at the time, with a crane
mounted on the truck Sollers was
was driving. According to Clin
ton Jennings, crane operator,
Sollers apparently advanced the
truck to far forward and hit the
high-voltage line.
Co-worked Tom Hyde who was
walking behind the truck called
to the men. Jennings, noting the
fire and blue flame around the
crane immediately swung aroung
and broke the contact. Sollers
was discovered about eight feet
from the truck. Workers theorized
that he had stepped out of the
truck and on contact with the
ground had been electrocuted. A‘.<v
tempting first aid, they loosened
his clothing and applied artificial
respiration while waiting for a
Surviving Sollers are his wife,
Marcie; two daughters, Sandra
and Sharyl; his mother, Mrs. Lena
Sollers and a sister, Mrs. Joy
tt— ^th of Oklahoma City and
a oc<.uuLi sister, Mrs. Jessie Sales
of Colorado.
CHILD WELFARE MEET
ENDS TONIGHT WITH
CONFERENCE DINNER
The three-day Child Welfare
conference being held at the Lazy
Mountain Children’s Home will
conclude tonight with a confer
ence dinner at the Church of God,
Henry A. Harmon, director of the
Alaska Department of Public
Welfare, reported this afternoon.
Dr. Charles Anderson of the Men
tal Hygiene Unit of the Alaska
Department of Health will be
guest speaker. Seventy-five guests
are expected.
The Rev. Rolland Armstrong
acted as chairman of the panel
discussion of family-child rela
tionships this afternoon. Members
of the panel included Rev. James
Austin of Anchorage, Miss Nettie
Hansen of Cordova, Sister E.
George Edmund of Holy Cross,
Miss Mary Setzikorn of Ouzinkie,
Dr. William Macomber of Anchor
age, and Miss Marjorie Morris of
Juneau. Palmer School was dis
missed early today so that faculty
members could be present for the
discussion.
All conference members ex
pressed their great appreciation
for the excellent co-operation
given by Rev. and Mrs. Kenneth
Hughes and staff members of the
Continued on page 12
General Territorial
Election Tuesday;
Polls Open 8-8 p.m.
A long and hotly contested cam
paign for four Territorial offices,
three Third Division seats in the
Territorial Senate, and 10 Third
Division seats in the Territorial
House of Representatives will
come to a close Tuesday, October
14, with the General Territorial
Election.
Voters in the Palmer precinct
will cast their ballots in polls set
up at the Eska Post Office and
in Recreation Hall, Palmer. The
Eska poll is for residents of the
Jonesville-Eska-Sutton area. All
other qualified electors of the
precinct will vote at Recreation
Hall. Two groups of judges will
take care of the registration and
counting of ballots there: one for
the reidents of the city of Pal
mer and one for electors living
outside of the city. The polls will
be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
In the contest for Delegate to
Congress, the incumbent, E. L.
“Bob” Bartlett (D) is opposed by
Robert C. Reeves (R). There is no
contest for the post of Attorney
General; J. Gerald Williams (D),
incumbent, is the only candidate.
Odd but interesting is the race
between Anita Garrick (R) and
Neil F. Moore, Democratic incum
bent, for Auditor of the Territory.
Administration Democrats, who
apparently consider Moore over
solicitous in the performance of
his duties, are said to be back
ing Miss Garrick. Frank A. Met
c&*f,(D;-, mcumbent, is opposed by
Irving M- K. Reed (R) for the job
of Highway Engineer.
In the Third Division fight for
seats in the Territorial Legisla
ture, the two political parties
each have one candidate for the
(Continued on Page 12)
University’s On-Farm
Training Program
Halted Indefinitely
COLLEGE ALASKA—The Uni
verity of Alaska announced today
•that despite earlier hopes, the
newly passed Public Law 550
(Veteran’s Readjustment Assist
ance Act of 1952) does not pro
vide a realistic on-farm rehabil
itation program for veterans try
ing to develop homesteads in
Alaska. For this reason the Uni
versity cannot continue to offer
such a program to veterans farm
ing on a part-time basis tn the
Territory.
The provisions of this new law
specify that to qualify for insti
tutional on-farm training:
1. The veteran's farm must be
of a size and character to assure
a satisfactory income for a rea
sonable living under normal con
ditions. Very few veterans com
ing to the Territory after World
War II have been able to develop
their homesteads to this degree
of self-sufficiency. Most veteran
homesteaders depend on employ
ment away from the farm to bring
home money for both the neces
sities of life and to develop their
land.
2. The veteran must give his
full-time attention to his farm.
He can spend only 180 hours a
year in remunerative employment
away from his farm. Most Alas
akn homesteaders must spend at
least four or five months away
from their farms in order to earn
enough money to develop their
land and home. Whatever is earn
ed off the farm is taken into ac
count in calculating assistance
benefits.
This new law follows closely
the VA rulings of last spring that
ended the University’s on-farm
training program conducted un
(Continued on Page 12)
New ACS Link Between Anchorage and Tok
Another chapter in the story of
ever-expanding Alaska Commun
ications System facilities was
writen Monday, October 6, with
the completion of the Anchorage
—Tok landline.
The new landline will become
a vital link in the vast ACS net
work, according to Col. Fred P
Andrews, ACS commanding of
ficer in Seattle, Wash.
Built under contract by the
Western Electric Company, the
new landline covers a distance
of 337 miles between Anchorage
and Tok Junction with additional
facilities on the existing line from
Tok to Fairbanks. Generally, the
landline parallels the roadway be
tween the two points, thus facil
itating the construction work and
making the line more accessible
for future maintenance and
trouble shooting. Primary pur
pose of the line is to increase both
the voice and telegraph channels
between Anchorage and Fair
banks for vital military communi
cations and additionally serves
other government, Territorial,
and civilian users.
The landline also provides lim
ited telephone facilities to home
steaders and small communities
on the highway as well as ser
vice to the public and travelers
at strategically located toll sta
tions.
To make these new facilities
available required construction of
six new repeater stations costing
$2,150,000 at Sheep Mountain,
Glenallen, Tok Junction, Big Del
ta, Johnson River, and Harding
Lake. The construction of 337
miles of telephone line and the
electronic equipment installed in
the new repeater buildings by
Western Electric cost approxi
mately $4,500,000.
The new landline ties in with
existing lines along the Alaska
Highway, providing quicker and
better service both between An
chorage and Fairbanks, and An
chorage and the United States.
Upon completion of new toll
buildings at Anchorage and Fair
banks, switching between these
points will be done by means of'
automatic toll dialing, enabling
the ACS operator at one station
to dial directly through to a cus
tomer in Anchorage and Fair
banks areas without assistance
from another operator.
These facilities are designed to
become a part of the toll dialing
sytem for continental North Am
erica. The new line from Anch
orage to Tok Junction takes its
place with the many other speci
al long distance telephone and
telegraph installations which help
the armed forces to protect the
nation, Col. Andrews observed.
VOTERS ELECT 6 NEW COUNCILMEN, OKAY
WATER PROPOSAL; SEWER FAILS RY 3 VOTES
I
Local interest sparked by a last
minute flurry of election cam
paigning resulted in the huge
turnout of 352 voters to the city
polls Tuesday in the first general
election of Palmer’s city officers
since the incorporation election
April 10, 1951. Three hundred and
sixty-seven voters turned out
at the first election.
Elected in Tuesday’s election
VOTES CAST FOR
CITY CANDIDATES
FOR MAYOR
Alfred V. Hagen—155
Carl H. Meier—146
William Rempel—41
Councilman 1-Year •
Robert L. Bettine—113
Frank Brown—103
Joseph Gallant—112
Merrit Long—84
Donald McKechnie—218
Councilman 2-Year
Russell Felzien—197
LeRoy Johnson—123
Donald Moore—175
Thomas Reiss—135
Councilman 3-Year
O. K. Kincaid, Jr.—227
Betty Mears—183
Raymond A. Nelson—68
Arthur W. Thompson—154
14 SUPERVISORS
ALREADY AT WORK
ON CHEST CAMPAIGN
The Community Chest fund
campaign appears to be off to a
good start this week with attrac
tive posters on display and more
than the usual amount of activ
ity by volunteer workers in the
first few days of the drive.
Although supervisors are still
lacking for a few areas, Emil
Ganschow, campaign chairman,
announced the following super
visors working in the areas de
signated: Mrs. Dick Benson, area
south of Palmer to Echo Lake;
Mrs. Curtis Dearborn, Matanuska
area; Mrs. Bob Buzby, Bailey Hill
Farm Road area; Mrs. Sam Wool
cock, Lazy Mountain area; Mrs.
Phil O’Neill, Sutton area; Mrs.*
Harvey Hiber, Jonesville area;
Mrs. Charles Inman, Eklutna Pro
ject; Mrs. William Rempel and
Mrs. Hugh Johnson for parts of
the Palmer residential district;
Mr. and Mrs. George Plumly, But
te area; and Mr. T. A. Moyer,
Wasilla Road area.
Two more workers are being
sought for the Palmer residential
area, and the help of many more
workers will probably be solicit
ed before the drive is over. Each
of the volunteers may ask for
help in covering his or her area.
Palmer business establishments
have been listed and divided into
three parts, one of which is be
ing covered by Mrs. Allan Mick,
another by Ed Smith, and Mr.
Ganschow plans to cover the third
part himself. Miss Alice McCann
has the Co-Op dormitory, and it
is expected that someone from
the Co-Op general office will cov
er the rest of the Co-Op area.
Coin boxes have been distribut
ed by Miss Louise Kellogg and
Mrs. Virgil Eckert in many places
throughout the Community Chest
area, including the school, where
a lively interest is being shown by
the Valley’s youngsters.
were Alfred V. Hagen, mayor;
Donald McKechnie and Robert
Bettine for one-year City Council
posts; Donald Moore and Russell
Felzien for two-year City Coun
cil posts; and Betty Mears and
O. K. Kincair, Jr., for the three
year terms on the Council.
The race between the incum
bent, Carl Meier, and Hagen for
mayor was particularly close.
Until the very end of the tallying
the final victory could not be
determined. Last minute tallies
brought Hagen in the lead by a
total of 155 to 146. The other can
didate for mayor, William Rem
pel, polled 41 votes.
The race for one of the one
year Council seats was even clos
er than that for mayor, Bob Bet
tne outdistanced Joseph Gallant
by only one vote, 113-112. Don
ald McKechnie was an easy win
ner of the other one-year post
with a total of 218 votes. The
largest number of votes going to
any one candidate, 227, gave Kin
caid one of the three-year posts,
and Betty Mears. with 183 votes,
easilv won the other. The voting
for the two-year term candidates
was most evenly distributed, but
Moore and Felzien with 175 votes
and 197 votes, respectively, were
well ahead of the other candidates
in the final tally. Votes received
by each of the candidates for city
office appear in a box on this
page. Only 7 votes were disqualif
ied by the judges.
Sewer Proposal Fails
On the two bonding proposals,
the additional bonding authority
for the water project was approv
ed by a gratifying margin by
both electors and property own
ers, but the sewer proposal failed
by three votes of the property
owners. The electors had approv
ed the sewer project by a 68 per
cent affirmative vote; only 50 per
cent was required to carry. Also
for the sewer project were 63.6
percent of the property owners,
but 65 percent was required to
carry. On this proposal for auth
orization of $250,000 in general
obligation bonds to pay for the
city’s one-half share of the pro
posed sewer project, 224 electors
were for and 105 against; 23 votes
were disallowed. The property
owners voted 149 for and 85
against, with six votes disallowed
by the judges.
On the water proposal, 244 elec
tors were for and 88 ag;ainst the
proposed obligating of an ad
ditional $100,000 in bonds to pay
for the city’ one-half share of its
$675,000 water project now under
construction. With 19 ballots dis
allowed, 73 percent of the elec
tors were for the proposal. Of the
property owners, 718 percent
were for the same proposal, with
169 voting for and 66 voting
against it. Five votes were dis
allowed
It was midnight when the
three judges, Mrs. Gertrude
Larsh, Mrs. Kathleen Moore, and
Mrs. Halene Ingalls, completed
the tallying. The final report on
the candidates was ready at 10:30
p.m.
Last night the City Council
canvassed the election, declaring
the seveh winning candidates
elected, the water proposal car
ried by votes of electors and prop
erty owners, and the sewer pro
posal carried by votes of electors
but failed by those of the proper
ty owners.
The Democratic Team is pledged to the Official Democratic Platform
listed on last page of this issue.
! VOTE DEMOCRATIC!
Pd. Political Adv.