The Rural Voice, 1991-12, Page 59PERTH
Matt Crowley, President, R. R. 1, Gadshill NOK 1,10 393-5716
PCFA Office 229-6430
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County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER The Rural Voice is provided to farmersin Perth County by the PCFA
FEDERATION HAS REGIONAL, ANNUAL MEETING
The Perth County Federation of Agricul-
ture held its regional OFA meeting and its
annual county meeting on October 10, 1991
at the Sebringville Community Centre.
Matt Crowley, Regional Director for
Perth Central, and Paul Verkley, Regional
Director for Perth North, gave a brief report
on what issues OFA has been dealing with
during the 1990-91 year.
When they are at OFA meetings, they
represent the concerns of the farmers in their
region of Perth. OFA gets updates from Jack
Wilkinson on what is happening on a nation-
al level. OFA's communication with gov-
ernment has always been reasonably good.
We have representatives from commodi-
ties at the OFA meetings, and they encour-
aged everyone to consider attending OFA
convention. It is a lot bigger than Perth
County, but Perth is a big part of OFA.
REGIONAL ELECTIONS
Perth north: regional director, Paul
Verkley; delegates to convention, Larry
Beisinger, Joyce Riddell, Don Jack.
Perth central: regional director, Matt
Crowley; delegates to convention, John
Drummond, Fred Jung, Mike Stintson; alter-
nates, Cecil Rose, Dave Smith.
Perth south: regional director, Rick
DeBrabandere; delegates to convention,
Kurt Keller, Bob Simpson, John Good; alter-
nates, Bill Denham, Willie Erb.
RESOLUTIONS
The following resolutions were pre-
sented to the annual meeting.
Whereas the agricultural industry must
seek new and expanded markets in order to
survive and flourish, and
Whereas the agricultural industry has the
ability to supply a significant quantity of
farm products drawn from a diverse range of
commodity groups, and
Whereas a strong agricultural export
industry is crucial to Canada's and Ontario's
balance of trade,
Therefore be it resolved that the OFA
lobby provincial and federal goverrttrtents to
combine the resources of the finance and
trade ministries, with the resources and vi-
sion of the OFA and commodity groups, to
form an agricultural export trade agency to
expedite the research and development, lo-
gistics, and mechanics of new and stronger
agricultural export markets.
Moved by Willie Keller, seconded by
Paul Verkley. Carried.
* * *
Whereas inflationary percentage wage
increases without more production has to be
absorbed by business, farmers, people on
56 THE RURAL VOICE
fixed income, or segments of society that
cannot pass increases on, and
Whereas the unchecked increases cause
bankruptcy, undue hardship, high taxes, and
a difficult cost price squeeze overall, and
Whereas inflationary wage increases al-
so erode the spending power of savings, and
Whereas wages and taxes need a vehicle
to bring costs in line with the economy,
alleviating the disproportionate strain on the
segments of society who are not able to pass
on the rising costs,
Therefore be it resolved that the OFA at
every appropriate opportunity, demand that
the government change the employment
laws to give civil or business employers the
right to open all contracts and positions peri-
odically to public tender.
Moved by Larry Beisinger, seconded by
Willie Erb. Carried.
County election results are as follows:
president — Matt Crowley, 393-5716; first
vice president — John Drummond, 347-
2725; second vice president — Rick DeBra-
bandere, 229-6736; past president — Paul
Verkley, 356-9022.
Township Directors: Blanshard—Scott
Graham, 284-1300; Downie — Willie Erb,
393-5512; John Good, 393-5958; Ellice —
Burnell Kipfer, 271-3399; Greg Luyten,
595-4260; Norval Priestap, 393-6256; Dave
Smith, 393-5908; Elma — Ron Bowles,
291-3848; Bill Long, 356-2442; Fullarton
— Willy Keller, 348-9753; Bill French, 348-
8749; Bruce Morris, 229-8735; Ken Th-
ompson, 393-6621; Hibbert — Tom
Melady, 345-2152; Logan — Fred Jung,
347-2420; Cecil Rose, 348-8726; Morning -
ton — Larry Beisinger, 698-2937; NEH —
Roland Danis, 656-2508; Ivan Stueck, 656-
2379; SEH — Gary West, 655-2575; Bill
Klooster, 655-2504; Wallace — Rae
Bender, 343-05804.0
NOVEMBER MEETING
Thursday, December 19, 1991
Downie Mutual Fire Insurance Office
Sebringville 8:30 p.m.
EVERYONE WELCOME
BLACK WIRE ECONOMIC INDICATORS
For months and fiscal quarters, economists and politicians had avoided the "R" word like
the plague. "We're experiencing a mild correction." "We're lowering the temperature of an
overheated economy." "Our fiscal policies are aimed at preventing a spiralling inflationary
trend."
Meanwhile, farmers had been experiencing a recession for most of the past decade.
Finally, when the figures got so bad that the government could no longer side-step the
inevitable, they admitted that "perhaps this was a"... sshh ... "recession," likely to be of less
impact than the one of the early 80s.
In the final phase of recognizing that a problem exists, our fearless leaders chose to 'fess
up and call our current economic mess a recession, but only after half the country was calling
it an all-out depression.
The economists carefully monitor the GNP, the Dow Jones, Angus Reid, and other
informative sources for symptoms of recession.
Here in the country, we have our own indicators, thank you. Things like the number of
auction sales; more fanners testing soil before applying fertilizer; more granaries being built
because last year's crop didn't sell; more flatbeds appearing on pickup trucks — the original
boxes having rusted off, but a few more years of service are needed from the trucks; and the
use of black wire goes 'way up. Ah yes — black wire — the stuff must have been made in
heaven. It keeps my 40 -year-old harrows together at midnight when the grain has to be in
before the rain. It is useful for repairing tools, and even for fashioning tools of itself. It holds
up water pipes, holds pigs in their decrepit pens, hitches up slumping car tailpipes, and
strengthens cracked shovel handles. Black wire gets used so much these days that it stays oily
and black right until the whole roll is used up.
The pundits tell us we've turned the corner on the recession— that we're in for a "long cool
recovery." Their logic? House sales are starting to inch up. Consumer confidence is show-
ing faint signs of improving, and lower interest rates are fuelling more capital expenditure. As
for me? I'll believe we've turned the comer on the recession when I can find a clean pair of
work socks, two days in a row, without holes in them, when my two -year-old oats finally sell,
and when my roll of black wire finally grows rusty, hanging on its nail in the stable.0
By John Drtunmond
1