—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 14, 1973
10
Depend on HB 1056.
Pennsylvania farmers won a major battle
in the May primary election when the
state’s voters approved a constitutional
amendment to allow preferential tax
treatment for farmland The measure won
overwhelming approval in all areas of the
state - urban and suburban as well as rural.
The passage of the amendment is a
tribute to the hard work of farm
organizations, environmental groups and
ordinary citizens throughout the Com
monwealth All that work, though, will be in
vain unless a strong farm tax law is
enacted by the legislature
HB 1056 is such a law Francis Kennedy,
chairman of the House Agriculture
Committee and himself a farmer, is the
architect of HB 1056, and has scheduled
public hearings to gauge popular opinion
on the bill In last week’s issue of this
newspaper, we reported on the first of
those hearings
Real estate brokers and home builders,
we said, are opposed to the bill At the first
public meeting in Harrisburg, they voiced
their vigrous objections to HB 1056 If
Kennedy's committee were to heed the
wishes of these special interest groups,
there would be no effective tax protection
for farmers, and agriculture, particularly in
this southeastern corner of the state,
would be in danger of disappearing in the
next few decades
Opponents of the bill say it will cause a
shortage of land for homes, and it will
cause higher taxes for homeowners and
businesses They say also that if the HB
1056 is enacted into law the farmer will not
be carrying his full share of the tax burden.
These critics have a lot of money, and they
have a lot of clout in Harrisburg Their
charges must be answered
Actually, the short-term effect of the bill
could be to increase the farmer’s tax bill in
areas around metropolitan regions. The
intent of the bill is to have farmland taxed
on the basis of its value as farmland, rather
than on the basis of its speculative value.
There are farms in Lancaster County with
assessed valuations below their actual
value as units of agricultural production
Any reassessment, and a reassessment
is coming, would have to take that factor
into account But without the protection of
a farm tax bill, reassessment would result
Here’s a recipe of love, designed by the
Boys' Clubs of American and used daily by
their Royal Oak, Michigan chapter. It is
simple and, if followed closely, will yield a
happy, well-adjusted individual able to take
his place as a responsible citizen upon
reaching manhood. It is flexible enough to
adapt to most communities The Royal Oak
version follows
Take one boy with a “special” problem,
ie, deafness, mental retardation, paralysis
or emotional disturbance. Add one com
passionate staff member to act as his
personal counselor Stir in a heaping
teaspoon of understanding Be careful not
to accidentally add pity, this boy will be
expected to follow the normal rules and
measure up to average expectations It is
important to find the boy’s particular in
terests and stir in a large amount of it, for
this will keep him excited about the
program Blend these ingredients well and
poui into the relaxed, educational at
mosphere of a Boys’ Club While the
Your Future May
Support It.
Recipe of Love
in tax valuations based on a farm's
speculative value for its potential use as a
housing development, motel site or
amusement park That could push the
farmers' tax bills soaring It could push the
farmer off the land
Herbert 'Packer, Jr., executive vice
president of the Pennsylvania Builders
Association, told Francis Kennedy’s
committee that industry, commerce and
homeowners would have to shoulder an
unfair portion of the tax burden if farmers
were given a break. The fact is that farmers
have been subsidizing a considerable
portion of local economies for decades.
Why is there such a thing as a real estate
tax 7 It exists to pay for property related
services such as roads, fire and police
protection, and the costs of local govern
ments It exists also to pay for educational
systems, a facet of real estate taxation that
is coming under heavy fire and which may
disappear in the years ahead.
If a farmer stays on his land for many
years, his needs for property related
services are fairly constant Naturally, the
costs for these services keep going up
along with everything else. In heavily
populated areas, though, these costs don't
just reflect increases in salaries and
materials If a township doubles in
population, its bill for government services
will certainly more than double. It will, in
fact, skyrocket.
More people mean more roads, more
policemen, more government More people
mean sewer and water systems. More
people create the need for more schools
Should a farmer be forced to pay higher
taxes simply because he farms in an area
where people keep moving m 7 Should he
be made to subsidize the local economy
simply because he has a bigger chunk of
land than anyone else 7 Should he be forced
off that land by outrageous taxes 7 We think
not No, the farmers share of the tax
burden should be based on the fair value of
his farmland, not its speculative value
Anything else would be unfair.
The next public hearing for HB 1056 is
scheduled for August 1, beginning at 9 30
a m in the auditorium at Millersville State
College If you care about the future of
farming m this state, we hope you’ll be
there
ingredients are working together to create
a better individual, the associate director
of the Club will have time for a weekly
consultation with the boy's parents and to
evaluate the boy's progress
The mixture will take several years and
as in the other 1,000 Boys’ Clubs across
the U.S serving approximately one million
boys in programs of self-improvement,
guidance and recreation-it will yield a
healthy, well-rounded individual, eager to
take his place in, and contribute to, the
well-being of society This recipe has been
in existence for 112 years Try it sometime
in your own community You’ll like the
results
POND CREEK, OKLA, HERALD. “It will
cost more to pay the interest on the
national debt in 1974 than it cost to run
the government in all the years from 1789
to 1913--$24 6 billion interest in 1974
against $24 billion spent through the first
123 years of our government ”
| NOW IS
1 THE TIME . . .
TO CONTROL GROUNDHOGS
Many farmers face the
problem of controlling groun
dhogs in their crop land. In spite
of less waste land and less cover
for wildlife in the county, there
seems to be an increasing
number of groundhogs. For
sportsmen they are fair game
and many enjoy hunting them;
however, there is always risk
with hunters on the land during
the summer months when
livestock and people are out in
the fields. Methods of control
might start with the use of gas
carthdges to be put into the holes
to exterminate them, these are
available locally at reasonable
prices Trapping is another
method of control but many times
not successful Control is desired
on many farms because of the
holes posing a possible threat to
broken legs on animals or broken
wheels or axles on farm equip
ment
TO KEEP CURRENT ON
OSHA REGULATIONS
Farmers who employ outside
help should keep informed about
the changing regulations This
program termed the Oc
cupational Safety and Health Act
concerns the health and safety of
farm employees Fruit producers
have a new set of regulations to
go into action on July 13 con
cerning the use of sprays and the
reentry periods after spray
applications. These are changed
from the original regulations that
SPOILED GIFT
Lesson for July 15,1973
Background Scripture Exodus 20 14
Matthew 5 27-32, John 8 3 11, Ro
mans 1 24 32, 1 Corinthians 6 13b
-20, Ephesians 5 21 23
Devotional Reading Ephesians 5 1-10
Have you ever noticed Jesus’
talent for bursting our little bal
loons of pride and self-satisfac
tion? He has a knack for convert
ing our great moral victories into
occasions of doubt and suspicion
of guilt.
REW
The rich young
ruler came to him
with obvious self
satisfaction. He
lived according to
all the command
ments, what more
did he need? Ap
parently he had
Rev. Althouse to
commend him,
but, instead of the expected “pat
on the back,” Jesus replied with:
“you lack one thing . .
The precious gift
No one can really take pride in
his observance of the command
ments if he really understands
them as Jesus did. For example,
one need not commit murder to
violate the sixth commandment.
One may destroy or profane God’s
gift of human life with anger and
bitterness as well as with physical
violence.
The same is true with the sev
enth commandment- “You shall
not commit adultly.” It too is in
tended to protect one of God’s
precious gifts - human sexual na
ture Like all his gifts, it is in
tended to enrich and elevate life.
He expects us, therefore, to use
Max Smith
County Agr. Agent
Telephone 394-6851
were suspended about the middle
of June. All farm employers must
exhibit the poster stating their
cooperation with the OSHA
program relating to the health
and safety of farm workers.
Posters are available at our
Extension Office if needed.
TO HARVEST
VALUABLE STRAW
The small grain crop is being
harvested in this part of the
country and needless to say,
straw is a very scarce crop on
most farms. Producers are urged
to harvest the straw because if
not needed on the farm, it has
been moving at very favorable
prices. On most livestock and
dairy farms straw has been used
on a limited basis because of the
high buying price. The new crop
should help to relieve this
situation and every pound should
be harvested After using it as
bedding in the barn, it can still be
returned to the soil to help
maintain organic matter content.
TO CHECK DOGS FOR TICKS
Dogs that roam fields and
woody areas with their owners
should be checked regularly for
wood ticks; ticks await their
victims on low-growing shrubs
and tall grass. They attach to
dogs and humans as well as other
animals On dogs they are often
found around the neck, between
his toes, between his legs, and in
and around his ears. Use a for
ceps to remove ticks with a
steady pull, do not yank or jerk
them out because their mouth
parts will be left in the skin and
cause infection Youngsters
should also be checked for ticks
after being in wooded areas; they
are often found around the ears
and hairline. The big danger of
ticks is they may be carriers of
Rocky Mountain Fever.
that gift according to these pur
poses. When we do, our lives are
enriched and blessed. When, how
ever, we use this gift for other
purposes, we not only displease
God, but we also hurt ourselves
and others The precious gift then
becomes the spoiled gift It is
difficult to imagine how Jesus
could have improved upon this
commandment What more could
he ask then that people abstain
from adultry and fornication?
Yet, this is where Jesus once
again displays his talent for burst
ing our balloons
The inner fact
“But I say to you that everyone
who looks at a woman lustfully
has already committed adultry
with her in his heart” (Matthew
5.28). The seventh commandment
had led some to concentrate too
much emphasis on the physical
act of sexual immorality. Jesus,
however, was just as concerned
with the inner fact of lust. The
real problem, he knew, was the
reality of impure thoughts and
attitudes that precede the im
moral acts
When he defines it in this way,
who can escape his accusation?
We may feel pretty smug because
we have never violated the letter
of the law, but when we consider
the spirit of the law, there is no
room left for smugness Who is
there among us who has never
allowed lust to play with our
thoughts?
Just as hate can destroy the
hater fiom within, so lust is a
poison let loose within us, spoil
ing our values and attitudes, giv
ing us a very immature and self
ish understanding of God’s great
gift It makes a curse of what
was intended to be a blessing
In short- it spoils the gift'