—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 16, 1960
4
FROM WHERE WE STAND -
Get It In Writing Is
“Get it in writing.” has been one of
the admonitions handed out ever since
the invention of paper to anyone deal
ing with another person who might
not" be considered exactly honest.
We agree that any kind of an agree
ment must be in writing if one is deal
ing with strangers, but how about
friends and family.
Farmers are notoriously slow to
ask neighbors and family to put any
kind of agreement on paper. “His
word is as good as his bond ” they say,
and we are happy that there are still
a few people" in this world who have
confidence in their fellowrnan.
But we feel that a \yritten agree
ment is in no way a reflection on the
integrity of the parties to the agree
ment. In actual fact, persons with
nothing to hide and no personal axes
to grind will be most willing to have
agreements on paper.
We realize that even with written
agretements differences of opinion arise
but they do not compare to the differ
ences that come about because one or
both of the parties to an agreement do
not understand the terms of a verbal
contract.
Verbal contracts are just as binding
as those on paper, and can be enforced
to the letter—if the letter can be de
termined.
We think it is important to have a
written agreement regarding wages,
tenancy, priveleges, or other benefits
to accrue in the future, because it is
easy to promise many things orally to
On V 1 c‘ < o n
Snortly before Congress
adjourned Senator Karl E
Mundt of South Dakota in
tioduced a bill that wou'd
regime a secret ballot of
workers prior to the calling
of a strike
Although no hearings were
held and no action was taken
on the bill, and the idea of
secret strike ballots is not
new, the objective of restor
ing control of unions to
workers is one that deserves
consideration
Many unions, as a matter
of common practice, do hold
secret voles to approve or re
ject use of tha threat of a
strike as a bargaining weap
on A considerable numbei
of them do not
It is a common practice a
mong many unions, as Sen
Mundt points out, for union
leaders to ask for a strike
vote before they go to the
bargaining table with an em
ployer, tor use as a club in
obtaining <hen- demands
Labor Bosses
The record of labor dis
putes in recent yeais con
tains many flagiant abuses of
the str>ke authorization
Union leaders in many in
stances have called and con-
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ixl Association
THIS WEEK
—ln Washington
With Clinton Davidson
Union Ballots
tinned strfi e w’thout giving
members an opportunity to
vote on acceptance or reject
ion of employers’ offers
“In many cases,” Senator
Mundt said, “employees vote
to strike merely to strength
en their representatives’ bar
gaining position. Howevei
once a strike is authorized,
employees find themselves
striking without the oppor
tunity to vote on the real
issue—acceptance or reject
ion of the employer’s oiler ox
settlement of the dispute ”
Once the strike weapon is
placed in the hands of union
leaders, the members are
powerless to do anything ex
cept what their leaders tell
them to do Strikes are some
times continued for months
with no opportunity for the
members to vote on an ’em
ployer’s offer of settlement.
Sen Mundt’s 0111 is desig
ned “to strengthen democrat
ic proce-ses within labor or
ganizations and to protect
union members against un
justifiable pay losses in
strikes though providing for
impartial secret strike bal
lots ”
Settlement Procedures
The bill provides that be
fore a stiiho con d be called
a vote by -ecre' ballot would
have to be held on accept
ance or reaction of the em
ployer’s offer Voting would
be supervised by an election
committee consisting of one
union representative, one
employer reoresentative and
a third member agreed upon
by the first two
No strike ballot could be
taken unti 1 a "ter at least “60
days of honest collective bar
gaining negotiations m an at
mosphere free of a strike
threat ” The effect would be
to prevent union negotiators
beginning bargaining talks
with a strike authorization
m their pockets
“The bill, ’ Sen Mundt to
ld the Senate, “is sound and
workable and will not inter-
Good Advice
make a good impression - without in
tending to deceive or mislead. Many
farm workers have worked for years
at a sacrifice in wages on the employ
er’s promise that someday “You wal
be treated very well.”
Furthermore, many have learned
that a man's word or good intentions
mean not a whit after his death.
In these days of enormous capital
investments, the advice to get, it in
writing is doubly important for wills.
We know many farmers who have an
idea of how they would like to have
their property divided when they no
longer have a need for it, but unless it
is in writing, many heartaches may
result when survivors begin to settle
the estates.
We know of no situation calling
more strongly for written agreement
than the partnership between father
and son, and yet, these two seem most
hesitant to put their terms on paper.
Many family relatonships have been
trained, and in some instances broken
entirely, because father or son felt
that the other one did not fulfill the
verbal agreement. Too many times
these verbal pacts are too vague to
mean much to either party even when
they are made, but each feels that
nothing could change their working
relationship.
So many situations are changing in
this fast-moving society we live in that
the advice to “Get it in writing/’ is
more important than it has ever been.
At least that’s 'how it looks from
where we stand.
fere with, nor diminish, the
legitimate exercise of the
right to strike, but will af
ford protection for the effect
ed workers, employers and
the public against arbitrary
and unreasonable strike act
ion.”
Unle-s something is done
throughout ' organized labor
to make all union leaders re
sponsive to the wishes of
their members —as is done
now in many of the larger
and more democratically op
erated unions—abuses by un
scrupulous labor bosses can
do further serious damage to
labor unions and the nation
al v. el .are
Farm Safety
Week Set
Pre'ident Dwight D Eisen
hower has proclaimed the
week of Jidy 24 30 as NAT
IONAL FARM SAFETY
WEEK throughout the nat
ion
In his proclamation, the
President called upon the
people, urban and rur'd, to
observe the week beginning
July 24, at NATIONAL
FARM SAFETY WEEK, and
urged “all farm families, all
organized farm groups, and
ah persons allied with agri-
culture to join their effort to
begin this new decade of the
sixties with an exempUry
record in farm safety.”
The President pointed ou*
that the health and prosper
ity of rural America have a
profound effect upon health
and propsenty of the T
lon, while “accidents cause
death -nd disability, sugar
ing and hardships to 'tnu
sands of our farm people an
nually and substantial y re
duce the productive capacity
Rural "Rhythrrs
THE COW'S OPINIO' 1
By Carol Dean Huber
Never mind if Shep has four
young pups
Or h ’f a dozen or eig’"
They’re not so grand as ny
one young calf
Standing there by the ga'e.
Her coat’s so smooth; her
eyes are soft;
She’s lovely; don’t you a CT rec.
I’h sure she’ll win a ribbon
some day
And be a credit to me!
( J urn to pag^
Bible Material: Amoi 5. - J4, 15; S.
Derotlonml Beading; Prove:bs 3.5-12.
False Security
Lesson for July 17, 1980
ALARM whistles blew, sirens
sounded, signals flashed. The
whole city should have been, in an
uproar, but it was going about its
business as usual. Excited officials
telephoned everywhere—a mistake
has been made, this is no drill, just
pay no attention. But nobody paid
attention to the
apologies, be-
cause nobody had
paid attention to
the alarm. Head-
quarters had
many phone calls
that day, but—
and this is- the in-
teresting point
everybody sup
posed there must
be some mistake. Not a soul took
it seriously.
That little story, If true (It got
into the newspapers at any rate),
shows up very nicely the-American
state of mind. We cant believe any
thing 1 is wrong with us, we can’t
see how anything can go wrong
with us. People who drive out a.
few miles from any city in America
may see signs: Evacuation Route
. . . Feeding Stason,.and so forth.
But how many Americans actually
expect ever to stand hungry at a
feeding station?!
The prophet Amos, speaking for
God, faced a nation (Israel) small
er than ours by far, but just as
complacent, just as sure that noth
ing could go wrong, just as gently
cushioned by a feeling of national
security. The facts and factors
that made them feel so safe and
happy are’ familiar to any who take
time off to observe the American
scene. For one thing, they were a
nation operating by military
power. Many of its kings, if not all
of them, had been generals of the
army. In case of rival claimants
for the throne, the man with the
most troops usually got the prize.
The country had knocked off its
enemies one by one. Just at Amos’s
time, the boundaries of the conn-
Now is The Time . . .
BY MAX SMITH
TO PREPARE EOR AUGUST SEEDING—
Local alfalfa growers expeeang to unU
a mid-August seeding should be staling' o
prepare their ground One of the \eiv im
porlanl prac.ices in getting a good el alfJ
stand is to have a firm, weed-free seed
bed By plowing or discing during (he
month o 1 July and then discing or bar
rowing every 10 days to two weeks until
seeding tune you will get a good seedbed A
complete soil test is also very unpoi mn*
at tins time m order to wnrk in the Im 1 *
and fertilizer prior to seeding
MAX SMITH
TO RECOGNIZE THE VALUE OF BAND SEEDING-#:
seeding oi a falfa in mid-August by the band seeding med’ :
od is strongly recommended This attachment maj be pdf
chased from local machinery dealers for the gram bn
£ ij
The object ie is to drop the a Haifa seeds on top o. 1
ground be’mid the drill and directly over a band nl com
piece feru i'er When this operation is followed b\ a m® 1
or cultip cker in Hie same direction, the soil and Hie
are pressed toge ther and the fertilizer is under Ibc > cC
* r |
wnere u J iuck 7 y available to the new plant Mam oi
better st :.d o- alfalfa have been seeded by this me lin'd 11
recent years
TO FEED HAY OR SILAGE—Many dairymen have
cd thoir i' ‘icing held in recent years without being
increase ' Cjl' acreage of pasture. This means that h nt
weather wi 1 present a shortage of good pastuic L 1
milking herd "f production and herd condition ’‘ u
maintained, either hay or silage (or both) should 11 ’
several time, daily to supplement the dccieasing
production Dairymen should make every effort to 1 ° !f * j
duction and cow condition in the late summer bcr.m
the morp fa’arable fall mi'k prices. If cows arc P l ' ll^1
to get thin and down in production in the suninici, f- 11
winter production will suffer 0
TO CLIP ' TC, W GRASS FIELDS—If the small gt " n cV f
was seeded down to clover or alfalfa, it is advisabh
the stubble during late Ju’y in order to control
also to e the chances of ge tijig a cuffing af ha) [(1
fore mid September Mowers should be set rathei dig '
order to h-ve some of the legume plant left for new g rC "
> *M- V J
try were wider thru,
since Solomon. What w
done, armies could f i„ aiftli 'i|
thought ... and so d^ 3 " 1 ’
hare never been be <lten ' Ve
shall never be beaten’, 'H
coaches know that *.
streak lasts for e\ ej n ° 'H
Waaltb and Culfura
The little countiy ot T
not only safe at the mo 3a ‘‘ ,1 J
military attack, it V J' *” ei M
People built homes of k° s H
is to say, decorated with ° r H
lavish way. They ha a
summer and winter hrJ nty J
drank the finest wines t? 1
money and leisure f Ol th e n * y j
Amos pointed out, all «. "f’j
was only on certain niJl,
were other streets whe.« 1
went hungry and cold c.fl
people Amos talked to v . (r ." J
from the country-chu, ~,511
They never did belie, e what 3
told them, that prosjier-iv 1
the same thing as secuuty iij
no point In throwing a L j
if the house is burning dmil
your head We are a htti,?J
Israelites, aren’t we’ Many iJ
icana think we can buy om-1
out of any trouble, we'ean J
friends with any nation , u 3
spending money there |
Tht Emmy Within
After all, enemy airrues v
not the greatest danger to ij
as a nation.'When a mud bl
down a tree m tlie foiest, m
that the wind was to blame
was it the wind, 01 was it the*
rotting inside the ti ee-trunk”
same wind struck other tret!
they did not fall This one fell
cause it was hollow, a little t
sent it tumbling What concei
Amos most, looking (\\e may j
through God’s eyes at Israel,
hot foreign politics and fop
wars, but conditions inside Isi
Oh, people would have said to 1
conditions are not bad hue, 1
at the temples, they aie hl'edet
week The number of saci'flees
never been greater But Amos
not impressed God d'd not ewe
all their lehgion; it v.as onh
hgiosity, which is another th
God is more impressed bv m
and righteousness than he d
elaborate "worship suvic
Amos made it clear that cm
attendance is no gna’ antce i
nation’s safety. The burning q
tion is - What do the rvoi 'c \ h
to church do to othci p’-n!e
remaining six days ct the
If the nations hen t i-, i”t
what use arc her deu”
'Based on oTifjMiP*? nri
IV. i>tvtsion cl C»s i »»» “ f a
Cornell of »»« ' i
Christ in tVe U. Q » e»*4
Community Tress h‘m • )