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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1973-03-08, Page 161 1 t V b a h p A el Pt at 35 BI in! bo He Ki set the dei CIE 329 RA and froi RR ed, COSI 357- BRA Dau Lex, that chef 110 H Page 2 --Crossroads—March 8, t97a-- •., • 's h �' �titi kti \�:••'` V:: his \ y % :,r}• Q VER THE 7NN FARM GATE by Bill Roinahn CKNX Farm Director {•h It seems that the major topic on the mind of this scribe over the past few weeks has been beef. Not the type that emi- nates from one's mouth but the type we put into it. Of course i the annual meeting of the Ontario Beef Improvement Asso- ciation and a farm tour of the Bodmin Ltd. farms near Bel - grave has a lot to do with thought -waves. Beef is one of the last commodities that remains virtually untouched by marketing boards, orderly systems of market- ing, etc. that have plagued other areas of farm production. • Beef men stand strongly on their wishes of being truly free - enterprise. It's to their credit that supplies have continued to come to market in increasingly better quality at a rate close- ly related to demand. People eat better in Canada today than anywhere else in the world, largely because farmers have • boosted beef production a whopping two and one-half times in • t• he last 20 years. Beef men say they can double their beef production by the end of this century if they can meet their cost of production and make`• a little profit too. There are people who think the supply of beef is automatic and no farther away than their favorite food store. It's not their fault they don't know better, but in the same vein they cannot be blamed for crying about increased prices. Beef, like most other food products, has risen sharply in price since last summer. When people, largely ignorant of farm practices, find that they cannot buy the food they want on budgets determined last summer, at the time they pur- chased ur chased the boat, then they naturally complain. _ . y There's no Short-cut to a choice T-bone steak or a pound of hamburger. It still takes two years to grow, plus 2,500 pounds of grain, 450 pounds of protein and some 12,300 pounds of hay, silage, pasture, a capital expenditure that would shake almost anyone, and a substantial investment in labor. However, the price of beef is a two-edged sword, and the pri mary producer need not he apologetic about increased costs He's in the same position as Ms. Consumer. Before our farmer friends start patting •themselves on the back, let's take a close look at their practices. With notable exceptions, most of the beef in this province still comes from the small farmer who keeps 100, or less cattle on feed. Probably the practice resembles the man who will pur- chase replacement cattle one fall, feed through the winter and pasture next summer, then go to market the following Lf 1L fall after some finish is put on the meat. There isn't too much 4 thought of weaning weights and Much less idea of rates of gain, feed efficiency, genetic responsibilities for both, and final profit picture. As long as there's enough money left over ?'r' to buy mother some new clothes and a different car, they're doing okay. r tip;:•{ The farm tour of ,Bodmin Ltd. seemed to point this out `�xy ;tom even more strongly. Probably the chap who has the twisted '•. ▪ sense of humor to ram my hat over a post is the same fellow Y1ff; k�fti who complains of the paper work or physical labor involved with weighing cattle feeding and keeping' capital costs low. George, Ross and Charles Procter explained that they fi4 take the time to weigh the animals to learn how the cattle are doing, Naturally, they know the feed quantitates too., In fact, they Y probably does much,paper work as physical work. They 'hr pYr hi found ananinitil that gained an average four pounds per day. • Someone who didn't know the potential of --his an}mals sold that gra� +' com}nunity auction al 'll-lik ely sell more f : "�; r• 't��'��-5 ad c'x�'° sa . � ' � ee:k�e I h � .�.F. calves that•gain like this without ltrim011g h Old ask b g.. er 4 prices if this information was in the right places at the right time. ° The Procters know the cattle herds from which they will not buy calves. That's because they found these calves pro- duced at a rate. of two or less' pounds per day. What has taken so much ink tosay is what my father has o told me since'beingknee-high to a grasshopper. It's better to roti have°fewer animals of higher qualitythan knockingyourself f• g 4' ' silly trying to do more work for the same profit. And it was •'dad who taught me to use scales to weigh our pigs and milk. He never let them rust in the corner as long as the'boys were ` . at home. The Procters have not let their scales rust nor their • : paper -work pile up. These farmers know that information on where they're heading is the best investment they ever ▪ made. A day or two or work on the scales or at the office makes a farmer a better businessman who'll be around a lot v longer to enjoy his labor, while Ms. Consumer can continue to get the best bargain in the world for her dollar. 4 .ti f h B a 13 Si df SI to BS wi 64 wi Sr, tel sti Ti; th, PO at tin gir dot hat 167 hig hat ",r r• f : rr �, r� f f tfi r Xf r �y �Plfj��rff�i ���f, j�r j��;''i/'f r �,%�%�,f�`,�i•ffri }N+I II /JlJfr r ri r f r!r ' Start centennial plans An alumnus of the Ontario Agricultui`al College has re- turned to Guelph to help in the or- ganization of the college's cen- tennial celebrations which are to take place next yea "OAC dean C. W. Switzer has announced. W. F. Graham, who graduated with a BSA in field husbandry in 1937, has been appointed execu- tive secretary of the OAC centen- nial planning committee. Struck in December 1971, the committee is under the chairmanship of Pro- fessor H. W. Caldwell, School of Agricultural -Economics and Ex- tension Education. Mr. Graham will be responsible for the co-or- dination and promotion of the many special events that will be staged to celebrate the college's one hundredth birthday. From 1956 until his retirement early this year, Mr. Graham has been advertising and sales pro- motion manager for Maple Leaf Mills, Canada. The anniversary year will be - gin with an Open House and Con- ference the first week in January. Of special interest is the,publica- tion of a book entitled, From School fit University, History of the OAC 1874-1974 by Professor A. M. Ross, chairman of the Depart- ment of English. A Festival Week is planned for early July; 1974, and will include the annual Alumni Day celebra- tions plus many other interesting features for alumni, families, and friends of the OAC. Following is the text of Httron County property committee's re- port on the question of demolition of a wall of the jail building. The Property Committee wishes to report on the following matters. 1. County Jail and Assessment Building Addition. The Property Committee 'have spent many hours considering the problem relating to the expansion of the Assessment Building and the proposed removal of the one wall which would expose one of five courtyards of the jail. There has been a great deal of publicity against the proposal to remove the one wall. Unfortunately, however, the press have never at any time published or printed the proposed outline of the building and what effect it might have on that immediate part of the jail property. People have signed petitions and the Committee are quite sure a great many have no idea of what is involved; on the other hand we commend the people who have been willing to organize and fight for what they., believe, yet it should only be fair that all the facts be made public. Has anyone determined the cost of operating the proposed museum? Does anyone realize there will be 3emolition of walls inside the building in order that there can be proper traffic flow and crowd control? Renovations themselves can run as high" as $25,000. These costs will more than likely be borne by the Town of Goderich. Nevertheless, that is not a County problem; the Town indicate their willingness to undertake the establishment of a . museum and that will be a direct expense at the local level. Let us now review what has transpired as far as the County is concerned. First of all, we have been criticized because the As- sessment building is even located in its present site. The building was constructed for the purpose of the County .Assessment Staff which contained fifteen em- ployees and the second floor was added for future needs of the County. At the time of building there was no. indication from the Province that the assessment de- partment would be taken over Provincially and that the Prov- ince would be interested- in the County' building. However, once the provincial assessment de- partments were established, the province asked to rent our build- ing and bought all the furnishings that were there. Therefore, the With its establishment in 1874, the Ontario Agricultural College (then the School of Agriculture) was the founding college of what is now the University of Guelph. In 1962, the college was federated with the Ontario Veterinary Col- lege and Macdonald Institute, be- coming part of the University of Guelph when it was established in 1964. The campus was operated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food until September 1, 1965. Crossroads Published every Wednesday as the big, action cross-country section in The Listowel Banner, The Wingham Advance -Times and The Mount Forest Confederate. Wenger Bros. Limited, publishers, Box 390, Wingham. Barry Wenger, Pres. Robert O. Wenger, Sec.-Treas. Dick Eskerod, Editor. Display and Citrssified ad deadline— Tuesday, week prior to publication date. REPRESENTATIVES C.C.N.A., Roofs 24, Ontario Weekly Newspapers 2 Btloor St., East, Assoc., 127' George St., Toronto -921-5324 Oakville • 844.0184 county had no alternative but to carry on with the accommodation that was available at that time. Next, the county have been criticized for not considering ex- panding to the west. When we first opened up negotiations to consider expanding the building, various aspects were discussed and one was expanding to the west. At that time the plans of the Assessment Department were to use the entire ground floor of the present building and the new addition plus the second floor pf the old building. The expansion to the west on the ground floor level was not functional for the Assess- ment Department. Furthermore, the committee felt there was no need to buy extra property when. land was laready owned by the county. We have a letter on file from the county, solicitor indicating that the people immediately ad- jacent to the west of the Assess- ment Building are not in any way interested in selling their property to the county and moving to some other location. Furthermore, it is not the inten- tion of The county to expropriate the land. As 'a last resort if ex- propriation were , necessary, it would take up to 18 months and we do not have that much time. The Assessment Department have now re-evaluated the situa- tion and have considered using the ground floor of the present building plus the second floor of the present building and the second floor of the new building. Therefore, this puts a new light on the situation. The most logical way to expand would be the one that has been recommended by the committee -going to the east, demolishing the one wall, opening up that courtyard, and extending the building which would then provide sufficient parking to the east for the new building. Another proposal has also been given very serious consideration, that is, to extend the present building on pillars out over the parking lot and then build either v. one large main floor which wouldt correspond with the second flood" of the present building, or build a normal second floor and then a third floor. In other words by this latter proposal the new building would contain parking, a first ' floor and a second floor but would be one storey higher in reality than the present building. There might be some problems with height restrictions here which could possibly be overcome. The suggestion was made that we should dig out the parking lot and provide expansion in thla manner. In the first place, this would eliminate a lot of valuable parking, and in the second place, there is a water problem' in connection with that area and this would be practically im- possible. We trust, therefore, that coun- cil and the -public will realize the amount of research that has gone into this matter. It must also be pointed out to the citizens of the Town of Goderich that there are other people in the county who have a considerable equity in the County Jail and who will have a considerable equity in the new building. After all we are dealing with the requirements of 52,000 pepple in our county and they are peesently contributing $25,000- $30,000 to maintain our present Pioneer Museum. As you know an Open House was held on Sunday, February 18th and a large number of people from outside as well as within the County visited the Jail. From talking to various people it was apparent the majority who visited the Jail came only out of curiosity, more particularly to see where Steven Truscott was held and where the public hangings hadtaken place. A small number indicated the wall should remain while others were certainly in favor of removing the wall. (There was also a comment heard that the whole thing should be torn down since it was ap- parent it would be too costly to be maintained.) In concluding, there has also been criticism of the county that March is Good Seed Month Agriculture Minister Eugene Whelan has announced that March is Good Seed Month. "We promote a good seed month each year to make Cana- dian farmers aware of the many advantages of using certified seed," Mr. Whelan said. Certified seed is the class of pedigreed seed intended for com- mercial crop production. It is grown and tested under exacting conditions which guarantee purity of variety, germination and quality. The Canada Depart- ment of Agriculture and the Canadian Seed Growers' Association work closely together to maintain high standards of seed production. "Using pedigreed seed is the sure way of getting the seed of a variety the farmer wants," Mr. Whelan said. "Farmers should carefully study the merits and economics involved in using pedi- greed seed. It offers increased yields, improved quality, and better disease resistance, • ulti- mately resulting ' in a bigger profit margin for the farmer who uses it." Canadian seed is well-known and respected for its high quality on the international market. Canada participates in the Or- ganization for Economic Co- operation and Development (OECD) seed scheme, which pro- vides a major part of our export seed business. "Last year, Canada planted 42,000 acres of seed under the scheme. This was up considerab- ly from the 34,000 acres planted in 1971. If farmers in other countries find our Canadian seed so valu- able, it is logical that Canadian farmers should use it in their crop production," Mr" Whelan said. we cannot maintain the County of Huron as a region. We do not know this. We are taking the positive apprc►ach. We are trying to convince the powers that be that we can be a regio, unto ourselves -and if we(knot do this, who is going to do it? We know regional government of some type will come to our area ln the near future. We may not agree with it. We are not going to be pessimistic; we are going to be optimistic and we are going to do our very best to obtain°for Huron County a type of municipal 'gov- ernment that should bring pod results. Therefore, let us not knock --it-, let us get behind the county and help to keep the'name of the County of Huron in 'the forefront. If we don't, nobody else will. • Following all this investigation, the Property Committee now wish to recommend that we pro- ceed to apply for a building permit to remove the wall and a permit to build the addition to the Assessment Building as recom- mended by the 1972 Committee and as approved by County Coun- cil at the January session. Respectfullysubmitted, Harold Lobb, Chairman. (The report was adopted by Huron County Council last Friday on a recorded vote: 42 yeas; 9 nays.) FIRST VEHICLE The first mechanically driven vehicle was built more than 500 years ago by Leonardo da Vinci. The Ontario Safety League says it was merely aspring driven cart, but it ran under its own power. FARM TAXES I Q. I am a farmer and I used 1967 as the year of averaging for income tax purposes , and am eligible to average againin 1973. , I� re` uired> to averageagain 9 using 1973 as the year of averaging, or can I wait until a year in which averaging would be more beneficial to me? , A. You may choose any year you wish as the year of averag- ing, provided that returns have been filed as required and that the averaging period chosen does not overlap another period for which you have averaged. Q. I retired from farming and now live in the city. My farm lands. are rented to a tenant. I make six or more trips each year to the farm to -supervise seeding, summer fallowing and har- vesting. Can I claim the expenses incurred in travelling to and from the farm? A. Travelling expenses in- curred while travelling curre g to and from your farm cannot be claimed as a deduction from your rental income. Q. I bought land in 1965 on a half -crop share basis and this half share was sold in the ven- dor's name. Do I have to pay in- come tax on the half share that was paid to the vendor? A. Yes. The • half share that is sold in the vendor's name is your income and the subsequent payment to the vendor is con- sidered to be an instalment on the purchase price and is not deductible. Q. Is a farmer required to make Canada Pension Plan de- ductions from the wages paid to farm help? A. Deductions for the Canada Pension Plan must be made from all wages paid for farm. labor, AGRICULTURE MINISTER Eugene Whelan examines a sample of Certified seed, the class of pedigreed seed intended for commercial crop production, To make farmers more aware of the advantages of using this seed, Mr. Whalen has announced March as Good Seed Month. a provided the employee a has reached 18 years of age but has not yet reached 70, and has re- ceivedcash wag f $250' or more s wor d for. . d s e I u >lirthe` emp�oyer during the year. Q. What is the income tax situation if _I sell land with stand- ing crop? A. If the agreement specifies an amount for the standing crop, that amount is income to the vendor, and an expense to, the purchaser. If the agreement does not specify an amount for stand- ing crop, then no portion of the selling price is.attributable to the standing crop as far as -the purchaser and vendor are con- cerned. To complete the answer. your transaction insofar as the land value is concerned is subject to the capital gains provision which was introduced in 1972. Q. I understand that com- mencing in 1972, depreciation on any new depreciable farm assets acquired in 1972 must be taken under Part XI of the regulations. If I switch my depreciable assets on hand as at Dec. 31, 1971, to the Part XI method, does this mean that when I sell or dispose of them that I will be subject 'to re- cap ture of depreciation on all the amounts that were previously claimed under Part XVII? A. Yes. Q. In valuing my farm proper- ties for capital gains purposes, should I make separate valua- tions for my residence and out buildings? A. Yes. It is advisable to establish the value of your farm residence in that if it is your prin- cipal residence there is an option available on the sale of your farm which would exclude it from capital gains tax. Dead Animal Removal Service WANTED ,111• r+,1\,ciccl ctrl 1c• 4 t [y 1)11 fc.c c1c•,Ic1 ,11X1 c1 11 lc•cl COWS & HORSES (lar( outing to Slim All ',r11.111 picked lrf) f f1F F of charge cl'r cl '.f'rVir'f' t,) von CALL US 1 IRST1 We will give you the '.r'rvICP you rlE'f'rl Collor t 0:09) 837 9334 24 HOUR SE RVIGE Brussels Pet Food Supplies DRUG OFFENDER • a IN CLEAN,LIP ACT dile of my pet peeves is litter. I talk about, and against it,, when- ever I can. Not long ago, during a • Cnild spell, I wrote about the unsightly roads and highways we have to look ' forward • to in the spring. I even suggested family outings on weekends to pick up some of the trash with the added benefit of healthy exercise: New,' I hear of a new law in England which, in the eye or. the magistrate, can force an offender to go out and pick up litter. I found it particularly interesting and I hope you do ' to: *Until a few weeks ago, 20 -year- old Peter Giles, found guilty of possessing marijuana, might have found himself in a jail cell or paying a hefty fine. But under a new act in- corporated this year into Britain's penal laws, Giles is sweeping roads and picking up litter. He is the first offender to be affected by a scheme under which magistrates can order anyone over the age of 17 to do community service work instead of paying a fine or going to jail. Giles was ordered to work for 120 hours without pay. Magis- trates can order offenders to' work from 40 to 240 hours a year on projects such as painting and decorating for needy families or ,the physically . handicapped, maintenance work at youth centres and playgrounds~ clearing rubbish and sweeping roads, and nature and con- servation tasks. The scheme is experimental and Nottingham, where Giles is working, is one of six centres across the country where it is being tried., A government spokesman said the scheme is aimed primarily at young offenders and applicable purely at the discretion of magistrates. "They must judge for them- selves the type of person they are dealing with,", he said. Breach of a community service order carries a maximum fine of about $125, and the offender may then face a jail sentence for the original.. offence, - .� But while Britiisb law. for minor offenders has .beansoftened, penalties for other offenders have been increased. The go rearnment's. concern, over the growing use of firearms,. especially in robberies, 15 reflected in toner sentences when guns are used in a crime. The penalty for possessing a .firearm with intent to endanger life and using a firearm, to resist arrest is increased to life im- prisonment from 14 years. Offenders convicted of serious crimes may have property they have used for the purposes of crime confiscated. But the most ambitious new section of the Criminal Justice Act is the community service order. And Giles, the first of- fender to be ordered to roll up his sleeves and work for the commu- nity, is unhappy with it. Gilles, a university student, said. "I asked them . to let me do work for people like hospital patients or the mentally handi- capped. Now they say I've got to do menial tasks." But he received no sympathy from Lord Donaldson, chairman of the National . Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders and a ' leading sup- porter of the community work experiment. "The act envisaged involving people in all kinds of community work and it is a fact of life that many of these are very menial," said Lord Donaldson CARBON MONOXIDE The Ontario Safety League re- peats the warning to parents that children are more susceptible to carbon monoxide poisoning than adults. This is because children breathe more deeply, and take in thegas more rapidly. If a child becomes inexplicably i11 in a car, it could . be an indication that deadly CO is present, but not in sufficient concentration to have unduly • ffected the,adults. , c,“ 6,01 () 'r ONE -DAY RABBIT SEMINAR Attention Rabbit Breeders A one -day seminar on Rabbits, featuring feed and nut'lion, mortality diseases and control and breeding problems and genetics,, will be held Saturday, March 24 at the Crediton Community Hall. The seminar opens for registration at 8:30 a.m., with the morning session featuring a Ralston -Purina nutritionist, beginning at 10 a.m. The afternoon programs will have. Dr. J. Pettit and Dr. R. J. Julian as speakers. Everyone involved or interested in the rabbit industry is welcome. A $1.00 registration fee wilt be charged. Further information is available from William Dickey, President of the Canadian Commercial, Rab- bit Growers' Association, RR 1, Centralia, Ont. Crediton is 3 miles west of Hwy. 4 approxi- mately 2 miles south of Exeter and 25 miles north of London. McGAVIN'S FARM EQUIPMENT Al Sales & Service -Walton, Ont. Seaforth 527-0245 - Brussels 887-6365 Used Tractors — 1042 NUFFIELD WITH LOADER —345 NUFFIELD DIESEL WITH CAB — 465'NUFFIELD DIESEL —JOHN DEERE 20-10 GAS See Us For: — NEW IDEA & NEW HOLLAND SPREADERS —LEYLAND TRACTORS — NEW AND USED SNOW BLOWERS WANTED Seed Oats Growers cap.,., Rodney and Stormont Contact W. 6. THOMPSON AND SONS LTD. MItcheiI and Hmusall MITCHELL 348-8433 HENSALL 262-2527