10—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 28, 1973
The Gallup poll never fails to come up
with some interesting items regarding the
shifting course of public opinion. Quite
predictably, inflation’s effect on the cost of
living is said to be the number one worry of
over 60 percent of the people questioned
at the present time.
If a majority of the people, in addition to
worrying about inflation, also laid the
primary blame for the problem at the door
of elected officials responsible for massive
government spending and mounting
federal budget deficits and gave their
Arbitration is a Better Way
Acting as an extra set of eyes and ears
for the consumer .has been the job of the
Better Business Bureaus since their in
ception six decades ago. It has been a
tough assignment, this closing of . .the
gap between business performance and
consumer expectations" and monitoring of
business practices. But it has been a
rewarding job for all concerned-especially
since the formation of the Council of Better
Business Bureaus in 1970 as a central
leadership and coordinating agency,
greatly strengthening the entire 888
system.
One of the most promising new ap
proaches added to the BBB’s list of ser
vices for consumers is arbitration. As the
Council of Better Business Bureaus’ An
nual Report explains, “Arbitration is
working for the consumer, for
business.. .because it offers a viable
alternative for those disputes that cannot
be settled by the customer and the mer
chant, or through the.. .offices of the
Bureau acting in its traditional role of
mediator. In arbitration, disputes are
presented to an impartial third party or
HEALDSBURG, CALIF., TRIBUNE: “The
country is moving ahead toward a cleaner,
more ecologically pure balance. It can't be
done overnight, as some woodsy wit
chdoctors would have us believe. Matter of
fact, we have among us some instant
experts who by their gospel would like to
see the country go back to its disease
ridden, often hungry wilderness state of
200 years ago. There’s just one problem
with this saving every weed, doing away
with every pesticide and insecticide,
fighting the cutting of any lumber tree, and
eliminating fertihzers-200 years ago there
were only a few million people in this
nation; today there are over 200 million to
feed and house. It’s interesting to note that
so many of the people against anything
that might help improve the lot of their
fellowman are people who are housed most
comfortably, have extraordinarily fine jobs
and have nothing but complete security in
their future.. .yet often forget about the
need for the well-being of other human
beings.”
WILLIAMSBURG, VA, GAZETTE: “The
Treasury Department just sent us 26
pages of nonsense about Savings Bonds, all
of it unsolicited We aren’t knocking
Savings Bonds, but Uncle Sam could take a
cue from business and ask newspapers
first if they want promo materials like this
before dropping the taxpayer's dollar into
something that gets dropped into
thousands of wastebaskets in newspapers
all over the country.”
BLOOMSBURG, PA, PRESS’ “In one
sense, the federal government has played a
leading role in the battle to preserve our
natural environment. Congress has taken
significant legislative steps in this direc-
Corralling Inflation
"Grassroots
support to those who want to bring the
federal budget under control, two thirds of
the battle against inflation would have
been won. Those of us who receive federal
benefits either directly or indirectly must
be willing to agree that those benefits
should not be increased or expanded and
should perhaps even be reduced. If this
ever happens, the beast of inflation will be
corralled. But, as things now stand, we've
had to resort to another economic freeze,
and it doesn't look like we know for sure
even where to get a good hold on the
animal.
panel with the prior agreement by the
parties than,the decision of the arbitrator
will be binding."
More than 165 cases have been heard by
approximately 95 local Bureaus since the
program was announced in 1972, with
many of the remaining BBS’s setting up
more arbitration programs across the U.S.
If the success of the arbitration program
were to be analyzed, it could probably be
traced to the attitude of the 888
organization. This cohesive group of
businessmen, citizens and professionals
believes in constructive consumerism. Its*
arbitrators are trained to be impartial fact
finders. Sometimes decisions favor con
sumers, sometimes business, or sometimes
it is a compromise settlement for both
parties.
It is this ability to look at both sides of a
problem that has made the Council and its
local Bureaus in 137 U.S. cities so effective.
The BBS’s have been an influential force
for ethical standards in the marketplace,
proving that competitive private en
terprise can meet the needs of consumers
better than anyone else, and on a voluntary
basis at that.
Opinion"
tion. The other side of this coin is quite
different. Agencies of that same federal
government are among the worst of
fenders when it comes to despoiling the
scenic beauties of public lands and parks.
The point has been freshly made by the
General Accounting Office. Following in
spection of 131 solid waste disposal sites
operated by federal agencies in six states,
the GAO reports that 91 percent of these
sites do not meet federal standards for
sanitary landfills. The agencies involved
are the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land
Management and the Army. These agen
cies had better pay attention to the thrust
of congressional actions in recent years,
and take prompt remedial steps.”
BURLINGTON, WISC., STANDARD
PRESS: “It is important that people read
newspapers with understanding, think for
themselves, and take responsible action
when they believe it is necessary. One of
the best ways to take responsible action is
to write a letter to the editor. This time
honored way of presenting differing
viewpoints and ideas is an important part
of our free society and our free press, but
all letters cannot be printed. Oftentimes
space is lacking; sometimes the words or
ideas may be spiteful, abusive or even
libelous. But, most readers and writers
have the opportunity to say what they
think. In this way, free speech and a free
press will continue to guarantee a free and
open society.”
LENNOX, S.D., INDEPENDENT: “A
system that penalizes the workers with
taxes and rewards the non-workers with
hand-outs cannot work, because the work
needed to support such a system won’t get
done.”
I
I
I
I
• •
| NOW IS
| THE TIME .. .
Max Smith
County Agr. Agent
Telephone 394-6851
To Keep Land
In Agriculture
A popular subject of con
versation at this time is how to
prevent the loss of farm land
going into non-agricultural uses.
This has been happening at an
accelerated rate in recent years
and in many cases it is the very
best farm land that is going out of
food and fiber production. A
simple solution to the problem
has not been uncovered but if all
present land owners would sell
their agricultural land only to
those who will continue to farm
the land, it might put a stop to the
loss of agricultural acres. I
realize there are many com
plications and much opposition to
this suggestion, but it would stop
the trend of covering the good
land with concrete and blacktop.
To Evaluate
Grain Mixtures
Livestock and dairy rations
reflect the increased cost of all
grains and especially proteins in
the last year. Many of these grain
mixtures can be reduced in cost
through the use of least-cost
formulations. In the case of the
dairymen the starting place
would be a forage test on the hay
and silage being fed. Soybean oil
meal is generally too expensive
to use in rations when- protein
quality is not of real concern.
Feedstuffs such as gluten feed,
brewers grains, and wheat bran
may be used as both protein and
energy sources. Cottonseed, or
linseed oil meals, or urea may be
WITHOUT WAX
Lesson for July 29,1973
Background Scripture; Exodus 20 16.
23 1-3; Proverbs 19 9, Acts 5:1-11;
Ephesians 4 25-32, Jamas 1:26,
3.1-12.
Dsvatianal Reading; Mark 7:14-23.
“Sticks and stones may break
my bones, but names will never
hurt me.”
Don’t count on it! There are
times when names and words may
be just as harmful or more than
sticks and stones. A few words
on your high
school or college
record can shape
your vocational
life. The words, “I
do,” spoken be
fore a minister or
justice of the
peace can mean a
Rev. Althouse commit *
ment. The rumor,
however false, may wreck one’s
reputation. A few words spoken
hastily may erect a barrier be
tween two people. Yes, words
can be very powerful.
Every careless word
It is not surprising, then that
Jesus drives to the heart of the
ninth commandment, “you shall
not bear false witness...when
he says: I tell you, on the day of
judgement men will render ac
count for every careless word
they utter” (Matthew 12:36).
Have you ever given any seri
ous thought to that warning? My
mind is staggered with the
thought of sitting and listening
to the playing of every careless
word I’ve ever spoken' Doesn’t it
shake you even a little to
hear Jesus warn: “For by your
used to reduce protein costs. The
forage testing program ac
companied with the request for a
grain feeding program could
save many dollars in feed costs.
To Apply
Pesticides Correctly
Applications of spray materials
for the control of insects,
diseases, and weeds should be
handled with special care and
attention. Following of the
directions in respect to amount
applied and the timing of the
spray is very important. Too
much is a waste of material and
could pollute the surroundings.
The extent of the coverage is very
important; in many cases the
underside of the leaves should be
covered as well as the top of the
leaf. Dusts may be used instead
of sprays but will take more
material and may not get as good
coverage. A regular spray ap
plication, such as the need for
frequent sprays to control
Japanese beetles, is needed for
good protection. Good pesticide
use requires advance planning
and careful use and storage of the
materials.
Try A Classified Ad!
you will be con-
words
demned”?
In ancient Rome when sculp
tors accidentally chipped their
statues, they would often fill in
the marred places with wax that
was of the same color as the
marble. Honest sculptors who de
sired to distinguish their works
from those filled-in wax would
stamp their works with the Latin
words: sine cera, meaning “with
out wax.” It is from this practice
that we have derived our term,
“sincere,” for literally it means
“without wax,” or better: without
deception.
Subtle lies
This is exactly the kind of
speech Jesus wanted; without de
ception. Jesus knew that when
one tries to distinguish between
the so-called “big” and “little”
deceptions, he usually loses his
power to determine what is “big”
and what is “small.” Allow de
ception to enter a small part of
our lives and we soon find that
we have learned the dubious art
of deceiving ourselves. False
hood becomes a way of life that
is no less dangerous because we
cover it with a veneer of subtle
sophistication. Just as a subtle
thief is still a thief, so a sophis
ticated liar is still a liar.
Today in advertising, public re
lations, promotion, and politics, a
certain amount of deception is
tolerated and even expected. No
one takes too serioiisly advertis
ing claims or the public relations
blurb. Nor is the politician or the
promoter believed at face value.
The sophisticated lie is taken for
granted.
Truth, like human life, sex, and
private property, is a gift of God
that is intended to help man, not
hurt him. As Ephesians puts it:
“ . . . speaking the truth in love
...” (4:15).
This, then, is God’s intention
for human speech: with love and
without wax!
(Based 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 1