—Lancaster Farming. Saturday, September 18,1971
14
Hardin Explains Price Freeze and Farmers
Exemption of raw agricultural
products from the wage-price
freeze shows that the highest
councils of the government
recognize the farmer’s contribu
tion toward preventing inflation,
Secretary of Agriculture Clifford
M. Hardin said recently in Co
lumbus, Ohio.
Secretary Hardin told the an
nual meeting of the National As
sociation of Animal Breeders
that farm prices have not contri
buted to inflation.
The price at which the public
buys its food and fiber from
farmers has risen only 7 8 per
cent in the last 20 years, he said,
while “a recent labor contract
called 'for a 42 per cent increase
in wages over the next 42
months
“I am in favor of people earn
ing good wages, but where is the
justice?” he asked.
During the farm price rise of
7.8 per cent, average hourly
manufacturing wages jumped
more than 100 per cent, and
prices farmers pay for all items
climbed 52 per cent, the Secre
tary stated.
Far from contributing to in
flation, farmers, whose produc
tivity per man hour has in
creased twice as fast as in non
farm industry, have been “hold
ing a handbrake on consumer
price increases,” Mr. Hardin
said.
“If farm prices had gone up
either as much ps average manu
facturing wages or the cost of
handling food—from farm to
table—consumers would be pay
ing a great deal more for their
food.”
Agricultural producers have
reason to feel encouraged by the
current determination to deal
forcefully with inflation, the
Secretary said
With the cost of resource in
puts stabilized, efficiencies and
economies in farm operations
can lead to more tangible re
sults,” he continued “And, great
er yields and higher output per
unit of investment can improve
farmers’ profit-making oppor
tunities as demand for their
products grows.”
The President’s new economic
policy—part of which is wage
price freeze—is an effort to
stimulate our total domestic
economy to produce, he said,
adding.
“Tax reductions and the spur
ring of investments in new pro
ductive equipment are designed
to create new activity and new
jobs In due course, these ac
tions should benefit farmers by
strengthening and expanding the
niarkets for farm products
“If the effort works out well,
in the way we hope it will, mar
kets overseas could improve for
a good many American products
This can be particularly signi
ficant for farmers and for im
proved farm income
Last year, we set a triple
record—in total volume of farm
exports, the value of farm ex
ports, and the sales for hard dol
lars ”
In large part, this resulted
from rising efficiency U S agri
culture can make an even strong
er contribution, “provided other
Joseph King Reelected
Pa. Truckers President
Joseph J. King Jr, Penn
Dairies, Inc., Lancaster, was re
elected president of the Penn
sylvania Motor Truck Associa
tion recently during the Asso
ciation’s 43rd Annual Meeting
at the Host Farm Resort Motel.
In addition to being named to
a second term as president of
the statewide trucking organiza
tion, King is currently serving
as a member of the board of
directors of the Lancaster
County Chapter of PMTA and
has previously-served as chap
ter president and vice presi-
countries will let our farm prod
ucts compete—and, provided
that farmers can harvest and
move their products to market
when ready/’ He continued:
“All too * often, farmers are
caught in the crossfire of labor
disputes. The recent rail strike
and the present dock strike are
good examples
“Farmers, whose incomes de
pend on moving the harvest
when it’s ready, are innocent vic
tims of somebody -else’s eco
nomic warfare. Farmers lose
markets and income during the
work stoppage, then are caught
broadside by the higher costs
tnat folo wthe strike.
“Farmers wish that they, too,
could announce an 8 per cent
hike at the end of the affair.”
Martin's
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IVAN M. MARTIN, INC.
Blue Ball, Pa. 354-4125
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Secretary Hardin said the war
is being “wound down on sched
ule and there has been a massive
shift from a wartime to peace
time economy. Defense spending
that represented 44 per cent of
the national budget has been cut
to 32 per cent, while expendi
tures for peacetime programs
haveuncreased correspondingly.”
He said that during the period
of 1965 to 1969, prices were ris
ing at the rate of 6 per cent a
year, “and headed higher.”
Meanwhile, unemployment aver
aged 6 per cent a year during
much of the 60’s.
And, while current unemploy
ment is “too high,” the rate of
inflation has slowed during the
past 18 months, and “never in
U.S. history havetotal employ-
' Role in Fighting Inflation
xnent amount of income, and with the needs of the nation, Mr.
savings been higher,” he said. Hardin said, for “we need to
“Those who for selfish reasons close ranks in the battle against
oppose the freeze are out of tune inflation. ...”
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