HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1955-12-22, Page 7a
TIILFMM FRO?(T
J0RA
It appears that the farmers
in the United States - unlike
some others l might mention •-
aren't taking present conditions
flying down." Their United
Grange is an ancient, powerful
and well-respected body. It has
never been even faintly sus-
pected of communistic or social-
istic leanings. And I think that
the following report of its re-
cent convention in Cleveland
might make profitable reading
for many of us.
* ,j. *
American farmers are strug-
gling h a state of emergency,
and should receive emergency
aid from the government, de-
clared the National Grange in a
policy statement concluding its
89th annual meeting here,
This hard -slugging • • 23 -page
statement on agriculture had
been argued out in committee
sessions for 10 .days and was de-
bated for 3112 hours by the 74
voting delegates empowered to
speak for almost a million rural
Americans belonging to the.
Grange in 37 states.
The Grange's demand for aid.
for the farmer represents -no . re-
treat in its insistence that all
government programs should
point toward more self-reliance
for farmers, but it does put in-
creased emphasis. on the need
for immediate assistance to .far -
avers who are getting less ,in
come each year while having to
pay high prices for everything
they buy.
+k * *
"Except for large commercial
farming enterprises.. American
agriculture is in a state of emer-
gency," the Grange summed up.
itsview of •the situation, and
then specifically spelled out the
nature of the emergency.
To permit agriculture "to de-
cline to inequitable low . levels
of income not 'only reduces far-
mers to the status of second-
class citizens, but eventually
adds an excessive burden to the-
total
hetotal economy,'.' , it said.
• * ,0
It pointed to the decline in
agriculture income to prewar
levels in .a period when "wages,
salaries, returns to :processors
rind manufacturers, commercial
trade, transportation,' communi-
cation, and :mostother major
segments of the- economy "hatie
risen to their highest levels in
the nation's history... .
"Along with the growing 'dis-
parity between farmand none
farm income, there had also
been a widening disparity with-
in the structure of agriculture
itself. Farms are growing larger
and the, total number of . farms
is growing smaller. . Eco-
nomic pressures, "'often prompt -
SALLY'S SALLIES
"I'd like some Scotch heels -
• high for the high road, low for
the low road."
ed by government policies, are
squeezing many family type
farms of moderate size."
More than 51 per cent of the
farm products used by the na-
tion come from 9 per cent of
the nation's farmers, said the
Grange, and these approximate-
ly 500,000 farmers are doing
very well, with income possibly
averaging above $9,000 a year.
But, • this detailed statement
pointed out, "that at the other
end of the scale, 1,555,000 far-
mers' are receiving annual in-
comes of less than $1,000."
• ,;,
Between these groups repre-
senting_ the high and the low in-
come, "are nearly 3,300,000
farmers representing the bulk
of the bona fide farmers of the
nation!' These are the farm
families,. according to • the
Grange, which "have been bear-
ing the brunt of the prolonged
postwar ineorhe decline • which
has resulted from steadily in-
creasing farm costs and falling
farm prices." •
The reasons for their predica-
ment, the Grange holds, can be
found primarily in "government
policies, programs, and eco-
nomic pressures.
Also, it says "family farms
have been forced by govern-
ment policy decisions to absorb
a large part of the price - in
terms of, restricted export com-
modity sales - .of American
efforts to rehabilitate or devel-
op agriculture in other parts of
the " world."
* * *
• The Grange criticized the gov-
ernment price -support programs
and what it termed government
' failure to sell its surplus agri-
culture products competitively
abroad. "Neither 90 per cent, '75
per cent, nor 60 per cent price-
support levels provide any as-
surance
ssurance against the build-up of
,surplus stocks of major export
crops as long as government
policies block the competitive
sales of these commodities on
the world markets;" . it stated.
It condemned giveaway' pro-
grams for surplus .commodities
as providing "no lasting solu-
tion," and argued that "only
-competitive selling in the world
market by the United States. !,
can be counted 'i nto discourage
continued expansion 01 . foreign
agriculture production. at the-
expense of American trade "
The : Grange would, even favor
direct trade of foodstuffs to Iron,
Curtain countries, "so long as
it •does not jeopadize our .nfa
tional :,security." The American
farmer must have access . to
world markets on a competitive'
.basis, it holds.
* *
Strongly ' reiter• ating, its faith
inthe relationship of -the family
farm' to the economy of the
United States, the Grange
"firmly believes that federal
farm. - programs involving the
expenditures ' of Public' funds
should be directed toward the
middle-income group of farm
families, which receive all or' a
major portion of, their income
from farm. operations."
>t favors price supports "only'
when necessary throughthe-use
ofe nonrecourse loans • and pur-
chases to help : achieve and sta-
bilize farm parity income, to
meet needed ,emergency adjusts
'ments, to reduce incentives for'
production • of surpluses, and to:.
help keep • margins • of profits to
producers.balanced between all
faim products."
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Cloistered Life in a Convent
,Too Hard" for Marie Dionne
Anemia leas probably put an end to hopes that Quintuplet Marie
Dionne will become a nun for We, The frailest of the four sur-
viving sisters, Marie was forced. 1:0 leave the convent of the Order
of the Sisters of the Holy Sacrament in Quebec City. It was the
second time since July, 1954, that her health has taken her from
the convent, which she entered in 1953. Now doctors -and Papa
Oliva. Dionne -says she probably will never return. They say
life in the convent is "too hard • for her frail health." Marie is
being treated for the blood condition at the Notre Dame de 1'Es-
perance Hospital near Montreal.
At birth and as an .infant,
Marie was the smallest and
frailest of the quints.
Marie's
Marie's interest in religion
showed itself early, as evi-
denced by this photo, at 31/2,.
Here's Marie on her first trip
away from home) when' she
visited New York in 1950.
At 19, Marie entered the con-
vent of .the Sisters of the
Holy ,Sacrament, Quebec.
Change Handwriting - Cure "Nerves"
Doctors with patients suffer-
.ing from stress .and. strain• •
brought on by the bustle of.
modern life are prescribin
a change of handwriiing
They say that, writingthe
fashionable ' italic• handsootheee
the nerves.' It• makes people
who've been living too fast, slow:
-down.
"Many , maintain that the di-
. scipline of trying to write well
is of great psychological value,"
states Mr., Geoffrey Ebbage,
honorary -treasurer of the 'So-.
eiety •for Italic gar -id -Writing.
Among the members are more
than twenty doctors, who take
their .own medicine by writing•
italic. They're among the few
medicos' in the country whose
writing can -be easily read!
• Writers of this new -old style
included many famous folk.
Walt Disney IS one :of the .1,650
members of the Society, along.
withschool-tecuhers, lawyers,
architects -in fact,. people ;in _all-
- professions . and jobs..
Only a few of them took up
:italic as a nerve cure, however.
Most of them -like it• because
they believe, itt. rude to send
, your 'friends illegibly scribbled
letters.
It's `even - claimed that italic's
a weapon against • crime. One
juvenile`,' delinquent was per-
suaded to take up italic. He
was very good at it, and •was'
praised by the teacher, at• ",the
'approved school.. He'd never-
been praised : by' a ,teacher 'be-
fore,
be -fore, and the new experience
began a change of his whole
personality.
.Now his` character's asgood as
his' writing. ' •'
Italies ideal, say enthusiasts,
for love -letters', Beautiful words
in beautiful writ,1ng..IS bound, to
make. 'em fall!
though the fashion's new and
the name of 'the hared ,suggests
Italy, it's really a very oldkind
of writing inventedby an Eng-
lishman. Over 1,100 years ago
aft English monk .named . Alcuin
designed' it et,the request of
Charleinaghe, fst Holy Roman
Emperor. -
' Five ,hundred years ago it was
revived and adopted in the
Chancery - the Pope's offices.
=- he Rome, in place of hard -
to -write, hard -to -read "dothic"
black letter. Queen Elizabeth
took it up, but William Shakes-
peare didn't. Perhaps that's why
there are so many errors in
the original printings of his
plays!
Therets a b.00ni in italic to-
day; and many books have beeat
published on it,including a re-
cent popular children's• book.
The Society for Italic Hand' -
writing was founded in 1952 and
has branches in Canada 'and
South Africa, where italic is
now the official writing for. the
police. There are also individual'
members in most countries in -
the world. Some manufacturers
are selling special pens and inks
for writing. italic. '
The fine hand has its'exitics,
They ;say that' changing over .to
it knocks 'the individuality Out
of your writing, that all italic
•look's alike. They ,also say that
italic signatures are easy meat
for' forgers.
Italic writers deny this. They
say you soon learn to recogize
the individual differences in
people's Relic.' And banks aren't
worried about the forgery angle.
They - accept italic signatures for
cheques.
Going to Mars?
A Fila Year Trip
1
Astronomers all Over the
world are already getting exci-
ted about an event that will oc-
cur in eleven months' time. For
then the red planet Mars will
be nearer the Earth than it has
been for thirty-two years - it
will be only 35,500,000 miles
away! (The Sun' is 92,900,000
miles from the Earth.)
As Mars draws nearer astron-
omers will re -cheek many of the
established facts about it. They
will re -measure its diameter -
4,125, miles --and re -check its
weight, which is just over one
tenth the weight of the Earth.
Recent phenomenal progress
in the science of rockets and
electronics means that almost
certainly the comparative close-
ness of Mars 'will enable scien-
tists to assess the possibilities of
landing there this century. "
Dr. Robt. S. Richardson, chief
astronomer at America's Mount
Palomar observatory, says that
Mars definitely has a thin at-
mosphere of some kind, that
water is scarce there, that there
is probably some plant life and
that men who volunteer to make
the rocket journey to Mars must
expect to stay there at least five
years.
He is sure man's insatiable
curiosity will eventually take
him to Mars. The scientific
knowledge gained by accom-
plishing • this . amazing journey
will more than justify the vast
expense, he thinks.
Much more may be learned by
astronomers next year about the
two tiny moons, Phobos and Dei-
mos, which revolve around
Mars.
"Some of us believe that Mars
may be inhabited by living
creatures who are not necessar-
ily human," he said; "It was the
astronomer, . Schiaparelli, who,
in 1877,. started the notion that
there might be living, thinking
Martians. Patches of changing
shape, observed over the years,
suggest some • kind of vegetable
life, but any Martians would
have to be pretty hardy.
"During their winter, temper-
ature in all but the tropic re-
gions is probably near zero and
in summer it may top eighty
degrees Fahrenheit:"
Some 'scientists think that
Martian vegetation is not multi-
coloured, as on earth, but ex-
clusively blue.
They explain that the Mars
flora does not reflect infra -red
rays or long -wave colours suet'
as the red, orange, green and
yellow e1 tale SPectrujl, hut rt -
'fleets only blue and violet. This
happens because blue protects
the plants from the harmful ac-
tion ' of ultra -violet rays which
can easily penetrate the rare-
fiedatmosphere' on Mars.
Bogus Doctors
Television starlets and glam-
our girls around Paddington
poured their secrets into the
dusky ears of a doctor in his
West -end consulting r o 0 nr,.
Though he charged high fees, b
hada perfeet bedside mermen
The starlets did not know that
the "`M.D" after his name stood
for "Most Deceptive" They did,
not dream that the "doctor" was
unqualified. Theylittle knew
that, instead of medical train-
ing,he first came to this country
from the Gold Coast ... by hid-
ing aboard a cargo ship as a
stowaway.
So bland was his manner, se
glib his medical jargon, that he
fooled even the medical profes-
sion. Launching himself with
forged credentials, he 'gain•.d
appointments at a dozen hospi-
tals throughout Britain. One
hospital even made him its top-
notch senior resident M.O.
He took part in operations, ad-
ministered anaesthetics, was its
charge of the wards. During the
war he even obtained a com-
mission and served as a doctor
in the Army. When the authori-
ties discovered his false de-
grees, he was court-martialled.
But within six months he was
back in the hospitals.
How many other doe tore
totally unqualified are in prac-
tice to -day? The one referred to
actually practised medicine for
twenty years before being
found out. In the end he came
to grief - and went to jail -
not for writing false prescrip-
tions but falss cheques!
Following these startling dis-
closures, there has recently been
a boom in bogus doctors. Des-
pite the asurance of a Ministry'
of Health official -"The chances
of an unqualified man obtain -
in an appointment are ex-
tremely
xtremely remote" - there's the
case of "Dr." Kuong Bo Li, for
instance. -
Kuong was a house surgeon
for three years at Leeds Infir-
mary. His story was that he had
lost his credentials during an
air raid on Singapore. Impostor
though he was, Kuong Li per-
formed operations as a, matter
of routine and even carried out
a delicate brain operation. When
patients died, he signed the
death certificates!
Then one day an eminent.
Montreal professor ofsurgery,
whom Kuong Li claimed to
know, happened to visit Leeds.
The professor had never heard
of him - and inquiries were
made.
Quietly Kuong Li disappear-
ed. He is believed to , have
travelled home to China via
Russia.
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ANO
Lean Hogs Readied For. Lean Table Fare
by, Gaynor Maddox
NEA . Food and ]Markets Editor
Concern. over calories and
weight -reducing- diets is help-
?ing to ' create'..a serious agricti-
tune problem.
A 'result' is ''a new kind of
animal - the lean 'hog.
Pork. - once..a top table item
-• is glutting the market 'as peo-
ple.are' ;turning their appetites
from this fatty meat to lean -
'beef. Last year, for example,'
the : average 'United States eater
consumed" only 60 pounds' . of
pork;arid almost' 80 of, beef.
Aird so today, with pork
prices lower,: than they have
:been - in five years, pork produc-
ers- and agriculture experts are
worrying themselves' thin,
On top . of everything else,
they -And, the nation this . year
had . a bumper crop. of • corn -
•>inuch of it . uneated at dieting
' tables, tjnconsuined ..corn means
softer .corn prices. .
And softer corn prices 'mean
more feed and thus more pigs.
* .0 *
joining, forces, agriculture
experts and pork producers are
campaigning to restore pork to
its place in the national diet.
The • U.S. Department of Agri-
culture has been experimenting
with methods to produce leaner
bacon 'and pork. ' So far they
'have developed the "meat -type
hog."
At the • same time the Ameri-
can
Meat Institute is urging
producers to send leaner pig -
products to market. The AMI
is also trying to teach the
housewife the high nutritional
value of pork. They have lined
up some medical backing to
teach expectant and nursing
mother. that pork is not taboo,
The Department of. Agricul-
ture is urging the armed forces
to use More pork and to in-
eiease porle exports. The De-
i
partment has a limited purchas-
ing program for using extra
pork products in its non-profit
school lunch , program.
Some reports on the new pork
„promotion are coming in. J.
Morrell Foster, chairman of the
board of AMI, :explains that
many members marketing
closely -trimmed pork are finding
increased sales. The nation, he
says, can expect to see more and
more of it in meat stores,
This is a departure from tra-
ditional methods of marketing
pork.•Trimming that used to be
doneby the retailer is now be-
ing done at the meat -packing
plant.
* * *
Swift & Co., .the nation's larg-
est packers, . are already trim-
ming fresh pork loins and shoul-
der butts to •% inch of fat -. the
minimum to prevent too -dry
cooking.
But the Department of Agri-
culture reports that its pork -
promoting . program has not
strengthened the market. A De-
partnlent spokesman says that
only with enormous price dis-
counts does; the supply move.
Agriculture Secretary Ezra
Taft Benson, however, says ice
is determined to improve the
position of the hog and pork in-
dustry. His
ndustry..His advice: coordinate a
national promotion campaign
and improve merchandising
methods from farm to retail
store.
He does not favor a direct
price support program.
Meanwhile, a newheadache
in the pork picture is develop-
ing. Since 1947 the entire meat
budget . among consumers has
declined. It •is expected .to take
another drop before this year
is out.
This could mean that automo-
biles, houses, appliances, travel,
entertainment - and the na-
tional waistline - are outcom-
peting the livestock producer,
SOME OF THE new lean hogs lock over the market -you