The Huron Expositor, 1978-05-11, Page 10binet-Ors
meet in
McKillop
By Francine Visser
The 2nd meeting of the
McKillop 11 Uncanny Canners
was held Tuesday, April 25 at
Carolyn Thompson's house. The
meeting started off right with
everyone walking down to the
garden where the ' proper
techniques in garden planting
were exhibited. Carrots, beets
:.-and s potatoeS were •planted.
The discussion consisted of the
methods of preparing the soil for
',planting, how to properly plant
your garden, how to take care of it
after it's been planted and what
the three numbers on fertilizer '
bags mean. How and when 'to
properly plant annual flowers was
also discussed.
Atterwgrds, each of the
members told everyone the
svgetable they were planting that
is new to their family. Some of the
strange vegetables mentioned
were zucchini. purple and white
turnips, endive and eggplant.
• ••o n
• The May 3rd St.- John
Ambulance meeting had a very
small attendance so the.meeting
was short. Book inspection for the
secretary May 7 in Stratford was
attended by Betty Glanville.
May 11 at Mitchell High
School is dress inspection with .
hopes that most members with
family and friends will attend. It
starts between 7:30-8 p.m.-lunch
follows.
No duty hours were handed out
and the meeting was brought to a
close. Next meeting is May 17.
For demonstrations or group
activity coverage call Ken
Holmes. Jim Palin, Heather
Brodhagen, Betty Glanville.
•
Hensall •
(Continued from Page 1)
to endorse a resolution regarding
the removal of certain books from
the curriculum of the Huron
County board of education.
Hensall-couticil made the same
de,cision at last month's meeting
when they received a similar
--request from St. Joseph's
Catholic Women's League.
Council members approved a
$150 'grant request from the
Hensall-South Huron Agricultural
Society. •
- Council members acknowledge
a letter from Premier William
Davis declaring the month of
May, Family Unit Month across
the province. ,
Councillor Harry Klunge
asked, "Is he (Premier. Davis)
saying parents should try and get
more children because the
schools are running dry?"
Susan Thompson, an Exeter
resident and Conestoga College
student, will be workipg with
HenSall council for the summer,
as part of the Ministry of the
Treasury and Economics program
in Municipal adthinistratioii.
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•I
10 THE1 HURON EXPOSITOR, MAY 11, 18 S
Huron . F of A votes
(*we). FA tax reform.
iby Keitil Roolatent
Despite emotional appeals that the Huron,
County Fedeption of Agriculture support the
Ontario Federation's stand on land tax
reform, members voted strongly against the
0.F.A. proposal for farm tax reform Thursday
night.
, About110 attended the meeting in Belgrave,
many saying they, had come to the monthly
'meeting of the Federation only because they
• hod heard a vote would be taken on the
proposal. They wanted no part of the O.F.A. s
proposal that food producing land be tax
ecempt and farmers only pay' taxes on their
farm homes' nd a minimal acreage around the
house. Speaker after speaker doubted the
'government's motives in the proposal to ease
the burden on land tax by paying the taxes for
farmers on all but their homes.
In supporting the motion against the policy
of O.F.A. and the proposal of the provincial
government, Jim McIntosh, director for East
Central' Huron said that a large majority of -4"
farmers in Huron are not willing to have the
government pay tax on all but the farm house.
There is nothing wrong with the market value
assessment which • the province will be
• adopting, he said, if all properties are justly
assessed. As a former clerk-treasurer for
Tuckersmith township, he said, he didn't like
the farm tax proposal. He said theOFA should
sick, to ita original proposal of people taxes
paying fen.. services-to people-and .-property .
taxes. paying fee services to property.
Debate stopped at this• point when. Merle
Gu n-by - v-i c-e -
president of the Huron Federation and
cirector, from north west Huron to
moved a tabling, motion which was defeated.
Mr. Gunby claimed that the time for
.opposition to the O.F.A. policy was earlier and
that now that the policy had been accepted by
O.F.A. the county should stand behind the
provincial decision. •
- After. the tabling motion's defeat, Jim
ArmstrOng of Wingham said he felt that the
government's' proposal was port of the
government's cheap food policy. He noted a
meeting of 'consumer groups and labour
unions some time ago in which both groups
called for public ownership of food producing
land as a way of keeping food prices down. He
wondered what would happen if he didn't pay
the taxes on his house for three years
therefore-making-it--liable-for tax sale. Who
mould then -get the land on the farm; he
wondered, Land taxes make up only about one
per cent -cifTn-put costs, he said, and weren't
that serious a problem for farmers.
Defended
Maurice Bean, director for central west
Huron defended the 0.F.A. Policy. He said
that farmers seemed to be happy with the. 50
per cent rebate on taxes that the 0.F..,4s.. won
to offset education taxes so what was the' fuss
over 100 per cent. If farmers feel so strongly
about paying their share of taxes; he said,
then why did farmers want exemptions from
sales tax on, items they buy?
George Underwood of Wingham said that
he was concerned that many Of the O.F.A.
cfirectors from across the province who
approved-the policy don't really know what's
going on. He said that at an information •
meeting held earlier 'in Clinton the O.F.A.
executive didn't seem to get the message that
farmers didn't like the policy. Maybe now
they'd listen, he said,
Ernie Ackert, a visit ng member of the Brace..,.
Federation; related the story, of a number of
lakes on. farms in Bruce county where, during
the depression the owners had asked that they
be relieved of paying taxes on the water
portion of the lake since 'it was non-productive
farmland. Later these owners discovered that
___they..badlostownershipof,thelakeportioas_of____
their farm' on their deeds and the lakes were
now owned by government. •
' Paul Ross, a Clinton lawyer, said that
before coming to Clinton he had worked for a
time at the Ministry of Revenue and felt that
they themselves didn't seem to know "where
they were going with land tax reform. "Why
take chances with your own land?" he
wondered.
Gordon Hill. past president of OFA came to
the defence of the O.F.A, policy saying he
believed the .governMent was sincere in its
proposal. As far back as 1948, he said, the
Federation had been asking for tax relief.
Under a great deal of stress, the government
did come up with the education tax rebate in
'1970, he said. He said the government's task
in reform was complicated by the pledge of
• •
farmer agriculture minister Bill Stewart that
any new taxation system would not be harder
at the farmer than the old system. With the
education tax rebate and the fact that .The
.whole tax assessment could be claimedas an
ex pense it meant that farmers were only
paying about 10 per cent of their assessed
taxes, he said.
People Taxes
A.s for the O.F. A. policy of people taxes for,
people services and . land- taxes for land
services, he said, the problem was just what
were the services to land. The land dtself
didn't need any services if there weren't any;
people around. .
Without tax reform, he said, how could
Ontario farmers compete with farmers in
Alberta or New Brunswick who don't have to
pay property tax?
He said the new policy for farm tax reform
was a good one because he 'thought the
government was going to "raise a lot more
money from land taxes in the future than they
had in the past. The ..O.F.A. had two options,
he said. It could continue to say it would go
.along with the old policy, or it could say
"we've tried; but now• it's time to make a
deal."
Survey
Jim Hallahan, R. R. #3, Blyth termed Mr.
Hill's arguments "a lot of bull". He said he
• had recently taken part in a survey of faimers
-in -East. Wawanciih town ship 'and- many were
irate about the 0.F .A. Tetley. He said that .if
O.F.A. went through with the policy it would
lose half its membership in Huron County.
Frank Wall of the O.F.A. executive was at
the meeting and said t,hat the report of the
committee studying land tax reform
recognizes the-rights of the farmer to his land'
even if he doesn't pay taxes on the land.
Others supporting the O.F.A. policy said that
the owrfership of the land depends not on who
pays the taxes but on who owns the deed. But
Mr. !bass argued that just because you have
the deed to prcperty doesn't mean you own it.
Another speaker warned that if the gov
ernment is looking ahead with this policy, it's
looking ahead to a cheap food 43.0.1ic.,y. The
policy will be a great incentive to farmers to
buy. up more farms, wipe out the farm houses
to keep down the taxes'and just work the land.
it will make the countryside look barren, he
argued,-
Mr. Gunby then returned'with an emotional
speech in support of the O.F.A:. policy refuting
many of the earlier arguments against the
policy. , -
He claimed that a move by Huron 'county to
oppose an O.F.A. policy would weaken the
position of,O.F.A. and make it look ridiculous.
He said that the new proposal wouldn't mean
that farmers weren't paying their fair share of
.,taxes--because it- likely Wouldn't mean any
difference in the amount of tax. they paid. He
said that if the government really did want to
get control of farmland then it could find much
easier wa. ys than under the new tax
proposals. He argued that farmers shouldn't
be against seeking a better break for
themselves because industry is always taking
government tax eoncessions.
Mr. Gunby said that he hadn't seen the
figures •of what market value assessment
would mean to tax bills in Huron,, but in
Halton region• it would mean an increase of
four times the present taxes and farmers
couldn't afford a bill like that.
He said the O.F.A. stand was approved by
about 90 per cent of the directors from across
the province at the March Meeting in Toronto.••
A• procedural hassle then arose since the
meeting had run past the 11 p.m. deadline set
by... the Federation- for completion of the
monthly meeting.SeveraTpeeple insiSte-difiat
a vote be taken on the , motion. Mr. Gunby
tried to block the vote by moving another
motion to table because he said the motion
was not properly directed as to who it should
be referred to. This was shouted down.
Finally Gordon Hill suggested the motion
be sent to the O.F.A . as the policy of the
Huron Federation. The vote was-taken and
-showed strongly in favour of the motion,
• opposing O.F.A. policy. Mr. Gunby said he
could not argue in favour of the motion in
• Toronto and offered his resignation.
Mr. Hill said that wasn't necessary saying
the motion can simply be stated as policy of
the Huron group without having to be
supported by Mr. Gunby or any of the other
Huron directors.
• Correspondent
Mrs. Lavern-Wolfe
345-2757
Flowers beautified St. P eters
Lutheran Church Sutday morning
in memory of Wilfred Wolfe who
pasied away six years ago. They
were placed there by his wife
•PorothY and family. -There were
yellow mit= .in.-the fierier. stands
.,in memory' of Mrs. J. L.
Bennewies-who-also 'passed away-
six years ago. They were placed
there--try--her family. -
Mrs. Edith Bauer 'and Mrs.
Rose Robertson attended the
Canada Synodical -Unit
biennial convention for the
Lutheran Church Women at
Wilfred Laurier University,
Waterloo on the weekend.
Miss Kathryn Leonardt who
has been attending the Mohawk
Colleg, in Hamilton "enjoyed a
couple Of weeks of holidays at her
parent's home in Brodhagen. She,
is now employed as a. science
computer• operator in Ottawa
where she will spend the summer
months.
Friends, neighbour's and,
relatives of Mrs, Henry Rose will
be pleased to hear she —has
returned to her home where she
lives with her daughter and
son-in-law, Carol, and Ronald
Getlike. Mrs, Rose was a patient
in the General Hospital Stratford.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred Ahrens
enjoyed the weekend with' the
former's aunt, -Mrs. LouiSa
Carlton in Niagara Falls,, New
York.
Mr. and .Mrs. Clarence Regele
sponsored the bulletin .0f St.
Peter's Lutheran -Church for' the -
month of April in Thankfulness
for their . 45th wedding anniver-
sary.
Guests visitng Mrs.' Edgar
Elligsen over the Weekend were
.John , Elligsen 'of . Sebringville;
Miss Joanne, Ross, Fullarton; Mr.
• and Mrs. Victor Dietrich of Zurich
and Margaret Dietrich of
Kitchener.
Friends of Mr: 'Ed. Byers. will
be sorry to hear he is a patient in
the General Hospital Stratford,
where he is undergoing- hip
- Surgery;
Members of L,C.W, were
QUEBEC "JOURNALISTES" VISIT EXPOSITOR—Three journalism students
tram Laval University, 'toured The' Huron Expositor laseweek to' learn something
about the weekly newspaper business in Ontario. The students were.Gisselle
Labrecque, Christiane Lussier and Carole Regimbald. They're on an exchange visit
to the U.W.O. journalism school and will visit the London Free Press and the Globe
and Mail and Ine_Q8Cin Toronto. (ExpoSitor Photo) — •
Brodhagen
P eople visit •
guests of the ladies at Zion
Lutheran Church, Stratford.
_Visiting -with David Buck was
Barry Buck of S,ebringville.
Ruth Seimon was among
members of the Emmanuel Bible
College Choir of Kitchener who
enjoyed a. bus tour to Northern
Ontario and Manitoulin Island for
two weeks..
(Continued from Page
school $33,513 for a total of
$203.447. compared to a total
education levy last year of
$193,412.
The total 1977 assessment hi
1978 traxation is $3,118,774.
A delegation of 5 members
front. the McKillop ,Federation of
Agriculture attended the council
session to discuss the recent
survey made by the 'Federation
when 20 questions were asked of
local farmers on suggestions that
could improve the township. -
, The delegates were Gordon
B lanchard, president,' Leon
Maloney; Francis Hicknell, Jim
Maloney and. Don Moylan.
They, reported one of the main
concerns in the township was old
gravel pits with dangerous holes,
filled with deep water. They said
there were two that were
especially hazardous.
Another' concern, was , roads.
The farmers, of McKillop wanted
better roadS,.411164f the sugges-
tions was'to put calcium chloride
on the concessions one year' and
on the sideroads the other.
• Reeve Allan Campbell said that
the roads would have
to be maintained as now with the
calcium put on each year but
consideration could be given to'
doing the sideroads. but it would
have to be every year, not every
other.
He was told,"..Crops are as
valifable on the sideroads as on
the concessions'
The delegates said crops along
the road suffered from the heavy
dust. One said the only time a
person should cut hay was after a
rain.
Deputy reeve McNichol asked
pay- ---
the cost?
LeonMaloney said, "Ye You'
never hem- about high taxes--- just
poor roads."
The other, Federation represen-
tative confirmed this viewpoint,
and said they thought the, extra
tax would be no problem.
Don Moylan Said he often went"
for a drive and'after seeing other
roads, "McKillop has the finest
roads in Ontario. However, there
is always room for improve-
ment."
.lim Maloney asked if con-
sideration had ever been given to
buying a second grader for the
township and Reeve Allan
Campbell replied that council was
in the process of considering one
for another year. He said one
,would cost about-$68,000. •
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