The White Falcon - 17.10.1958, Síða 4

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Friday, October 17, 1958
ellavih's ’Comes: Store' Fills Cap
Every military base is like any other community. It has 1
need for utilities, for fire protection, for church. It doesn’t
limit itself to the major requirements- of food and shelter.
Citizens must have the opportunity to purchase personal
items. The Keflavik Base Exchange provides this service
it is the “corner store”.
Making personal supplies avail-
able to military personnel is as
old as warfare itself. Every army
from Caesar’s to Napoleon’s faced
the problem of supplying the little
things needed by millions of men.
George Washington’s army
bought from sutlers, tradesmen
who sold from wagons. Sutlers
were barred by the end of the
Civil War in favor of post trad-
ers. Then this gave way to the
cooperative canteen system deve-
loped by officers assigned to
frontier posts.
The cooperatives, which pool.d
funds to purchase in quantity, be-
came so popular that Congress
accepted the idea in 1892 and
authorized them the use of public
buildings and transportation. In
1895, War Department General
Order No. 46 dated 25 July, set
forth rules and regulations cover-
ing everything from starting an
exchange to closing one down.
Horse blankets, bowie knives,
and snuff were at one time best-
sellers in the exchange. Today
at Keflavik, radio phonograph
consoles, cameras, personal items
such as tooth paste and shaving
lotion, etc., jackets with the map
of Iceland, and tabaccos are best
sellers.
The mission of the exchange
system is to combine the features
of reading and recreation rooms,
a cooperative store, and a restau-
rant. It. was devised to supply
troops with articles of ordinary
use, wear, and consumption at
reasonable prices consistent with
profits necessary to generate di-
vidends for welfare funds.
Prices are set on a graduated
basis, giving necessary items the
lowest possible markup. Conveni-
ence articles such as radios, tele-
vision sets, jewelry, and cameras,
receive higher markups. Selling
prices reflect merchandising and
operating expenses, plus a profit
margin of six to seven percent.
Servicemen, not taxpayers, fin-
ance exchange operations. Every
time a man spends a dollar in his
exchange he contributes six cents
to the morale funds thus saving
taxpayers that cost.
Eventually almost all itmes sold
in ‘exchanges will have a fixed
sale price. This is possible through
internal controls, price agree-
ments, and merchandising innova-
tions. Comparisons show that ne-
cessary items sell cheaper in pro-
portion to items of convenience.
The exchange stocks the high-
quality, nationally-advertised
brands most in demand. These
items may be slow in arrivirig
because of the gap between a new
product’s appearance and the de-
mand demonstrated for it, as well
as the time required to ship the
merchandise to Iceland.
Regulations governing exchange
operations overseas differ from
those for the stateside exchanges
since there are no American re-
tail stores where the service man
can purchase items he could buy
stateside. Therefore the Overs:as
Exchange is allowed to sell larger
appliances and other luxury items
not authorized in a stateside ex-
change. Since it is not possible to
stock every item which every
customer might want in the ex-
change, a special order section
has been established to meet this
need. Frank Stybuhar is the Spe-
cial Order Clerk at the Keflavik
Exchange and can order almost
anything not stocked.
The profits from a base ex-
change go right back to the cust-
omer. These profits provide hobby
shops, day rooms and service clubs.
Some $50,000,000 exchange profits
a year are distributed on a pei--
man per-month basis to Armed
Forces unit welfare funds world-
wide. Exchange profits have sav-
ed taxpayers more than $400,000,-
000 since the end of World War II.
Some $17,000,000 are spent each
year to renovate and improve ex-
changes over the world. Some 40
to 60 thousand dollars a year dur-
ing the last two years has been
spent for renovation and new
equipment at Keflavik.
The Exchange Service is a mili-
tary organization, yet it is largely
civilian-operated. It is primarily
a service to military personnel yet
it receives no government funds.
It operates stores in the most
inaccessible spots, yet it must op-
erate as efficiently as any civilian
merchandising chain.
While generally thought of as a
retail-type b siness, exchanges
actually embrace many activities
and personal services — cafe-
terias snack bars, mobile canteens,
and concessions which include
barber shops, shoe repair, photo
studios, and tailor shops.
Some 170 civilians are employe-
ed in the Keflavik Exchange oper-
ations. This includes Icelandic
Nationals, American Civilians,
and Service dependents.
The Iceland Exchange is large,
varied, and widespread in its
activities since its mission is serv-
ice to meet every need. Located
in Iceland are: main exchange, re-
tail warehouse, Tent city, Rock-
ville, Toyland, cafeteria, snackbar
21, mobile canteen, tailor shop,
shoe repair, photo shop, laun-
dramat, barber shop, exchanges
at Hofn, Lartrar, Langanes, con-
cessions such as men’s clothing
store, auto repair, beauty shop,
service station, gift shop, shoe
store, women’s style center, and
watch repair.
Service, rather than potential
profit, decides where exchange
activities are located. Naturady,
tiny outlets have difficulty break-
ing even, so the earnings of larger
stores should carry them. This
“cooperative” system was em-
phasized in a 1955 survey which
showed that Strategic Air Com-
mand and Air Training Command
generated more than 80% of the
prpfits of all USAF exchanges.
This system is not fully developed
at this time however, since ex-
changes with extremely high op-
erating expenses such as the Kef-
lavik Exchange are is still requir-
ed to generate a similar profit to
that of exchanges with lower ex-
penses.
Jlou. 20 Jjeacliine
Mail Xmas Parcels Early
To Insure On-time Delivery
Secretary of Defense Neil H. McElroy and Postmaster
General Arthur E. Summerfield recently issued an advance
notice to “Mail Early for Christmas Overseas.”
There is no guarantee that Christmas packages mailed
to service men overseas after Nov.
20 will be delivered by Dec. 25.
Articles should be tightly packed
in either double-faced corruga.ed
cardboard, wood, metal or fiber-
board boxes securely wrapped in
heavy paper and well tied.
Personnel at this NATO in-
stallation are advised to do their
shopping and mailing as soon as
possible.
Lt. Robert L. Parker of the
Keflavik Post Office stated: “It
would be highly appreciated if the
personnel here could get all Christ-
mas articles mailed before the
20th, and ask their friends and
families back home to do so. There
will be a last minute rush, as
usual; but the big part could be
over to allow Air Postal Service
men to go home on leave.”
He also pointed out that all
parcel post articles and unsealed
3 cent cards should be mailed
between 1 'and 20 November and
all Air Mail articles should come
in no later than 10 December.
Both mailing and return ad-
dress should be clearly and cor-
rectly printed. It is also advisable
to print an extra set of addresses
on a small card and put them
inside the parcel.
Packages to an APO or FPO
must 'not weigh more than 50
pounds each if going to England
or Scotland, or more than 70
pounds to other points. No package
may be more than 100 inches in
length and girth combined.
Pershable items, matches and
lighter fluid are included among
the articles which may not be sent
through the mails. Lccal post of-
ficies have complete lists of arti-
cles that cannot be mailed.
Servicemen are urged to advise
their friends and families of the
Nov. 20 deadline, packaging re-
quirements, correct addressing
and size and weight limitations.
The theory behind the exchange
service is that no man in uniform
should be deprived of exchange,
services because of an assignment
over which he has no control. He
should receive equal benefits,
whether he is at Keflavik or with
an Aircraft Control and Warning
Squadron such as Lartrar.
How good a job do exchanges
do in meeting customer needs? The
answer is: better than they used
to do but not as good as they
hope to do. First Lieutenant
William C. Humphreys, local BX
Officer says: “The exchange is
continually working toward its
goal of offering the largest possi-
ble selection — as complete a line
as is offered by larger exchanges
and civilan department stores in
so far as its sales volume will
permit.”
Of course the Iceland Exchange
cannot present the large variety
and vast selection of merchandise
found in such large overseas ex-
changes as those in Frankfurt or
Wiesbaden, Germany. The basic
reason being that there are not
as many customers in Iceland buy-
ing as many goods as there are
in Germany. The stock in an ex-
change must be in porportion to
the volume of sales in that ex-
change. For the same reason a
small town does not have the large
stores that a larger city has.
WJhite Ja (con j^ool IQeuieu)
Cracker-Barrel Wit Makes
Best-Seller List 3 Months
In recent years, readers have presumably found it diffi-
cult to uncover true satire worthy of the .Old Masters.
Perhaps, like many other people, the best examples you
have found were among comic strips such as Walt Kelly’s
“Pogo”, Shultz’s “Peanuts” and A1 Capp’s “Li’l Abner”.
<S>--:---------=-------
It will therefore be most wel-
come when readers come across
Harry Golden’s “Only In Amer-
ica”. After hours of chuckles,
sneers, frowns, lip biting and
down right belly guffaws, the
reader will run to his nearest
acquaintance with a mouthful o:
superlatives. This is the kind of
advertising that has kept the book
high on best seller lists since its
publication three months ago.
The simplest thing to be said
for the book is that it is a collec-
tion of essays written by Mr.
Golden for his self-owned, self-
operated newspaper, “The Carol-
ina Israelite”.
Subscribers to this monthly
journal range from the family
next door to Harry S. Truman,
Adlai Stevenson, Earl Warren,
Thomas E. Dewey, William Faul-
kner, Fannie Hurst and Carl Sand-
burg.
To quote Sandburg: “Whatever
is human interests Harry Golden.
Honest men, crooks, knuckleheads,
particularly anybody out of the
ordinary if even a half-wit, any
of them is in his line. He writes
about them. He drops the sheets
of writing in a barrel. Comes the
time of the month to get out his
paper, — he digs down into the
barrel and finds copy. As you go
along in this book or in copies of
his paper you may be saying,
‘That fellow doesn’t miss anything,
he has ears to hear and a pencil
to write it down.’”
Some of Golden’s comments that
can be viewed by flipping pages
of the book are, “The Ten Lost
Tribes? They are the Presbyter-
ians”, or, talking about “Cleo-
patra”, “Now that’s what I call
. ’a Call Girl’.”
As soon as the Base Library
opens, we suggest you trot down
and get on the waiting list. If,
however, you are lucky enough to
find it still in the racks, we sug-
gest you flip the pages and read
a few of the essays. This method
will most certinly wet your pallet.
As a starter, turn to either, “Buy-
ing a Suit on the East Side”;
“The Vertical Negro Plan”; You
never Saw a Yenkee?”; “The
Burning of the Cross”; “The Ital-
ian Americans” or “The Death
of Senator McCarthy.”
Summing Up — Witticism, in-
dependence and nostalgia with a
foward look.
“I hear that your brother who
tells those tall tales has a slight
cold.”
“He’s dead.”
“Still exaggerating, eh?”
Medical Care For
Dependents Residing
Apart From Sponsor
Dependents eligible for civilian
medical care who reside APART
from their sponsors may continue
to choose between civilian facili-
ties or a facility of the Armed
Forces—or they may use a U.S.
Public Health Service Medical
facility.
Civilian physicians and hospitals
when providing care for depend-
ents will each furnish the depend-
ent with a claim form (DA Form
1863 entitled “Statement of Serv-
ices Provided by Civilian Medical
Sources”), to be filled in. If the
attending physician requires the
services of other physicians, an
anesthetist, or a private-duty
nurse while the dependent is in
the civilian hospital, a DA Form
1863 must be completed for each
of them. These claim forms must
also indicate that the patient re-
sides apart from sponsor.
When applying for civilian me-
dical care, the dependent should
first ask the physician if he will
participate in the Medicare Pro-
gram. If he will, the dependent is
not expected to pay the physician,
nurse, or hospital for care cover-
ed under the revised program. Un-
der Service regulations, the Go-
vernment pays the physician for
authorized care with the under-
standing that there will be no addi-
tional charge to the dependent or
sponsor for that care.
Civilian Care Provided
Now in effect, the Govern-
ment will pay the major cost of
the following services for those
eligible dependents who meet the
requirements for civilian medical
care:
--Hospitalization in semiprivate
accommodations (2, 3, or 4 beds),
not to exceed 365 days for each
admission, and the physicians’ bills
DURING HOSPITALIZATION
for treatment of: 1. acute medical
conditions. 2. contagious diseases.
3. surgical emergencies. 4. acute
surgical conditions. 5. severe in-
juries, during the acute phase.
—Laboratory and X-ray tests
and procedures during hospitaliza-
tion.
—-Complete obstetrical and ma-
ternity care, including inhospital
care of the new born infant.
MAIL THE WHITE FALCON HOME
Postal rates for mailing The White Falcon.
Third Class, 3^; First Class, 4C; Airmail, 7(.
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