The Rural Voice, 1981-10, Page 27PEW VOICE OFA FARMER
Something is
radically wrong
BY ADRIAN VOS
I don't know about you, but 1 am confused about the periodic
cries that the world is doomed unless farmers produce more food.
For more than a year now, federal ag
minister Eugene Whelan has been urging an
increase in food production, grain that is, but
the demand has not been great enough to
hold the price steady. All over the developed
world farmers are hurt by over -production.
At the same time we see on TV heart-rending
starvation camps where children of ten look
like babies and adult people die in the streets.
There must be something radically wrong
with our approach to the poor nations.
When we send food to a poor nation, we
take the market away from the local
farmer. He will them only produce enough for
his own family. Perhaps we would help more if we bought all he
can produce at a reasonable price. In that case he would produce
more and the food could be distributed in the cities.
Or let's build a road between farmers and their markets in
underdeveloped countries.
But what usually happens is that we want to help these poor
people only until they begin competing with us. Haven't we all
complained about unfair imports from low wage countries? The
much despised multinationals are actually doing a better job in
feeding people in poor countries than the rest of us. Sure, they pay
low wages, but those low wages are making it possible for the poor
to feed their families. But then our domestic manufacturers
complain about unfair competition. Think about the tariff wall to
protect textiles. And textiles are eminently suitable for production
in underdeveloped countries.
Farmers have often been upset by strikes, especially if they hurt
their markets. The most often -heard comment is that labour earns
plenty already and the demand for more money is unjustified.
We have claimed that we lose exports because labour rates are
higher than those in most other countries.
But though we may not realize it, this is no longer so. Canadian
wages have been dropping drastically in the last ten years
compared with those in other countries, West Germany, the
Netherlands and Japan for example.
Without much thinking, and without knowing what is involved,
we tend to blame unions for being unreasonable. In light of the
above, it may well be that farmers should take a closer look at what
companies are offering labour before taking sides.
Our country is saddled with the adversary system of labour
relations, but neither union nor management want to get away
from it. But that is where the real cause of our many strikes lies.
CLINTON COMMUNITY
CREDIT UNION
LIMITED
A CO-OPERATIVE SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION
TM
SERVING THE FARMING
COMMUNITY SINCE 1952
Mon. - Thurs. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Fri. 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.
70 Ontario St., Clinton 374 Main St., Exeter
(519) 482-3467 (519) 235-0640
W.D. HOPPER
& SONS
Water Well Drilling
R.R. 2 Seaforth
Members of the Ontario Water Well Assoc.
• Prompt Reliable Service
• Free Estimates
• 5 Modern
CaII Collect
Neil
Seaforth
527-1737
Durl
Seaforth
527-0828
Rotary Rigs
James
Seaforth
527-0775
'Where Hopper Goes The Water Flows
SINCE 1915
THE RURAL VOICE/OCTOBER 1981 PG. 25