L*tt«r to the Editor
(Continued from Page 6)
I wonder if they would recon
sider their choice of words in des
cribing our prices. Exorbitant? Un
reasonable? To one who is paying
his own way it seems more that
the prices they are paying are un
reasonable, unrealistically low.
Next this unidentified group
takes a long low jab at our reputa
tion for high quality. By lifting one
incident of a moldy loaf from the
tens of thousands of high quality
loaves we have delivered they im
ply that we do not supply them
with fresh bread. The white bread
for the Commissary is made up
and baked on the afternoon and
evening prior to delivery. It is
cooled and wrapped by 2 a m. and
delivered at 7:30 a m. We want our
customers to have fresh bread and
we do our level best to see that
they get it.
I recall that several years ago
when I was driving the Commis
sary route we had a similar situ
ation develop. A few stale or moldy
loaves were appearing among tre
bulk of fresh bread. We found
the cause. Personnel of the Com
missary were stashing bread away
against the possibility of the stock
running out that day. It would be
forgotten and found days later,
brought out of the back room and
traded on the shelf for fresh bread.
Naturally it was stale and moldy.
Although our contract does not
call for it we replaced these moldy
loaves whenever the customer took
the trouble to return them to the
store or the bakery. Had this un
fortunate wife returned her loaf
of moldy bread we would have
gladly replaced it or refunded her
purchase price. There was no need
for her to martyr herself on a
moldy loaf of bread. We are not
here to filch from the pockets of
service people. That is the lowest
form of parasitic behavior, and if
there is anything I loathe, it is a
parasite. Their assertion that our
bread is of poor quality is at vari
ance with the fact that we have
been commended by units of the
Canadian and U.S. Navies for the
high keeping quality of our bread.
This unidentified group appears
to feel quite bitterly toward Sen
ator Bartlett for his opposition to
the purchase of Seattle bread.
Through a cleverly worded state
ment they seek to cast a pall on
the good Senator for representing
us and the interests of our em
ployees and the people with whom
our employees do business. Is this
not his duty? It certainly is. Ami
he is doing it. He is doing it with
vigor. Why do they scorn a man
who does his duty? Are they so
blinded by 13c that they cannot
ee that he is also serving their in
terests? When their Commissary
Officer made the decision to pur
chase bread in Seattle and thus
eliminated from his store the one
item that reflected the true high
cost of living in Alaska, he went
a long way toward opening a re
view of the basic question of
whether they should receive the
extra pay and allowances which
We extend our best wishes for a happy and
successful school year; and we cordially in
vite you to visit us whenever we can be
helpful with your financial matters. Many
teachers bank their savings with us. May we
welcome you as a saver here?
Instant One Year
Daily Interest Time Deposits
MAKE YOUR BANK
The
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of Anchorage
KODIAK BRANCH
are based on the true high cost
of living in Alaska. After all, if
they insist on paying prices which
are cheaper than Seattle retail,
why should they receive overseas
pay and a cost of living allowance
which have Alaskan costs as a
basis? That fresh, delicious loaf
of Seattle bread to which they re
fer retails in Seattle at 33c. The
last time the Commissary sold this
bread it was priced at 25c. If
Senator Bartlett is successful in
heading off this decision, I think
they will thank him for it later.
This unidentified group asserts
that our price is impressing a real
hardship on families of service
men who eat a loaf of bread a day.
First let’s look at this from the
standpoint of money. Dollars and
cents and sense. How much dis
parity should there be between
our price and the price of Seattle
bread in their Commissary? I have
the price list of a huge Seattle
bakery. By taking their wholesale
price for white bread and adding
the Commissary’s transportation
markup I find that the price should
be 29c. Although we deliver our
bread and stack it on the shelves
for them and stand all losses and
there is no transportation cost to
the government, the Commissary
adds the transportation markup
to our bread.
This makes the price of our
bread in the Commissary 45c.
Without the transportation markup
our bread previously sold for 42c,
So you see, the disparity at pres
ent amounts to 16c. 16c per day
and it could be 13c. 13c per day
I"
a hardship? Approximately 4 c per
slice a real hardship’ Consider
now that the serviceman in Alaska
receives overseas pay and extra
allowances to help cope with the
cost of living in Alaska. Perhaps
13c could represent a hardship. To
see this we would have to look
at their total situation "here on
the base.” How much for gasoline?
How much for medical? How much
for anything? Look at it and tell
me that 13c is a real hardship and
I’ll laugh right in your face. A
hardship on servicemen’s families!
Never have I been accused of such
i"
a dastardly thing!
We have appreciated the busi
ness the Naval base has given us
in the past. To show this appreci
ation we have consistently given
them more and better service than
our contracts called for, and at the
lowest prices we could manage.
We have striven to give them our
best but now they are taking their
accounts out of our locale. It
would have been nice had the end
been more pleasant than the barbs
we received in the MIRROR.
Yours truly,
EDWARD NAUGHTON
ALASKA TRANSFER & STORAGE
NO JOB TOO LARGE OR TOO SMALL
LOCAL MOVING and TRUCKING
Agents For
AREO - MAYFLOWER
MARTIN VAN LINES
ALLIED VAN LINES
We handle packing, crating and shipping from Kodiak to all
Alaskan points. United States Hawaii and Germany.
Phone 486-2333 Box 605 1
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