As Teacher’s and Bricklayer’s Lets Improve, Taxes Cost Far More Thao Food: Elmer D. Hawbaker, Penn sylvania Senate minority leader, spoke here this week about how lood prices get cheaper and cheaper for the consumer. At the annual banquet meeting ol the Lancaster County DHIA at the Farm and Home Center Tuesday, Hawbaker recalled that m 1941 he produced chickens and sold them for 30 cents a pound live with “feathers and all.” “in those days,” he added, “having chicken meant cutting the head off and plucking the feathers.” But consumers today often don’t even pay 30 cents a pound to buy the chicken cooked and ready to eat, he stated. This isn’t the only farm com modity with which this sort of thing has happened, Hawbaker noted. In 1949, he recalls selling a pen oi hogs and receiving $29.50 a hundredweight. More than 20 years later hogs are selling for less at a time with the working man “insists on 12 per cent an nual increases in salary to keep up with the inflation.” “How does he (the working man) think the lamer is getting rich with declining prices?” Hawbaker asked. Noting that his wife is a school Wouldn t you rather keep your farm in the family than have it sold for taxes? Planning your estate can help you avoid the unnecessary costs and heavy inheritance taxes that often require selling a farm intended for children and other heirs. But that's just one of the advantages of planning your estate to protect your family's future. As a typical Lancaster County farmer, you’re probably worth more than you realize and it’s so important to plan your estate for handling by spe cialists. At the Friendly First, our trust officers, George Sload and Rick Ashby, are the experts who can help set up your estate for the best interests of you and your family. Regardless of how little or how much you’re worth, you'll get personal interest and plenty of time for discussion with a Friendly First trust officer. You can arrange a meeting at any of our branch offices ... or even at your home ..-. wherever and whenever it’s most convenient for you. Tragic losses can happen without proper estate planning. Don’t let them happen to your estate. Call George Sload or Rick Ashby today to arrange a discussion that can be very valuable to you and your family. Call them TODAY at 397-4733. Put your trust in the hands of the Friendly First. Senator Tells How Food Is Very Good Buy teacher, Hawbaker said she earns about 13 times the salary that she did when he met her m 1937. He said that milk at that time was selling for 10 cents a quart. If farmers had gotten the same rate of increases as his wife, milk would be selling for $1.30 a quart today instead of the 37 cents or less that it ’is, Hawbaker said. And the farmer would be getting something like $26 a hundred for his milk instead of $6, Hawbaker said. Hawbaker operates an 80-cow milking herd in Franklin County. He said he joked recently with his wife that if he had gotten the same kind of raises over the years that she has, he could also work 180 days and loaf 185. He admitted that he was somewhat facetious in making the comment. He acknowledged that “teachers have it hard,” but also emphasized that “the far mer has a hard job, too.” He mentioned the need to get the cows milked in all kinds of weather, including zero weather, throughout the year Hawbaker also spoke about the increasing bargain consumers are getting in food, but he played down the effect of “middle men” S I UP LANCASTER WILLOW STREET STRASBURG 397-4733 464-3421 687-7617 IKje. Firs* Tlotiorul (bank Ojjf MEMBER F.D.I.C. Senator Elmer Hawbaker, left, is greeted Tuesday afternoon. Hawbaker was the by Donald Eby, president of the Lancaster banquet speaker. County DHIA, at the annual DHIA banquet Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 22.1972 in causing higher lood costs There used to be a lot of talk about middle men getting all the larmcr’s profits, but there's much less ol this talk today as larmers become much more lamihar with business in general, he said He recalled that he found out from cxpierence with his own bottling operations about “middle men’s costs ” The big gap between I arm prices and consumer prices is eaten up mostly by costs rather than prolits, he stated Hawbaker also said that 70 years ago in 1900 the average working man had to spend 30 minutes ol labor to earn a quart ol milk Today he works lour and one hall minutes for the same quart of milk Hawbaker emphasized that “price doesn’t mean anything today” becuase the values ol the dollar changes. “The thing that’s basic is time the amount ol time that a worker must snend in order to earn something.” “We are supplying each other’s needs with the work we do,” according to Hawbaker The state Senator also noted that while the average worker spends 13 hours and 15 minutes ol work per week to pay his taxes, he spends only live hours and 15 minutes to buy his lood Clothing costs him two hours and live minutes a week, medical ex penses one hour and 15 minutes, and recreation one hour and 35 minutes “It certainly points out that lood is not a burden lor most lamihes " At the same time that the amount ol work necessary to buy lood is declining, the lood itsell is coming in better lorm note the example of chicken Despite these tacts the /armer is under increasing pressure Irom consumers, Hawbaker noted “Wo even have a Secretary ol Agriculture to en courage Pennsylvanians to drive across the river into New Jersey to buy milk The thing that we and the Secretary should be saying is this Food today is cheaper than it has been anywhere else in the world ” Hawbaker also recalled that the income Irom “one bushel ol (Continued on Page 11) 7
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