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OmCE OF THE PROVOST MARSHAL,
NAVAL OPERATING BASE,;
KODIAK, ALASKA
8 February, 1946
Dear Sir:
Furnished you herewith is a current list of OPA Ceiling Prices for beer and liquor
drinks iu Kodiak, Alaska. -
The Commander, Naval Operating Base, and the Post Gommander, Fort Oreely,
have instructed the Provost Marshal to inform all liquor dealers in the city of Kodiak,
Alaska, that in cooperation with the Office of Price Administration, any liquor dealer
who violates OPA price restrictions will be placed out of bounds to military and naval
personnel.
(SIGNED) H. S. MASSIE,
Lt. Col., USMC
Provost Marshal
Copy to: Comdr, NOB; Post Comdr, Ft Greely; Shore Patrol O; plus the following activities
in Kodiak, Alaska: OPA Hdqts; City Council; Chamber of Commerce.
The foregoing is an exact copy of a letter received by a
number of business houses in Kodiak
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE RESIDENTS OF
KODIAK, ALASKA
From the above letter one would be led to believe that the Commander of the Naval Operat
ing Base and the Commander of Fort Greely were interested in enforcing OPA regulations, even to
the point of setting up their own penalties for violations.
Fines, predicated upon the extent of violations, have been set up by law. One might even
serve tune in jail if convicted of flagrant violation of ceiling prices, but no place in the law is there a
threat of boycott as a penalty. Placing an establishment “out of bounds” is tantamount to a boycott
by military and naval personnel.
Upon what possible line of reasoning can those responsible for this intimidation justify their
actions when it is public knowledge that they have openly engaged in ‘black market' activities
themselves?
You, the people of Kodiak, and especially you parents of young children, would like to be
able to purchase milk at our local retail establishments. But, because your local merchants abide by
the law, there is no milk for sale in Kodiak.
Formerly they paid forty cents per quart wholesale for milk, and then the OPA came in and
set a ceiling price of thirty cents per quart wholesale. The local dairy refused to sell at that price and
discontinued delivering to town.
It stands to reason that the dairy must either sell at the OPA figure, find a black market cus
tomer, or else go out of business.
The dairy is still in business , . . and here’s your answer.
From a very authoritative source it has been ascertained that the U.S. Navy has signed a
contract with the dairy to purchase their product at thirty-four cents per quart; FOUR CENTS
OVER THE OPA PRICE. And they are getting the milk, part of which is used at Ship’s Service
and the balance sold for thirty-five cents per quart at the NOB commissary.
So there is the reason you are unable to buy milk in Kodiak . . . because of a flagrant
violation of OPA price restrictions by the very people who have set themselves up as a policing
agency for that organization.
One might well ask: “HOW COME?”
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