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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1989-04-12, Page 3THE HURON EXPOSITOR, APRII 12 1989 3A MitcheflSeaforth Cable Company moves into new BY ANDY BADER A change in locations for Mitchell- Seaforth TV Cable Ltd., has made things better for everybody; the cable company itself and the customers. Dan Harmer, general manager of the 14 -year-old local cable company, said last week during a tour of the companies' new facilities outside of Dublin that the move has helped alleviate space problems in their previous location, and give the customer a better opportunity to query about the various services the company offers. The company, owned by Steve Ward of Mitchell, was created in 1975 to offer televi- sion cable services to the Mitchell, Seaforth, Dublin, Egmondvflle and Harpurhay area. Harmer, a six-year employee, has been general manager of the facility for the past year -and -a -half. He described the previous BIGGER STORAGE SPACE: Harmer goes through some of the items needed to make local cable television operation work, and now with the new I'ocation and a new bigger building at their disposal, more room for storage is available. The building isn't quite finished yet, as the photo at the top of the page suggests, as landscaping and the com- pany's sign has yet to be completed. a Cattleman sees the EDITORIAL NOTE: ,The deadline for the Beef Vote is almost upon Ontario beef pro- ducers. Cattlemen who do not mail their ballots, postmarked no later than April 14, will not take part in deciding the direction of the cattle marketing system in this province. George Underwood has been in the cattle business since he inherited his father's farm in 1951. He .and his two sons run a 350 head feedlot operation near Wroxeter. Like many who today make a living in a field of agriculture, Mr. Underwood says he has seen others suffer unnecessary hardships in the industry. About three years ago Mr. Underwood met some beef producers, many from eastern Ontario, who share the same con- cerns he has about the beef industry and would like to see changes. These people formed the nucleus of the Ontario Beef Pro- ducers for Change (OBPC) of which Mr. Underwood is a member today, and which is responsible for the beef vote and the oppor- tunity for Ontario cattlemen to change their industry. "My first concern is that farmers haven't been getting a fair return for their invest- ment or their labor," says Mr. Underwood. He cites a passage in the Beef Marketing Task Force Report to support this statement: According to the Ontario Farm Manage- ment Accounting Project cow -calf operators over the period of 1976 to 1986 have generally received positive returns over cash costs, but low to negative net farm incomes.' So, he says, the bottom line is that pro- ducers are only being reimbursed for their out-of-pocket expenses, but don't see a return on their own labor and management, or on accumulated interest. "What business can exist without ade- quate compensation to its participants?" he asks. Another quote he reads from the same source states: Between 1976 and 1986 there has been a mixture of years with positive and negative net farm income for feedlot and cow -calf operations. The returns to labor .on these farms were often negative, as shown by the Ontario Farm Management Accounting Project. This suggests that the returns tolabor in the beef industry tend to be volatile and low.' "The cattle industry has always been made up of cannibals. It's always been run so someone has to lose money for someone to make money," says Mr. Underwood, ex- plaining that someone - among the -packers, consumers, producers, etc. - always has to lose for the other groups to win. If the OBPC has its way on the Beef Vote, a commission will be formed to regulate the sale of beef, and the commission will work toward getting producers a fair return for labor, management and investment. Mr. Underwood admits raising beef costs to con- sumers is one of the ways which the com- mission will attempt to get producers a fair return. "When you go to buy a pair of shoes, do they let you say what you want to pay for them?" he asks. But he says a large increase to consumers would not be necessary, and that only a cou- ple pennies more per pound would make a location, a tiny 'shack -like' building on the Schoonderwoerd property west of Mitchell along Highway 8, as "cramped." "We're amazed at how everything ever fit in that place," he said. "This place is filled Over there we were just basically working out of one room." Originally, Ward and the company had plans on expanding at their previous site, realizing how cramped the quarters were. Further land purchase attempts fell threw, causing a look around the area for a suitable location about two years ago. The 'L' -shaped 300 feet by 300 feet (across the back ) and 150 feet (across the front) plot of land at their current home east of the Dublin village along Highway 8 was then decided on. "We decided on the Dublin area because it's central for both Mitchell and Seaforth," Harmer said. The current facility, 5,200 square feet, complete with larger studio, front office space and storage locations, plus repair areas, "is hill," Harmer said, explaining .that the building is set-up now in the event another building could be built if it was ever needed. The approximately $150,000 building was moved into on November lst, although the actual cable processing equipment is still not there. Harmer hopes to make that move this summer, pending various regulatory approvals. ' The new location has a wide-open front of- fice area for walk-in enquiries, and the loca- tion right off the highway makes the access easier for customers. "It's a lot more convenient for peoplr here," he said. The studio, a familiar site for Lions TV bingo players, is bigger and a perfect loca- tion for volunteer programming, which has been done in the past, and for the bingo the area Lions' clubs stage from this centre. The space and the equipment is donated by the cable company for any volunteers, pro- viding no benefit is incurred from the users. The cable centre offers employment for seven people: Ward and his wife Janice, owner and front office, respectively; Harmer, general manager; Janice Gethke, front office; Gary Ryan, Dale Cronin and Jeff Visser, technicians. The technicians all call Dublin home, whereas the four others reside in Mitchell. "It's nice, we all get along well," Harmer said. The cable company offers 17 channels on their basic cable package, with six satellite stations (TSN, MuchMusic, CNN, Arts & Entertainment, The Nashville Network and Country Music Television) another option as well. First Choice is another option, with ap- proximately 10 per cent of the people choos- ing to receive it. Harmer said interested cable subscribers should take notice that The Family Channel, similar to the American Disney Channel, complete with adult -rated and children movies, will be a further option in the next two months or so with a $9.95 monthly fee, very much like the First Choice set-up. It will be seen on chan- nel 22 shortly. 4 i h ty STUDIO EQUIPMENT: Dan Harmer demonstrates how to use the studio equipment during a tour of the new Mitchell-Seaforth TV Cable building located on Highway 8 just east of Dublin. Harmer, the general manager, says the studio is donated free of cost to any com• munity oriented or volunteer programming. More room is also available for front office use. YTV, Youth Television, has also been picked up effective April 1st ( channel 27) for all basic subscribers, hence the minimal monthly increase on your cable bill. Youth - oriented programming can be seen on this station. Other cable TV channels are available, but the decision has to be regulated by the CRTC (Canadian Radio and Telecom- munications Commission) and the local.• company before a decision is made to carry them. Harmer said in the future, the propos- ed CBC news channel, similar in nature to CNN in the United States, could be added, although that possibility is still premature. "We generally know how well a channel goes over, or if it will go at all," he said, "It's hard to please everybody, but we try to hit the majority." A cable TV junkie, then, ,could receive as many as 25 channels from the local centre. Also at this time, the cable technicians are circulating throughout Mitchell changing the de -scrambling system for those subscribers with First Choice. Seaforth and Dublin has already been done, making those de -scramblers useless and giving a lot bet- ter quality picture. Also, Harmer said, with so many new televisions coming complete with remote control units, a de -scrambler and a bulky channel -changer was com- plicated as well as a nuisance. "We found it would be better to do it this way in the long run," he said. Service hasn't changed, either, Harmer noted, as the company has one man on call throughout the week and on the weekend year-round to help curtail any problems which might arise. human side of the beef vote difference. "Five cents per pound more would be a major improvement," he says. Mr, Underwood says consumers need to help shoulder the costs of agriculture. "In my lifetime the cost of food has gone from 20 per cent of a person's income, to 14 per cent. Basically this is coming from the farmer," he explains. "The price of cars has gone up 10 times in my lifetime. If the price of food had risen 10 times there wouldn't be a farmer in trou- ble," he says. He notes the cost of food has risen only four and a half times. Mr. Underwood says poor management is also responsible for the lack of a fair return to beef producers. From figures he takes from the 27th Annual Cattle Convention he points out that if producers had sold steers and heifers through OLEX, as opposed to packers rail grade, they would have earned $2.9 million more. He says the reason is simply better prices, and adds he has never found an inherent advantage to selling to packers. Mr. Underwood says the poultry industry has proven that producers can be more effi- cient if they are making money. But in 1965 he voted against supply managment in that industry. "I must have had many cattlemen's fears," he says. "But there wouldn't be a poultry industry if not for supply managment." He also points out that the poultry business has never taken one cent in direct payments from the provincial or federal goverment, and the beef industry cannot say that. I can't understand people who resist Murray Cardiff assistant to Mazankowski Huron Bruce MP Murray Cardiff was appointed last week to the position of Parliamentary Secretary to the Honorable Don Mazankowski, Deputy Prime Minister and President of the Privy Council, and Minister of Agriculture. In his new position, Mr. Cardiff will act as ministerial assistant to Mr. Mazankowski, representing him in the House of Commons when requested, and at other engagements, when necessary. "I am elated about the position I've been given," said Mr. Cardiff Friday night at the Annual Meeting of the Huron PC Association. "I received a call from the Prime Minister last Saturday and was sworn in Wednesday." Mr. Cardiff noted the job would carry an "exceptionally heavy load" and that he'll be expected to work hard, but that his first commitment will remain to the riding of Huron -Bruce. "I have speaking engagements with groups all across the nation, but I want to reassure Huron -Bruce constituents that my first obligation will be to make sure their concerns are heard'in Ottawa." In reference to the Conservative Party in general, Mr. Cardiff indicated that as expected, deficit reduction will be an im- portant part of the government's new mandate. "We have to address the federal deficit we,have at this thine," he said. "Currently we are paying 31 cents on every dollar of revenue for interest on the deficit alone. If this tend is allowed to con- tinue, by 1992 we will be paying 50 cents on every dollar toward interest." Mr. Cardiff said he was proud of the previous record the PCs have - a record which shows a reduction in unemployment. "Interest rates are higher than we'd like, and we're going to be tough on you this year. But people are looking for strong leadership. Maybe we're doing something you don't like, but as leaders, we do what we have to," he said, adding he wished it was the same at the provincial level. "It's not very practical for us to hold spending down etc.. .when we see the pro-, vinces increasing theirs," he said. change," says Mr. Underwood. He says the proposed commission would cut off back door sales (sales direct from the farm to the packer, with no bidding ) through a price discovery system. However, this system would still allow the sale of up to 25 exempt cattle to the local abbatoir, and all bob calves would be exempt. The Ontario • Cattlemen's Association (OCAI sugr ^•en.ptions weaken the system but Mi Underwood disagrees. He • 1..1- v., 1' .,ave been more t?r; uy two of the peo- ple v ! ne task force, organizing the •r• v''ild have been more exen.t L)CA members didn't agree. Why? You tell me." For those worried about excessive government contr.(s, Mr. Underwood says his farm operate: ' - two supply manag- ment boars' ' •t I oilers and turkeys), three of ^rti bean, soybean and wheat ), tou ,ouons (corn and cat- tle) an': tr.•e . cences. "Cattlemen' have made an issue of government intervention, but with the number of boards on my farm I haven't had any problem. You're only problem is if you're a violator." Mr. Underwood adds that under the supp- ly management boards he has been getting paid, and does get a return that is fair. He ale says a lot has been made of the fact that the OCA's 49 directors, as a result of a "yes" vote, will he replaced by 18 com- mission directors. These would be 13 pro- ducers and members of five allied sectors (auction markets, truckers, packers, retailers and consumers), and all would be elected. However, for the first term the directors would be appointed by the Minister of Agriculture. Mr. Underwood says he has no problem with the decreased number of directors. "I have zero difficulty with that. Any one of us involved with beards knows the lower number the taster the decision you can make," be says, adding the directors will be responsible to 200 committeemen who will actually increase producer representation. Similarly, he has.no problem with the in- itial directors being appointed. "The first could be some of your best," he says. "The Minister of Agriculture doesn't want to have egg all over his face by picking the wrong people." Mr. Underwood says the OBPC is the first organization he has seen in 35 years with in- itiative, and sees a lot of support for it among cattlemen. "I think there's been an amazing amount of sympathy, but who knows until after the vote." Mr. Underwood also feels the OCA has im- properly used its membership's funds dur- ing the Beef Vote campaign. "It was easy for the OCA to take $200,000. We didn't ask for it back because we thought it would go to promote our product. We didn't know OCA was going to build up a bank account and fight its own producers." The OBPC, however, has funded its cam- paign through its own funds he says. "4,500 farmers gave $50 with no strings attached." With supply management in the dairy in- dustry, many say about 30 per cent of the producers had to drop out of the industry. "But turn that around," says Mr. Under- wood. "How many have dropped out of the beef business? There are buyers for dairy today, but not many for beef." "And what about human suffering. We see it in our neighbors. And when I say human suffering I mean when you've got no money and you think the the banker is going to come for you." "I see many people in the Bruce and Grey area who can grow only grass and cattle, cattle and grass. They have no option to cash crop,." he explains. "You have to see he real human side." "There are young people coming into agriculture and they've got to be paid, or there won't be any." CRIME STOPPERS Phone 1-800-265-1777 ,'41111116111111. Police seek out thieves of vans Crime Stoppers and the Goderich Town Police are seeking your assistance to help solve a chain of break, enter and thefts, Sometime overnight on February 25-26, 1989, thieves broke into Strickland Motors, Gardner Real Estate, Goderich Esso and Mays Decorative Assessories - all in the Town of Goderich. In all cases the thief or thieves gained en- try by smashing a window and it is felt that all these matters are related. Stolen were: keys to customers' cars from AMNON ttr ftPAM /%' n ,004#4," Aewriet .r ,O ' F ile Wed., April 12 5 p.m. & 7 p.m. — Eric Nagler Show at Arena 8 p.m. — Seaforth Hortloultural.Soclety meeting at Sealorth Public School the Goderich Esso; loose change from Mays Decorative Assessories and Goderich Esso; and two vans from Strickland Motors (these were later recovered in Mount Forest). If you have information on this, or any other crime, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-285-1777. You will never have to testify in court and you will never have to reveal your identity. If an arrest is made you will get a cash reward of up to $1,000. Remember crime doesn't pay, but Crime Stoppers does. Thurs., April 13 Mon., April 17 7 p.m. — Sheila Martindale at the Library 7 p.m. — Author speaking et Seatorth Library 12 p.m. — Book Club at Seaforth Library. Everyone Welcome Fri., April 14 1:30 p.m. — Senior Games - 6 Pin Bowling at Starlight Lanes Sat., April 15 1:30 p.m, — Story Hour,at the Library Tues., April 1 8 7 p.m — Daffodil Dessert, Tea & Euchre at Legion 7:30 p.m. — Rintjette Meeting at Arena Everybody Is Welcome Wed., April 19 1:30 p.m. — Senior Games — Softball Throw at Seaforth Arena 1:30 p.m. — Senior Shuffleboard at Arena