The Wrangell sentinel. (Wrangell, Alaska) 1909-current, 1935-07-05
sURATT GIVES IMPRESSIONS
CONDITIONS AT MATANUSKA
Continued from Page one)

Continued from Page one)
tive offices housed in a log bunga-
low near the railroad tracks.
Palmer, or Valley City, as the
colonists christened it, is less pic
turesque than the workers camp.
It is a tent city sheltering about
100 families. the temporary home
of the St. Louis County. Minnesota
group. The tents, which are about
12x20, are pitched over frames.
the walls of which rise about five
feet. Each tent is divided into two
rooms by a plank partition. and
has the name of the occupant writ
ten on the front.
Temporary HabitatiOns
Each tent is fitted out about the
same, with a cookstove. beds,
tables, chairs and other necessary
furnishings Water is carried from
several wells driven at convenient
intervals in the center of the
streets. Sanitary measures are SUI
peryised by the administrative Of
ficials and a system of garbage
collection by the colonists is in
operation.
Tents and offices of the admins
trative force are clustered near
huge warehouse and workshop at
the west limit of the colony, and
group of tents at the northwest
corner of the encampment provide
shelter and hospital facilities for
the Red Cross unit. This unit is
not an integral part of the colony;
it is a unit of the Transient Wor-
kers' camp, but as no medical
force had been provided by the
government for the colonists, the
army doctor and his assistants
moved their camp up to the colony
where their services were more in
demand.
Right here a critical observer
might raise a cautious finger and
ask, as many have asked: why
were these families with so many
young children brought these many
miles and set down here in tents
without a capable doctor and nurse
TO attend maternity cases and guard
infancy, especially after an epidem-
ic of measles had manifested it
self The answer is that the gov
eminent expected civilian physi-
clans to enter the field and start
practicing, the same as they might
be expected to do in any new COM
munity.
A Corporation
There seems to be some confusion
in the minds of many Alaskans
about the manner in which the pro-
ject is organized and governed. l
might add that certain phases OF
the project are not any too clear to
the officials in charge. Briefly, it
was framed as a reliet measure
which would be self-liquidating, o.
nearly so, over a period of thirty
years. In order to function legally.
the project was incorporated like
many other philanthropic enter
prises, with a president, board OF
directors, etc, with funds furnished
by the FERA. The thing to re-
member is that the colonists are
obligated to repay the corporation
for everything they receive.
l believe the administrative Of
ficials are doing their best to hold
down expenses which the colonists
eventually will have to pay. Self
reliance is the watchword. This is
no doubt one of the reasons why
medical attendance was not pro-
vided.
Self Government
The colony is governed by a sys-
tenn of councils. Each of the nine
camps elects two delegates who at
tend a general council at the rec
reation tent in headquarters camp
one night each week. Here matters
pertaining to the various camps are
discussed in open meeting, the wo-
men having the same voice as the
men sometimes exercising b
feminine prerogatiVe of the last
word" This general council, when
prompted to do so, elects delegates
to discuss it's affairs with Don IT.
win, the manager of the corpora
ton.
l heard nothing but good of IT.
win. The colonists, almost to
man, regard him as their friend
and benefactor. A few of the colo