Northland Pioneer
Grange Harvest din
ner tomorrow night at
Grange hall, from 5:30
to 8 p.m.
Milley Mrontiergman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
U PAGES
TODAY
VOL. 4. NO. 6
PALMER, ALASKA, FRIDAY. OCTOBER 20. 1950
PRICE 10c
Local Water Supply Safe, Health Officials Say
CHAMBER HEARS
DR. PATTERSON
ON WATER SUPPLY
The Palmer public water sup
ply, which was pronounced un
sale for drinking by the Alaska
Department of Health this week,
was the main subject of discus
sion at the regular meeting of the
Chamber of Commerce Wednes
day noon.
r Last night health officials
pronounced the water safe to
drink following the installa
tion of a chlorinator device yes
terday.
A warning was issued here this
week by the Department of
Health that all water from the
public water supply should be
purified for drinking purposes
when several of many samples of
the water showed a bacteria con
tent.
“Actually there is more alarm
in Palmer than the present situa
tion justifies,” Dr. C. M. Patter
son of the Alaska Department of
Health Division of Sanitation and
Engineering, told the Chamber
Wednesday.
ur. jranerson, siauonea at: An
chorage, is in charge of the area
that includes Palmer.
A guest at the luncheon meet
ing, Dr. Patterson spoke at length
on the water supply here and its
present unsafe condition.
In urging that the water supply
be chlorinated, Dr. Patterson said
th&t “to get down to fine points
there is no type of water supply
that is safe under all conditions
unless it is chlorinated.”
“One feeder line can contamin
ate the entire system,” Dr. Pat
terson explained.
“A chlorinated water system is
an insurance measure,” Dr. Pat
terson said. He added that the
cost of installing such a system
would be in the neighborhood of
$8,000 by the time it is completed.
“But it is not as expensive as
fire insurance,” he continued,
comparing that figure with the
cost involved if a typhoid or other
serious epidemic might be caused
(Continued on Back Page)
BOARD PLAN FOR
NEW HIGH SCHOOL
HERE TOLD AT P-TA
There is a fine, new, modern
high school in the offing for Pal
mer if plans of the school board
rilaterialize, James Hurley, treas
urer, told the P.-T. A. at its regu
lar meeting at the school Tuesday
night.
Mr. Hurley, speaker for the eve
ning, showed tentative plans
drawn for a 250 - student high
school and explained that the
school board has applied to the
General Services Administration
for funds for the building.
The estimated cost of the pro
posed building would be in the
neighborhood of $800,000, Mr.
Hurley said. The General Serv
ices Administration is an agency
operating under the Department
of the Interior. In acting favor
ably on applications for school
funds, the GSA grants 50 per
cent of the construction cost.
If the Palmer Board’s applica
tion is accepted by the GSA, Mr.
Hurley explained that the meth
od for raising matching funds will
be bedded upon here later. Either
a bond issue can be voted upon,
or the tobacco tax fund can be
considered, he said.
The present school would serve
as a grammar school upon com
pletion of the new building, ac
cording to Hurley.
An extension to the school now
under construction at a cost of
$44,000 will furnish two complete
classrooms, two complete lavator
ies, one complete book room and
one complete teachers’ room. In
addition there will be a full un
finished basement, suitable for
two additional classrooms, which
would have to be completed at an
additional cost, Mr. Hurley ex
plained. Two classrooms can also
be added later to the extension
as a second story, he added.
The extension with the original
four rooms should be ready for
occupancy by December 1, al
leviating considerably the crowd
ed condition of the school, he said.
Chairman of committees giving
reports at the meeting included
possibilities of a skating rink for
(Continued on Back Page)
Annual Hallowe'en Carnival, Dance
Planned at High School October 28
With Hallowe’en just around
the corner, plans for the big an
nual Carnival and Dance at the
Palmer High School are going
into full swing.
Everyone, both young and old,
is invited to attend the gala event
which will be held in the high
school gymnasium on Saturday,
October 28.
Festivities to start at 7 p.m. are
planned for both adults and chil
dren with games of all kinds and,
for those who long for a glimpse
into the future, there will be for
tune telling.
There will be hot dogs and
hamburgers, pop corn and soft
drinks stands as well as many
o^her novelty stands.
At 10 p.m. dancing will start to
the music of Schaeffer’s orches
tra. The music will continue “un
til the wee hours,” according to
the announcement.
The event, sponsored by the
student body, has been held for
so many years that it has become
a tradition at the school. This
year, the student body is working
hard to make it bigger and better
than ever.
The committee in charge of ar
rangements is comprised of Dave
Vigdahl, Genevieve DeLand,
Rosie Miller and Harvey Hiber.
Costumes for the carnival and
dance are optional, members of
the committee announced. Those
who would like to “dress up” may
do so but those who prefer not to
wear masquerades are also cor
dially invited to be in attend
ance.
/J CUcuu^e-OoeA.
With this issue the management of the Valley
Frontiersman introduces a new reporter-editor in the
person of Miss Opal Lu Smith, who replaces Miss
Viola Daniels, who has expertly performed in this
capacity for the past several years.
We, as well as a few Frontiersman subscribers
are reluctant to see Miss Daniels departure, and we
especially regret the loss of her talents which made
her of inestimable value in the diligent manner with
which she has served as "reporter-editor, circulation
manager, and office boy," (by her own volition and
self-appointment).
manner in which she has served as "reporter-editor,
circulation manager, and office boy" (of her own voli
tion and self-appointment).
Our new editor will require some time in which
to ferret out news sources and to acquaint herself with
Palmer community life before she can perform as
creditable a job as she would like to do, and we know
she can and will do. So if our readers will be patient
for a few weeks, we intend to give them as newsy a
sheet, and if possible a better one than we have had
before.
In this and subsequent issues we want to let our
readers know that we appraciate their cooperation
and interest in the improvement and growth of our
newspaper.
We have always considered our subscribers and
"Mr. or Mrs. Doaks," who supply us with news items
as muchb part of our organization as other members
of our staff.
With this thought in mind it is only natural that
we eliminate the horrendous "I promised this" and "I
promised that" attitude which has dominated the edi
torial column in the past, and shall refer henceforth
to such statements, if they must be made, to "WE are
going to do this or that."
Heretofore the editor was given a free rein in the
governing policy of the Frontiersman—an agreement
mutually made and faithfully kept. Now, however,
the active management will be the sole responsibility
of the publisher, The Matanuska Press.
We definitely are not going to print rumors of
news, nor is it our intention to quote anybody's facts
or figures as gospel truth (especially if the source is
known to blarney somewhat). Most people exaggerate
a little, and some people exaggrate a lot; it would be
folly, therefore, to print an exaggeration one week and
then be embarrassingly compelled to refute, retract
and repine in the next issue, with the resultant be
smirching of our fair town, which leaves potential new
residents a bit dubious about settling here.
With your cooperation, good readers, we are going
to give you the best paper we can possibly produce.
f^EEKETH not the solace and sympathy
N\ of thine friend if the thorny bush in
siJ which thy chooseth to make thine bed
causeth thee great agony and anguish—
thus spaketh Zarathustra.
GHLORINATOR DEVICE
INSTALLED THURSDAY
PURIFIES WATER HERE
The Palmer public water sup
ply was pronounced safe for
drinking by Alaska Department
of Health officials last night.
An emergency chlorinator de
vice to purify the water was in
stalled yesterday under the super
vision of Dr. C. M. Patterson of
the Department of Health’s Divi
sion of Sanitation and Engineer
ing.
For the first 24 hours, the
chlorine taste may be very no
ticeable, the officials reminded
the public, but after that the
water should be just as palatable
as it always has been here.
Rumors that cases of typhoid
and other illnesses traceable to
the water supply here this week
have been flatly denied by health
officials.
“There has not been one case of
sickness of any sort here from
the water this week,” Miss Mar
jorie Myren, Public Health Nurse,
stated here this morning.
At the regular meeting of the
Co-Op board of directors to be
held tomorrow morning, action
to be taken with regard .to the
city water system will be studied.
Local Water Supply,
BCG Vaccine Program
Discussed at Council
Two important community
health subjects discussed at the
regular meeting of the Health
Council last night included Pal
mer’s water supply and a pro
posed BCB vaccine program for
the area.
Alaska Department of Health
officials who spoke on the two
vital subjects were Dr. C. M.
Patterson, sanitarian, and Miss
Ruth Grover, registered nurse.
Dr. Patterson, in charge of the
area that includes Palmer, told
the Council last night that the
town’s water supply should be
safe, as the chlorinator which was
installed Thursday is now in op
eration.
He stated that for the first 24
hours the chlorinator taste may
be noticeable as an added amount
of chlorine had been used as the
initial application.
He pointed out that the amount
of residual chlorine in the water
will amount to only two tenths
part per million parts of water,
in explaining that the water
should have its usual palatable
taste very soon.
The chlorinator installed Thurs
day as a temporary measure is
one that is kept on hand in An
chorage for just such emergencies.
It will remain on loan here from
(Continued on Back Page)
COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE
TO BE OPEN MONDAY
The U. S. Commissioner’s office
will be opened again Monday, it
was announced today. The office
has been closed this week due to
the illness of Mrs. Dorothy Sax
ton, U. S. Commissioner.
Mrs. Saxton, who has been hos
pitalized at Valley Hospital, will
be back at her desk Monday
morning.