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The Rural Voice, 1978-03, Page 11urban media seemed uninterested in learning anything. When an important bill was being debated on agriculture, he said, you could look up at the press gallery and it would be empty. Except for the farming press and the rural press, he said. there is an appalling lack of interest on the part of the media. Mrs. Fortune also called for identification of all Canadian produce as Canadian and for protections of Canadian foods through tariffs equal to the protection given to other industries in Canada. Maurice Bean, regional director for Huron East Centre gave the most controversial brief of the day on property tax reform. He said the O.F.A. has not abandoned its previously stated goal of wanting to pay tax for services to land from the whole property and not having the government pay the tax. However, he said, since this seems unacceptable the OFA was willing to accept that the government make a grant in lieu of taxes to municipalities for the land of farms, not including the farm buildings and home and that farmers pay a rate the same as anyone else on the house and buildings and plot of land they sit on. However, he said, if market value of the buildings was taken as the cost of materials and labour to build the buildings fine. but if market value was to be put on the basis of the value of a similar severed lot, then the Federation took exception. It was pointed out that in some places severed lots are tightly controlled which can drive up their price. whereas the farm buildings are an integral part of the farm and don't have this inflated value. Both Mr. Gaunt and Mr. Riddell expressed concern at this apparent change of policy by the OFA and said they felt it was a mistake. Huron County Warden Gerry Ginn also spoke against the move saying that rural municipalities were going to get hurt while urban ones benefitted by the new policy. Adrian Vos, past president of the Huron Federation spoke on the need for a new system of financing farm organizations. He pointed out tflat the old system of grants and levies from the townships was already inadequate and would be wiped out completely if the Blair commission is adopted. He called for the provincial government to have a check -off system where all farmers would be charged a fee as part of their tax bill, based on the ability to pay. This fee would go to the farm organization of his choice or provision could be made that this go to agricultural research. One of the most interesting briefs of the day was presented by second vice-president Beverley Brown who dealt with the upcoming national food conference. One of her fascinating arguments was that since everyone involved is a consumer, then consumers have no separate place in the food chain and thus should not be given a special place in deliberations about food. She recognized the role of organizations such as the Canadian Association of Consumers. but said that while the CAC has a role to sit on the Farm Products Marketing Board but has no place on the commodity marketing boards which are farmer controlled just as the CAC doesn't have the right to have members on the board of General Motors or imperial Oil. Without farmers. she said, there would be no need for a National Food Policy. James McIntosh, regional director for Huron West Central was next up with a call for changes in the food index reporting of Statistics Canada to reflect the true effect of Canadian food price increases. For one thing, he pointed out, the index gives food a rating of 27 per cent for the income while the average in Canada is only 13.6 per cent of the income spent at home with a further four per cent spent for food outside the home which shouldn't be reported as part of the cost of food. In addition, he said the cost of imported foods should be included separately from Canadian produced food. He pointed out too that in 1977 the cost of food handling in the U.S. reached $58 billion, $2 billion more than was paid to all the farmers in the U.S. It is the first time, he said that the cost of food handling exceeded the cost of producing the food in the first place. Merle Gunby, vice-president of the Federation spoke on pollution, erosion and conservation. He said that the three Yoe, Co-operai,o has the complete range of Cnem,Cals necessary to centred fuel .bout any condition during you, crop cid*. Re. booklets and ,nstructam ...valleela. 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Molted C..�ativas of Ontario Listowel Branch !Morava Branch 791 41a.7JlU w.7711 THE RURAL VOICE/MARCH 1970, YU. 11.