Evening star., 1935-06-29
COL0NY'S MORALE
REACHES NEW Low
Poll Shows Only Is Per Cent
in Matanuska Would
Return, However.
BY ARvILLE SCHALEBEN.


PALMER, Alaska, June % (N.A.
NA.).-In plain Anglo-Saxon language
Matanuska pioneering finds itself in a
mess.
The morale in all divisions OF COL
onization is at low point. Colonists
who want to stay are yammering for
the corporation to get those who want
to go. out of here. Those who want
to 60 are in confusion about how
much of their expenses will be paid.
A reporter put this question to 40
heads of families will you go if
your way is paid?" Some who before
had told the reporter that they wanted
to go home said mo" Many colonistS
In the group that wants to stay, come
what may, estimate that so per cent
of the families would leave. My cur
sory poll shows that this is too high.
Fifteen per cent might be closer.
Die-Hard States View.
Don't count on me going back.
said Frank Ring of Pembine. Wis. Il
came here to stay. This is my coun-
try. I've got nothing against Wiscon-
sin, but there's nothing back there
for me- There I walked the roads at
night worrying about an $500 debt. /
sold my cows and my horses and
everything and went away owing no
man cent. Some of my friends back
home will hear some terrible things
about this project, but the way see
this it's an opportunity for any one
not afraid to tie in and do bit"
ME 60 home? Not by a damn
sight," said Tony Vickaryous Of War
road, MINI. I've got a residents
farm away from my own tract, and
I've got some crops planted and I'll
have something to sell this Fall. Be-
sides, you see those mountains? I've
got some exploring to do, and I'm
going to find out about some of those
bears everybody is talking about"
Some Dread Boat Trip.
I'VE don't want to go back" said
Mrs. I. M. Sandvik. "I've talked to
q lot of people and they don't want
to go back, either. We just want to
see things get under way"
Actually, some families are held
here only by a dread of seasickness
on the return voyage.
Would you go back?" Howard Nc
Kendry of Winter, Wis, was asked.
''No. sir" he replied. Would you 60
back if there was a railroad insteas
of a boat?" "Yes, sirree," he replied
enphatically.
Other families changed their minds
about going following a lottery for
cows. With the animals at last in
their possession, they felt that they
were getting something solid to show
for their trip here, and their personal
outlook took on brighter hue.
Meanwhile new arrangements have
been made for getting cabin logs
squared and put into homes. Colon
lists crews were taken off portable
mills and will be replaced by con-
struction division men under Frank
u. Bliss.
Work Far Behind.
Under this agreement colonists are
expected to work at cutting logs on
their tracts, clearing nome sites and
doing anything for themselves that
they can.
Just what has been done to date?
The answer reveals now far behind
the project is. Two wells have been
dug on hcme sites and. exclusive of
sites now occupied by tent camps, five
cabins are under construction. About
so of 200 home sites have been Sc
1ected. About 20 of these have been
cleared. The community center site
has been surveyed and mostly cleared,
but nary building is under construc-
tion. Excluding home sites and the
community center site, not more than
50 acres out of an anticipated 2,400
have been cleared. No shelters for
live stock have been started.
This information Is not official and
1t must be gathered mostly by per-
sonal investigation, supplemented by
a few facts from officials If one had
to depend on officials reports for in
formation he'd know less about the
project than South Sea islander.
Copyright. 1885. by the North American
Newspaper Alliance, Incl