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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-02-15, Page 4TNS AMA CE-TIrnES Mbe irng1jarn abbanee-Zimeo Published at Wingham, Ontario, P.O. Box 390 • NOG 2W0 b> Wenger Bros. Limited Barry Wenger. Presidt Robert O. Wenger. Sec.•Treas. Henry Hess. Editor Audrey Currie. Advertising Manager Member Audit Bureau of Circulations Member — Canadian Community Nevopaper Assoc. Ontario Community Newspaper Assoc. Suhwriptions $20.00 per year Second Class Mail Registration No. 0821 Six months $I I'S0 Return postage guaranteed SeIIing a pig in a poke Ontario Agriculture Minister Den- nis Timbrell has stirred up a hornet's nest with his decision to unilaterally restructure the marketing of beef cat- tle in this province. It may yet require some clever footwork on his part to es- cape without being badly stung. Despite grave misgivings about the direction some marketing boards have taken — and about monopolistic trends in general — it is possible that a marketing agency for cattle is a good idea. It may, indeed,. be an, improve- ment over the present wide-open marketing system. However there are aspects to the way the matter is being handled that give cause for serious concern, and one need not be a cattle- man to recognize them. Foremost among these is the min- ister's statement that whatever form the new marketing system takes, it will be imposed upon the industry without a vote. Cattlemen are invited to make suggestions to the three commissioners appointed to study the matter, but they will have no control over the final re- sult. They are, in fact, being sold a pig in a poke. This leaves cattlemen in a difficult position, since if they co-operate with' the panel it may be argued that,they consented to the minister's plan. If, on the other hand, they refuse to have anything to do with it, they may find themselves saddled with a marketing system which fails to meet their needs. A second aspect which merits at- tention is the conspicuous absence from the commission of leading figures from within the cattle industry itself, in contrast to a similar commission for sheep which is composed of sheep farmers. It would seem logical that people who are engaged in the business of buying and selling beef cattle should have the best appreciation of short- comings within the present marketing system. They are, after all, the people who will have to live with the new agency. Taken'logether, the implication is that cattlemen are not competent to decide their own affairs — a stinging slap in the face to an industry which surely includes businessmen as astute and clearsighted as can be found any- where. Certainly keeping a beef opera- tion afloat in today's roller coaster economy requires something more than an ability to figure out which end of a steer the feed goes into. Mr. Timbrell is an adroit politician with aspirations to the premier's office, but he would do well to remember his ill-fated attempt to tinker with farm tax rebates. It is one thing to propose a Change; it is another thing altogether to attempt, to impose It. Most of today's beef farmers were here before Mr. Timbrell became agriculture minister and they will be here after he is gone. He should trust their judgment on any new marketing plan; he should ask for a -vote. That is what democracy is all about. A page of editorial opinion Letter to the Editor Free market is best hope in long term Dear Editor, a) from the Summary of 1984, under the heading children and grandchild - I have studied "The Red the Cow -Calf Industry in "Canada's Growing Debt ren); printing money. Meat Plan: Statement by the Ontario and the West, OMAF Alarms Bank'Executive": Direct taxation is up front Hon. Dennis Timbrell, 1983, page 11: "The average "Here in Ontario, for — the average person can Minister of Agriculture and cash farm receipts for. the 'example, provincial debt see and feel his taxes —;and Food, Jan. 5, 1984" and "The group were $55,813 while amounts to over $25 billion. is somewhat self -controlling. Summary of Studies on the expenses were $53,469. This That's about $2,800 for every . Public borrowing leads to Red Meat Sector, 1982-83". I left an average profit of Ontario resident. And the the dangers inherent in encourage you to study this $2,804 per farm. Eighty per debt per head is growing by deficit financing. plan and/background in- cent of the sample reported about $2,80 per year. Printing money is formation. profits of less than $10,000, "If we put this together probably the most vicious As of this date, only the while 35 per cent reported with the federal debt, we find form of financing, with the bare skeleton of the pian is losses. each resident of Ontario most serious consequences. known, with the meat to be "Average total investment carrying a public debt of Simply stated, inflation added by three appointed by farmers in the sample $8,000 — and that total is ex - commissioners: was $341,870. Land was the panding by about $1,100 each I - see positivecrpportanities—mass- ex -per ve--et nponet ye, ... _. for all concerned as a result at 49 per cent of the total. "Clearly the issue of of; this plan, but I.amdeeply "Thirty-nine , per cent of ,. government .deficits should concerned about the the fanners Surveyed had no be a mater of active public potential for long-term liabilities. Fdi those with liabilities the average equity Where is the Opposition? When the Progressive Conserva- tive party under Bill Davis was re- turned to power with a strong CT a ority in the last provincial election, that all- knowing seer from Vancouver, Alan Fotheringham, lashed out with a column in Maclean's Magazine about the "arrogance" of Ontario voters. It was his view that we re-elected the Davis government as a direct insult to the West. What Fotheringham failed to rec- ognize was the fact that there was no viable opposition party at that time. We had no choice. Nor have we a choice to- day. The Davis government has done many good things for Ontario. By and large it has been composed of reason- ably able ministers who have written and seen the passage of much excellent legislation — along with a smaller number of laws and, decisions which are less than excellent. The significant characteristic of the present govern- ment is simply that one party has been in office ,too long. Any democratic government de- rives its health from the presence of a critical Opposition in the House. Under the continued pressure of an intelligent Opposition the government is forced to carry out the expressed will of the elec- torate or sacrifice the reins of power. Not since the days of Stephen Lewis, leader of the New Democratic Party, has there been a voice from the Opposition benches which could be dis- tinctly heard throughout the province. The Liberals, official Opposition party in the Legislature, have totally ignored several issues within the past 18 months which should have been seen as golden opportunities to hold the gov- ernment to account. A government Bill to transfer sweeping powers of licens- ing and inspection to municipalities was so open to question that the PCs themselves decided to let it die..a quiet death — not because of Liberal opposi- tion, but because many of the weekly newspapers of the province pounced upon it as dangerous legislation. Agriculture Minister Dennis,Tim- breli` has announced a study which will lead to an imposed marketing plan for beef farmers. So far nothing has been heard from the Liberals, even though many beef farmers are deeply dis- turbed by the prospect of a plan in which they have had no voice. How about the promised curtail- ment of funding for day care centres? Not merely hundreds, but thousands of single mothers and hard-pressed par- ents face a dire financial threat if they have to shoulder the cost of day care so a mother may continue to contribute to the family income. A cause celebre if ever there was one! What is the Liberal Opposition saying about that? Any government, be it Liberal, Conservative or NDP becomes arro- gant when it has held power to the point where it believes itself invincible at the polls. The duty of the Opposition is to continually remind the rulers that gov- ernments can fall. The Liberal party in Ontario is failing that duty. Is AgriNews, necessary? Government . intrusion into com- petition with private enterprise ap- pears to be increasingly popular these days, despite the fact it is highly ques- tionable, as taxpayers have to compete against their own tax dollars says The E xeter Times -Advocate. The Ontario Ministry of Agri- culture and Food is the latest govern- ment wing to reach out into °the marketplace as it inaugurates 6 new tabloid — Ontario AgriNews. It will be distributed free of charge to 82,000 Ontario farmers, thereby competing directly with numerous newspapers, magazines and periodi- cals which currently serve the farm population. There is little evidence to -indicate that farmers are in need of this new government service. Not only has the number of farm publications increased in recent years, the quality and depth of coverage has improved tremendous- ly. Unlike Ontario AgriNews, the other publications don't merely tell farmers what government wants them to hear. They balance the news coming out of the ministry public' relations de- partments with views from industry spokesmen and opposition critics. They give both sides of the story and allow readers to intelligently reach their own conclusions. There'll be none of that In Ontario AgriNews. It will stick strictly to the Ontario government line In all its self - glorification. In short, a publication by the government and for the govern- ment. disastrous results. I applaud decision -makers was 76 per cent." — decisions change direction b) Globe and Mail, Jan. 23, — but decisions have con- sequences, for better or worse. I am. opposed to Dogs are not imposition of any decision without a vote of people only problem concerned — I don't like to buy a pig in a poke. Dear Editor, Ontario's minister of While I sympathize with agriculture and food has your concern in the editorial reached several conclusions re: doggie -do in the .last about the cattle industry issue, Wingham residents and, based on those con- have more to be chagrined elusions, has made deci- about than canines allowed sions. Two of these are: to do their thing in public 1. that our marketing places. system lies at the root of beef A week ago, while industry problems and must returning from a walk to the, be drastically altered with- post office, my wife and I out a vote. were revolted by the sight of 2. that beef producers in emesis (vomit) all over the Ontario suffer from lack of phone booth in front of the leadership and ability to Town Hall, and on the step of adapt to the future. a certain institution a little I assume he is sincere, but further down the street. I believe he is wrong. While dogs may have their With reference to number problems, at least they don't one, the marketing system: get drunk! The marketing system we A nauseated resident enjoy is easy to defend. It is Wingham open and free and rich with competitive options. About 75 per cent of the time, the Ontario market for fed cattle is the strongest market in North America. The decision to prohibit direct -to -packer sales is an attack on personal liberties and cannot be justified on the pretext that• this prohibition will strengthen the marketing system. A positive decision would be to require the reporting of prices paid in private treaty transactions. There would be no need to publish the names of buyers and sellers, but merely to require that prices paid enter the public in- formation system. Single desk selling: the creation of another monopo- ly. We have quite a few of these now in,.Canadian soci- ety and elsewhere, e.g. Can- ada Post, closed -shop unions supply management market- ing boards, the Corn Laws of England in the 1800s, etc. So take heart farmers. Some pub- lishers and their staff members will soon be joining you in your current economic woes while the Ministry of Agriculture and Food undertakes pro- jects to spend dollars in every way but good. concern...." While it is sadly, true that beef farmers are having difficult financial times, with of course some of these difficulties being unique to the beef business, i believe that most businesses and indeed most individuals are experiencing similar trying economic times, There is no single cause of this general malaise, but I believe that the root cause is inflation. Inflation has many, definitions and causes but, for simplicity, for me it is a diluting of the value of our' money (me um of ex- change) alm'bst always caused by our national government printing money. The pressure to print money comes when governments, as a response to usually relatively small, noisy pres- sure groups, or for political expediency, initiate non - sound economic policies. Governments have three ways' to finance their decisions: direct taxation; borrowing ( mortgaging our Farm survival group is planned to expand Dear Editor, Perhaps your ,readers would be intereste +to know that the Canadian Farm Survival Association held a conference in London Feb. 6 and 7. The purpose of the meeting was three -fold: —to review the- ac- complishments of the past; —to view the present situation and answer the question, "Where do we go from here?"; —to borrow from the knowledge and experiences of a capable' organizer and speaker, Walter Miller of Tara. Although not now taking a leading part in the organization, Walter still serves his and neighboring communities in what he does With reference to number well, speaking for a good two, the issue of leadership cause. and ability of Ontario beef Under present CFSA producers: In the cow -calf structure, very little contact business (in my experience can be made between the the most difficult enterprise farm communities and the in agriculture that I am association that is serving a currently involved with — very great need. To bridge we have cow -calf, feedlot, that gap, it is intended to chicken broilers, farrow to provide local associations in finish hogs, corn, barley and convenient locations to hay), two quotes for con- provide you with a place to sideration: t xpress your opinion, perhaps get some answers to your questions and a more convenient' office where competent and reliable help, or advice may be attained. It is planned that a local association be established in the northwest part'bf Huron County, an area providing a very good cross-section of agriculture a fair representation of beef, dairy, hog, poultry and some of the major cash crops of Ontario. February 15 1984 A new column appears this week in Crossroads Parents of young children or adolescents as well as teachers may find particular interest in a new column which premieres this week in the Crossroads section of this newspaper. Titled "The Warning Signs", it lists behavior which can serve as a signal that a child has a learning disability and needs special attention and assistance. It is the first instalment of a bi-monthly column dealing with questions and 'concerns about learning and educa- tion, providing information about changes in the educa tional system and helping looks good to most people at the start, but often and al.ly_runs out_of_conirol,- and results in mal -invest- ment. The inflationary '70s, resulted in the expansion and encouragement of many questionable practices, such as in the Ontario beef business the construction of many highly -capitalized beef Ieedlot facilities that are probably not viable even in normal times and cannot service the soaring interest costs inflation produces. The initial results of mal - investment in our society generallyare bankruptcies and lay-offs, with a resulting demoralization that • fright- ens people and causes indi- viduals and businesses to re- trench and consolidate, bringing increased long- term unemployment and indeed a threatening future for us all.. . Clearly: decisions have consequences and the need for enlightened leadership is vital. The question is: by what system do we achieve enlightened leadership? From the top down or from the grass roots up? In my view there is no presently known perfect system, but it is also my belief that the ingenuity and individual creativity that surfaces automatically in a free marlet system clearly offers beef producers the kind of flexible, long-term leadership that all people of goodwill seek. Ross S. Procter RR 5, Brussels To that end, a meeting will be held at the Brookside Public School, one-half mile west of Huron County Road 1 on Concession 9, Ashfield Township, Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. An elite. negotiator and capable speaker, Tom Shoe - bottom of Denfield, is to speak and several associa- tion members will be on hand to answer questions. You :are invited to come and see and hear first=hand of some of the experiences the association has had, perhaps get your questions, answered and express your opinion. James Boak Sr. RR 1 „pungannop ro parents or teachers to better help the children. The column is written by Fred Gore, director of St. Jude's Special Education Private School and Learning Assessment Clinic and a special education specialist and educational therapist with 14 years' teaching ex- perience in the field of learning disabilities. Parents or teachers with particular concerns are invited to write to Mr. Gore, care of this newspaper. These letters will be for- warded to him to be printed and discussed in future columns. Items from Old Files FEBRUARY 1937 A large gathering of ladies assembled in the Legion rooms at the Armouries and 29 signified their intentions of forming a local auxiliary. Mrs. W. W. Armstrong was elected president, Mrs. A. M. Forbes and Mrs. W. Kennedy are vice presidents, Mrs. Lloyd Hingston is secretary and Mrs. G. Ross is the first treasurer. At the annual meeting of Westfield United Church, W. J. Parks, M. McDowell, W. McDowell, W. F. Campbell and T. H. Taylor were named members of session. Alva McDowell is church treasurer and Marvin .Mc- . Dowell is secretary. Rev. E. M. Loney of Preston Baptist Church has accepted a call to John Street Baptist Church in —\V7ini1"Fiam-T1 s duties will commence March 1. Miss Islay Stewart held a trousseau tea at the home of her parents, Diagonal Road. The 60 guests were received by the bride's mother, Mrs. W. M. Stewart. FEBRUARY 1949 At the Lions Club supper meeting at the Brunswick Hotel, President Bill Tiffin welcomed three new members, Donald Cameron, Norman .,Cameron and Murray Rae. Mr. and. Mrs. Frank Green of Wroxeter, who recently purchased the Fitzpatrick home on McKenzie Hill, moved into their new home. W. H. Rintoul and Sons have been awarded the contract for altering the living quarters above the post office, making two up- to-date apartments in place of the one. A meeting of the Wingham Curling Club was held to discuss the possibility of installing artificial ice. All members were in favor of the project if sufficient financial backing can be secured. After several years of inactivity Court Maitland No. 25 of the Canadian Order of 'Foresters was reorgan- ized at Wingham. Thirty-sev- en candidates were initiated by visiting teams from Strat- ford and Durham Courts. Mr. and Mrs. James McInnis have purchased the' Some thoughts on shovelling snow Dear Editor, I, like many other widows, have done more snow shoveling this year than before. I don't mind the light shoveling, but when it comes to the heavy chunks like cement mixed with water that the snow plow throws up at the driveway, that is something else. To top it off, I have to walk half -way to each of my neighbors to try and throw this over the banks and this is hard work. Snow blowers come and go up and down the street, but at long last one came, stopped and gave two big' shoves which was a tremendous help and greatly appreciated. It is also interesting that a Clow home, . east of the village of Whitechurch. They expect to hold a sale in March and then move to their new home. FEBRUARY 1960 Nearly 12,000 young turkeys and one of the largest barns in the district were lost by fire when flames destroyed a barn owned by Roy Adair of Wingham, on the easterly outskirts of the community. Daniel C. Stuckey has again been included on the Dean's List at the Bob Jones University at Greenville, S.C. He was one of seven Canadians 'on the List, named for their academic standing. H. Glenn Hays, Q.C., was sworn in as a provincial magistrate in an impressive ceremony, before members • of the Huron Bar Associa- few years ago students used to want to earn a few dollars and would enquire about shoveling, but perhaps now they don't need to earn money that way anymore, or maybe I've missed the few that do. ''Per be do aps something could ugh a Winter Works Program or what- ever. There must be some people out there who are unemployed and like to get out in the fresh air as well as doing a good turn and getting a few dollars in return. Thanks for hearing me out and let's hope for an early spring. ( name withheld by request) Wingham tionT--county officials . and provincial and municipal police. One off Brussels main street business blocks fell victim tolire when the men's and ladies' wear store owned by Ned Rutledge went up in smoke. The Brussels Home Furnishings nishings located next to the Rutledge store, suffered extensive water and smoke damage, as did the New American Hotel and apart- ments in all buildings. Cause of the fire is not. known. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gibson, who built a new home in Lower Wingham last year, moved to Port Elgin. Both are employed at Southampton. Miss Anne Simmons, five years old, was crowned queen of the annual Ford- wich ice carnival. She also won a prize for her costume, as did Donald Wilson, Nancy Gedcke, Bobby Lambkin, Charles Gibson, Marjorie Kieffer, Warren Zurbrigg and' Larry McDermitt. Donald Wilson was the best clown. FEBRUARY 1970 A rink from F. E. Madill Secondary School tied with a rink from Exeter for the boys' championship trophy at the Perth -Huron annual curling bonspiel for secondary schools. Members of the Madill rink were Murray McDonald, Neil„ Hemingway, Dave Mc- Donald and Brad Mackay. Doug . Bishop, the new manager at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Com- merce, comes -to Wingham from a similar post at Killaloe. He succeeds Gordon Beard who takes over the managership of the Mitchell branch. Dr. J. W. Szybalski has opened an office with Dr. J. K. McGregor in Wingham and will also bein the offices at Gorrie and Brussels. The Huron County Junior Farmers elected Dave McCallum president for the new season. He succeeds Jamieson Ribey. A new organ will be dedicated February 22 at the Wroxeter United Church in memory of the fallen heroes of World Wars, from the Wroxeter cothrnunity. Brenda Hafermehl, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Al Hafermehl, graduated from Career Academy in Toronto as a dental assistant. She is enrolled in the Dental Corps, of the Canadian Armed. Forces and will report to CFB Cornwallis, N.S., in March.