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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1960-03-03, Page 4ELSTON CARDIFF, Mr for Huron Page 4 Clinton News-Record Thursday. March 3, 1960 HURON MEMBER egg prides in the east were well above the floor price for consid- erable periods of time. However,- under the deficiency. payment method, surplus gegs western. Canada can move freely to eastern markets to 'take 'advantage of any higher prices' which prevail in the eastern' provinces when the local demand is _greater than the pre duction. These variations in the price differentials between the different areas have given rise to a number of representatives to the effect that any deficiency payment should be made on a regional basis rather than a national basis. In this connection we 'have *Anted out that the basis of a price stab- ilization program is to attempt to provide stability to the production of an agricultural product. In do- ing so, however, such a program should not greatly upset the bal- ance between produCtion and-.do- mestic requirements, or the normal flow of the product Within the country. The principles involved in .a deficiency payment program must take ..into account these 'two basic considerations. In other words, a price stabilization pro- gram is not designed to. eliminate the variations between prices-re- ceived in different parts, of the country. Under a normal or free market egg and hog prices in western Canada are lower than in the heavier consuming areas of eastern Canada. • The agricultural stabilization board made a very careful study of the problem and it was their opinion that the national weighted average price received by the pro- ducer is the fairest and most equitable price upon which' o base the calculation for any deficiency payment which may have to be 3,5 per cent butterfat, Montreal, per hundredweight in December, 1958, $4.89; -October, 1059, .44.$9„-- that is the same price—NoVernber, 1959, $4.$9 and 'December, 1959, $4.6.9 The price .1a4be same right across the line, 13Utterfat, Three Rivers, -I-kr pound in :December, 1958,. '70 cents; October, 1959, 71 cents;: Novem- ber, 1959, 71. cents ' and December,. 1959, 71, cents. Here again the bottom does Pet seem to have • fallen out 'of the market. Oheesermilic,_province Quebec —subsidy of 25 cents per hundred,,,.. weight ineluded effective May, 1959—per hondredweight in De - -ember, 1958, $3.02; October, 1959, -$3,03; November, 19_59, $3.07; and December; 1959, $3,07, Here again the price held up. • Chickens, broilers and fryers live No. 1, Toronto, per pound in December, 1958,19 cents; October, 1959, 16 cents; November, 1959, 16 cents; and December, 1.959, 18. cents. Eggs, grade A large, loose, To- ronto, per dozen in December, 1958, 37 cents; October, 1959, 47 cents; November, 1959, 20 cents; and December, 1959, 26 cents, There 'was quite a drop here. Mr. Speaker: Would this be a convenient place for the hon. member to break off? Mr. Cardiff: Yes. At six o'clock the house took recess. After Recess The house •resumed at 8.00 p.m. Mr. Cardiff: When. the house rose I was quoting figures illust- rating the prices of selected agri- cultural products. I had just fin- ished quoting grade A eggs. 1958 1959 1959 1959 • Dec. Oct. Nov. Dec. .37 .47 .20 .26 Hon. members must bear in mind that this was after the de- ficiency payments program came into effect, and that these are not the prices the producers were getting. Then We come to peaches, Ontario, minimum price; these are in tons. (Continued from -Page Two) Thus, at the -time of marketing, no reducer will have any way of owing. what his eventual net re- turns] will be—A Mr. pickeragill; I wonder if the gentleman would _identify the document from which be is. read, big? Mr. Cardiff; The document is one that I wrote .myself so that I could put My hands on it -to des- cribe the deficiency payment, It that satisfactory? The only .complaints we are ceiving now are ,complaints from members. of the .house, We do not have very many . complaints about deficiency payments from the people in'the country. The only. reason members of the oppositien are complaining now is that they are beginning 'to be afraid the system as going to work. months, so it was extended to the end of six months. This will be to the producers' advantage, as we will no doubt all know later on' because eggs will go up, We ex- pect eggs to go up, perhaps I sliould put it that way. Mr, Jiabel; Why? Why do we have to pay more for eggs? Ain hon Member; Because of the wear and tear on the hens. Mr. Cardiff; Just a minute, do not get excited. What does the hon, member want to know? • Mr., Isabel: Why ..do we have to pay more for eggs? It is in order to fulfil a proolise that your gov- ernment made and would not live up to, - Mr. Cardiff; You will have to pay more for eggs if the market is up. I have ..been a farmer all my life, arid farmers are the most contented people in, the world if you let -them do as they want. They are not asking for handouts from the government. There is no farmer that I know who is satis- fied with support prices. He would rather work on his own and the deficiency payment program is going to work to his. advantage because he is not going to be told what he has to do. He will lmOw himself without being told. He will follow the market trend', and when the market shows an increase - in price, he will step up his produc- tion; when. it shows a decrease in prke he will step down his pro- duction.. In that way he will get a better Price than he would un- der support prices. Mr. Martin (Essex East); Has the parliamentary secretary any idea of approximately what the. payment would' be at the end of March? The hon. member for Drummond-Arthabaska (Mr.- Boul- anger)' wants to -ask a -question but he want to have me put it in English.. The question is this: Per- haps at the end .of a calendar year a farmer might find himself in. the position. of being obliged to re- imburse the crown -for money that he has received. Mr. Cardiff: I may be wrong—I do not think 1 am—but I under- stand the deficiency Payment that will be paid at the end of March will not be .averaged on the year's average.' Mr. Winch: On the ten-year average? Mr. Cardiff: At the end of Ihe year._ It.. will not be 'taken off again if it happens to be to the credit of the, farmer; he will get the advantage of that Mr. Pickersgill: Can the hon. gentleman give us the mathemat- ical basis upon which the payment is to be calculated? Mr. Cardiff: I cannot give the That is what they are working on. When the purchase of eggs was discontinued on October 1, productien was at a relatively, kw point and egg prices were well above the floor. More recently egg rnarketings have increased, as- sociated with as sharp decline in prices. The extent of the- decline has varied in different areas. For example, the price of grade A large eggs at Regina is currently about 16 cents, 21 cents below the prevailing price of 37 cents: a doz- en on November 1. In Manitoba, prices have declined by about 18 cents a dozen, from 33% cents to a current quotation of 15% cents a dozen, ' In western Ontario the current pnice for eggs at London is. about 3.91 cents a dozen, which is 27% cents below the prevailing price of 47 cents-in early November. Dur- ing the month of October and early November, the average dif, ference between the prSducer price for „eggs at Winnipeg was about ten cents below the western. On- tario price. Currently the differ- ence between Winnipeg and Lon- don is only 4 cents' a dozen. This is a normal, seasonal pat- tern. In October of 1957 the dif- ference between the London and Winnipeg egg prices averaged 1O cents per dozen, whereas the dif- ference in December was only 4.8 cents. In October, 1958 the dif- ference between London and Win- nipeg amounted to an average of 16% cents a dozen, whereas the difference during December was only 3.8 cents. When the 'stabilization board purchased eggs to support the market, they took the surplus eggs from Western. Canada but while it maintained the price in the prairie pyovinces it also prevented these surplus gegs from going on the markets in the eastern prov- inces and thus lowering the price both to the purchaser •and the consumer. The result was that while egg prices in western. Can- ada remained at the •floor level for several months during the year made to maintain the support 'price On hogs aild..eW, In view of the low prices at the present time .and /the lilwIlhood. that they will be :significantly be-, low the -support 'price during the January to March period, 4. de,-.ficiencypayment to the amount of the difference between the aver, age price received and the nation- al average price will be made to. all registered produeera.. This pay-, men which will be made. the end Of March, 1960 will be the same to producers in all parts of Canada. -.I hope that is clear en- °pa. Mr. Winch: Who wrote that? The .hon. member never stopped reading all the way-through. Mr.- Martin (Essex East); The parliamentary secretary has made a very important statement. He has said that egg prices will likely remain lower for the early mon- ths of the present year, I thought .he was going-to say there some- thing about the support price be, ing reached, later. Would he prog- nosticate that the support price might be reached by the end of the year? Mr. Cardiff: Nobody knows but we are hopeful that the support price will be reached before the end of the year, That has nothing to do with the deficiency payment paid until the end of March, I understand.. The hon. member for Kenora- Rainy River made an extremely critical speech but he did not quote any figures ,to prove his statements. I am going to give you, Mr. Speaker, a few figures in order to show that the picture is not as bad as it is painted. These prices are 'for selected agri- cultural products arid they are terminal market prices. Wheat No. 1. northern 'in store Fort William — I.W.A. — and do- mestic sales, per bushel in Decem- ber, 1958, $1.63; October, 1959, $1.64; November, 1959, $1.65 and December, 1959, $1.66. That does not look to me as thought 'the bottom had fallen out of the mar- ket and that sort of •thing, as pre- dicted by the hon. member for Kenora-Rainy River. Cattle, .good steers all weights, Toronto at public stockyards, per hundredweight, in December, 1958, $26.17; Octobr, 1959, $24.50; No- vember, 1959, $25.33; and Decem- ber, 1959,. $23.64. - The prices are a little bit lower here than they were in 1958 but not such a great deal lower. Hogs, A, . warm dressed weight Toronto, at public stockyards -- government premiums excluded— per hundredweight in December, 1958, $25.50; October. 1959, $23.77; November, 1959, $23.65 and De- cember, 1959, $23.69. Lambs, good, Toronto at public stockyards, per hundredweight in December, 1958, $20.59; October, 1959, $19.60; November, 1959, $19.55 and December, 1959, $19.86. That is hardly a cent per pound below 1958 which is considered to be an exceptionally good year in Canada. Milk, for fluid use, f.o.b. plant, 1958 1959 1959 1959 Dec. Oct. Nev. Dec. $84.00 92.50 92.50 92,50 The price is even better there than it was in 1957, Next, tale Potatoes, net to growers, delivered shipping points, Canada No. 1 bulk, New Brunswick. This is for a unit of 165 poundS, 1958 1959 1959 .1959 Dec, Oct, Nov. Dec. $1.45 2.60 2.85 3,08. Mr, Martin (Essex East); You do not have the figures by the bushel? Mr, Cardiff: No, I have not. Tomatoes, Ontario .contract milm price; '1958 1.959 1959 1959 Dec, Oct. Nov, Dec. $41.50 41.50 41.50 41,50 Here again, Ihe price has stayed nprrnal. I could continue at considerable lerigth, but, I think I haVe proved My point and I do ,not wish to take up the time of the house un- duly. I know there are others who wish to speak, However, I would just like to convey to the members of the opposition that good clean criticism.,,is good for a government, but when hon. gentle- men criticize they should make it stick, If yeti are not able to prove your- peint, it 'is better not to criticize - at all. I was in opposi, tion for 17 years, and in that time I learned more by keeping my mouth shut than I did by talking. I have always felt sorry for those who talk on subjects they know nothing about, and this has been evident in the criticism we have heard today from .hon. members opposite. , Mr. Piekersgill; Would the hon. gentleman permit a question be- fore he sits down? Did he ever give that advice to the present Minister of Finance ,(Mr. Flem- ing) when the hon. gentleman and he were sitting over here? Mr. Cardiff: I was never much of a hand at giving advice to any- ,body.- I tried my best to take advice from others rather than: give it. Mr. Pickersgill: I wonder if 'the parliamentary secretary would permit a question? - Mr. Cardiff: I certainly would. Mr; Picker:mill: Would the par- liamentary secretary make avail- able to us here in the house the two letters about the deficiency payments on hogs and eggs that were written to his minister by the Conservative minister of ag- riculture in Manitoba complaining very bitterly about both of 'these policies? Mr. Cardiff: I cannot tell you about that, but I am sure the minister will be glad to give them to you. The reason for that is simple. These western egg pro- ducers were receiving a. very low price for their eggs, and they were not very well satisifed. However, they did not understand the de- ficiency payments, and I do not think you or anybody else did. Now they are beginning to under- stand the program. When they do understand it and know they are going to get this deficiency pay- ment—in fact, they are going to get even more' than they expected to get because they are going to be paid at the end of March in- stead of the end of the year. Mr. Martin (Essex East): Are there going to be quarterly pay- ments? Has there been a. change in policy? Mr. Cardiff: No. You see, after the first three months there was not enough difference between the deficiency payment and the 33_ -cents ak dozen—there was only a Part of a cent— Mr. Boulanger: What was the difference? Mr. Cardiff: It was a part of a cent, three-quarters of a cent or something like that. There was not sufficient there to grant any payment at the end of the three Cardiff Defends Governments Deficiency Payment Plans mathematical basis When I do not know what the Price is. Mr, rickeragIlIt Surely the pro- cess does not depend on the price, Mr. Cardiff: If the hen, 'mem- ber would ask me something sell, sible I would answer, Mr. Richard .(Ottawa 440; Who lays the eggs? ,414; lion, Member; You fellows are laying a let of eggs. Mr, Cardiff: In connection with. deficiency paymeots which may be made on eggs and. hogs, the basis of paynients to producers will be the difference between the national weighted price received by preducers and the national weighted support price, The na- tional weighted support price for eggs,. based on the support price of 44 cents a dozen, grade A large, Montreal, is 33 cents as dozen — that is for the last ten years — while the national weighted -sup- port price for hogs, 'based on the support price of $23.65 grade A hogs, Toronto, is $22.65, ' -BELTONE HEARING AID SERVICE CLINIC SPONSORED BY NEWCOMBE PHARMACY AT HOTEL CLINTON FRIDAY, MARCH 4 1.00 to 4.00 p.m. FREE HEARING TESTS AND DEMONSTRATIONS , OF NEWEST BELTONE HEARING AIDS AND HEARING GLASSES. Service to All Makes of Hearing Aids LITERATURE AND SUPPLIES AT NEWCOMBE'S E..R. THEDE HEARING AID SERVICE 88 QUEEN STREET S., 'KITCHENER, ONT. 9-b An Open Letter ... THINK! In the 12 Years Ontario has THINK! Alcohol costs us 21/2 times the amount it .pays us in 'taxi. C‘sit tiC)11 "fesi. Clinton is a good town, and a fine coromunir,r in Which to live and plan our future horne5,. NAke you, we hope that as it DS.Nik C1...114-1*Ol4 FiklE.1405. Maintaifiing the quality of character and Okroospileve which ro V. it now • Steps .... _ grows and prospers, Clinton 011 cor‘tinue to be o good town, have been token Nt.Och could lead to the establishment of 110,00r outlets here. l'hee are interests who Want to have, BreWers Retail Store, o dining lounge licence, and 'private lounge "{CA) will have on op nity to vote abo'ut these outlets O Wednesdy, Moven 23rd, 13efoevkro u or ' g the ")1 on your ballots, 0) \140 ‘, 011 fG11/1\1 t and ftl‘i '1100e, be better \r‘ awl `Hal if liceces. . please ask yourself questions like these, (21 5 uldintodcatingliaLlor be made roaveplentitul in our liquor out‘ets ore ccened? (.3) Who is it that wants more intmdcating yiatuat ‘11 CV1tOn Cilla \ Whose Interests are they seeking to s rve? (41 Who is going to-profit from.these outlts' dot vAla cost tosi4n? to us as individuals, as karoiiies, and as a cornMunity? — , Clinton is a good to*n, a f'vne cornrounity m which .;Yo live bring up our future farAies., 1-et's 1(20 it that way\ We eel oti that to clo so, We must vote 1\40" on all three'bollots. e trusty do the some. Yours sincerely, President Lloyd Holland Vice-President ....... — .... ...... ....... „.. Edwin Dunn Clinton Young Adult Fellowship had Cocktail Lounges Alcoholism has increased 187 %. MORE Outlets mean . . . MORE Drinking -- MORE Alcoholics THINK THIS OVER and then Vote "NO" on all Three Ballots on. Wednesday, March 23 THINK! Money spent on liquor won't be spent on groceries, meat, cloth- ing, hardware, to stay in circula- tion here in CLINTON. On° I40 coo 1 n ° Mutt ello ng