The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1954-01-08
Big Business Serves Alaska
BY JEROME G. LOCKE,
Cooper's Landing, Alaska

For several years, through clever
and attractive ads along all available
channels, America has been lulled into
a dream of ever expanding ease and
comfort. The chronological age has
lowered. "A push button civiliza-
ton is here. Let us know your
wants. we have the equipment or
utility you require-our experts in
stall it,. You pay modest price
that's ALI.
In common with other trusting Amer
leans, 1 liked this idea. A recent oc-
currence has taken away some of its
glamour. When LAID alongside current
advertising the little story l now tell
reveals a crack or two in my built-up
dream. To "optimists'' who don't care
what happens-just so it happens to
the other fellow-there may be a grain
of humor. L have not awakened to
that angle yet.
My aging and widowed sister is a
Sour Dough- Alaskan of thirty odd
years struggle in a still primitive land.
At last, she has a modest but attractive
home on the shore of Lake Kenai. 1t
is a beautiful spot, but like 80 per cent
of the Alaskan interior, decidedly iso-
lated. Three years ago she moved in
to the new home with an assortment
of furniture, including a new fuel oil
burning kitchen range.
Last summer the stove began to show
signs of burning out. A 102-mile trip
over the mountain range, to Anchor
age, made about mid-August, revealed
that the original dealer no longer
stocked them. He would be delighted
to sell new and similar stove for
about $3.50 but couldn't furnish parts
for the stove he had originally sold
There was no better luck by inquiries
elsewhere.
IN desperation we wrote to the con-
Germ that manufactures the stove in
Belleville, ILL., 1t was given a complete
description Of the stoves age, use and
condition, all data as TO shipping ia
clLtIes, and difficulties, into this in
terror locality, an explanation that
after October Is weather conditions
may get bad and the plainest plea we
could make that the parts were need |
ed at once. We would remit costs i'm
mediately. The letter was airmailed. |
About a month later there was re-
ply by plain mail This was three |
cents cheaper than by air but took |
from 10 to II days longer in transit. /
An enclosed letter listed the five parts |
needed, gave the price including a few |
cents charge for packing, as STATS and
advised us to make a formal order on
the blank enclosed. All this duplicate
paper work, including check for $14.75
went back by air mail, together with
another plea to expedite the shipment.
The stove had gotten so bad it must
be cleaned of SCOT every three or four
Then we waited and waited, cleaned
out SCOT and made temporary repairs
from parts of tin cans. A month later
the Cancelled check came back, but no
stove parts. AS final invoice showed
the manufacturer Oakland Foundry
Company, did not even enter our ord
er until AZ days after the check had
been cashed and cleared. Then ship
ment was made by Express Collect"
% point IS miles from here. AS we
1ad explained, shipment by Parcel
20 the local Pc. about one mile distant
would have saved about five days and
IS miles of travel over dangerous
'oads.
Explanations and pleas had not reg
stored apparently but the neatly wrap
,ed package did finally get here, about
hree and one-half months after we {
asked for it. At last every
hing was OK. Early next morning, {
n zero weather, we turned the fire !
IF and started to rebuild the stove. | l
he needed parts were here, but, as we l
iscovered, no bolts screws to put
hem together. Possibly this manu-
acturer has not yet found out that
rhen the interior of a stove burns out {
he screws and bolts therein burn be- 9
ond further use, if not completely \
Desperate situations require re- c
solutions. In straight 80 I
our shift of cold hands and feet, but ;
OF tempers, we finally got that stove '
ack into working order. 1t took ev-
~ disable bolt and screw around the r
lace, including robbery of our auto, q
he ombing of the community dump n
nd a lot of one-too-eXpert black o
The job was done. We turn r
on the oil, had coffee and scrambled L
ggs for the first hot meal in two
avs and went to sleep-in the midst
an acre of nice black SCOT.