The Rural Voice, 1983-05, Page 41Licensed Repairs
to
Heavy Duty Trucks
Light Trucks
Cars
Farm Equipment
Diesel, Gas or Propane
Our shop is equipped with a pipe
bender for custom exhaust systems
and a MIG welder for aluminum
welding.
B & L
Enterprises
R.R. 1, Bluevale
335-3849
Barry Gillespie
357-1600
Les Brewer
887-9272
Located on Huron County
Road 12, 1.2 miles north of
the Diesel Car Diner on High-
way 86.
KEITH ROULSTON
Love Affair
with gadgets
We got a new gadget in the office the
other day: a photocopier. Suddenly
things you never thought you needed a
copy of you now are running through that
machine.
Machines have a fascination for nearly
all of us. If a kid comes into the office
while we're running copies through the
machine they'll watch it for hours. And
the kid in all of us in the office makes us
run more copies than we really need.
About half our economy, I'd be willing
to guess, is based on the human
weakness for machines and gadgets. The
auto industry learned about our interest
in new gadgets years ago. Remember
when we used to wait with baited breath
every September to see the new cars
come out? I remember our local fall fair
where the biggest attraction was the new
car showing. It is probably symptomatic
of the problems of the auto industry that
the majority of us don't line up to see the
new cars come out these days. Oh there
are still the diehards who can tell the
model, even the engine size, of a new car
two blocks away but most of us regard a
car more or less simply as transportation
these days.
Back in the days when I was in the
publishing business there used to be
some intriguing trade shows whenever
we'd go to a convention somewhere. The
electronic revolution was on in the
printing industry and every time you went
to a different trade show there was a new
computerized wizard of a machine. The
salesmen could always tell you how
much time and money the latest wonder
could save you. It was a pretty tempting
place to be and if I'd had a friendly banker
(maybe that should be crazy banker) I
might have got myself into a lot more
trouble than I did.
Farmers have always loved gadgets.
The success of shows like the Interna-
tional Plowing Match are built on
farmers' infatuation with the latest in
equipment. Besides the normal inquisi-
tiveness we have about machines that
can make a few gears and a lot of
imagination do work, machinery for
farmers has the added attraction of
taking the back -breaking work out of
farming. Imagine, for instance, what a
miracle the binder must have seemed to
the farmer who had cut grain with a
scythe and cradle. No wonder companies
like Massey -Harris and International
Harvester grew so quickly.
The farmers'love of equipment has also
brought them a lot of grief. Unlike the
struggling publisher who couldn't buy no
matter how tempted he was, farmers
have found many willing bank managers.
With the ever -escalating price of farm
land, bankers thought they had pretty
good security in loaning farmers money
to buy the latest in farm technology.
Bank managers have also been brought
up on the economies of scale and the
idea of a machine that can let a farmer do
half again as much work for his
investment of time makes sense.
How many of the 10 per cent or so of
farmers in financial trouble today have
over-extended themselves in farm ma-
chinery purchases? How many found out
they would probably have been better off
with their old machinery, even if it was
slower, because they couldn't get
enough extra money to pay the cost of
the more "efficient" equipment.
Like the auto industry, the farm
machinery industry is in trouble today
because farmers, at least temporarily,
have lost their love affair with the latest
in gadgets. It may be hard on workers
and investors at Massey -Ferguson but it
may be a lot better for farmers if they
keep their present caution.
Top Quality Bred Gilts
Large selection of York/Landrace bred gilts with accurate breeding dates. All gilts
guaranteed bred and reasonably priced. Closed herd with mother herd being
A.O.P. tested. Herd has a reputation for sound legs and excellent mother ability.
Open gilts ready to service also available. All gilts vaccinated.
New Addition
Gilts bred to Purebred and R.O.P. approved boars designed to be herd improvers
for the commercial producer, now available.
References and herd health information available on request.
Lawrence Vanden Heuvel
R.R. #2, Goderich, Ont. 519-524-4350
THE RURAL VOICE, MAY 1983 PG. 39