The Rural Voice, 1990-07, Page 42SAVE!!
. time ... miles ... dollars
Midland 2 -way
FM Radios
example: model 70-336
35 watt programmable mobile
Reg. price $899 Special $599
Base station power supply
(makes 336 into a base) $199.50
5 -Watt Walkie Talkies 70-143 $599.00
Util-1 Com -1 Watt Portable $299.00
/111 CAL -AN
BILL'S
ELECTRONICS
Elora St. Box 179
Mildmay
519-367-2771
-SMR
RIPLEY
ELEVATORS
a division of
Thompson Feed & Supply
are now
receiving
WHEAT
CANOLA
Buyers of
Barley, Oats
& Mixed Grain
Ripley Ont.
Elevator 519-395-5959
Mill 519-395-5955
Res. 519-395-5550
38 THE RURAL VOICE
Voice from the Past
It's often been said: "The more thing's change, the more they stay the same."
But farm Iife has certainly undergone dramatic and irreversible changes.
Writer Wayne Kelly provides evidence for both views: one, the changes in
farming and rural life have been so thorough that the past seems quaint; two,
"modern" problems realty aren't so modern after all. Either way, the "voices
from the past" haven't lost their relevance.
As a champion of honest work and
business ethics, Farmer's Advocate
editor William Weld, in an editorial in
October of 1911, encouraged farmers
not to underestimate the worth of their
own time and energy. Weld's astute
comments about financial consider-
ations are as valid as they ever were:
COUNT THE WHOLE COST
The fact that farming has seldom
been conducted on the same strict,
account -keeping system as other com-
mercial enterprises must be largely
attributed, no doubt, to the unbusiness-
like system or lack of system followed
in the valuation of farm improve-
ments.
This common undervaluation of
farm buildings has long been a matter
of remark, but has been brought point-
edly to our attention of late in connec-
tion with local mutual fire -insurance
companies.
As most of our readers are aware,
the law forbids these from insuring in
excess of two-thirds value, which is
right and proper in the interests of safe
business. But in connection with this,
the companies adopt a plan of under-
valuation, which leaves the proprietor
with only a small proportion of his
total risk carried.
With some companies, the rule is
to assess a barn at so much per foot of
its perimeter, making allowance for
extra height in some cases. This rule
appears to be averaged, however, upon
the amount of material and labour
purchased outright in the construction
of an ordinary barn. It usually ignores
a large amount of material cut and
collected on the place or taken from
old structures torn down, and also
throws in many days' unskilled
labour.
It is common to hear a farmer, on
being asked the cost of his silo, barn
or house, put it at a very low figure,
adding, when questioned, "We had
gravel on the place, and didn't count
the hauling of it," or "We used a good
deal of material from the old barn," or
"We did a good deal of the work
ourselves" — as if their own labour
had no value.
Now, we submit that this is un-
businesslike and erroneous. A dollar's
worth of labour is worth a dollar,
whether a farmer performs it himself
or hires a man to do it. He who works
for nothing works too cheap.
The proper way to value im-
provements is to put them at what one
would be willing to duplicate them for
on his own or a neighbour's farm.
Every stick of old material should be
rated approximately at its intrinsic
value; likewise every piece cut from
the bush. Every day's labour should
be counted at what it is fairly worth,
not necessarily at highest contractor's
wages, but what it would cost if one
had to hire it on his own farm.
Not only would this method of
valuation be equitable for purposes
of fire insurance, but in all calcula-
tions in connection with farm manage-
ment it would conduce to consistent
estimation and to the elimination of
unprofitable toil, which is often per-
formed because a full value is not
placed upon labour.
We have frequently marvelled
that farmers who would not leave their
places to do a day's work between
seasons with their teams for less than
$3.50 or $4.00 would do many weeks
of teaming on their farms, and throw it
in as if it had no value at all. Count
the cost. Count it all, and adjust farm
economics in the light of figures thus
set down in black and white. It may
seem frightening at the start, but will
lead to larger earnings and ampler
profits in the end.0