—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 18, 1972
10
Across the
Editor's Desk
AMERICA'S
FARM STRENGTH
An agricultural milestone was passed in
1971 when the American Farm Bureau
Federation rang up its two millionth
member family. This is almost certain to
have a substantial influence on the con
tinuing growth and stability of U.S.
agriculture in the years to come.
It is a tribute to the American Farm
Bureau Federation that it has grown
steadily m membership during an
evolutionary period in agriculture which
has seen the number of farms decline from
68 million m 1935 to about 2.9 million in
1971 Moreover, the policies and programs
of the Farm Bureau have played no small
part in improving agricultural efficiency so
that as the number of farmers decline food
production in the U.S. is now greater than
Believe it or not, but what goes on in the
legislative halls at Harrisburg, affects
every one of us here in this area.
And right now the actions of our state law
makers are a bit confusing, to say the least.
With an income tax which will turn a
supposed recent deficit into one of the
largest surpluses in history, the august
members of the legislature aren’t even
discussing, seriously that is, any form of tax
reduction.
Sure the Senate passed a measure to
reduce the 2 3 percent income tax but
while they were so doing, it was a known
fact that the Democrats in the lower house
would spike the whole affiar plus the
open declaration by the governor that he
would veto the whole thing if it ever did
reach his desk.
And all of this goes on even before the
state budget is drawn up, leaving many of
us with the impression that all they are
concerned with is get the money and we’ll
find ways to spend it!
One move by Senator Tighman to have
the subject of tax reductions debated on a
specfic date was blocked when the
Democrats presented a motion to adjourn,
which takes precedence over all other
motions and is not debatable And thus any
further business in the Senate was halted
abruptly for the entire week
In order to expedite the usually slow and
Compulsory Unionism Pays
The following item entitled “A 520.000
Pay Raise? It’s Easy When You Have
Compulsory Unionism" appeared in the
December Newsletter of Pennsylvanians
for Right to Work:
No wonder George Meany calls his fellow
members on the Pay Board and ad-
LANCASTER FARMING
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A Confusing Situation
it has ever been. The Farm Bureau
represents—and advocates —basic
principles of agricultural independence.
And its members support a market
oriented farm economy. They believe in a
minimum of government controls and
regulations. Spokesmen for the Farm
Bureau have reiterated again and again
their support of federal farm legislation
that would relieve farmers and all of the
nation's taxpayers of costly policitally
managed farm programs.
In passing the two-million member mark,
the American Farm Bureau Federation
gives evidence not only of its own vitality
and continuing purpose but provides
encourangment to those who believe
agriculture and the American farm remain
one of the strongest bulwarks of individual
liberty and a primary source of this
country’s abundance.
confused progression of business in
Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives
the Assemblymen decided last Monday to
conduct a month-long experiment in
modern legislative managemnt. Conceived
in the hearts of frustrated legislators and
modeled from the pages of “Toward
Tomorrow’s Legislature,” new House
procedures were adopted to “bring more
. order" to the House sessions while
discouraging "legislator truancy" and
snail-pace floor action.
The trial procedures will extend through
the month of March and provide for a
strictly run three-day legislative week. At
the beginning of each session, the roll will
be called verbally and each Representative
is required to respond by saying "here” as
he rises in his seat. According to the new
schedule,- Monday sessions will begin at
4:30 P.M. and are reserved for moving
“consent" bills on the calendar. Consent
measures are those which require no
debate and attract less than five or six
negative votes. Tuesday sessions begin at
1:30 P.M. and are reserved for debate and
floor action on controversial bills. Wed
nesday sessions, beginning at 11:00 A.M.,
will also be reserved for action on con
troversial bills. At the close of the Wed
nesday session, House leaders will identify
the “consent" measures to be considered
the following Monday.
ministration officials “pipsqueak hat
chet men Little League umpires” when
they discuss the SVs per cent guidelines for
wage increases His fellow AFL-CIO union
professionals, basking in the Miami Beach
sun, just gave him a 28 per cent salary
increase, from $70,000 to $90,000 But
then why shouldn't they 7 Here’s what
some other union officials are “earning”
Frank E Fitzsimmons, Teamsters,
$125,000, plus expenses
Joseph Curran, Maritime, $102,102, plus
expenses
James T Housewnght, Retail Clerks,
$73,708, including allowances and ex
penses
Peter Fosco, Laborers, $71,132, in
cluding expenses
John Lyons, Iron Workers, $77,674,
including expenses
Hunter P Wharton, Operating
Engineers, $93,200, including expenses
Is compulsory unionism worth fighting
for 7 Just ask any union professional l
To Plow Down Manure
The time of the year is coming
when most farmers will be
hauling manure and preparing
their fields for the 1972 crops.
With the current interest in the
proper handling of barnyard
manure it is difficult to know the
best way to store the manure
until spring plowing arrives. But
we are quite sure that once the
manure goes to the field, that it
should be plowed down or disced
down deeply, as soon as possible
in order to prevent much run-off.
By this time of the year some
liquid manure storage tanks are
getting full and will have to be
emptied very soon. When the
several months manure supply
goes out to the field, the quicker it
is plowed down or mixed with the
soil, the greater will be the
benefits and lower will be the
problem of pollution.
To Apply Winter Spray Oils
Many ornamental trees and
shrubs are bothered with various
kinds of scale; the time to start
control for this year with a
dormant oil spray is now. I’m
referring to all types of or
namental fruit trees such as
plum, cherry, and crabapple and
to many varieties of euonymous >
that are seriously susceptible to*
scale. Following the winter spray
oil should be two sprays in early
June and two sprays in early
August with malathion or
demethoate to control the
crawlers that may hatch out in
warm weather. Scale infestation
REALLY ONE!
Lesson for March 19,1972
tackground Scripture Acts 4 32-37,
Romans 15
Devotional Reading 1 Peter 13 9
Some people don’t read the
Bible because they feel they can’t
understand it. Others don’t read
it because they do understand it
and don’t like what they under
stand!
The passage m Acts 4 32-27 is
one of those that
has the capacity
to disturb some
readers of the
Bible For one
thing, the eco
nomic practices
of that little band
of Christians
i»„ *l*l. strikes some dis-
Rev. Althouse cermng readers
as being somewhat Communistic.
The writer of Acts seems to say
that there was no private proper
ty “ no one said that any of
the things which he possessed
was his own, but they had every
thing in common” (4 32b)
“As any had need”
Furthermore, distribution of
goods was not on the basis of
labor or merit “ . . distribution
was made to each as any had
need ’ (4 35) This docs sound
like a primitive Marxism where
productivity does not provide for
accumulation of private w'ealth
and capital Immediately we be
gin to think of those age-old
questions How can there be any
may be serious on some trees and
lower their growth and vitality;
sprays are necessary.
To Shear Sheep
Warmer weather will soon
arrive when the sheep flock will
become very uncomfortable with
their crop of wool. We suggest
that the fleece be removed within
the next month and stored in a
clean, dry place until sale time. It
is not too early to shear sheep in
this part of the country and most
ewes will be better mothers when
sheared. If the fleece is left on the
animal until hot weather arrives,
there may be some rubbing and
loss of wool. If the wool clip is to
be taken to one of the nearby wool
polls to be graded, then the fleece
should be tied with paper twine,
with the flesh side out, and stored
as suggested above. The sheep
should be thoroughly dry when
sheared.
To Order Fertilizer
This may be a late suggestion
to many producers but continues
to be important to those who have
not ordered their needs for this
spring. We are told of a
phosphorus shortage in the
fertilizer industry and some
producers may not be üble to
have their needs met if they wait
too long. Many local soils are low
in phosphorus and this element is
the one that controls yields of
many crops; growers are urged
to check their fertilizer needs and
be sure that the proper kinds are
coming your way. A complete soil
test is the best way to leam the
needs of a soil and there’s still
time to get a test on any soil
where the needs are unknown.
incentive in a society like this 0
Doesn’t this encourage some peo
ple to live off the labor of others?
Etc
Their method of holding “every
thing in common” and distribut
ing goods “to each as any had
need” had one overriding pur
pose to meet fully the needs of
all who were in the fellowship!
And apparently they were success
ful, for the writer of Acts tells
us - “There was not a needy per
son among them . . (4-34)
What we have here is not a
primitive Marixist ideology, but
an expression of "Christian unity.
This fellowship was a “company
of those who believed . .of one
heart and soul.” From this one
ness there grew a concern for
each other’s welfare
The reason for their power
Jesus had prayed for their one
ness and had explained the spirit
ual basis for their unity. They
knew they were called to be one
fellowship, but it was in their
evident concern for each other
that they demonstrated their
oneness was real Christian unity
and fellowship may be prayed
for, sun? and preached about,
and earnestly proclaimed, but if
it is not evident in the way we
respond to the needs of one
another, we are not really one.
But docs this mean that we too
must possess “everything in com
mon’’ and put our material
wealth into a common pool’ No,
the method is not so important
so long as we carry out the same
pui pose they had to care for one
another’s needs What God calls
us to achieve is a Christian fel
lowship where there are no needy
pel sops because in one way or
another we ha\c shared w'hat we
ha\e and demonstrated that we
are realU one.
Kased on outlines copyrighted by the
Division of Christian Education, National
Council of the Churches of Christ in the U S.A.
Released by Community Press Service)