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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-03-14, Page 6• St" John Ambulance safer ty Qxltraining ca>xi help reduce the Wormier and seortrity of on the job ac- cidents. People taking St. John training learn vividly about'theresultS of accidents as well as the causes, and it Wets ttsem more careful. 'ATTENTION FARMERS" Plan to attend the OPEN HOUSE And Crop Information Meeting 10:00 A -M--5:00 P.M. Wednesday March 21 t 1 !II�IIII'llll�llllll'!�'r At Our NEWOFFICE AND WAREHOUSE GUEST SPEAKERS -FILMS -BUFFET LUNCH -DISPLAY -DOOR PRIZES PORT ALBERT 529-7901 Politicians, discuss farm HFA • member financing Problems with farm fi- nancing and soil erosion dominated conversation at the annual Members of Par- liament dinner sponsored by the Huron Federation of Agriculture.• . MPPs Jack Riddell and Murray Elston, MP Murray Cardiff, members of Huron County Council and Mel Swart .(NDP, Welland -Thor- old) were the politicians on hand March 10 to hear briefs from. various HCFA commit- tees and commodity groups. HCFA's finance commit- tee chairman, Hans Ras- mussen of RR 1, Fordwich, said the number one problem facing agriculture is lack of fair prices. He also outlined problems with the Farm Credit Corporation (FCC) and solutions such as the agribond concept. Another problem is Section 31 of the Income Tax Act which states only $5,000 from off -farm income can be ap- plied to a farming operation. The $5,000 figure hasn't changed since 1952. "If this were updated ac- cording to inflation it would be in the neighborhood of $40,00Q to $45,000. We don't feel it should be raised to that level but there is a hap- py medium," said Mr. Ras- mussen. He said the figure should be changed immediately be- cause many farmers supple- ment their farm income by working off the farm. "Noneof this would be needed if the price we re- ceive for our product was at a profitable level," the Ford- wich area farmer said. MP Cardiff assured Mr. Rasmussen that federal esti- mates indicate FCC funds would increase over $20 mil- lion from about $470 million to $490 million. He added that Section 31 has been referred to a com- mittee, but there is concern about changing don't want to create a tax haven," said Mr. Cardiff, re- ferring to "hobby farmers". INTEREST RATES ,. MPP Elston questioned what interest rate the fi- nance committee would really want for the Ontario Farm Adjustment Assist- ance Program (OFAAP) noting that when interest rates were high, 12 per cent ' was the figure and now the committee is suggesting eight per cent. OFAAP inter- est rates are now at 12 per cent. "`It depends on the price DINNER MEETING—The annual Member of Parliament dinner sponsored by the Huron County Federation of Agriculture was held recently in Clinton. In the photo, left course to right, are Huron County Warden Tom Cunningham, Huron County Federation of Agriculture vice-president Doug Garniss, MP Murray Cardiff and MPP Murray Elston. (Levesque Photo) The Wingham Advance -Times, March 14, 1984 --Page 5 Beef commission schedules hearings The beef marketing The beef marketing agen- cy commission established m January by the Ontario .agriculture minister to make recommendations on a mar- keting system for cattle will begin a series of public hear- ings next week. Starting. March 20 at Chatham and ending May 3 at Emo, the commission will hold 22 hearings at locations throughout the province. In the local area, hearings will be held at Clinton March 22, Stratford March 23, Mark - dale March 28 and Chesley March 29. All hearings will be open to the public. Anyone wishing to make a submission is asked to contact the com- mission at least one week prior to the date of the meeting he or she plans to Popular computer you're going to give for our products," Mr. Rasmussen responded. MPP Riddell noted that, in the figures presented by the finance committee, a num- ber of OFAAP loans have been, approved, but the pro- vince has been slow in com- ing through with the rnoney. The Huron -Middlesex MPP also commented on the beginning farmer assistance program. He said he has been receiving numerous calls from beginning farm- ers who say they have been told they are ineligible for the program because they have rental land or some off - farm income. Mr. Riddell said there has that. "We been a chang-ein. tliat�i ]egin ning farmers are eligible for assistance even if they have rented land for up ,to 10 years. No mow has yet been made regar Ihe'off-farm income,'he said. "I'm telling all farmers to -appeal," said Mr. Riddell noting it costs 8100 to appeal. "They stand a pretty good chance of winning." SOIL EROSION HCFA's drainage and soil committee presented a brief Consider what electric baseboards. have to offer. r, I. CLEANLINESS - Electric heat is flameless heat. There's no smoke, No soot. No dust. No fumes. 2. SPACE SAVINGS They fit compactly along walls. 3. FLEXIBILITY They can be used with your oil or gas furnace, or alone to supply all of your heat. They're ideal for home additions because there's no need to extend the ductwork of your existing furnace. 4. COMFORT With these systems you can have a thermostat in every room. So you can keep the living room warm, the rec room cool and the spare room even cooler. 5. EASY INSTALLATION They can be installed quickly and easily and in many cases electrical wiring doesn't need to be upgraded from 60 or 100 amp service, 6 m COST SAVINGS Heating your home with electricity costs less than heating it with oil. Call your local Hydro and join the converted today. Ga Ele � "c requesting Ontario Ministry that if soil and water conser- of Agriculture and Food vation districts were estab- funding for soil erosion re- lished across the province, search. the government would be "Also it is time Agricul- compelled to address the ture Canada and Environ- problems of soil erosion. ment Canada got involved. They are involved in other FOREIGN OWNERSHIP provinces and they need to There was no brief this give substantial assistance year on absentee foreign to the fight against erosion in ownership, but it did not pass Ontario," said committee unnoticed. chairman Ray Hogan. Mr. Riddell said he would like to see the provincial government restrict such ownership, as has been done in other provinces. "We have been hitting a stone wall for several years Huron County Warden on this issue and it remains a Tom Cunningham corn- major concern in Huron mended the HSWCD's policy County," said Huron Feder- Garniss. "Mr. (Hon. Dennis) Tim- brell says the closing of the 20 per cent tax loophole has virtually stopped foreign buying. We hope he is right, but our information is that south Huron and north Mid- dlesex may be a new area of absentee foreign buying while presently threatened areas in north Huron and south Bruce could face pur- chases again in the spring." He noted that the recently formed Huron Soil and Wat- er Conservation District has a 1984 budget that is less than one per cent of Huron Coun- ty's soil erosion costs. suggested that governments provide some incentive to farmersso they can practise conservation and yet main- tain yields. Mr. Hogan said HSWCD's main thrust has been to pro- mote conservation tillage on row cropping but he would like to see it expanded to all crops. Government funding would aid this expansion, he said. MPP Riddell suggested NDP task force calls for more aid to Ontario farmers The need for long-term, low-interest credit for Ontario farmers tops the list of a dozen recommendations released last week by an NDP task force on agricul- ture in Ontario. To provide this credit, the task force recommends revitalizing the Province of Ontario Savings Offices set up in the post-war period as a lending institution for farm- ers. - It also recommends lowering the threshold for interest rate subsidies under the Ontario Farm Assistance Adjustment Program to eight per cent from 12 per cent and providing a subsidy payment on all beef cattle, hogs and sheep produced and marketed in the province. Donald MacDonald, long- time NDP agriculture critic and a member of the task force, was in Wingham last week to release the report. He said the capital currently available through the Farm Credit Corporation and the banks is not adequate to meet farmers' needs and, in the absence of action by the federal government, it is up to Ontario to fill the void. Other provinces are providing this aid, he said. "If the right-wing govern- ment of Alberta is willing to do it, I don't see why Ontario is not." He pointed out that the provincial savings offices were set up to provide a source of capital at a time when the bankers considered farming to be a poor lending risk. That has changed in the past generation and banks now provide over half of all farm loans, while the savings offices have dwin- dled to fewer than two dozen across the entire province. He said ' reviving the savings offices would provide a source of capital not only for farmers but also for small businesses and homeowners, the two other groups being hard-pressed. Mr. MacDonald said that the hearings held by the task force in seven areas of Ontario last fall showed the crisis in agriculture is. fundamentally very deep, threatening the existence of the traditional family farm. Real net income has dropped to about 1971 levels, he said, and a growing proportion of farmers cannot survive 'without off -farm income. He repeated the joke about the farm couple who won a lottery and, upon being asked what they would do with their winnings, responded, "I guess we'll keep farming until the money runs out." Other recommendations by the task force include: forming a joint committee to investigate the growing spread between farm gate and consumer prices, as well as the effects of corporate concentration within the processing, distribution and „retail sectors of the food industry; —increasing the provincial budget for agriculture to at least $450 million this year from an estimated $290 million last year. Mr. MacDonald noted that agriculture currently ac- codnts for less than one per cent of the provincial budget, while farmers make up three per cent of the population. Ontario Treasurer Larry Grossman recently prom- ised agriculture would re- ceive "one of the largest, if not the largest" percentage increase in the 1984-85 budget and Mr. MacDonald said the NDP will try to hold him to that promise. —increasing staff and funding at OMAF county offices; —revising the Foodland Guidelines to give priority to retaining prime land for food production, and amending the Planning Act to ensure agricultural classification takes precedence in land use designation; —significantly increasing government spending on assistance to prevent soil erosion; —legislation to limit non- resident foreign ownership of Ontario farm land; —amending the Grain Elevator Storage Act to ensure"farmers retain title to their grain until they receive payment; —amending the Drainage Act and replacing the Ontario Drainage Tribunal with municipally -appointed local tribunals; —returning the funding for tile drainage loans to 75per cent of cost from 60 per cent. Although the NDP cannot put through the recom- mendations on its own, it will fight in the Legislature to see them adopted, Mr. MacDon- ald said, adding that agricul- ture critic Mel Swart, who headed the task force, is planning to introduce a private member's ,bill on some of the points. Although March 12 was the final winter term starting date in Huron County for Bits and Bytes, a popular- com- puter course, Conestoga College will offer the six- week course again beginning the week of April 23. Offered in Huron for the first time this winter, the series of 12 three-hour class- room sessions is based on TV Ontario's Academy on Computers in Education. To date five separate sections of the course have been offered at the Radio Shack Com- puter Centre in Goderich, which will also be the location for the spring sessions. Although Bits and Bytes _ 1ES S -na thP educational uses of computers, it is suitable for anyone who wants to learn more about the nature, function, operation and applications of microcomputers. Working in small groups, participants acquire one hour of hands-on skills with a microcomputer during each session. Each session also features a 30 -minute video- tape from the TV Ontario Academy, plus a one-hour question and answer discus- sion period. Registration is limited to 12 participants per session. Also to be offered by Conestoga at Goderich this spring is a l0 -hour course (five weekly sessions) called Parents, Kids and Com- puters. This Saturday - morning course will allow parent and child to discover together the fascinating world of microcomputers. Classes begin the week of April 23. For registration in- formation or more details on either course, contact Continuing Education at the" Clinton Campus of Conestoga College between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, plus 6:30 to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. The telephone number is 482-3458. BLUEVALE 4-H The third meeting of the Quacky Quilters was held March 3 at Bonnie John- ston's home. The' meeting opened with the 4-H pledge and the roll call. The girls learned how to string a quilt and the leaders went through all the steps and explained them. Then they helped each girl with her string -quilted sample. It was decided the next meeting will be March 24 at Sharon Darlow's. raw MOP !MIL attend. While notification is not mandatory, it is strongly' recommended so that commissioners can schedule their time and make sure everyone is heard. Written briefs provided in advance- are desirable but not required. Submission of briefs or letters does not oblige the writer to attend any of the hearings. Anyone making a sub= mission at the public hearings should be prepared to answer any questions asked by the commissioners concerning points raised or claims made in the sub- mission. The commission was established by Dennis Timbrell as part of a Red Meat Plan to restructure and develop the beef and sheep industries. It has been asked to develop a plan for. establishing a single -desk marketing system for slaughter cattle sold in Ontario. Guidelines established by the minister concerning the function of the marketing system are: it will not in- clude supply management; it will involve a type of single -desk marketing agency; private treaty sales to packers will not be per- mitted, but direct delivery will be permitted and en- couraged. The commissioners will be considering all aspects of the marketing agency and the marketing system for beef cattle. Major issues to be addressed include: what type of marketing agency would best serve the beef industry? how should beef producers control it? what exemptions should be allowed? how can the market information service be improved? what other functions should the agency have? Anyone wanting in- formation on the com- mission, its aims, purposes and options, may call (416) .., 963-3300 or write to Beef Marketing Agency Commis- sion, ' Legislative .Buildings, Queen's Park, Toronto, M7A 2B2. SAVE WITH SAFECO INSURANCE Insurance for your car, home. Hfe and business. ELLIOTT-TWEDDLE INSURANCE 327 Josephine Street Wingham, Ontario Phone 357.1414 COMMUNITY CALENDAR ,rei/ INSURANCE BROKERS LTD. Insurance • All types. Home, business, auto, Farm, life. WINGHAM 357-2636 GORRIE.335-3525 Thurs., Mar. 15 to Wed. Mar. 21 Thurs. Mar. 15 Fun Play, Shortest Distance Between Two Points, Blyth Centre for the Arts, 8:30 p.m. Also Fri. & Sat. Evenings. Pancake Supper, Belgrave United Church, 5 to7p.m. Open Euchre, Wingham Branch W.I., Town Hall, 2 p.m. Happy Gang Dance 8:30 - 11:30 p.m., Ar- mouries. 20th Wingham Midget Hockey Tourna- ment Starts 8:30 a.m. (Runs All Weekend) Fri Mar. 16 Lunch, St, Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Wingham, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sat. Mar. 17, St. Patrick's Day Dance, Bluevale Recrea- tion Committee, at Brussels, Morris & Grey Comm. Centre, 9 p.m. Howick Community Centre, The Mann Or- chestra. Sun. Mar. 18 Mon. Mar. 19 Tues. Mar. 20 Wed. Mar. 21 Pre-Schoolers Reading Time, Wingham Public School Library, 10 a.m. Morris Township Council Meeting, Township Shed, 1 p.m. Turnberry Township Council Meeting, Municipal Office in' Bluevale, 7:30 p.m. Child Health Clinic, W. & 11 H., 9:30 -11:30 a.m. ROXY HOME VIDEO Great Fatally ,Entertainment 241 Josephine St,, Wingham Phone 357-3373