HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1989-03-08, Page 30Page 30
Times -Advocate, March 8, 1989
For the Youth Centre - Exeter Lion Don Mousseau (left) chairman of the•Youth Centre Committee, ac-
cepts a $1,000 donation from Exeter Insurance Brokers Ltd. owners Ross Long and Gary Bean.
About $100,000 is still needed to pay for the new facility.
Shop Talk - Getting together at the dinner break during the annual Grower Information.meeting host-
ed by W. G. Thompson and Sons Ltd. in the Hensall Community Centre are (left) Jeff Thompson,
Brad James, fertilizer sales, Blenheim, Hensall branch manager Dale Good and plant researcher Don
Littlejohn.
Suggesting that the present sys-
tem of "owning" quota to produce
farm products is unfair is a mistake
if•you want to keep your friends in
agriculture, especially dairy farm-
ers.
A few weeks ago, I suggested
that this thorny question of quota is
going to have to be solved by sup-
ply management marketing boards.
I suggested a rental system for dairy
quota and, perhaps; the same idea
for other boards such as chickens,
turkeys and eggs. The idea, by the
way, is not mine. It was broached
by a team of researchers at the Uni-
versity of Guelph.
Agreeing with the suggestion
elicited several phone calls, three of
which were irate, and several letters
which disagreed vehemently with
the suggestion that quotas have dis-
torted agriculture.
It's like slamming motherhood.
Or favoring the use of nuclear ener-
gy. Or proclaiming that John F.
Kennedy was a womanizer.
I. could use some more earthy
analogies such as a brothel on Sat-
urday night but I do not want to of-
t ----fend too many people.
I even had a phone call from a
dairy herd improvement association
secretary asking me to be guest
speaker for their annual meeting
and.* talk about- quotas. Fortu-
nately, I was able to plead that 1
. was busy the day the talk was to be
given. Every" dairy farmer' in Onta--
rio knows more about quota than I
A
anything more than make stigges:
lions.
1 do know that consumers are be-
coming aware of the high price of
quota. I do know that many people
I talk to know that the cost of get-
ting into farming is exorbitant for
young people. do know that
some people believe that quotas
promote inefficiency. I do know
that some people believe the cost
of quota is reflected in the final cost
of the product to the consumer.
Most farmers dispute this claim
and they be right but many people
do. not believe them.
So, the belt communication I re-
ceived was from Roger Cook of
Mount Forest and here it is: (edited
for space purposes)
"I, too, feel that quota represents
an obstacle *to the young farm-
er...but 1 also support supply man-
agement." •
"The biggest problem -is that quo
tas are transferable, and therefore,
have. value. This ability to sell
your right to produce has created a
chasm between the farmers who
loot in the
wows mi aarie.•,a,. v.,. , trw. .e fir, O.+ *412, >I
have and those who have not. We
have now reached the point where
the prosperous•and aggressive farm-
ers, not to mention corporations,
are coming to control larger and
larger amounts of both quota and
land with the result that the smaller
farmers are being squeezed and the
big get bigger. This has the ques-
tionable effect of putting the means
of production and the country's land
in the hands of a comparative few.
"True democracy, as Jefferson
point out, (are you sure it was Jef-
ferson?) is best served and protected
by having land and its production in
the hands of as many as possible.
"Quota...should go back into the
pool when a producer is done using
it. Producers should never have
been given the tight to sell their
right to produce...It seems particu-
larly unreasonable...that a producer
who received quota forfree can sell
it and- pocket... several hundred
thousand dollars. This ,windfall
comes right out of the pockets of
the next generation of producers and
will, no doubt, eventually be re-
flected in increases in food prices..."
"Currently, small farms tare be-
coming uneconomical. I think a
system of supply management quo-
ta (for all types of farms, including
vegetable and grain producers) could
return these farms to viability and
re-establish the vitality of our rural
communities..."-
"I
ommunities...""I support a supply management
system that allow» a producer to
".ptYtduce- --
products profitably and at a compet-
itive price but does not allow that
producer to own or sell quota."
And thanks for your thought-
provoking communique, Roger.
Back a Fighter
Easier
F*thr e4 Seal s
de Pnjuesp,
Canada +969
GIVE TO
Easter
Seals
l
Thin Ice comes to Blyth Festival
BLYTH - The Blyth Festival is People's Theatre.
pleased to announce that a special - Starring Jonathan Whittakeras
performance of the zany musical, Mike (the hockey fan) and Suzanne
Thin Ice, (Produced by the Musko- Bennett as Cate, the TV reporter,
Ica Festival) will be performed here the crazy cast of characters of Thin
in April, for one night only. A Ice includes Sharon Dyer, Frank
cross between Spring Thaw and The Ruffo, Elise,. Dewsberry, Shane
Royal Canadian Fair Farce, Thin McPherson, David Nairn.-Ralnh•
Ice by Jim Betts and Doug Ellis ap- Small, Michael Pare, David Ross -
pears at Blyth Memorial - Hall on ner and Shelly Hanson. You'll
Saturday, April 1, 1989 at 8 p.m. laugh at songs like "Big Dumb
Canadian Press says Thin Ice, the -Jock", "Friday Night in Buffalo"
hockey musical, is filled with hilar- and the Soviet hockey players'
ious jokes and "even those who "Why Do They Keep Inviting Us
hate hockey would enjoy the play, Back?" -
which not only pokes fun at Cana- Thin Ice is directed by Michael
da's No. 1 sport but features Cana- - 'Ayoub, designed by Myles Warren
da's No. 2 past -time - CBC bash- with choreography- by Barrie
ing". All in all, "it's a charmer of a
musical", says the Ottawa Citizen.
Here's the way the story goes....
The CBC plans to film a documen-
tary on the "greatest hockey fan to-
day" - Mike, who becomes a trainer
during the Canadian -Russia
playoffs. Buthe's manipulated by
Amanda, the head of CBC's Serious
Programming Department, who
plans to destroy the game of hockey
forever, so no more of her specials
will be pre-empted by a series
playoff. The zany musical features
moments to warm your heart,
memorable music, intrigue and un-
forgettable impersonations of
Wa, ne Gretzky (he sings), Danny
G livan and Barbara Frum. At
M fly's Bar you'll also meet a
bui3 h of the regulars who are the
kind of guys who are forever holler-
ing CANUCKS!! -
Commissioned by CBC radio in
1984, thousands of Canadians heard
the broadcast in 1985 of this rol-
licking musical hockey fantasy, in-
cluding Muskoka Festival's Artistic
Director, Michael Ayoub. Jim Betts
and Doug Ellis adapted the script
for the stage, filled it with zippy
songs and spirited dance numbers
and it drew sold -out crowds in 1987
and 1988 at the Muskoka Festival.
The play also toured to Ottawa at
the National Arts Centre.
Jini Betts is presently working on .
a new show based on the life of
Tom Thomson and his other writ-
ing credits.include a number of suc-
cessful musicals and a series of very
popular adventure stories for Young
cb
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IMPROVING YOUR ODDS
AGAINST
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Woods, musical direction by Ste-
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by Andy Krehm.
Thin Ice tickets
are available
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fice: Adults $12 ($15 at the door)
and Youth $9 ($10 at the door).
For ticket -information and reserva-
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Tickets are selling quickly and are
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