The Huron Expositor, 1978-05-04, Page 17letters ire iraPieViteii by Bob Trotter, Mae Rd . ftrnkra. Oni N35 2C7
Farmemcon no longOr be silent.
A copy of a report by the
McKillop Federation of Agricul-
ture on a survey made by the
Federation on township farmers
was discussed. Comments were
vague in, the report and to clarify
the suggestions contained in it,
council will request aa` meeting
with federation officials.
DRY FERTILIZER 28% NITROGEN
HERBICIDES)
ANHYDROUS AMMONIA
IS CAPABLE OF DOINCLUP TO
500 ACRES PER DAY
Our NursIN Equipment keeps our machines
in the field or we can fill your bulk
• hoppers on the farm
W. G. Thompson Wants To Serve Your 1978 Fertilizer Needs
We are well staffed and have a complete line
of Spreading and Anhydrous -Equipthent.
Mitechell 148-8433 Hensall 262.25/7 Granton 225-2360
orris
The imrchase of a new grader
and financing of the Belgrave
subdivision caused Morris Town- -
ship to have a $20,422 deficit
Morris councillors learned at their
regular meeting on Monday,when
they went over their finanCial
report. Last year they had a
surplus of $2,756,
Council • also learned from
accountant Brian Mellhazey of '
Thorne and Riddell in London it
had gone over their road budget
by $22,000 also because of the
Purchase of the grader. Council '
had budgeted $211,000 but spent
$233 261.
FREDERICK PECKITT
Of R.R44, Seatorth is graduat-
ing from the Ridgetovvn College
of,' Agricultural Technology.
Graduation exerci ses on Friday,
May 19th, will see 114 senior
students receiving- agricultural
diplomas. He' has' successfully
completed the -C-ollegets- two, year
program in Agricultural Product
ion . and Management.
To get back to the original idea, then, farmers must
become more vocal. They must become letter writers.
never cease to be amazed at the jack of respense from
them to the• ideas and opinions expressed in this column.
Either they can't write or they can't read. Or both, Sure-
ty,,a great many disagree yet the;telephonecalls and the
letterg Certainly don't surprise the maihriap.
This column appears in about 25 or 30 papers across
Ontario from Dresden and Goderich in the west to
Iroquois and Eganville in the east. It may be, of course,
that it is so boring most farmers won't reads it. I prefer
to think they do read it but don't find the time to write.
• It is certainly time for most farmers to abandon the
role of a silent minority because they 'have a lot of edu-
cating to do.
Most people in the cities have an idea of farming 'that
is 50 or 60 years behind the times. They get a picture of
a farmer from these stupid television shows such as
Funny Farm which picttirefarmers as imbeciles.
Most. .„City people know nothing of farm problems and
don't care. They have the mistaken idea that farmers are
highly subsidized by the government when the truth is
that Canadian farmers receive less in subsidy Money, than
any, other free nation in. the world. Less than two ,per cent
of the fedefal budget goes to farmers. Yet, big business
Continues to get Monumental forgivable loans.
It's a bad time to tell farmers to write more letters: In
a week or two, they'll be on_ the land again and won't have
time to write their bankers for more money but they
-must-do mor&-than bitch-in private--to their ownpeople-
and within their ern organizations.
They must get off the back forty long enough to make
their presence felt right to the top:
•
xpositor
CORRECTIONS
We wish to draw your attention to the following errors
in our current 1978 Spring & Summer Catalogue
Page 6 - Iteths 1 and 2: Illustrations are reversed in some catalogue
,copies.OPage 16 - Item 11 should read 65%; Item 12, 95%; listing
#81-3353X chlorine tablets 65%0Page 17 - Items 11 and 13: Illustra-
tions are reversed.OPage 18 - Item 1: Ilustration shown is for
#81-1082 NOT #81-1084.0Page 18 - Item 2: #81-1086 is not a flexi-
ble accordian-styled snorkel tube as illustrated. It is 'a solid flex rubber
tube with an L-type flex mouthPiece.EiPage 41 = Item 18 has single
beam only; not High/Low .Beams.C1Page 53 - Item 9 #59-2250 and
Item 11 #59-2247 should read 44 lb NOT 50 lb..0Page 57 - Item '12:
#59.7447 is notavailable due to manufacturing difficulties.CiPage 66
- Item 13: Dekription with illustration should read 1 HP NOT 8/4
HPOPage 129 .- Items,0 and 9: #61-0813 and #61-0818 ULC approv-
ed should read UL approved.OPage 156 - Item 2: 8-Speed Cyclotrol
Blender should read 7.7.Speed_OPage 17-3= Feature item: #44-2097
copy states unit operates on one 9V battery. This should read 2 'AA'
bafteries.OPage 180 -. Item 6: #65-102.8-should read #65-0884—pric,
ed at-2 for 1.09. #65-1038 should read #65-0883 - priced at 2 for
1:09. #65-1018 should read #65-0885' - priced at 4 for 1.89E1Page
233 - items 9 and 10 Copy description;, only are reversed. Item 9
#14.4060X is the Motornaster balanced thermostat priced from-2,79
to 4.99. Item 10 #14-400X is the Motomaster pellet-type priced from
1.99 t6 2.49.0Page 252 ,- Listing under Item 8: #21-5035X Should
read Rebuilt Windshield Wiper Motors - Exchange :price-(with trade-
in)..;36195; price without trade-in...44.95.
We sincerely regret any inconvenience,
that may save been caused you.
Canadiaii. Tire Corporation Ltd
F, W. Tilley Lid„ , • .Seafo-iih -
thy Wilma Oke]
McKillop Township- Council
will hold a' ,,special meeting
Monday night to deal with its
1978 bud get. A visit from the
auditors this week will finalize the
report.
At a meeting in' Winthrop
Birnam Excavating Ltd. for
$1,973 for the 'construction of the
Elligson Drain. It was the loWest
of three tenders received. Work•is
to' start in June.
7
Kir planning and development
the township did not budget any
money hnt the actual total was
$67,378.. The auditor 'explained'
that the Ministry changed its
rules and all expenses on tile
drainage loans now have to go
through as expenditures.
Reeve Bill Elston asked, the
auditor if he-could tell council how
much money they had collected
and paid back to Toronto on .their
farm draingage-, loans and was
told the sum was $90,026 which
included some lump stint pay-
ments.
Taxes receivable were up
$8,000 from $19,905 in 1976 'to
$27,753' in 1977, Morris had a
bank loan of 178,000 compared to
$36,500 last year. Of that 178,000,
$89,000 should be in drainage
projects, the council members
were told.
The accounts payable were up
quite a bit because of the grader,
purchased for $12,000. They were
1 up froM $13,12 last year to
$35,322 this year.
Council was told it still has
$20,000 in their reserve fund for
working capital.
Councillors were concerned
that the 1977 financial report was
hard to uriderstand and councillor
Ross Procter asked if the report
could be made more readable.
."We want something_ the •
people can understand. We knew
last year that we were going to
have this -deficit . in our -hird-get-
because we intended to pay for'
the grader over two years,"
f cos X20.000
Reeve Bill Elston said,
During 1977 the virifigham fire
department was, paid $2588, the
Brussels fire departMent $13$0 *
and the Blyth fire department
$3750 for their work in Morris
Township.
Mill rates in the township
will go up, For farm and residen-
tial the county mill, rate was set at
14.95, the township at az,i,3, the
elementary school rate 'at 30,65,
the secondary school rate at 26.66
and the separate school rate at
31.24. For bustiless aid corn-
THE HURON EXP 1SITofi, MAY 4,1978
itH
y
.r.her:t14.17%,7--,9,.tuentzliatreatwae ast •
ASO, . the eletnentary rate at
34,06, the secondaryrate at 29.62 and the separate school rate at
34.71. . • .
In other business, ratepayers
on the Blyth Creek Drain. attend-
ed the meeting to see what could
be done' about cleaning but a .
Pmtioloonthoefr i)tuhseiriCestesecl:tincil gave a
gravel tender to. lIa.dford's
struction - of Blyth '
JAMES SEGEREN
Of R.R.#2, Seaforth has
graduatedfrom the RiclgetoWn
College ..of Agricultural
Technology. Graduation exercises
on Friday, May 19th, will see 114
senior students .receiving
agricultural diplomas. He has
successfully completed the
College's two year program in
Agriucltural Production and
Management.
I'm in \ the checkout line at the liquor store, just buying
some wine, you understand, when a farmer friend
of mine speaks. •
"I read yoUr stuff in the paper all the tittle; Sometimes
it's pretty,geod but other times, you're crazY," he said,
Standing in the line at the liquor store is no place, to,
start an argument so I tell him to write me a letter and
tell me about it.
"Just put a fewthoughts on paper, tear a strip off my
hide if you like, but write a letter," I said.
"I just might do that," he said. •
He never has. And I doubt if he ever will.
Yet most newspapers carrying this column also include
a return address.
I have said it before but it needs repeating: Farmers
must abandon their role as a silent minority if they wish
to be heard in our society, especially if they wish to get
any major legislative changes.
Agricultural ministers hatre a tough, time, selling cabi-
net colleagues on. farm programs because politicians no
longer have to pay much attention to farmers. The so-
called farm vote is a myth.
Less than six per cent of the population is actively en-
gaged in farming. NO segment of the population votes en
masse; .national figures indicate that only about 50 per
cent of the electorate cast ballot's.
If only 50 per cent of those eligible cast their vote, then
the farm vote ends up being about, three per cent of the
population and few' politicians are 'going- to spend much. .
time worrying about- th-Fee p-EFeeiit of the population
which will not vote for one party' anyway. Politicians
cater to the urbanites. :Of •the 125 seats in the Legislature,
less than a doien are purely, rural ridings.
Passed for payment were road
accounts of $5;931.07; general
accounts of $3,243.82 and a
recreation , payment' of $603.75,
which represents 'a government
grant the council received to pay
for• a safety screen to be installed
at the Walten ball park by the
alton-Recreation Association.
Approved two tile drainage
loan applications for, a total of
$12,400. _
Council, passed a by-law
requiring fencing, of privately
owned swimming pools through-
out the township before any water
is put in them.
Rabkiit dub.
• ' The executive of the Central
Huron 4-H Rabbit Club was'
elected at the clitb's first meeting.
of the year at the home of leader
George Townsend..
The executive is ,)avid
Townsend, president; Terry
Smith, vice-president; Julie
Townsend; secretary and Glen
Haney, 'press reporter.
Plans for the upcoming year
were discussed including the local
fairs and a ba'nquet in, the fall.
Each'member who' finished' their
first year received a crest from
the. Milton Dietz, the club
sponsor.
A' trophy for the club, member
earning the . most points .vas
presentecacT, Bill Gil-kon
The next meeting ell the club
'•• will be held at Glen Haney's
home on May 23. • •
INIOIEGY
FARM SUPPLY LIMITED
Brodhagen,' Ontario
Tel. 345-2941
After hOurs, 345-2243
Barn washing and •
disinfecting
Spraying with carbola - whitens
and disinfects as it dries,
* Cattle , spraying for
lice and warble
control. 'e
STONE PICKER . BUCKETS
Heavy duty prongs 7 & 8 ft. width
call 527-1080
McKillop council to discuss budget
-IVIeti-clar afternoon council
endorsed a resolution from, the
Township of Turnberry asking the
Huron County Board of Education
to ban the following books from,
courses of study: The Diviners by
Margaret Lawrence, winner of
the Canadian gdivernor-generaPs
award for literature; The Catcher
in the Rye by J. D. Salinger and
Of Mice and Men by John
•Steinbeck,' winner of..:the .Nobet.
prize for literature. All three are
on the approved book list for
senior high , school students and
one, The Diviners is being
studied this year.
Council will forward to Grey
Township couticil a petition it
received from Wayne Williamson
for repairs to the Buchanan
Drain--a Grey Township-- drain
which affects a small acreage in
McKillop. McKillop accepted the
petition.
Council accepted the tender of