4—Lancaster Farming, Saturday. July 9. 1960
FROM WHERE WE STAND -
Is The Salesman
A certain sales company has a slog
an which says, “The only possible way
to pay a salesman what he is worth is
to put him on direct commission.”
We tend to agree that the only fair
measure of the worth of a salesman is
the amount ot his sales, if good will is
discounted.
Now when you can get a salesman
who can do a good job of selling for
the highest price and- build good will
for the business at the same time, it
seems to us that you should use that
salesman as much as possible.
By the same reasoning, the most ac
curate method of arriving at the true
worth of an item is to assemble all
the people who would like to have that
item and sell to' the person who wants
it most, that is, the one-who is willing
to pay the highest price.
Farmers could do this by them
selves if they had sufficient volume,
and if the farmer could inform all the
buyers when he would have the pro
duct available, but this is seldom pos
sible.
Several good agencies in the county
overcome both the volume and. adver
tising obstacles to selling by bid. Why
do so few farmers take advantage of
these agencies.
A prime example of this type of ag
ency is the Lancaster Poultry Ex
change Officials at the Poultry Center
have listed at least seven advantages
the Exchange has which the individ
ual farmer cannot attain by himself;
Many of the livestock auctions as
well as the Poultry exchange ’ sells to
bonded buyers. This_ guarantees pay
ment to the producer. Some unfortun
ate situations in the past, when buyers
went broke or moved away, could
have been avoided if the product had
been marketed through the Poultry
Exchange.
The grower is guaranteed a price
for his poultry. If the market fluctuat
es between the time of sale and the
Davidson
If you are good at mathe
matics, know something ab
out farming, and like an ar
gument, there is a free-for
all just starting that you
might like to get into.
For the past 10 years it
has been rather generally
assumed that we have a
“farm problem” in this co
untry, although not every
one has agreed on just what
the problem is. Congress
debated it endlessly with
out agreeing on a solution.
Now mathematicians and
statisticians have begun a
hot argument over whether
there really is any “farm
problem.” They are using
figures, charts, equations and
mathematical formulas to
support their arguments.
Personally, this is one ar
gument we intend to steer
clear of and" report impar
tially, figuie by figure, strict
Lancaster Farming
Lancaster County’s Own Farm
Weekly
P O Box 3524
Lancaster, Pcnna
Offices:
63 North Duke St.
Lancaster, Ptnna.
Phone - Lancaster
EXpross 4-3047
Jack Owen Editor
Robei t G Campbell, Advertising
I>irector A Busimss Manager
Established Noumber 4, 1955
Published e\erv - Saturday by
Lancaster Farming L Oleaster, Pa.
Entered as 2nd class matter at
Lancaster, Fa under Act of Mar
*. 1379 additional entry at Mount
Joy. Pa.
Subscription Rates $2 per vear;
tfhree ><ars J 3, Single copy Pnce
C cents
ifembirs Pi Ncvsptpcr Publish
ers’ Association: National Editor
ial Association
THIS WEEK
—ln Washington
With Clinton Davidson
The Farm Problem
ly as a spectator. To bring
you up-to-date, here is what
happened so far in the bat
tle of the mathematicians.
A Matter of Money
The question is: Are the
farmers getting a fair share
of the national income’
“No,” say U. S. Depart
ment of Agriculture statis
ticians, economists and ma
thematicians.
“Yes,” say statistical ex
perts who have supplied the
Farm Journal with figures
showing farmers- have 50%
more income than the aver
age American family.
The Farm Journal is an
old and highly respected
farm magazine and so it sur
prised a lot of folks when
it bought a full page adver
tisement in the equally rep
utable Wall Street Journal
to tell businessmen what its
mathematicians had learned
about farmers.
Farmers last year, the
Journal reported, had a gross
income of more than $46
billion. That, if equally di- Dural DkwfVime
vided, would give each farm. iVUlcil rviiyillllla
family an income of $9,978, WEATHER
compared with the U.S. aver By Carol Dean Huber
age of only $6,470. Per This dry weather will ruin
capita farm income, it said, my crops, «
in 1959 was the highest on And soon unless the temper
record. ature drops.
The average farm family, Gee, I wish it would rain
the statisticians figured, ow- today!
ns equipment, buildings, and Remember the rain we had
savings worth $43,724. How in May
many town families, asks We said in May,
the Journal, are worth that too wet.”
much? And now we say, “It hasn’t
USDA Rebuttal rained yet ”
It is grossly misleading, We look at the sky and
the USDA says, to compare wonder whether—
farmers’ gross income with But we can do nothing
non-farmers take-home pay. about the weather.
Worth His Hire?
time of delivery of the product, the
settlement is at the contract price.
Movement of poultry bought on the
Exchange must be within the specified
time and at the price quoted. If for
some reason the poultry can not be
moved within the alloted time, a pen
alty for each day of delay can be en
forced, unless the seller agrees to al
low the poultry to stand.
In using the Exchange, the seller
need not contact a host of buyers, ask
their price and play one against the
other trying to get the 'highest price
and possibly miss the market he want
ed while trying to make a satisfactory
sale. Market price is established at the
time of the sale by competitive bid
ding, and the seller is free to refuse
the bid if he feels it is not fair
With one call to the Poultry Cen
ter, a poultryman can notify 28 buyers
that he has poultry to sell.
Prompt payment for poultry is as
sured through the use of the Exchange
In the past we have heard many stor
ies of how some buyers would pur
chase a truckloadof poultry and sell it
before settling with the farmer. In
many instances, especially if the deal
er was caught with a slipping market,
the farmer had to wait quite a while.
The Poultry Center contract calls for
payment to "the seller within seven
days after movement of the birds.
Listing as a clincher, The Estab-
Ishment Of a Market Price, the Poult
ry Center officials get back to the orig
inal idea of-this piece. Many of the in
dependent sales of poultry in the coun
ty are based on the sale average at the
Poultry Center and on the sale aver
age at the DelMarVa auction. “When
auction sales are no longer* in exist
ence, who and what will establish “the
price paid?” the officials ask.
' The motto will again be as in the
past, “Let the Seller beware.”
At least that’s how it looks from
where we stand.
A fair comparison, it argues
would be between farmers’
net income, after payment
of opeiating expenses, with
city workers’ pay envelope.
The average farm worker,
according to USDA figures,
last year had a net income
of $1,672 including allow
ances for housing and food
grown and consumed on the
farm, about one-third less
than the national average.
Approximately 5,000,000
farm families last year rea
lized a net income, including
the sale of their products
plus government payments,
of only about $8 billion,
USDA figures show, with
which to pay family living
expenses. The money farm
ers have to spend will buy
less at, the store than at any
time since prior to World
War 11, the Department re
ports, while non-form fami
lies can buy 50% more than
in 1940
Ten years ago farmers
spent 50 cents out of each
dollar received for product
ion expenses. Last year they
paid 70 cents and kept 30
cents. While consumers pay
10% more for most food
items than in 1950. prices
p*aid farmers have gonedown
an average of 20% .
There are the figures, so
if you want to get into the
argument you can choose
your own weapons.
Bible Material: Amos 2 6: 5; 8 4-B.
Devotional Heading: Homans 15 1-6.
Social Justice
Lesson for July 10, 1960
THE CHRISTIAN religion is
said to be a religion of love, and
so it is. It is love that makes it
beautiful and gives it meaning. But
just as the beauty and meaning of
literature is built pn the humble
foundation of the
the beauty and
the security of a
liouse,go down to
the unseen foun
dations, so love
itself is a stam
mering weak
thing if it is not
built on the foun
dation of justice.
Love without
justice is sloppy Dr * Foreman
sentimentality, it is double-talk, it
is drivel
Social Justice
God’s prophets, whose writings
are part of the Christian Bible,
were interested in social justice.
They were interested because God
was interested. People who think
that social justice is no affair of
religion at all, either haven’t read
the prophets, or really don’t believe
them. Let us get straight what
“social justice’’ is. It has nothing
to do with socialism, or with social
affairs as written up for the soci
ety , pages. It is different from
political or legal justice. (These
two, of course, should also be a
concern of Christians.) An ex
ample of political justice would be
giving major parties equal time
on the radio and TV. An example
of legal justice would be getting
paid a fair price for land the gov
ernment has taken for a highway.
Social justice is broader and
more basic than that. In a word, it
means fair treatment all around.-It
does not mean treating everybody
exactly alike, because people’s
needs are not always the same.
But it does mean giving everybody
a “fair shake,” an honest deal; it
means not handicapping people for
"reasons” that make no difference.
It means giving every one a chance
to develop all he’s got.
Now Is The Time .. .
■Y MAX SMITH
TO MOW LAWNS HIGHER—One of
very important practices in having a j
lawn is to mow the grass from 1 : 2 (
inches long each time, we believe
some property owners do not accept
recommendation and continue to n
their lawns shorter thinking that it lo
nicer and they will not have to mow
often. In these cases we feel they
sacrificing a thick turf in favor of tl
own conveniences. During the hot s
mer months of July and August it is«j
MAX SMIT iaijy important to cut the lawn high«
order to protect the grass roots from dry, hot weather!
TO MULCH SHRUBBERY Property owners who lj
not mulched their shrubbery about the home are reiiuaj
that hot hummer months could dry out the ground]
many inches in depth and cause injury to all shrubbj
especially new planted shrubs. A two to three inch #
of peat moss, cocoa hulls, rotted sawdust, or other org<
material will go far toward holding moisture and re#
soil temperatures. In case of new plantings weekly aPP 1
lions of water, being sure to soak down 6 to 8 m#*
very important for the first growing season
TO CONTROL HOUSE FLY—Everyone should make
effort to reduce the house fly population The first ste.
to eliminate the, breeding places by keeping garbal e P
covered, a general clean-up program, and on the far®
pose of farm manure readily. The use of screens °
dows and doors of all inhabited buildings and the J
milk house is essential. The spraying of ceilings '
of porches, dairy barns, and other buildings with 1
cides will kill many of the flies. Those sprays con
pyrethrins or organic thiocyanates are very g°°°’
such as Diazinon or Ronnel are recommended. j,
TO TAKE TIME COMBINING—Wheat harvest is
and the objective is to get the maximum amount 0
in the bin or bag, the combine is the modern u iaC
do this job provided it is adjusted and operated P r
From past experience the great amount of voluntce
in the fall on small gram ground is evidence that
it was missed. Combine operators are urged to ' v
the moisture conditions are proper and then drive
ough to give the combine a chance to do a good 1°
“It’s just
In the tijxie of tiu „
the people who nil? 10 '
tice and wcie not d ' d
the poor. He if «.
of the israehtev
them, over and „ m,tr *
because they couldf
offer the
richer people g av ‘
cheated in the „ *
cause the merchant
honest weights aii a/
had no one to speak?®
one but the God i for
his prophets. h °«
Social lustioo „„
needed b^thep^
-a fancy void for u *
practiced also a *.„
groups Negroes, J
Chinese and othen, p
of all races, ahvavsj
example, housim
a way of w -asfe g tR
money They aie a v , l
people live m humam, 2
roundings There n a *
is the capital of one of !
of the Union l n lt th J.
that can be seen by ”
town. The city ha s L
clearance authonzed no,
years; but they are 1
about it Why’ tt ~
law to move a fanniy!
most rotten tenement *!
better house. But
people who live m that
slum can't dffoid toniou
they sit.
Backlash of Injustici
Amos told his peoole t]
they paid more attest#
welfare of the bottom
society, the whole count
not only suffer-it v, o m
stroyed Social injustice i
self-destructive Consider
modem example Herein
we need educated lest
scientists, thinkers, meno
minds and skills One of
sons we do not get enoujl
is that (as studies hau
strated) many capabl
people do not ha\e then
an education Some who
capacity never show it,
simple reason that th'irh
In high schools has to b
crowded, leaky, ms
“homes” where you coul
raise a prize pig, let alon
boy. Every time we In Am
reasons of poverty, or ra
other reason, deny a goi
tion to young people iv
take it, we are vveake
country by just that ran
(Based on outlines oopji
the Division of Christian
National Council of tho Cl
Christ in. the T T . A Ei
Community Press Sen ice)