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PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
n PAGES
IL TODAY
VOL. 4. NUMBER 24
PALMER. ALASKA. FRIDAY. FEBRUARY 23. 1951
PRICE 10c
Palmer Incorporation Petition Granted
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Cub Scout Program
For 1951 Discussed
At P-TA Meeting Here
Participation and cooperation of
the P-TA in furthering the 1951
Cub Scout program here was the
main topic of discussion at the
regular meeting of the P-TA held
Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. in the
school cafeteria. Following a
lengthy discussion from the floor
* dealing mainly with what means
to employ to interest parents in
Cub Scouts and their activities, it
was pointed out that the Cubs
show sufficient interest but that
many parents are indifferent to
the program.
The final outcome of the discus
sion was a vole by the P-TA as
sponsors of the Cub Scout pro
< gram here to invite Gene Butler,
assistant Council executive of the
Boy Scouts who has offices at An
chorage to come to Palmer to lend
his assistance in getting a satis
factory program under way here.
Mrs. I. M. Sandvik, president of
the P-TA and presiding at the
meeting, appointed a committee
of three mothers of Cub Scouts
to meet with James Kindler. Mr.
Kindler recently took over here
as Cub Scout leader. The com
mittee, comprised of Mrs. Betty
Mears, Mrs. Pat Lawton and Mrs.
Pearl Moyer are to meet with Mr.
handler to get his suggestions
concerning what the P-TA can do
to assist in the Cub program.
Mrs. C. Sandvik reported on
contacting Carl Rasmussen, acting
manager of the Matanuska Val
ley Farmers Cooperating Associa
tion, in connection with chlorina
tion of the water supply here.
Mrs. Sandvik and Mrs. Olava
Roetman were requested at the
P-TA meeting in January to con
tact the Co-Op on the water sit
uation. Mrs. Sandvik reported
Tuesday evening that Mr. Ras
mussen would make a written re
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Detailed Explanation of
Eklutna Power Project
Planned at Exhibit
An explanation in detail of the
Bureau of Reclamation’s Eklutna
tower project will be given at
the American Institute of Mining
Engineers exhibit at the Fur Ren
dezvous Parade of Industry, ac
cording to a recent announce
ment.
Walter Erickson, chairman of
the mining exhibit committee, re
ported that Clark McHuron, Mur
ray Athearn and Reed Evans, all
of the Bureau of Reclamation
staff will be at the AIME exhibit
to explain the project on which
* they are working.
A core barrel of a Dennison
sampler now in use at Eklutna
will be on display as well as ex
* hibits from the University of
■t Alaska, Territorial Department of
Mines and the U. S. Bureau of
Mines.
TEACHERS MEET TO
DETERMINE POLICY IN
WAGE ADJUSTMENT
The Palmer Teachers’ Associa
tion called a special meeting yes
terday afternoon to discuss devel
opments in wage adjustment for
teachers of the territory as pro
posed in House Bill 33 now before
the territorial legislature.
A steering committee appointed
at the meeting to work out a
course of action for the local
teachers is comprised of officers
of the Association who are Joe
Hudock, president; Gottfried
Stevahn, vice president; Miss
Betty Kreutz, secretary, and Miss
Barbara Rumball, treasurer.
In answer to a barrage of let
ters sent out by the 23 members
of the Palmer faculty the first
part of February to territorial
legislators and to members of the
territorial board of education, the
teachers said here this week two
replies have been received. One
is from Senator Walter Huntley
and the other from Representa
tive Jack Scavenius. Warren
Dahlstrom, president of the An
chorage Education Association, to
whom the teachers also directed
letters has also replied. Mr.
Dahlstrom is now at Juneau and
has appeared before the legisla
tive committee conducting hear
ings on wage adjustments for the
teachers.
Alaska Market Week
Set as 3-Day Event
At Legion Log Cabin
Alaska Market Week, slated for
Anchorage March 4, 5 and 6, at
the American Legion Log Cabin,
will come off as scheduled, ac
cording to Ernie Garcia, execu
tive secretary of the show, with
more than a hundred lines in
dry goods, wearing apparel, of
fice supplies, hardware and food
specialties to be on exhibit.
Because building in Alaska is
definitely of major commercial
importance every effort has been
made to feature builders and con
tractors supplies at the Anchor
age show. This effort, Garcia in
dicates, has born fruit, and dis
plays of builders’ supplies will
be among the most complete at
the entire three-day event.
In conjunction with feature dis
plays of products of vital interest
to contractors will be an impres
sive showing of business and of
fice supplies and equipment. A
display of creative printing, show
ing a piece of advertising litera
ture from birth of the idea
through the various stages of de
velopment, will fascinate promo
tion conscious business men.
Every effort will be made by
exhibitors to make the first Alas
ka Market Week as relaxed and
friendly as possible.- One manu
facturer will give a rose to each
buyer. Another plans to serve
coffee.
Chamber of Commerce Pamphlet to Tell
Of Valley's Attractions, Industries
Among the several important
Chamber of Commerce current
projects that came up for review
and discussion at the regular noon
luncheon meeting Wednesday was
the pamphlet on Matanuska Val
ley which is being published by
the Chamber. Special guest Elroy
F. Hinman, assistant to the gen
eral manager of the Alaska rail
road, and E. J. Kanz, traffic man
ager of ARR, and approximately
40 members and their guests were
in attendance at the meeting at
which President James A. Hur
ley reminded members that the
deadline for publication of the
pamphlet is drawing near and
any one planning to advertise
should make immediate arrange
ments to do so. Advertising in
the pamphlet is not confined to
Chamber of Commerce members
but is open to any Valley firm or
business. Advertising in the pam
phlet will actually serve as a di
rectory of all business establish
ments, merchants and profession
al men here. Space for each di
rectory advertisement is the same
and is on a flat rate of $5 per
block. There are still some prom
inent business men here who have
failed to signify their intention of
being included in the attractive
pamphlet, which will carry some
very fine pictures of the activities
of the Valley and will present
very comprehensive literature on
the features and attractions of the
Valley. The pamphlets will be
mailed out in answer to inquiries
that come to the local Chamber of
Commerce from all over the
states and in some instances from
all over the world.
MRS. WANDA WHEELER
TAKES GRAND PRIZE
IN RONDY CONTEST
Mrs. Wanda Wheeler of Palmer
was first grand prize winner in
the black and white division of
the Fur Rendezvous photo con
test sponsored by the Anchorage
Photographic Guild, it was an
nounced at Anchorage this week.
Grandma Ezi, one of the oldest
and best known native women of
Alaska, was Mrs. Wheeler’s sub
ject for the prize-winning picture.
It is now on display at the con
test exhibit in the KENI studios,
where it has attracted scores of
visitors.
Mrs. Wheeler is employed here
with the Soil Conservation. Her
husband is with the Alaska Com
munication System.
CARL W. MEIERS
HAVE DAUGHTER
Mr. and Mrs. Carl W. Meier
have a new baby daughter born
at Valley hospital this morning.
The little girl arrived at 9:15 a.m.,
weighing nine pounds. The name
chosen for her by her parents is
Penny Lee.
D. T. McMahon, reporting on
Valley floats that might appear in
the Fur Rendezvous parades, said
that the committee felt that lack
of warm and suitable quarters in
which such a float might be con
structed prohibited the entry of a
Chamber of Commerce float.
Russ and "Rusty" Dow, re
porting on the formation of the
Matanuska Valley Ski Club,
said that approximately 20 per
sons attended the organization
al meeting of the club held last
Sunday at the Little Susitna
lodge. Plans are for the club to
become affiliated with the
Northwest Ski Association and
to also become a member of the
national ski club. The first gen
eral meeting of the club has
been set for Wednesday, March
7, at the Co-Op clubroom. There
will be an election of officers
and plans will be made to in
clude all who are interested in
outdoor sports as well as skiers.
A junior membership will be
included and plans also call for
the organization of a ski patrol
within the club, Mr. Dow said.
At the meeting Sunday, a rep
resentative of the Alaska Road
Commission and of the Mata
nuska Valley Sportsmen's Club
were in attendance to lend ev
ery possible assistance. Victor
Cotini of the Little Susitna
lodge made a cash contribution
of $100 to set up the newly
formed ski club's treasury, Mrs.
Dow said.
In response to a communication
from Territorial Representative
Jack Scavenius (D) requesting an
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DONALD DINKEL
WINS SCHOLARSHIP
Donald Dinkel, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Harold Dinkel of Wasilla,
has been awarded the $250 John
Mars McDonald Memorial schol
arship of the University of Min
nesota, according to word re
ceived here last week from Min
neapolis. Donald, a freshman,
is majoring in agriculture horti
culture.
The award was made on Don
ald’s high scholastic record, lead
ership and vocational ability, ac
cording to the announcement. The
scholarship winner is a graduate
of the Wasilla high school and
was granted a scholarship at the
University of Alaska before en
tering Minnesota.
BENBOWS HAVE SON
Mr. and Mrs. Warren Benbow
are parents of a new son born
early this morning at Valley hos
pital. The little boy arrived at
2:30 a.m., weighing seven pounds,
eight ounces. Daniel Howard is
the name chosen for the new
comer by his parents.
Judge Folta to Sign
Order for Election
To Be Held Here
It is expected that Judge
George W. Folta will sign an or
der either today or tomorrow set
ting the date for an election to
be held here for the incorporation
of Palmer as a city of the first
class. Attorney Harold Butcher,
representing Palmer residents in
favor of the move for incorpora
tion, told the Frontiersman this
morning that he would present
the order in Third District Court
this afternoon for the signature of
Judge Folta, who granted the pe
tition for incorporation.
On Wednesday, R. E. Dem
ming, licensed surveyor here,
presented a map to the judge
together with a legal descrip
tion of the area a ssuggesled by
Judge Folta at the beginning of
the hearing. The area takes in
a portion of the Fairgrounds,
approximately 690 feet of the
Swanson tract, a very small
portion of the Lucas farm and
the Valley hospital. The map,
showing the boundaries of the
proposed municipal area, will
appear in the Frontiersman
next week.
Judge Folta ruled Tuesday,
February 30, that the land held
by the Matanuska Valley Coop
erating Association should be in
cluded within the area of the pro
posed boundaries for incorpora
tion.
“I have concluded that the so
called Co-Op area and the activi
ties carried on theer are not such
that it would be oppressive if the
community were to become a
municipality. It is more in the
nature of a business enterprise
than of a community,” Judge
Folta declared in defining the
final line around the area upon
which Palmer residents will vote
regarding incorporation.
At the conclusion of Tues
day's hearing Judge Folta had
reduced the proposed bound
aries by approximately 50 per
cent when several large parcels
of farm land were ruled out. as
well as the Palmer airport and
most of the fair grounds. At
that lime he had instructed
Carl Rasmussen, acting man
ager of the Co-Op, to show in
metes and bounds the exact
area which the Co-Op porposed
to have excluded.
The Co-Op area was estimated
at 10.6 acres, taking in the hos
pital, the school and headquarters
building for the Alaska Rehabili
tation Corporation, the Co-Op’s
trading post and community
building and several dwellings.
Mr. Rasmussen maintained that
since the area had all utilities it
was a community unto itself and
that the Co-Op properties would
be taxed for municipal services
with which it already was supply
ing to itself.
Max Sherrod, appearing on the
witness stand on Monday, also
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