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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1980-04-30, Page 23i q ,,ne f funtowf bY LeITers are apprec.ated by Bob Trotter Eidaie Rd Elm✓a Oni N3B 2C 7 Canadian farmers should be elevated to a place of importance in the national economy. For too many years, agriculture has remained on the back forty, unheralded, almost unnoticed, by urbanites. It's clear to me that the senior governments in this country must take a stand for — not against — agriculture. North American manufacturing /is no longer competitive. Any proof is obvious in the automobile industry. The Big Three are in great trouble. Chrysler is goi e • broke. Both Ford and General Motors m`''ay not be suffering a terminal illness but they are obviously in trouble. Layoffs across the country are becoming commonplace. Yet the automobile was born in this country and nurtured through almost 100 years of astounding growth.—But--now, the --big companies -have failed to meet the challenge from imports. They are 20 years behind the times. The significant trade deficit in manufactured goods in almost all other sectors of the economy is a demonstration of how industry has failed. Yet agriculture in general has remained com- petitive in spite of punitive tariffs, a system of tariffs brought about by people in the civil service and the halls of higher learning who know nothing and do not seem to care about agriculture. If more loans are given to the industrial sector • before something concrete is done for farmers, I might be persuaded to take my 11 h.p. tractor and join farmers in their march on Ottawa. It's enough to make a grown man cry. Agriculture accounts for more than 40 per cent of the jobs in this nation. Even now, 20 per cent of all new jobs created are in the agriculture and food sector. If (BLADEX PLUS ATRAZINE) BLAZINE CAN NOW RE PRE -PLANT INCORPORATED Save Time & Money For recommended Rates & Prices Contact... governments favored agriculture and boosted that industry instead of hand-outs to the secondary in- dustries, the returns to the country would be far greater. And just to illustrate why farmers should be propped up in their time of need, let's throw a few examples out to prove that farmers are the forgotten members of this so-called just society. One glaring example of how farmers get ripped off is in hydro costs. Ruralites pay at least 30 per cent more for electricity than their city cousins. Why can't farmers be classified as industry? If Ontario Hydro wants to improve its rural image, I suggest an im- mediate reduction on all rural hydro bills of 35 per cent. Farmers pay 100 per cent of their costs for sewer end-water . They mstaittheir o-wrrs eptiCiWteths, drill or dig their own wells. Yet, cities get grants and subsidies from senior governments all across the nation to install sewer systems and water systems. Farmers get no benefits. Urban centres get all kinds of grants and subsidies for daycare centres, low -rental housing programs, mortgage'assistance programs. Farmers get nothing. Cities and towns get massive grants and subsidies for subways, bus routes and rapid transit. They belly up to the public trough for both capital money and operational money. Farmers get no equivalent. And every farmer in the country is aware that municipal tax systems favor the cities. Market value assessment has already seen a tremendous shift in taxes from the city to the country. Loans and grants are handed out willy-nilly to students who want to further their education and these loans and grants come just as much from the. rural pocket as the urban pocket. Yet how many young people today return to the farm? You count 'em. I cry when I do. Those ,'very same students are bitching now because tuition fees are going up. I cannot work up a great deal of sympathy for them, I'm afraid. — . . - But I can sure sympathize with the farmers in this country. They need help now because they have met the challenges of the last 30 or 40 years. The secondary industries, particularly the automobile industry, are in trouble because they were too stupid to meet the challenges of the '70s and '80s. EDWARD FUELS ANGLEST GODERICH 524 8386 Shell helps J.D. Durnin.. named reeve LUCKNOW J.D. Durnin, a West Wawanosh farmer has been appointed as Reeve of West Wawanosh following the death of Reeve Leo Foran. Mr. Durnin served on council from January 1971 until December 1974. He was re-elected to council in January of 1978 and has been serving the present term. Carl Seeger was named to council to replace Councillor Durnin., • GOD RICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDII it y`, APRIL 30, ti $FAlI pM q ,, sEcTJON Robertson School presented Tom Sawyer again last Thursday night with different cast. Tim Rlehl as Huck, Tim Chisholm as Tom, and the Widow Douglas played by Lisa Brown, rehearse a scene from the production. (photo -by -Cath Wooden) Farmers will pay higher taxes Government policy will force farmers to pay very large increases in their municipal taxes, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) told the Ontario Cabinet recently. The OFA, in their Annual Brief to the provincialgovernment, said the problem is due to the lifting of the freeze on equalization factors. Equalization factors are used to determine the share of county council. and county,. school :board costs that are assessed to each municipality within a county. Farm properties have increased •in value much ,faster than urban properties since the equalization factors were frozen in 1970. As a result, farmers now are ex- pected to pay a larger share of -the tax load, in spite of no increase in services and nn increase in the ability to pay. .44 The OFA said that the government's policy of holding increases to five percent a year, in- troduced last year as a result of rural pressure, is. not acceptable. The OFA recom- mended the government drop welfare and education costs from property taxes and develop a special tax on income to cover these costs. The 35 -page Brief said this will ensure taxation based on benefit and the ability to pay. ANNUAL STOCKER SALE Robertson Farms 460 Choice Western Calves 600-700 LBS. Sold by weight in graded lots of 15-30 head. Hereford - Hereford Cross, Shar-Cross over wintered in our feed lots. Selling May 14 -5:30 p.m. at our Sales Corral Six miles east of Goderich on county rd. 25 n A. For sale 1200 BALES of hay, 400 bales of straw. Reasonable. Phone Glen Ribey 524-2329.-18 "Performance Proven" SEED CORN M. W. DURST PHONE 482-7309 A. For sale 150 TONS corn silage; 500 bales of hay. Phone 529- 7191.-,--18:.19 ` t D. Livestock BRED GILTS - York X Landrace with closed herd conditions. Original herd constantly being R.O.P. tested by Quality Swine. Breeder Boars also available. LAURENCE VAN- DENHEUVEL, 524- 4350.-17,18 GEORGE NESBITT FARM DRAINAGE Reduced prices for installation over 30,000 ft® All work guaranteed. } PRONE CLINTON 482-9497 We stock the CHEMICALS YOU NEED AT PRICES AND TERMS YOU'LL LIKE! •Blodex (W.P. & L.) . •Atrazine (W.P. & L.) •Korn -Oil & Concentrate •Blozine •Blogel •2.4D •M. C. P.A. • Bonvel • Amitrol T • Calmix Soil Sterilizer •Fly Sprays •Louse Killers •Atgard Swine Wormer • House wormer •Cattle Oilers Let us quote you on your chemical requirements EDWARD FUELS A• NGLE FA ST- GODERICH 524 8386 2 Shell helps 14, antag r-acrazi rek Stay with Lasse. Now registered for grass control in whitebeans and kidney beans. Lasso®. herbicide by Monsanto, the herbicidf' you can count ori in corn, is now registered for whitebeans and kidney beans- So you can switch crops — and stay with the unbeatable grass control of Lasso. Lase-d-elivers..-consistera:t.contr-ol of many—tough-annual grasses. To apply Lasso in whitebeans or kidney beans, just broadcast it before planting, then shallowly incorporate into the top two inches of soil. For extra clout against broadleaves, follow Lps so with Patoran' 50W. You can count on Lasso to get the job done right. With excellent crop safety. And no carryover. So when you switch to white- == beans or kidney beans, stay with Lasso. The proven winner in the fight against yield - robbing grasses. Monsanto €tea O is granlltar. yet wets and disperses instantly with rte. is practidatly dust free. Pours directly into your i Without pre: -mixing t Ct iS.:ligftter t 3 S butky than liquid yet offers many... ui l f tt p> i r tike a liquid, stores like a powder. r irrvi‘‘.poilitainieni ten pound weatherproof bag traat is slpfer, a i empties completey and easily so there's no 9f T`O r#ring either. tjt=ate'atrazine formulation. "l use •And controls the same her quality AAtrex formulations. d w ttat7lffFowder t ai q i ty assig.pd liquid formulation t>€crit13f �trlix With oil for *kW betr product use i iviion A. Monsanto Canada Inc Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina. Calgary, Vancouver Always read and follow the label directions for Lasso Lasso" is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company 'Patoran is a registered trademark of Ciba Geigy Corporation ©Monsanto Company, 1980. LN -WK -4180 AAtrex. Nine -0 and AAtrex-Plus are registered trademarks of Ciba-Geigy Canada Ltd., Agricultural Division 1 One Westside Drive, Etobicoke, Ontario M9C 1B2 a tik