VALLEY FRONTIERSMAN
PRINTED AT PALMER, ALASKA, EACH FRIDAY
By the Matanuska Press, Inc.
Entered as second class matter on Oct. 21, 1947, at the post o.iice at
Palmer, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Viola Daniels .Editor
' Barbara Carter .Wasilla Correspondent
Mrs. Jack Thatcher.Valdez Correspondent
Subscription Rates.50c a month, $5 a year
Mailed to all points in Alaska and the United States
No printed material in the Valley Frontiersman may
_be reproduced except by permission of the publishers.
DANIELS—In the Lion’s Den
"There is no basic difference between closed doors
on the meetings of government agencies and Russia's
iron curtain." That's the opinion expressed by Murlin
Spencer, chief of Seattle's Associated Press bureau,
when he visited in Juneau recently.
Evidently>Mr. Spencer had first-hand knowledge;
whereof he spoke. If there's anything harder to get;
into than a meeting of government men, where policies
are formulated that will affect the lives of all Alaskans,
we don't know what it is. We met some pretty silly
. censorship regulations, when we worked on military
newspapers during the war, and while they made us
boil at times, we could understand some justification
for that censorship.
For non-military meetings, in a post-war Alaska,
we find none at all. Why can't the press be allowed
to know and to inform the people of the plans that are (
being made for Alaska? We all have to live here, and .
we all will have to live under those plans. Why can't we
have the right to protest, while planning is still forma
tive enough that ideas can be changed? Why must we
wait until a rigid program is prepared, before we know i
what it is—and then be forced to accept that plan, ;
because "it's too late for changes now." <
We think the whole idea of a prepared handout, ;
to be released for publication ^following a meeting, is
ridiculous. Newspapers have a right to get their own
story. How can news be fresh and new, with a local :
slant, when all newspapers all over Alaska get exactly ;
the same material? We ought to have the right to tell ;
®ur own story, and to tell it in our own style. If gov
ernment men think it necessary to okay the draft of
a story, before it's printed, why most of us will agree 1
to that. '
And why must we always be led to believe that
everything discussed in a meeting was carried through
to a final unanimity of opinion? We think a difference
of opinion is healthy, and we're darned sure that no
group of human beings ever got together in a session,
where a difference of opinion wasn't voiced. Why
can't we know and tell about that? If we have one
idea about a subject, and you have another, it's more
than probable that both of us can arrive at a new idea
that will be better than the original idea of either of us.
A difference of opinion stimulates thinking. Why
can't a newspaper tell about those differences, and get
its readers to thinking, too?
We're getting pretty disgusted with the whole gov
ernmental plan of meeting behind closed doors and
^talking in whispers. We're Americans—our tax dol
lars are paying the salaries of those men who are meet
ing, virtually in secret. We want to know what they're
talking about—to be able to read about it and disagree
with it, if we feel that way. That's the American way
of doing things and we want to keep it that way.
Valley Frontiersman Classifieds Cet Results
Rates are 15c per line for first insertion,
10c per line for each subsequent insertion
I
SOILS SCIENTIST
EJECTED SUNDAY
Dr. A. L. Hafenrichter, director j
of soil conservation research of
the western region, with head
quarters offices in Portland, Ore.,
will be a Valley visitor next week.
Dr. Hafenrichter is expected to
arrive here on Sunday. He will
spend a three-day visit in the
Palmer-Anchorage-Wasilla area.
Following his visit here, Dr.
Hafenrichter will spend three
days on the Kenai Peninsula and
an additional three days at Fair
banks.
His special field of work is with
grasses, legumes and plant breed
ing.
Swimmers, Don't Turn
Out Cows. Falk Asks
Falk’s Lake may be the “old
swimmin’ hole” to most Valley
residents, but it’s still on private
oroperty, owner Victor Falk pro
tested today. Not that the family
minds the lake being used as a
popular dip spot, but they would
like the swimmers to use regular
roads and to close gates behind
them, on entering and leaving
the property.
No less than four times in a
week, during the recent hot
weather, the family had to scatter
aver the nearby countryside at
milking time, to round up the
Falk dairy herd. The cows had
walked out gates left open by
swimming parties which had
visited the lake.
Governor and Committee
ro Be Honored
At Cocktail Party
Governor Ernest Gruening, and
members of the Alaska field com
mittee, who will conduct a meet
ng here next week, will be guests
)f honor at a cocktail party pre
:eding next Wednesday’s banquet
*iven by the Chamber, it was
earned today.
The cocktail party will be given
n the Matanuska Hotel lounge,
petween the hours of five and
■even p.m.
The Matanuska Hotel, the Mat
inuska Valley Bank and the
\laska Rural Rehabilitation Cor
poration are hosts for the affair.
It’s unfortunate that so many
:olks have to grow old before
hey discover that two divided by
>ne equals divorce.
■ ■■ ■—-i i
VALLEY
THEATRE
FRI.-SAT.. JULY 7-8
Nights 7:15-9:00. Sat. Mat. 2:00
“Three Musketeers”
Alexander Dumas'
(Technicolor)
Lana Turner Gene Kelley
June Ally son Van Heflin
Angela Lansbury
SUN.-MON.. JULY 9-10
Nights 7:15-9:00, Sun, Mat. 2:00
WED.-THURS.. JULY 12-13
Nights 7:15 and 9:00
PORTLAND CHAMBER
ACCEPTS INVITATION
TO VISIT VALLEY
In a wire received Friday
morning from George M. Hender
son of the Portland Chamber of
Commerce, the Oregon group ac
cepted the invitation of the Val
ley Chamber to visit here during
their Alaskan trip.
The Portlanders planned to
spend several days in the An
chorage area. Mr. Henderson
placed no time for the Valley
visit, however. His wire stated
the “Portland Chamber party
anxious to visit Matanuska Val
ley. Will work out details later.”
It is probable that a special
luncheon meeting with members
of the local organization will be
arranged.
RETURN FROM STATES
WASILLA—Mrs. Vincent Smith
and sons, Rodney and Jerry Cot
tle, returned from the states this
week. They have been visiting
relatives in Pennsylvania since
shortly after the school term
closed in the spring.
Coffey Insures Everything!
Remember?
BOY SCOUTS LEAVE
VALLEY FORGE TODAY
Boy Scouts will tear down the
totem pole archway and stow
away their tents and other gear,
at the Valley Forge encampment
today. The Jamboree ends for
the Alaskans today.
From Valley Forge the Scouts
will go to New York City for a
two-day stay. They turn their
steps home through Rochester,
Niagara Falls, Detroit, Denver
and Salt Lake City, ending up in
Seattle on July 15.
School Plans Aren't Ready
Plans for the proposed new
wing for Palmer School still had
not been completed by the archi
tects. at press-time this week. The
school board had hoped to place
its stamp of approval on the
drawings at Wednesday’s meet
ing, so that a call for bids could
be issued immediately. It now
appears that that call will be de
layed for at least another week.
A local tavern asks its patrons
to sit down while the room is in
motion.
More people stumble over a
fifth than any other fraction.
CARS for SALE
Now on Display
CHEVROLET'S NEW 1950 TRUCK
2-ton Stake
'47 GMC '/a-TON PANEL
$875
'50 CHEVROLET Fleetline, DeLuxe
$2,000
2-Door Sedan
FORD %-Ton Pickup
$475
'41 BUICK
$525
New Chevrolet Pick-Ups Now in Slock
Vi- and 3/4-Ton Sizes
TERMS
Specializing in
General Automotive Repairs
Using Only Genuine Replacement Parts
Lubrication Washing Tire Repairs
Kirk's Sales & Service
Your Friendly Chevrolet & Oldsmobile Dealer
(Corner Valley Street and Glen Highway)