Mailbox Improvement Week
Local Postmaster's announced
this week that the week of May
20-25 has been designated Mail
box Improvement Week. The
purpose of Mailbox Improve
ment Week is to call attention
to the need for providing moil
receptacles which are designed
to protect the moil from the
weather, and which are neat in
appearance, conveniently locat
ed, and safe to use. Neat attrac
tive mailboxes make a signifi
cant contribution to the objec
tives and success of President
Johnson’s Natural Beauty Pro
gram.
Mailboxes of the appiovcd
traditional or contemporary de
sign are required, whenever a
mailbox is newly installed or a
present receptable is replaced.
Patrons still using obsolete, top
opening boxes may continue to
use them at the same location,
provided they are kept m ser
viceable condition and othei-
Wise meet the requirements.
Where box numbers are as
signed, the name of the owner
and the box number must be
shown on the side of the box
visible to the carrier as he ap
proaches, or on the door where
boxes are grouped. Patrons are
P V A
F <
f | put SAVINGS m WORK!
ij
if
ACCOUNTS
INSURED TO $15,000
n iQ ,
|FIRST FEDERAL|
Savings and^ ojan
ASSOCIATION OP LANCASTER
1
h
t
Mon. thru Thurs.
9 to 4:30
urged to group boxes wherever
this is practicable, especially at
or near crossroads, at service
turnouts, or at other places
where a considerable number of
boxes arc located.
The importance of placing
rufal mailboxes on the right
hand side of the road in the
direction traveled by the car
rier is stressed because it has
become incieasingly dangerous
to serve boxes on the left side
due to heavy traffic even on the
most i emote uiral road It is
suggested that all rural patrons
examine their boxes to see that
the suppoits are fnmly planted,
in the giound. parted and that
they are free from rust With
pation cooperation, we can as
sure a move efficient delivery
opeiation and the result is an
improved service to the entire
rural community.
Headaches A Signal
Rare, temporary headaches
have little medical impoitance,
physicians say. But they also
can be a warning of eyestrain,
high blood pressure, allergy or
various infections Seek medical
advice if a headache persists.
25 North .Duke St.
Phone 393-0601
Fri.
9 to 6
Farmers can break the barri
ers to belter income if they'll
fully mobilize the marketing
power machinery they already
possess.
So says the leader of a farm
business group whose numbers
represent more than half the na
tion’s growers.
Kenneth D. Naden, Executive
Vice President of the National
Council of Farmer Cooperatives,
said farmers received legal au
thority for effective group ac
tion in 192" with the passage of
the Act.
"Thai- authority spawned a
system of farmer-owned busi
nesses that have grown to a size
where today they can exert real
economic punch Yet the poten
tial for broader marketing pow
er remains largely untapped.
“Were farmers to resolve once
and for all to make use of their
cooperatives for both market
ing and supplies—they wouldn’t
need to be begging Congress for
any major new bargaining au
thority.
“The promise of prosperity for
farmers through price setting
Sat.
9 to noon
Farmers Can Break Income Barriers
FOR TOBACCO
• HY GRO for stronger plants
and better roots
# Fermote • Bordo
• Duo Copper • Agri-mycin
Garden Hose Scotts Products
Lawn Sprinklers Chapin Sprayers
Garden Seeds Fly Screening
Picnic Supplies
GROFF’S
HARDWARE
New Holland, Pa. Ph. 354-0851
v
Lancaster Farming. Saturday. May 18.1968
power alone is an illusion. The
reality is that only through skill
ful marketing and control of his
product from farm to store shelf,
can the farmer impro\e his in
come and retain the power of de
cision making.
"Farmer - owned cooperatives
provide the machines for exer
cising this option. Some govern
ment help—in the form of mar
keting orders where needed
will still be required. And until
faimers unite and take full com
mand. the additional aids such
as price supports and acreage
diversion must be retained.
"But group action as practic
ed by operating cooperatives,
rather than collective bargain
ing on the labor union model,
offers the best long lun choice
for farmers.
“Three choices are open to
those concerned with agricul
ture’s place in our economic pat
tern, and two of them are total
ly unacceptable both to farmers
and consumers Complete gov
ernment control as a public util
ity is one Domination by inves
tor-owned corporations is anoth
tr, Neither would sene the best:
interests of the nation.
"The third and only logical
choice is for farmers them
sehes to maintain control of pto
cluction and exercise more influ
ence in the marketing and dis
tribution of their products. They
can do this through group ac
tion. A cooperative is the proven
mechanism for doing it.
“Pure bargaining for price—
ev en with the sanction of lac
will jield limited results Mar
keting orders approved by farm
ers and admimsteied by the
Federal Government add a JitJe
horsepower.
“But real market power can
be assured only thiough integ .1-
tion of the basic steps of pi educ
tion and maiketmg. yielding
profit to the farmer all along tae
way The operating cooperatee
offers the way.
“In poll after poll, farmers
have indicated they want market
power and they war l to preserve
the pattern of independently
owned farms.
“In current Congressional
hearings, witnesses have testi
fied and lawmakers have declar-
ed that through cooperatives,
farmers already have the po
tential for substantial market
power. All they need do is use it.
“To do this, farmers will have
to relinquish a bit of independ
ence There is no question about
that They’ll have to sign tight
and binding contracts with their
cooperative, committing them
selves 100 percent to group ac
tion A contract guarantees the
marketer a source of supply and
the producer a home for his prod
ucts Contract farming is rap.d
ly replacing the old svstem any
way It’s only a question of who
will write the terms
“Today, farmers sell only
about one-fourth of their prod
ucts through cooperatives Were
they to double that figure, they
would begin to exert real mar
ket influence Through their co
operative they could control sup
plies marketed, promote new
uses for their products, find new
maikets at home and abroad
and influence public policy to
ward food production
“The decisive role in the fu
ture of agriculture seems des
tined to fall to coopeiatives They
ate well equipped to handle it,
,1 their members will let them
and if their leaders aie equal to
the challenge.
“Cooperatives aie not re
stianted by partisan politics.
Neithei are they confined by the
philosophy of any one faim or
ganization, commodity intei est
or geographic limit For half a
century they hav e demonstrated
high regard for the public in
terest
“If cooperatives aie not mov
ing aggressively enough, it is
time for fanners to insist that
they do
“If public policies aie not per
mitting cooperatives to grow
rapidly, it is time for co op lead
ers to insist that they do
“If elected officials are not en
couraging the growth of coopera
tives, it is time for voters to in
sist that they do
“Clearly, the public interest
will not be served bv letting food
production fall into the hands of
a few giant corporations Neith
er will the public interest be
served by submitting to total
Federal control of food produc
tion
“There is a middle way, and
that is to keep farming in the
hands of individual faim opera
tors and let them eveicise con
trol through the mechanism o r a
cooperative It is high time we
get on with it ”
Five men Ihed for a month
in 1963 in a shelter 36 feet be
low the siufaee of the Red Sea.
21