The Rural Voice, 1980-02, Page 17Ralgro
former government that managed to increase our National Debt
so dramatically in the previous eleven years.
The amazing part of it is that the Government was defeated.
The "principle" is good but the method of achieving its goal
was horrible.
I would like to give you a personal example which is a very
small miniature of our national situation.
I started farming in 1940‘and like the government I had a debt
load but I still had some "credit." I only had 45 acres but it was
good and I had a small stock. I was also married with a young
family that was getting more expensive as they grew. My income
was in a deficit position.
I had two choices for survival.
I could cut my spending and sell some of the livestock and
meet my "balance of payments."
However that would have meant living well below the poverty
level and by selling off livestock each year I would be reducing
my income and eventually my livestock and credit would be
gone. It would have been the end of the line.
I went in the opposite direction.
I used my credit very sparingly and increased my livestock.
While waiting for returns from the increased livestock I did all I
could to improve my crop yields by better cultivation and weed
control. I even borrowed a little more for commercial fertilizer
and took whatever farm jobs I could get - first year at 25c per
hour.
The second or third year a lot of farmers were installing
Hydro. So did I, but I installed my own and by so doing, learned
how to do it and went on to do installations for other farmers,
first at 75c per hour and later at the huge wage of $1.00 per hour.
Fortunately I was young and healthy and working from 6 a.m.
to 9 p.m. was okay and my "balance of payments" was no
problem. Our family even had a little left over for recreation.
I was on my way to a secure and comfortable living. I haven't
become a millionaire but I'm satisfied and not buying lottery
tickets.
I think "Government" can overcome our "National Debt"
bad if they follow the same type of program. Canada still has a
little "Credit" left and some of it could be used, not to make
balance of payments, but to increase income.
For example, if some money were borrowed to improve our
transportation to the point where we could deliver all the wheat
we can sell, it would certainly reduce our national debt by
reducing our balance of payments.
To me it is ridiculous to promote farmers into producing huge
crops of wheat, having the Wheat Board sell it and then pay huge
sums in demurrage charges to freighters sitting empty in our
ports waiting for wheat to be loaded for shipment to foreign
buyers.
The money is available from Canadian savings in our banks. I
have read that Canadians have higher per capita savings than
any people in the world. I also have read that Canadians have
more money invested in Life Insurance than any people in the
world. Unfortunately the vast majority of this money finds its
way into investment in foreign companies. Let's keep our money
at home and develop our own manufacturing industries to
process our own natural products where we definitely have an
advantage.
There has been a lot of publicity and controversy over the sale
of 3.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas to the U.S.A.
Some say it will do wonders for our balance of payments and
others say it will run us in to shortages of energy.
Both sides can forget it!
According to my latest information unless "Foothills
Pipeline" company (and there are rumors that construction is
off) or some other Pipeline gets going in a hurry we won't be able
to deliver the gas to the U.S. any way.
Let's just save up our energy so we can go out on Feb. 18th in a
raging blizzard and elect "C.D. Howe" as Prime Minister.
HOWSON MILLS
FARM SUPPLY
HEADQUARTERS
We now have
Guns and Implants
for Beef Cattle
ALSO
•Control the Tice with
Dri Kill
i
•and we have a new product called
Dursban 44
for lice
• We have in stock
Tramisol
— Oblets
— Injectible
— Pellets
Plus a good supply of needles, sy ringes, and
drugs to keep those cattle healthy.
Howson & HowsonLimited
BLYTH, WINGHAM, CARGILL
ONTARIO
THE RURAL VOICE/FEBRUARY 1980 PG. 15