March of Dimes Talenl
.Show, School Gym, 3
p.m.. Tuesday.
Malley Mrontiergmsm I
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
PAGES
TODAY
VOL. 4. NO. 22
PALMER. ALASKA. FRIDAY. FEBRUARY 9. 1951
PRICE He
Teachers Protest Wage Increase Plan
Practice Evacuation
Planned Here Saturday
To Test Winter Driving
A practice evacuation for wom
en and children at Ft. Richard
son and Elmendorf tomorrow to
test the military’s plan under
winter driving conditions has
been mapped out to cause as lit
tle congestion here in Palmer as
possible, an Army officer, speak
ing unofficially, told the Cham
ber of Commerce at its regular
luncheon meeting Wednesday.
Capt. Raymond D. Coffin, as
sistant post engineer, Lt. John J.
Mahoney and Cpl. Charles G.
Johnson, here to make prepara
tions for the practice evacuation,
were guests of the Chamber at
the meeting.
* Rations, blankets or money
will not be issued in the lest
here so that cars may be kept
moving as rapidly as possible,
the military officer said. He
added that the plan was for
cars in the evacuation to turn
left at Hartley's garage and
proceed to the railroad crossing 1
beside the depot. From there
they will turn right on Valley
street and continue on to Kirk's
Sales and Service. Convoys of
25 cars each will be formed
here, which will then return to
*lhe post accompanied by mili
tary escort. The evacuees are
not to get out of their cars here
except at a comfort station
which is to be located across
from the railroad depot, the of
ficer explained. The highway
will not be closed at any time
during the practice, he said.
Approximately 30 members and'
guests were in attendance at the
meeting, at which several com
mittee reports were given. Jack
Maze reported that a slogan had
been adopted for the Chamber’s
current “Buy at Home” campaign.
It is “Buy at Home and Help Us
Grow.” Mr. Maze said that the
plan is for Palmer merchants to
feature a “special” each week in
(Conlinued on Classified Page)
SYMPHONY CONCERT
SPONSORED HERE BY
LOCAL MUSIC GROUP
4A concert by the Anchorage
Symphony Orchestra will be pre
sented here February 18 under
me auspices of the local Music
Appreciation Group, Dan Flem
ing, chairman of the group, an
nounced this week. The concert
will be held at the school gym
at 2:30 p.m. Tickets for the mu
sical treat will go on sale next
week.
The Symphony Orchestra, un
der the direction of Peter Britch,
‘ will present a “pops” concert with
Tschaikowsky’s “Swan Lake” as
the major work of the afternoon.
Miss Ruthella Wade, dancer, will
*be featured as guest artist.
- Proceeds from the concert here
will be used by the Music Appre
ciation Group for some civic
cause here, Mr. Fleming said.
March of Dimes Talent Show Program
Has Wide Variety of Acts for Tuesday
TRY-OUT DATES SET
FOR VALLEY TALENT
IN KIWANIS SHOW
Try-outs for the second annual
Kiwanis Club Minstrel Show
were announced this week by
Producer Joe Huddock for Feb
ruary 14 and 15 and are to be
held at 7:30 p.m. at Room 17 at
the Palmer school. The try-outs
were scheduled to immediately
follow the big March of Dimes
Talent Show so that auditions
may be held while everyone “is
still in the mood,” Producer Hu
dock said in making the an
nouncement.
All adults and teen-agers who
can either sing, dance or who
have any specialty acts are urged
to audition for the Kiwanis show
which will be presented some
time in April, Mr. Hudock said.
I Parts in the show are not limited
I to Kiwanis members nor their
'ladies, he explained. Anyone who
cannot conveniently try out
either of the specified nights, may
make an appointment with Mr.
Hudock for a later date, he also
said.
Plans for the production are
“moving along very well” the
producer stated. He expects the
show to be “bigger and better”
than ever this year.
Stateside Strikes
Cause of Curtailment
Of Postal Service Here
The widespread disruption of
railroad service in the states has
reached Palmer and restrictions
have been put on certain classes
of mail here, it was announced at
the Post Office this week. The
restrictions are being carried out
by order of the Postmaster Gen
eral.
Service restrictions to be im
posed here will include the fol
lowing: second class, except daily
newspapers; all third and fourth
class matter; mail matter of the
first class exceeding eight ounces
in weight and air parcel post ex
ceeding two pounds in weight.
The restriction was effective
immediately upon its receipt here
this week and the Palmer Post
! Office discontinued acceptance of
i any mail matter of the restricted
categories, except that no re
I strictions apply to mail matter
I for local delivery. This included
rural routes, star routes and high
way post offices, it was explained,
or mail originating at and des
tined for delivery at nearby
points on local lines between
which it is known no interference
with transportation exists.
The restrictions do not apply to
medicine, drugs, serums, labora
tory specimens, artificial limbs,
dentures, eye glasses, surgical in
struments, surgical dressings, or
to money shipments by banks.
James Hurley will act as mas
ter of ceremonies of the big
March of Dimes Talent Show that
will be held here February 13 as a
community-wide project in,the!
drive that is now under way to'
fight polio.
The show is being sponsored
here by Beta Sigma Phi sorority i
and the Palmer Kiwanis Club. It
will include singing, dancing,
comedy skits, instrumental solos
and many other acts that will
The Talent Show will be en
hanced by the use of a public
address system. The new pub
lic address system owned by
the Palmer Kiwanis Club will
be made available to the Beta
Sigma Phi sorority for the i
Talent Show, Kiwanian Presi- I
dent Hugh A. Johnson said
here this week. Charles Wil
son and John Weisenberger,
members of the Kiwanis Club
will assist the sorority mem
bers in setting up the system
for the event.
keep the Talent Show going for
approximately two hours, Mrs.
Brock said.
The parade of Valley talent,
which is being contributed by
those appearing in the show as
their part in the March of Dimes
drive, will start exactly at 8 p.m.
at the school gym. Doors will
open to the public at 7:15 p.m.
Committees named for the
event include Mrs. Alice Snod
grass and Mrs. Bonnie Bettini, in
charge of tickets; Mrs. Eileen
Branton and Mrs. Mary Johns,
posters; Mrs. Mildred Buzby and
Mrs. Bettini in charge of ticket
sales at the door; Miss Barbara
Hecker in charge of setting up
chairs in the auditorium. She will
be assisted by members of the
Palmer Kiwanis club. Mrs. Roy
Brock is general chairman of the
event.
Mrs. Brock named several of
the acts that are already sched
uled for the show. There will be
a ballet dance by Ana Onkka;
(Continued on Classified Page)
VALLEY FAIR WINNER
GETS ROLE IN OPERA
Miles Brandon, first prize win
ner in last year’s Matanuska Val
ley Fair talent show, will appear
in a Seattle production of the
opera “Carmen” it was learned
here recently. The young Alas
kan will sing the role of Jose in
the famous opera.
Brandon is a son of Mr. and
Mrs. James Brandon of Dilling
ham. The first prize that he won
here last year included a trip to
New York City and appearances
on radio. In addition to study
ing for his baritone role in the
opera, he is also employed at Boe
1 ing in Seattle.
First Classes for
Nurses, Medical Aids
Are Set for Wednesday
The first two classes for nurses
aids and medical aids to be con
ducted by the Matanuska Valley
Nurses Association will begin
Wednesday evening, February 14,
from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The men’s medical aid class will
be held in the Palmer Health
Center, located across from the
Trading Post. The nurses aid
classes for women will be held in
the home economic room of the
Palmer school.
The two classes will be for in
dividuals interested in taking a
six weeks’ course, according to
the announcement. The Nurses
Association will contact leadei's
of the Homemaker clubs who
have registered for classes, and
arrangements will be made for
time and place of their meetings.
Persons planning to attend the
first sessions on Wednesday night
are requested to bring a notebook
and pencil with them. They are
also asked to bring a mouth ther
mometer if they have one.
FUNERAL RITES FOR
NORMA HANNULA SET
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
Funeral Services for Miss Nor
ma Hannula, 26, who died here
Wednesday at Valley hospital
after a brief illness, will be held
tomorrow afternoon at 1:30
o’clock. The Rev. Joseph Frenz
of Anchorage will conduct the
services at the St. John’s Luther
an church. Vocal selections will
be sung by Mrs. Lew Hanks. In
terment will follow at the Palmer
cemetery.
Miss Hannula is survived by a
sister, Mrs. Oscar Kindgren; three
neices, Mrs. Clay Prewitt, Miss
Geraldine Kindgren and Miss
Barbara Kindgren, all of Palmer,
and host of friends here in the
Valley. She also leaves three sis
ters and a brother who live in
Minnesota.
She came to Palmer two years
ago from Minneapolis, Minn., and
made her home here with Mr. and
Mrs. Prewitt. She was employed
in the accounting section of the
Agricultural Research Adminis
tration. She was a member of
Beta Sigma Phi sorority here.
Her sorority sisters will hold a
ritual memorial service for her at
a date to be announced later by
Mrs. Dorothy Saxton, president
of Beta Sigma Phi here.
Acting as pallbearers tomor
row will be Don Irwin, E. G.
Ganschow, Winston Laughlin,
Clarence Moore, Ivan Branton
and Dr. Allan Mick.
HARTUNGS MOVE HERE
Mr. and Mrs. Norm Hartung
have moved to Palmer. The
couple moved here this week
from Alpine Inn, where Mr.
Hartung has been employed for
some time.
‘Local Faculty Members
Urge Salary Adjustment
On Cost of Living Basis
%The Palmer Teachers Associa
tion, comprised of the teachers on
the Palmer school staff, went on
record this week as protesting
the $300 “across the board” raise
for teachers throughout Alaska,
which is to come before the terri
torial legislature, Joe Hudock an
nounced this week. Mr. Hudock
is president of the Palmer Teach
ers Association.
Over 400 letters were written
by the Palmer teachers personal
ly this week to the territorial leg
islators and the territorial board
of education, Mr. Hudock said, in
protest of the “across the board”
raise.
The teachers here emphasized
that they are not protesting the
raise in itself but they point
out that a $300 raise for all
teachers throughout the entire
territory is not an equitable
adjustment. They base their
opinion on the cost of living in
Alaska which becomes increas
ingly higher in the western and
northern parts of the territory.
Referring to a cost of living in
dex as compared to Seattle, Mr.
! Hudock quoted the following fig
' ures: Using Seattle as 100 per
cent, the cost of living was found
to be 130 percent in Juneau; An
chorage 161 percent; Fairbanks
and Nome 196 percent. The index
was compiled by Dr. I. J. Mort
gomery, director of the Merit
System in Alaska, who made the
survey last summer to provide
the territorial Department of
Labor with figures on the cost of
living in Alaska. The survey was
in no way connected with the
present raise for teachers in the
territory.
"We feel the raise is very
adequate for teachers in the
< First Division, but not for those
in the Second,* Third and
Fourth Divisions where liv
ing costs are so much higher,"
Mr. Hudock pointed out. Any
adjustment of salary that does
not allow for the higher living
costs is not equitable, he added.
(Continued on Classified Page)
WALTER HUNTLEY
CANDIDATE FOR
U. S. MARSHAL
Walter Huntley of Palmer is
among the list of candidates for
the U. S. Marshal’s post in the
third division, made vacant by
the recent death of Paul Herring.
Four candidates for the office
listed last week included Mr.
Huntley, who is also a territorial
senator.
Formal applications have been
submitted by Mr. Huntley, Walter
Mickens of Anchorage; Jack
Davis of Anchorage, and Charles
Stowell, former chief of police at
Anchorage. U. S. Deputy Bill
Healy has been in charge of the
Marshal’s office since Mr. Her
ring’s death.