HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal Star, 1976-02-12, Page 5•
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l anis-aP-oppreertHed:by-Sob•trotierw6lda,a*Rd,:.Elrrnra eytlmass-407
Cigarettes go:up in price. • 'Liquor prices, are increased • _spen't 17:5 per cent on food
eittler by taxes .or by:the d1sti11ertes,.: Parking. fines are
increased. Automobile prices go up every tear. •
But•, nobody gets•too 'uptight: A Jeww eafecutiyes •in • the
consuniers associations :make statements to the press. No
body marches on.Queen's Park. Nobody calls Trudeau a.
dictator. •
But let-foodpricesgo up and everybody gets into thea.ct .
It's. a mystery 'to me why so many: Canadians complain
so bitterly about food prices yet they,allo`w'almost anything
else to increase in price acrd only a few resigned murmurs
• are heard.' `" . .
Canadians' are better off as far as food p ices are ,con-
cerned than• any other nation in the world except the'
United . States. Recent figures: released by . the federal
department pf agriculture have only confirmed what farm
ers in Canada have knownfor dozens of years: Canadians
spend less of their disposable dollars on food than any
other industrialized country in the world except,the U.S.A.
Check your groceries some time and deduct the items
in the "grocery" cart that are not food for your table.
You cannot includepaper:. products• facial tissue, toilet
tissue, .paper towels - and you cannot include hardware
items, drug, and patent medicines, mouthwashes, shaving
.creams, night creams, day, creams, cat food, dog food, cat
litter; drink mixes, soda pop, cutlery, glassware, novelties,
magazines, 'television guides, cigarettes, ceramics, cigars
and you -name -it -you -can -have -it. .
These are not. food items. You buy them and almost any
thing else •in thesupermarket:: Too many people fill gro •
eery bags with a dozen or, more other .items and are ap-
palled at the tab receivedat the checkout counter.
The point I want to make here is that food,costs as a per
.tentage of total:disposable income went, down-- not up::-.-.
in: the •
last 25� ears: In 1963 Canadians s' n
Y pe t 205 per :cent
of their disposable incomes on buying food. In 1972, they-
1 <.
Silo Unloaders• .r
- Feeders
-.Cleaners .
Stabling
- Log Elevators•
- Liquid Manure EquipmentY
Hoeg Equipment
FAR°MATIC
- Mills
- Auger's, etc:
ACORN
- Cleaners.
-. ,Heated Waterers.:
_ _.SERO
Bulk Tanks
Pipeline& ParlourEquipment.
W EST E E L-ROSCO-Gr. aria ries •
B & L Hog Panelling
Bulk Tank & Pipeline, cleaning
Detergents, Teat Dip, etc:
•�ovadine
Dyne •
Losa`n
Uddersan
Foamche.ck
"4-r`kieeneasy.
r {!e
LOW RY FARM SYSTEMS
RR 1, Kincardine, Ontario
Phone 395-5286
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1
Row ,tan anyone, read these' figures „Suggest. that
Canada`does not have a cheap food policy? 1(;I= were•living:'
in the land of my ancestors, the United Kingdom, I would.
be paying 29.8 per cent: of my disposable incomefor food.
Ireland? No; thinks. . Irishmen. have to spend 37:8'p'er
,cent' on. food. Italy? Nope. Italians' have to spend 316. per
'cent.' Want some more statistics to prove that •Canadians
are.fortunate?' . • - ' •
In Greece, food costs accdunt.for 32.6' per cent; in Aus-
tria it's 28.6 per cent; in Sweden -•- that so' called socialist
paradise - it costs 27.1 per cent to put food on . the` table:
In France,, food costs take up_23.4 • per cent of income. In
West Germany; if 24:2per cent.
Do not misunderstand me. I am not suggesting thatthat food.
�g
costs have n'ot gone :up dramatically in the -past 10 or 20
years. Crazy I am but ,not that crazy' Food prices hp_ve
risen and will continue to rise as long as the• rest of the
economy is inflating.. • '
I am suggesting, though, that food costs have not risen
as high as other sectors of the economy and these statistics
from the federal ministry:substantiate that Suggestion.
Most of us •see the cost offood biting into luxuries ,to
which we thik we are 'entitled and the accusing finger is
pointed at the supermarkets, the processors; the truckers
and, especially in recent weeks; at farmers. Max Saltsman,
the NDP member for South Waterloo in the House' of Com-
mons, has publicly stated he thinks the major increases
in .food.prices should be bland on prices paid at the farm
gate. ' »; -
I don't, agree and'I believe the statistics prove me right
Farmers have adapted to technology and are producing
far more than: most other •sectors of the economy. They
should share in -some-of-those increases because they de-
serve it.. At the same time; thfey •are taking less from the
incomes of the public that they did,26 years ago.
tenm wheat -payment
growers about
The Ontario Wheat
Producers' Marketing,Board
has announced it plans to
makean rriterirn .payment .to
producers ',abbut ,April ist in
the amount of 85' cents .per
bushel.' '
..Board chairman ' Fergus
o nu g, RR. '1, Eanismore,
made the announceinent,
following t g a meeting of the
board held February 3 and
pointed our that the. payment
1 will apply to 1975 crop' wheat
sold by prod'ucers.
Mr. •Young 'said' producer
sales to date -.exceed• 19.6
million bushels" which .has,
been purchased 'by the board
arid total board sales to both
domestic and -export markets
to date total approximatgly.16
million bushels. 'This feaves
the board 'with.. about . 3.5
million bushels of unsold
stocks on hand at the present • cAt.L
time.: I GODERhCHNICK DOWHANIUK524®62401
priI i
Producers havereceived
an initial payment.of $2.00 per
bushel and the interim
_ payment to be m_ade from the
pool will add an additional 85
!cents per bushel to the price
"received by producers;
- Mr. Young pointed out that
in dtlttrorr- to`�th-e-- :itrierq
payment a final payment will
be ann ced•sorii time e t me later
in the crop' year.
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GOI?gRICH SI!ON• •keSTAR, THUR
critical.issues
The new pleader of .the'
Ontario Liberal party says,
his understanding ., of the'
import&nde. 'of agriculture
4nd•'food to. our -future came
.e-., ®• - t o^rir-t'slei e-
nth' �`s•ir�ple
questions; although "people -
don't : want,` to .talk abbut
thein"
- Dr,, Stuart S`nriifh in.his, re:
vote. speech to.. the Ontarioap
P _
Liberal convention that
elected him leader said food
and enoughland to produce'
food• could: he:. the 'crucial
issues in Ontario's future. '
Smith in Seaforth
recently, said his. concern
• about' agriculture. at, a time
when few city people know or
care. : much about .food
production .is, part of his
character.'
"I, anticipate.things. I've
always been a bitahead'of my
time. 'It's the same in
psychiatry," the . Hamilton
psychiatrist said.
He says he decided,
. that
agriculture will be' the
question of the future when he
asked some "obvious
questions.
'"I know we have to import
oil What are .we zoirrg to.
export?" he said.
Attention
farmers
°A- FOR SALE
The answer he '• came up
with is food and eventually he
fears the province will•have•a`
real shortage of it In home
territory., the leader says the:
Niagara Peninsula frit;trees
are soon going to be gOne.
When Iarrived eight and a
half years ago it was all
blossoms," he `said:
"Few things get Me as.
upset as Short sightedness," :.
theew Liberal berai leader say
§.
Dr. Smith realizes that his
concern for ' agriculture is
unusual •i? -F. •an.• .urban
politician.
"I was the Only candidate in
.a city riding who would even'
• talk about agriculture in last.
September's election," he...
says;.
re you 'crazy:?'' people
uIIXFA-O-1 �1IAir-•wheat,oats- -would 'sa_' until I' d_tell them
and barley: Phone 236-484T that our whole future depends
Z .-5 7 on agriculture. Then the
Zurich..7.5,6,7
g Y
Might'say.. 'Yeah, •I never
really thought about it.'
."It's not just agric,ulture;
•
dial's . important • to our ,
future. It's:poptilation trends
generally. Even' small town
and. rural' people G often don't
see ,•the whole .picture.,' -Dr:.
Smith Sa S. '
How do we eep 'a via
economy ' in:: the- • small
villages?he asks. „.;
And. .vvhen .rural people
move in.to,the cities, the cities.
have two alternatives. They
can sprawl onto the adjacene.4
agricultural area or they can
increase populationrensity in
the city. •,.
The solutions all translate
into"mbre. money. for 'food",
:according. to Stuart .Smith.
That means more marketing
boards, stabilization plans, -:
agricultural scholarships' and
"more than, the ,puny amount: :
we spend now '13:11
n agricultural '
research."
People in the citie have to
be educated, he gaN, about•'
modern farms and how ef-
ficient
they are. The average
city person thinks of a farmer
with a couple of cows, .a
couple of pigs and a few fields
of grain, Dr. Smith says, a
picture.. that ' is ridiculously
out of date..
If • land is frozen for
agricultcral use, we'll-h'aveto
look at compensation for,.
•farmers, he says. He can't.
blmerural townships who
•a
are lboking for development,
even . on"their class one and
two farmliand; the Liberal
Leader says..
"What choice do they
have?" he asks • -
"We must make farm.ing: a
high prestige, occupation", he
feels.
Is Ontario Hydro planning
for :too much capacity; :for
more power than Ontario will
need? Dr. Smith says the
Liberals can't tell.
"We study their figures and.
they
they:.look all right. We can't
tell. •It's a guessing game."
"It Seems: silly to imagine
that the power use boom -will
continue, but it might, arid we
Want to• e sr•epaared
• liberal Leader said. .
-NobodY wants is • a nuclear
generating station near them,
Dr. Smith says, "and I• can't
:Warne ' them with the
�. �•- 9 ,DAVE HAYL:
in:__L__ _ ` ;,,'• r �— _E CTRICAL
�E But d�•n,t ,take our word' for It
�o
DAY,
E EtrAAY 42, 1976 -- FAG E 10
discoveries in Port Hope",
but nuclear; power" -plants
have„ •tot_.go somewhere, he'
Says.
"Reve'lations about
ortage
fill '-and in'.buildings in Port
1 ope;wrll-continue Dr"to ,get .`Spiith
predicted:
ionly� koih$
.Or&e There.s r4ACJr`,to,.eorge,,.
iadu aetive rrtlaherral used for out-there"r.
Latest modern equipment
Domestic- Industrial. Municipal
Free Estimates
You and your family deserve.ine best of water.
so don't hesitate_to-call
TOM
PHONE 524..641O
NORTH ON HJGHWAY 2'1, 'GODERICH
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Look neighbour .. .
THAT'S BIG VOLUME.
•B
Rugged ButlereVII
silage distributor-unloader
pours. silage out fast,
cuts level, toy to bottom.:
Power ring drive, no weights.
Excavating -Dashwood 236-4230,
TRUCKING -. BACKHOE & DOZER SERVICE
Ontario
ations
Landlords and tenants wishing information; forms qr assJstance
in cont-ection with 'the Residential Pr.emises'Rent Review 'Act may
call or visit their local'rerit review office•_Iisted ,below. The offices
will commence operation. Monday, February 9, 1976., ,
OFFICE 'AND
AREA SERVED
SOIJTHW,ESTERN
OFFICE
MAILING ADDRESS
LOCATION (for all correspondence
including completed forms)
'London, for the 8Q t undas St:
Counties of Middlesex, • Tel. 673-1660
Oxford, Elgin, Larnbton,
•Perth and' Huron
Owen Sound, for the
Counties of Grey and
Bruce -
Former Post Office -
Building
3rd Ave: E &9th St. E...
Tel. 376-3202
Windsor, for the 251 Goyeau St.
Counties of Essex and Kent Tel:;253-3532
Ontario. Rent Review
Box 5101
London N6A 4L6
Ontario Rent Review
Box 625
Owen Sountf N4K
•Ontario Rent Review
Box 1605
Windsor N9A 6F2
If you live -outside ^the toll-free dialing area.for the office serving
your municipality, dial the operator and ask -.for Zenith 9-6000. You
will be, with the rent review office free of charge.
Ontario
(PLEASE CLIP & FILE)
Ministry of •
• Consumer and
Comrner tial
n .
relations
Industrial, Commercial,
Residential
Residential Needs
Ask. a neighbour Who QWfs Butler: .
Lynn Lowry
Farm Equipment Ltd,
Route 1, Kincardine
Phone: 5.19 395-5386
--'SAO.—miniO:
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That's wlilat SMARTmeai s: Save
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BANK OF COMMERCE
0.
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