RAOC Gazette - page 88
Image details
| Corps | RAOC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Journals |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | RAOC Gazette |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1980 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | Yes |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1980 |
| Late date | 1980 |
| Transcription |
1906 1980 THE ROYAL ARMY ORDNANCE CORPS GAZETTE VOLUME 61 No. 10 MARCH 1980 1975 Ctrttortal 1980 AN INCREASE IN THE PRICE OF ' T H E GAZETTE' THE JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL ARMY ORDNANCE CORPS AND ARMY ORDNANCE SERVICES AND THE OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE RAOC ASSOCIATION THE EDITOR'S NOTICES Editor: COLONEL E. RIDGEWAY, OBE (Rctd.). Treasurer: LIEUTENANT COLONEL H. A. MILLER, (Retd.). SUBSCRIPTION RATES—HOME AND ABROAD. 30p per copy, or £3.60 per annum, post free. Orders for monthly sales should reach this office by 9th day of the month, accompanied by remittance for previous month. Cheques and Postal Orders should be made payable to " Treasurer RAOC Gazette," and should be crossed. CONTENTS. The contents of THE GAZETTE are strictly copyright and all rights expressly reserved. The views expressed herein do not necessarily express the views of the Editor or the Corps, therefore no responsibility will be accepted. DEAD-LINE DATE FOR RECEIPT OF COPY.' The " Gazette " is published monthly about the 29th of each month, and all articles, Station News Letters, etc., should reach the Editor, by the 29th of the month for publication a month later. " Letters to the Editor" and short news items will, however, be accepted up to the 7th of the month. Copy should be typed, if ' possible, and double spaced. 1 EDITORIAL OFFICE: RAOC SECRETARIAT, DEEPCUT, CAMBERLEY, SURREY, (•Telephone: Atdershot 24431, Ext. 516.) COVER PHOTOGRAPH FOR some nine centuries t h e Tower of London has been a military fortress and throughout that time t h e Corps, o r its antecedents, has been represented—as we still a r e today. . You m a y have noticed t h e presence of Yeoman Warders at t h e Blackdown Remembrance D a y Parade recently; so T H E GAZETTE decided to look into the background. Cover photograph and story on page 305 by the Editor. — T H E last increase in the price of T H E GAZETTE was back in 1975, and, in the intervening years, inflation has moved relentlessly on. Postal charges are u p yet again, the cost of which is entirely borne by the ' post f r e e ' GAZETTE which has, of course, to be financially self supporting. We have achieved this long period of price restraint by effecting economies, b y very careful cost control and by im- proved circulation. A n example is that T H E GAZETTE is printed on a lighter weight paper than is other journals and is ' cropped ' by the printer to weigh within a 100 g r a m m e s ; while it may n o t feel as fat, it does meet the most economic postal rate, while still managing to maintain a higher than average number of pages p e r month. It will be appreciated, however, that there is a limit to how far the various economies can go without affecting the quality of the magazine—something I naturally a m most anxious to preserve—and where possible to improve. From the April 1980 publication T H E GAZETTE will cost 40p per copy. A price increase of lOp is not large by present day s t a n d a r d s ; comparisons they say a r e odious—but neverthe- less they can be interesting! Taking the newly joined Private soldier as a reference point, so as n o t to be complicated by increments, payment for skills etc. In 1939 h e received 14 shillings p e r week (70p) and his k e e p — T H E GAZETTE cost 6d (2+p). By 1975 his pay was £32 a w e e k — T H E GAZETTE cost 30p p e r copy. T o d a y h e gets over £60 with T H E GAZETTE costing 40p from April 1980—and no doubt there is something for him in the p a y pipeline. Whilst on the subject of pipelines, petrol in 1975 had just gone u p to the staggering sum of 60p a gallon! Similar examples spring only too easily to mind—indeed one would be very hard pressed to find a n y commodity which has not very substantially increased in price since 1975. Circulation is, however, the real key to o u r future pricing— the m o r e GAZETTES that are sold t h e longer t h e current price can be maintained. Sales m a d e beyond t h e production cost break-even point which we have n o w fallen below not only help to improve T H E GAZETTE b u t also help to stabilize the price. Some Units manage sales of fifty p e r cent of Unit strength and more, others fall woefully short. T h e latter is too often the result of the level at which Unit responsibility for GAZETTE affairs is pitched. W e all know h o w it goes. When the time comes for the price to go u p , however justified it m a y be, it can so easily result in a loss of circulation —with disastrous results. It is, therefore, essential at this time that o u r circulation is a t least maintained, and highly desirable that it be increased. Whilst I cannot promise to repeat t h e performance of main- taining price stability until 1985—with y o u r help I will certainly try! 301 — |
| Book number | R0403a |