The Huron Expositor, 1979-12-06, Page 27The Pederationi of
Agrict#ltttte, 'Convention
Toronto ,fid itself tat
ttaiany of the prablein
treated by record Malt
Interest rates. triers .$ve
ettperittnoed an increase, in
interest charges of at least
filo - from *QW to 1$%
within the last year..
From figures taken from.
the Ontario farm Manage-
merit Analysis ErojeCt; 1978,.
university of Quelph the 5%
increased interest cost, both
tttt bocrQwed equity and as an.
investment cost on owner
equity would add $16,650.00.
to the annual cost . of
operating an average " size
dairy farm, This cosh trans,:
fetes into en additional 6c per
quart of milk produced,.
which cost must be gassed on
to the consumer.
Using, figures from the
same source the additionali
5% increase in interest rates.
when :charged to 26 beef'
feedlots surveyed added an
additional $16,81 per
hundred weight to the live
beef animal, This is.
equivalent to about 39 cents
per POWS Pt'the level.
Smelt eftet,2 increases for
boast egg*.: ehieken;t groin
preflects ere. can be shown..
Therefore F of A member*
say the coesun#er shgyld be
quite; concotned about the.
inflationary, pressure of the
t'apidltt rising interest costs..
Th.. . increased costsyif not
passed on to the consumer,,
will have to be absorbed by
the farmer. The farmer hast
not enjoyed a sufficient profit
Margin to handle these, in,
creased costs, and ;,tome.
could be forced to liquidate
their holdings and ceeSe
production.
Clearly, high interest rates
over the longer term will
discourage investment,
lower production and, thus.
raise prices still higher in the
future.
The main reason .for the
present high interest rates as.
set by' the Government is to.
attempt to hold the Canadian
dollar at a higher level in
order to repay foreign
borrowings which are due in.
a large part to federal and
provincial government
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u
deficits, If our curreecy° were
devalued still further,
governments tend big
bua inessj Evouid have mors
dimity PROP& time`'
fo elgo loans.:.
Other p
trite, Shield their
farmers'Men the f if ImPriet
ef bi h interest ram,
ts
farmers want
alternativesround to the pre.
, acf ' � cath s
itlf JACK WPM,
The Minister of Agricul-
hire and pond, Lorne Hend-
erson, announced in the
Legislature that the govern,
ment has been working with
farmrepresentatives and
with people from the farm
machinery 'industry to de-
velop: a program which will
ensure that .farmers have, a
reliable supply of new mach-
inert', a dependable supply
of repair parts, and first. Class
repair service.
The program will be.
administered.. by the Ontario
Farm Machinery Board,
which has members repre-
senting farmers, manufac-
turers, dealers, wholesalers
and the Ministry of Agricul-
ture and Food.
The program centres on a
certification program. Certif-
ication of distributors and
dealers will be granted by
the Farm Machinery Board
in accordance with `standards
which the Board `is in the
process of implementing.
Certified companies will
offer a new equipment war-
ranty which will .meet or
exceed the minimum stand-
ards set by the Board. They
will guarantee to • provide
repairs andreplacement
Parts , in a reasonable time.
They will also providesales.
agreements with .standard._
ized conditions of sale.
CONVERTING
The Minister: of Energy, •
Robert Welch, has an-
nounced: that many home -
sent high inters( ate
risoltetarY Miry. or farmers
shielded: from these Kish
rates. Such* program would
snake Ontario farmers more
competitiiwe, i'n the market-
EX
Once, and, it would help
rerefit ce the innotialeary #viral
the cOntetentra fond
basket. the OVA eonventioa
,1 L
f:tassifted' ik4 pay dividend*:
owners wishing to convert
from heating oil to natural
gas may have to wait until
nest sprwg or summer, due
to an overwhelming demantt
for conversions. By the end
of September this year, the
three major natural gas util-
ities had, converted 19,.650
homes to natural, gas, com-
pared to 8,600 last Year- The
change from heating based
on uncertain oil supplies to
more plentiful and cheaper
natural gas has left manu-
facturers of furnace conver-
sion kits, unable to meet the
demand; The Opposition
Party critic criticized the
Minister for stating that the
Government's conservation
and renewable, energy pro-
grams are "deeply..rooted in
the Government's; total ap-
preach to energy." He said
this•was!:a hollow statement
when you consider, for in-
stance, that the windows in
the Legislature Buildings are
only single -pane and Cabinet
Ministers, continue to ride in
gas -guzzlers.
The Minister of Health,
Dennis 'Timbrell, has stated
that he'll use public money to
respond to people identifi-
able' on the 274,852 -name
petition presented by the
NDP which denounce the
Province's health-care sys-
tem.. He was unableto
estimate how much it would
cost to send letters to these
people but stated it wouldn't
come from government funds
for the operation of hospitals
Farmers shoul
energypric
Energy uses in agriculture
were seen as a major concern
in the coming years at the
recent Annual Convention of.
the Ontario , Federation, of
Agriculture in Toronto.
While "on 'farm" use of
energy was shown to be only
3% of the total national,
consumption, the costs of
energy will• constitute . a
considerable portion of food
cost price -rises in the near
future...
Costs incurred after the
basic product leaves the farm
gate will create • a marked
impact by energy ..use
through transsportation,
processing, packaging and
not the least in the •final
process of preparation in th_
home. •
Alternative energy 'source'
for, farm use, show consider-
able promise but at present
few ate developed for im•
-
comes
to
Canadians Tiri.
in Seaforth
Sat., Dec. 8
From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m
Santa has a mail box inside for
all the boys' and girls' letters,
0550001 TE STORE
PIN. TiL1.EY LTR
segfcorth
es:
or the Ontario Health lnsur
ance Plata; but froth. his
Ministry'sadministrative.
budget., The Minister ,seg,
Seated that vague wording
on: the petitions might have
Persuaded : many- people to
sign even though they might
not believe the health-care
system was .being threatened
"They were, worded in such a
way, that nobody could refuse
to sign. There's some I could
have signed', he said. "I am
going to tell them the fact
that since 1972 the per capita
spending on health-care has
gone, up from 5205 to $500
and even when one allows for
inflation that's a big increase
._..I think it is in the inter-
ests of public information
and the democratic system
that the people have the
information.
About 50 per cent Of the
manu€aeturers: who an-
swered a . survey by the
Ontario, Labour Ministry are
having, trouble, filling jobsin
skilled trades. The positions.
which employers are trying
to fill are for machine oper-
ators, .machinists, tool, die
and mold makers, engineers,
welders \and electricians.
Employers' said many' appli-
cants lacked skills. and, on-
' the -job experience. The.
Labour Minister; Dr. ;Robert,
Elgie, said he would use the
information .to ;address the
problems through manpower
policies.
Pry
Liberal Leader .Stuart
Smith is, . introducing a -Pri-
Vats Member's B 1 Which,
amounts to an enyir amental
rights, bill- The proposed;
legislation would permit citi-
zens to go to tie Supreme.
Court of Ontario to protect
their. environment. People
OW take action to. safe.
guard the environment with
out "first having toprove
that they themselves have
been personally damaged or
injured''. Stuart Smith stated:
in connection with the bill,
that reform of existing legis-
lation is long overdue, large-
ly because there have been,
numerous violations of
environmental laws. He cited
mercjiry contamination of the
English-Wabigoon River
system in northwestern
Ontario and Lake St. Clair,
,and stated that sulphur di
oitide. emissions continue to.
pollute the air and thousands
of lakes and streams.
The :%egislature Commit-
tee on. 'Hydro. Affairs is.
recommending: that no snore.
construction - contractshe
awarded for the Darlington
nuclearsite until Hydro: pre-
sents the Legislature with a
new 'construction program
based on; drastically lowered
projections for, _electricity
demand. The Committee's
draft report says the Govern- :'
Ment should jtlanfor hydro
load growth of 2 to'3 per cent
annually rather than the
average of 5 per cent. to 1985
and 4 per cent thereafter
forecast by Ontario Hydro
last spring,
retiring
ret�rwn :OFApresident
mediate use. " Fharit' and
animal products are seen as
potential energy producers.
for future farm use but
utilization of these sources
has not yet reached practical
levels.
Of immediate concern to
producers is the combined
threefold . rise, of energy,..
labour. and. capital :costs and
resulting difficulties
presented by this.
Peter: Hannam, . retiring
President of the Ontario
Federation of Agriculture,
told delegates that escalating
fuel prices will be the
"scourge of the 80's" and it
Will lie up to farmers to press •
government to. give them a
break. "There is: no need to
follow the world price of oil
so slavishly. in a key;industry
like agriculture: ,.Mr.
Hannam, said. "To do so as
quickly as is, now being
planned will cripple
'producers and willjeopardize
the country's food supply."
Hesaid Federation .
projections are that gasoline
anddiesel fuel prices will be
up. .12 to 18 cents a gallon
next year and fertilizers,• a
fossil fuel derivative, will be
up at least 15 per cent.
Research in " agriculture
has . shown where highest
costs in' energy occur in farm
operations, and a number of
energy conservation and!
utilization projects are pre-
sently in. trial operation.
Indications are that even
modest adjustments can
effect considerable energy
savings.
Great changes in energy
productionand utilization
can be expected in the near
future and many of these
will be of great value to the
agricultural industry in food.
production
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