4—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 18, 1959 I DITORI AL The idea of snow and 30-degree weaihe. on April 13 in Lanqas'er County has about as Ittle appeal as any condi tions your imagination can produce m unwanted nightmare. But it happened. Some much-needed spring mo-slure resulted from the snow; therefore lettmg it come under the heading of "totally un expected hazards and m xed-blessmgs of farming " For those who ase directly connect ed With the unpredictable business cl Food and Fiber production: the unseas onable snowfall again served to em phasize one of the pane considerations in a "farm program" or any counterpart. In a business where the most impor tant single factor is totally uncontrollable the farmer is doing a better than ade quate job by providing suffeient produc tion to feed Jus countrymen, without the occasional appearance of famine. Why, therefore, should the American dormer be subjected to substandard ec onomic returns for hi& efforts in overcom ing the hazards' oFnatuse.- - Why should farmers see their fair shore of. the nation's income depressed - by one-fifth, and their net~pcofit pared ev en. more in. proportion; because of faun "surpluses", as small as fractions of one per cent of the annual product. The excessive effect of these small "surpluses" in price depress on is more ■than ample proof that economics are a Tuthless battle on "dog-eat-dog" prnci pies. This recalls the s'ory of the small boy, who ran up to a dog-fight and be gan-enthusiastic cheering for one of the pcfitimpants. A larger boy promptly chased the little lad from' the vicinity w th the notice to, "Go get your own dog if ■you want in this fight." This is the -fanner's position an pres eat-day economic struggles where big business, big labor, big finance, b.g gov ernment and bg organization are mixed in. the general _ melee. If the farmer warns irr or expects to stay in the fight, he had better get himself a "dog" or end up on ‘the outside, without even being able to look in. Another very-close-to-home instance Davidson The dispute over whether to increase or decrease gov ernment regulation of farm iejjp- currently is one of the hottest in Washington. Cong ress is being pressed to make a decision this year. What makes the debate unusual is the fact that two government departments Agriculture and tabor—are working in exactly opposite directions on the issue of government regulation. While Agriculture Secre tary Benson pleads with Con gress to g’ve farmers more freedom from production, marketing and other controls Labor Secretary Mitchell is asking that farmers be put under strict control on the cmp’oymenl of farm labor Oddly* enough, Congress seems not to be taking kind ly toward either of the sug ges ions It has refused so far, to give Mr. Benson autho nty to lower price supports and ease up on production COnire ]q Mr Mitchell, likewise has. been s’ow m getting support for his proposal to place hi red farm workers under the law covering minimum wa ges and maximum hours of wirk Farm Wage Legislation Bills have been introduced in Congress to establ’sh a ba sic 40 hours a week lor hir ed farm labor, with added pay for overtime, and for a mininum wage starting at 75c an hour the first year and in- * * THIS WEEK —ln Washington With Clinton Davidson STORK VS SCIENTISTS creasing to $1 25 an hour in' the fourth year. Agricultural workers now are exempt from the minim um wage and maximum hou rs law which applies to most industrial workers. The aim is to put farm workers on an equal footing with those working in mines, factories, and stores. Latest Department of Ag riculture reports show the little more than one million farm workers employed ear lier this year earned an ave rage of $1 03 per hour. It is the record-keeping rather than the wage mirunum that most farmers object to. The wage rate for farm workers has been going up faster than for industrial wor kers m recent years. During the past two years the aver age farm wage has increased by 25% comparedwith a 10% increase for non-agriclutur al workers Executive Order Secretary Mitchell recent ly issued a tentative execut ive order, subject to public hearings to be held about Ju ne 1, that would g>ve the La bor Department authority to impose regulations on all farm employers who get wor kers through the US. Em ployment Service. The regu’ations, if put in to force, would require that if any farmer in the 'area paid transportation for work ers he hired, then all farmers who hire through USES of nead for organization by farmers has appeared with the suggestion that Penn sylvan.a impose a 25 per cent tax on cigars to help meet the state budget. - Inasmuch, as Lancaster County farm ers produce more agar tobacco than growers of any state, this proposal does' not just come close—lt sits down at the dinner table and helps itself. The reason for the proposal is fccr ly obvious. In the search for new iax revenues, slate ofhaals are deterred from imposing any tax whatsoever on many products, because the businesses which would be effected are well organ zed and can bring powerful pressure to bear m Harrisburg. Since' most industry jS fairly well dispersed throughout the state, tins pressure is quickly translated to legislative votes. In the case of the cigar mdus'ry however, it is relatively nuior in most of the state. At the same time, itTs im portant among fanners who have tradi tionally avoided organization. Prevention cf this tax's enactment may require mme date action, whlh is not likely to be forthioming- from the farm end of the state's cigar industry. The manufacturers- are, of course, being quite vocal in their res stance. We already have received "news releases" bom the Lancaster Leaf Tobacco Board of Trade. Ther spokesmen decry the proposed 25 percent levy, first of all on the grounds that passage "can r, reparably damage the fixture of thousands of Penna. tobac co growers," then for the harm to the processing jndustxy.. Since we possess q natural’ skept c ■sm for crys of "Spare the farmer" from those wha profit directly from buying his products at the lowest possible puce, consstant with ma! ntaining the supply of raw material; we feel this approach is selected as the besc means of prevent ng passage of the proposal. If the "dealer-processors" can see the value of protesting n the farmers' name, they probably expect to obtain the best results through this. How much greater results could be realized i the farmers were able set ther own "dog" into the fight? would also be required to pay workers’ transportation. Further, it would provide that all farmers in an area would have to pay the same wage for similar work and that if one employer volun tarily raised wages then all farmers using USES-recrui ted labor would have to in crease wages by the same a mount. Protesting that such regu lations could raise farm labor costs by many millions of dol lars, the Farm Bureau is op posing the proposed order on the ground that this “con stitutes legislation by execu tive order” and that “Con gress has specifically reject ed similar proposals in the past.” TO BE CAREFUL WITH ttSECj —The spraying season is appro?" Vary the amount of meat many of the common insecticides 1 you buy according to the am- only-kill bugs but will harm all forms of Inn'S 1 ount of bone in it, suggests . , , , . .* Mrs. E'sie Keeney Penn Sta- including human beings. All containers te extension consumer edu- well marked and kept away from children cation specialist For each s h ou id be used in not polluting streams or fan"' servng, allow one-third lb. , ~, of boneless, one-half lb. of -suiting in a fish kill. With the more liberal u* bone-in, and three-fourths of everyone should be very careful because they al ‘ a pound of bony meat. ' [_3nea*ter County's Own Farm Weekly P O Box 1524 r snpaster, Penns. Offices: North Dnke St ' oncaster, Penna phone . Lancaster Express 4-3047 D i HnOrew. Editor Rn>'*« rj. Campbell Adi '-uns nirp-'tor & Business '♦•meer Fct- Ushed November t <>r:; p->' ' -■ J every Sat”r ’ Lane - Parminff T.anc . r>a Fnte'*d as 2nd clasa m at Lancaster Pa under Act 'far. 3 ddltional cnt-v nt Tc p Subscription Rates: $2 per year; three years 26. Single copv Price >i"‘ ers’ ’ ' elation. Nation Lancaster Farming Pa. Newspape '•tlon. stopped ca lln . God said HoJ since'God ii a(| ® he would whatever h s * more vants to cutceJ the viTM- i UB ] they adopt mg good -. Cj!s support Cod ' . for and a~,.J BiWe Material: I Samuel U through 15, saxao t, no ““Jj 8 Devotional Beading: II Samuel 1 17-27. a S e msn to u Si Traps Failure Lesson for April 19, 1959 KING SAUL, had the makings of success; but he failed We must not exaggerate his failure, for there were some who remembered him with pride, and even named sons after him. The great Chris tian apostle Paul had been named Saul-by his ti Nevertheless-, . - kings went, ant especially whr compared wi the great Ki: David, Saul mi, ed the mark.- . we-' were sayn last week, he w; like a- man wi a good hand why ■'plays badly and _ loses the game after, alUWh'atJ went wrong with him ? Vofct of God At a time in Ills life when a throne Would have seemed, a fan ciful dream, the prophet Samuel had taken Saul secretly, and-sol emnly poured'oil on his head;-thus anointing him to be the future , icing of Israel. This was before the great battle-of Jabesh that gave Saul bis national reputation. Saul . himself'may not have taken Samuel's prediction seriously, be cause he went on back to his farm ing. But after the people voted him. in as the-first king, Saul wouldl of course remember Samuel and the secret anointing and prophecy. There is no doubt that Saul was convinced that Samuel was a true prophet, that he spoke with the authority of God himself. Samuel was the one link with God that Saul had. He had no Bible to study, no church to help him, and he himself was anything but a religious genius. David and others seem to have been able to understand God’s- will by direct revelation; but for Said, God’s voice and-will had to come to him through the p’ophet. The most serious element fo Saul’s failure was right here: he Now Is The Time ... BV MAX SMITH TO PLOW DOWN CORN S Most economical way to reduce Corn Borers in 1959 is to plow '■ corn stalks and weeds, coieunj completely as possible, by com growers should assume tfc sibility; it requires everyone gether m this respect in orclei tot job of control. OUS. TO START GRAZING GRADUALLY—Tnc P J son is at hand and animals and caretakers a* e ' the summer season. All flocks and herds slioiiW 1 ed on the new pasture for only a short time (3d •’ utes) for the first few times; and then feed ul !er 1 received a feed of grain and hay. Too much n e ' ( first will cause scouring and perhaps seveie hlo af TO MANAGE DAIRY HERDS son of off-flavored milk is approaching and P lol,tr of the herd is essential. The milking cows shoud 1 ed to graze at first only after the milking hours ® allowed to remain out on the pasture until tl’® milkings It is recommended that the herd he from the grazing area at least three to four ho" milking; this should be a longer period if mu^ 1 , is in the area. The dairy barn should be w ell v all times. ■» Vcise of s.h I Saul made jgJ made by Ui otl l than an o. d r ,,' J J calamitous c , .Jl a man to p fC( J Sin Of llStt'Uriol and ambit'opjl want it, it nillst | silly remaik people could b ; j make it. You wj any one woo.jl judgment abov.J many do T ri( ,J works is famiJ qauae we have I oiher argued to] same way "gj selves; “of cotiJ voice of God, anfll speaking m tJ Church But M : believe that tw 'ChiSrch dont J needs. 1 belied me in my ovd more of the syJ this does- it tijy own thoughts m 3 or else it idJ thoughts wtn, fl Voids of Ihi Crsn The third mjjl made was perhul common, m oura was letting the 1 "speak for God n mistake, and i] others. But you tJ wrong figured rj What is right to] found out by cot] yet people keep! foolish blundci a Kinsey Report thd are widely prat] people inteuiev.J and .leap to th*J what so manypj right. And so M what so many p-j wrong. They id question: Whatdj say? (Based on <mlliuJ the Division oC Cm National Couiml il Christ- in the I! S Community Frtsiiq
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers