The White Falcon - 29.10.1976, Side 1

.White
Volume XXXII Number 43
Falcon
Kef lav ik, Iceland
October 29, 1976
Enlisted clothing allowance revised
A revised monthly clothing mainte-
nance allowance for enlisted personnel
went into effect Oct. 1, according to
the Naval Station Disbursing Office.
The new monthly basic allowances for
E-l-E-6 are $5.10 for men and $4.20 for
women. The new standard rates are $7.20
for men and $6.30 for women. Before the
changes went into effect, the rates were
$6.30 for men and $7.20 for women
(basic), and $9 for men and $10.20 for
women (standard).
The maintenance allowances are broken
down into two categories: the basic al-
lowance paid from the seventh to the
36th month of service, and the standard
allowance, paid after the 36th month of
service.
The new monthly rates for E-7 is
$7.20 for men and $6.30 for women
(standard), and $8.70 for men and women
(special). Previous rates were $9 for
men and $10.20 for women (standard) and
$10.20 for men and women (special).
Special rates take effect after com-
pleting 36 months as E-7.
The reductions, reflected in new
rates, are based on the Department of
Defense revised estimates of the wearout
period for required items, and the with-
drawal of financial support for required
seabag items not worn exposed on the
person, such as underwear, lingerie,
towels, etc.
Rockville expands photo lab capability, flexibility
A new photo lab recently opened at
the Rockville site, featuring broad
based instruction and a capability to
provide color developing and printing.
The former small, existing lab was
renovated into a compact, but complete,
photo facility, emphasizing flexibility
and quality.
Color slide and print developing,
basic and advanced camera theory, photo
lab procedures and black and white de-
veloping are among the services availa-
ble.
In addition, the lab can also use a
highly professional color print develop-
ing technique known as 'Cibachrome'.
The Cibachrome process is a relatively
simple process, but requires special
chemicals and paper, which results in
color prints, far superior to those de-
veloped with ordinary techniques and
materials, according to lab spokesmen.
The Rockville Photo Lab is the only
photo facility to offer the Cibachrome
process in Iceland, and one of the few
Air Force Hobby Photo Labs (military or
civilian.)
A color photography course, offered
through Los Angeles Community College
Overseas, began Monday at the Rockville
Photo Lab.
NavSta P.O. offers mailing tips for faster service
To ensure that your letters and cards
will arrive home in time for Christmas
and to help lower the work load on the
Post Office Clerks, the Base Post Office
announces the following mailing sugges—
Ice & Fire schedules
November performances
The Ice and Fire Theater Group will
present a dinner theater, 6 Rms Riv Vu,
Nov. 13 at the Officers' Club and Nov.
17 and 18 at the Top of the Rock.
6 Rms Riv Vu, produced by special ar-
rangement with Samuel French, Inc., is a
comedy in two acts about a man and a wo-
man, previously total strangers, who ac-
cidentally become locked in a vacant
apartment. The two learn a lot about
each other, as well as about themselves,
in the humorous process of regaining
their freedom.
Starring in the play are Pat Welsch,
Ice and Fire president, and Terry Huber,
A. T. Mahan Elementary teacher. Both
have past theater experience.
Other members of the cast include
Kathy and Jim Fogarty, Kathy Dowd, Mike
Hammons, Debby Flack and Don Draper.
The play will be directed by Joe
Sands.
Tickets for the three performances
will be available soon at the Officers'
Club and Top of the Rock.
tions:
(1) Separate all cards and letters
according to size.
(2) Check to see that all envelopes
are facing the same direction with the
address up.
(3) Group letters and cards by cit-
ies and states. If there are more than
five letters and cards for the same city
or state, take a piece of paper and
write the city or state on it and at-
tach it to the front of the group, then
tie or place a rubber band around each
group separately.
(4) If there are not enough to make
separate city or state ties, please mark
on the paper "Mixed".
(5) If letters and cards are going
locally, please put them in numerical
sequence by box numbers, and mark "Lo-
cal" on the paper and secure them with a
rubber band. There is a box located in
the Post Office Lobby just for local
mail.
Following the above suggestions may
take a few minutes, but it will save
Post Office personnel a few hours, doing
the same thing.
The Post Office urges patrons to use
their full and correct return address on
all mail including Zip Code.
All mail, posted at the Base Post Of-
fice, must have U.S. postage stamps on
it or it will be returned to sender.
For further information, call the
Base Post Office at 7981 or 2203.
4Trick or T reat' hours announced
Tomorrow, from 5 to 8 p.m., has been
designated as the "Trick or Treat" pe-
riod in the family housing areas.
Parents are requested to closely mon-
itor small children to ensure their
safety. Children should wear costumes
and other clothing which would increase
their visibility as much as possible.
Drivers must be doubly alert and cau-
tious during the trick or treat hours,
and vehicular traffic in the family
housing areas should be minimized.
Dependent children residing off the
Agreed Area will be authorized to take
their trick or treat candy from the
Agreed Area through Njardvik gate. Use
of customs forms is not necessary, how-
ever, this pertains to Halloween candy
exclusively, and on this particular oc-
casion only.
TO FIND PROBLEM AREAS, Lieutenant Commander B. E. Maxon, Naval Station Comptrol-
ler, and Bank Manager Ralph Hutchinson review survey results.
Base banking services to improve
American Express Bank customers on
the NATO base soon will begin seeing an
improvement in service, according to
Bank Manager Ralph Hutchinson.
Most of the proposed improvements are
the result of a questionnaire distribut-
ed to more than 2,000 bank customers in
mid-September, Lieutenant Commander B.
E. Maxon, Naval Station Comptroller and
command bank liaison officer says.
The questionnaire, drafted by Hutch-
inson and authorized for distribution by
Naval Station Commanding Officer, Cap-
tain Jack T. Weir, is an effort to iden-
tify discrepancies in banking service.
Hutchinson and LCdr. Maxon reviewed
the results of the questionnaire and
found a number of service areas which
need improvement. All of the identified
discrepancies have been discussed with
Capt. Weir, and possible solutions have
been reviewed, LCdr. Maxon said.
Inadequate or inconvenient bank hours
was the major problem identified by the
questionnaire. According to LCdr. Maxon
the Treasury Department limits the num-
ber of hours a bank may offer customer
service. The American Express Internat-
ional Banking Corp., however, can auth-
orize changes in the schedule of bank
customer service hours within the pre-
scribed limit.
The NATO base bank presently is open
to customers Monday through Friday, 9:30
In Iceland since 1953
Following World War II the United
States continued to maintain American
military personnel overseas to satisfy
its international commitments.
To provide banking services on its
installations, the U.S. Treasury Depart-
ment invited the American Express Inter-
national Banking Corporation to estab-
lish an overseas Military Banking Facil-
ity in Keflavik.
The American Express Banking Facility
was established in Iceland in 1953 and
it always has been the only bank on
base. In fact, it is the only overseas
bank in Iceland.
The U.S. Treasury and Defense Depart-
ments control and regulate all military
banking activities including policy,
services, charges, length of opening
hours and interest rates. The decision
to establish a Military Banking Facility
does not necessarily depend on its pro-
fitability, but rather on the need
demonstrated for the service.
Due to the restricted nature of their
operations, Military Banking Facilities
often operate at a loss which is re-
imbursed by the Treasury to the partici-
pating financial institution. Military
Banking Facilities are therefore primar-
ily to serve the banking needs of mili-
tary and Department of Defense personnel
and their dependents. Accordingly, only
personnel with an authorized Department
of Defense identification card may use
the facility.
a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; 1:30 to 2 p.m. (clubs
only); and 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. The bank
manager wishes to obtain the views of
customers on those hours so he can ask
for the best banking hour changes from
his management. Two options he believes
his corporate management will accept are
in a box on page 2. Bank customers are
requested to clip this out and send pre-
ferred choices to the Disbursing Officer
Code 123, Naval Station.
Bank account statement errors or late
or non-receipt of statements was the
second largest problem, according to the
questionnaire returns. Hutchinson has
fought this problem for the past year
with little success. He attributes the
problem to the remote location of ac-
counting machines and computers. The
bank's accounting machines are in London
and the computer is in Frankfurt. The
bank's corporation management has agreed
to provide accounting machines in the
Keflavik branch so remote accounting and
statement preparation functions can be
eliminated.
To cut down on the long check cashing
lines on paydays, the Naval Station
Comptroller has opened a pay line in
Hangar 831 to supplement service offer-
red at Naval Station disbursing and re-
mote sites.
Additional long-term consideration is
being given to such options as moving
the bank to new quarters, opening a
drive-in teller line, installing a night
deposit window, and employing a mobile
disbursing van on pay days.
In the existing facility, there is
no additional space for teller lines and
the rope aisles have proven to be the
only improvement possible.
Thirty percent of the questionnaire
responses indicated customers are un-
aware of services offered by the bank:
Checking Accounts are free to all
members who arrange for their pay-
check to be sent directly to the bank
from their military disbursing office,
or if a continuous balance of $300 is
maintained throughout the month. If
neither of these options is elected,
service charges of 40q per month plus
10c per check are levied. Personalized
checks are available in a wide range of
designs. Checks which may be written
exclusively in kronur are available on
request. These checks are acceptable
throughout Iceland.
Savings Accounts are charge free and
offer interest at 5% per annum, com-
pounded monthly. Members also can ar-
range for a fixed amount to be transfer-
red monthly from checking to savings
accounts under the bank's automatic sav-
ings plan.
Personal Signature Loans are avail-
able, with an interest rate based on 1%
of the outstanding monthly balance. The
Treasury Department, however, imposes
(continued on pnge 2)