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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1981-02-18, Page 5Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesds ', Febru wy 18, .1981--Pege S . !ht!.reIs Pa Paul Revere, where are you now that the Yankees need you? It was Revere,wasn't it, who rode through the streets yelling: The British are coming! It seems that the Brits, along with the Canadians, the Dutch, the West Germans and even the French, are buying_ up America and it has the big boys on Wall Street worried. Foreigners now own great big chunks. of enterprises in the New Hess Hay that are as Amurrican as apple pie: Howard Johnson, American Motors, Saks Fifth Avenue, Baskin- Robbins Ice Cream, Alta Seltzer, Chesterfield Cigarettes, Bantam . Books and even Shell Oil. It has become quite an invasion and Americans are concerned. Laws have been enacted at the federal and state levels, to monitor, control and screen foreign investment. recent .. Congressional report has ed a warning about the OPEC nations w h have surpluses of almost unimaginable magnitude. In 1977 OPEC had $53 billion in surplus. monies. With such amounts of money, those na tions could buy all the listed stocks on the New York exchange within three years, Legislation to provide closer monitor- ingof foreign investments in the U.S. will you need him? surely come if Raygun Reagun runs true to'form: Amurrica for Arn rricans! The whole picture is fun for Canadians to watch:: We have been treated as: an economic subsidiary for hundred years by the Americans: They could bring this country to its knees by, withdrawing their capital. The shoe could easily be slipping onto the other foot; the, Yanks may soon be subservient to capital froma dozen other nations ' around _ the world including, believe it or not, Canada. But waita minute. US, residents wor- ried about foreigners buying up America may more readily understand Canadian fearsif the trend continues. Unfortunately, it isn't just the Yanks t•tle•t nb. 'ppm, •• tiff by Sob LOIN• tabu Ad !town• Om b)t lC 1 4, that Canada has to worry about these days, especially when it comes to buying farmland.. A study by University of Manitoba agricultural economist Daryl Kraft shows that 1.8 million acres of arable. Manitoba farmland are now own- ed by people or corporation$' who neither live on it norfarm it themselves. Farmers in many parts of British Col- umbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan : and Prince Edward Island'` have voiced the same fears. In Huron. County in Ontario, rumor has it that "dozens" of farms have been -purchased by foreign dollars: The federation of agriculture has been dog- gedly working to get some action from, the province to prevent more takeovers. government controls have been haphazard and. , to some degree, ineffec- tive across the nation. Foreign owner ship is supposed to be limited, in some. provinces, to no more than 20 .acres, But foreigners simply set up Canadian coin - panes with Canadian directors. Much of the money, it is believed, comes from European buyers who have "black dollars" —', undeclared income that they wish to invest outside their own countries, similar to the laundered money from the underworld. ' I share the concern expressed by. farmers. No student of history can forget the abuses chronicled down the ages that. have come about ,through absentee ownership. No profession is more prone to such abuses than agriculture. It takes dedication by born fanners to keep track of land and stock. But With the value of farmland increas- ing by as much as 15 percent a year, who can blame the boys with black bucks to be laundered from investing in Canadian land? As Larry. Krotz, writing in the Globe and Mail said: "Investors are discover- ing that oil is not the only black gold." Isn't it' poetic justice to have the Americans looking over their shoulders, for change, just as we have been doing in Canada for 100 years? 0 Johnston Bros. [Bothwell Limited) Phone Phone - . Wardsville 693-4383 Komokie 471-3059 Dungannon 529-79 Washed Materials--Crushed`iStone Cement Gravel Crushed Gravel—Road Contractors REGISTERED RETIREMENT SAVINGS PLAN Paying as High as 14% March 2nd DEADLINE 1 43A% On 1 Year. Annul Guaranteed Investment Certificates Also Paying as High as 151/2% for 30-59 Days Minimum ®c- 5, 1 1.1 Rrateis quoted a ary , of Feb>t°u 16 1981 Invest Through Rod McDonagh (4 C)- 44 If cornroot worms are at work,in your fields, you're being robbed of production and profit potential. There are ways to handle,this problem and your CO-OP is the best place to get the product and the information to combat these thieves, You can do' all the shopping and comparing you need right in one convenient location — your CO-OP. And CO.OP people are trained to give you sound, accurate ad-' vice on the whys, hows, and whens of chemical application. Get the jump on corn rootw orms — plan your protection now. with the help of your CO-OP. e Box 250, Lucknow 528.3423