February 20, 1948

Dear Father,

Since my letter to you a week ago I have been very active in following up the Co-operative Bank idea. I have managed to list 44 all around Boston. Of that number I have contacted 30 on the subject of purchasing matured on paid up shares. To date I have had affirmative answers from 3 - the Mt Vernon, The Volunteer, and the West Roxbury. The Woburn suggested that I try the month Cambridge besides the above mentioned. As yet, I have not been answered. The rates around Boston are 21/2 with the exception of 3 2% (our old friend the Merchant’s being one of these). You recall that I told of contacting Grafton. The answer was a hopeful one, although negative at the time. Accordingly I set out to get some of the western banks. I finally found a copy of a Bank guide (the same publisher that we used in 1948 while seeking out the Mutuals. This book and the Rand McNally do not list Credit Union (that is the library catalogue listing for Cooperative Banks). There is no listing of the 181 banks in the cooperative chain to be had here in Texas. Boston and vicinity is the only Phone Directory that I can get my hands on. I wonder if you could either through Lilian on the Cooperative Central get a list of such is not possible, could you obtain form local phone books a few from the written part of the state. I think that I have about 4 weeks left here so I should like to get the nail money away at a fair return if possible.

Things have been pretty quiet on this front lately. Several of the outfits under us who are due to leave with us have giving man furloughs but those sad affairs can’t see it to let us go. In view of the fact that most of the harp are Northeast while all signs point to the west coast, morale is pretty low. For my part I am more engrossed in this Cooperative Bank dial to give much time to worry about another furlough. In deed I would like one as well as the next man because although we could not drive through New Hampshire we might be able to ride a train to the North over a weekend. I have my can fare set aside as always but I figure that when I leave I’ll take it along in Traveler’s checks against the possibility that we might get over to the east coast.

This spring weather here in Texas is a bit rough. My arthritis or what have you is aggravated both by constant mist and the present program to keep us in good physical trim (a camouflaged scheme to wear us out while keeping us busy list some old boys really get unhappy over the furlough situation. We have a company party coming March 2, from the amount of liquor that is being stored by some of the old boys it should turn into quite a bloody party. I figure to keep clean company party or not. There is no future in being sober at a drunken brawl.

I hope that you can get a list down this way in the very near future.

Sincerely,

Jack