AlO—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 22,1980
Lancaster Farming says... ■
Keep free enterprise trucking
Last week the U.S Senate
Commerce, Science and Tran
sportation Committee favorably
reported on S-2245, the Motor
Carrier Reform Act.
This is a piece of legislation which
will find farmers and consumers
fighting on the same side against the
trucking industry and the Teamsters
Union.
Reform of trucking regulations
could save farmers as much as $5
billion per year by removing some of
the complex web of regulations
governing interstate trucking
These regulations reportedly
waste 500 million gallons of fuel a
year They cover such picky things as
granting authority for some truckers
to carry instant chicken noodle soup,
but not onion or bean soup
Trucking regulation has outlived
its usefulness Hauling prices are
inflated Decause competition is
blocked Trucking firms are free to
engage in legalized price fixing.
The rules began with the Motor
Carrier Act of 1935 to protect the
then-fragmented trucking industry
during the Depression Since then
truckers have prospered, but the
1935 law still is on the books
Why no reform 7 Mainly because
| ever been to the beautiful
city of Lucerne, Switzerland,
has seen or been to the top of
towering Mount Pilatus. The
local people tell a legend in
which it is said that Pontius
Pilate was buried on the top
of this awesome mountain.
Troubled by his guilt, they
say, his spirit is often
restless and the periodic
p.. .__ storms that thunder around
PILATE its summit are said to be the
Lesson for March 23, 1980 result of Pilate’s troubled
| soul.
If, indeed, Pilate’s soul
does still writhe m anguish it
is likely because his was a
sin knowingly committed.
Annas and Caiaphas and
their compatriots were
Background Scripture:
John 18:28 through 19:16
Devotional Reading:
John 12:27-36.
Almost everyone who has
TO FARM SAFELY gardens and fields will be
According to the calendar enou gh to be worked On
spring is here and field and the fan ? front there are
garden action will soon chores to be done
begin With a few more days hfj?" P lantui B starts -’ most
of sunshine and wind, some t^iese re d mre tractors and
RURAL ROUTE
\: -
t- —“
MOVE you STU&BOR J
' BEAST s
the American Trucking Association
and the Teamsters together have
How to cap food prices
All sorts of publicity is being
generated about the voluntary food
price ceiling clamped on super
market products.
The White House this past week
issued a report on the program
which can only be termed sup
portive.
Numerous food stores, including
A&P, Giant Food, Pantry Pride and
others, have announced their
cooperation to fix prices in 5000
stores to assure the consumer that
prices will not go up for periods of
from one to five months
Supposedly, the ceiling means that
prices will not go up even if the
retailer’s costs go up, but that they
could go down in response to
decreased producer prices
Come now, what producer has
decreased prices 7 Fuel, seed,
trucking, storage, labor and a host of
other farm expenses have soared—
last month energy costs alone went
up a dizzying 7 5 percent
Is this some kind of premature
blinded by their own
prejudices and greed for
power, but Pilate himself
had realized the enormity of
his evil, even as he was in the
midst of committing it
Take Him Yourselves
From the very beginning
Pilate recognized that Jesus
was not guilty of any crime.
What Jesus was guilty of was
offending the religious
authorities and breaking
some of their rules. Thus,
acknowledging his in
nocence of crime, Pilate
said; “Take him yourselves
and judge him by your own
law” (John 18:31). It was
clearly not a case for Pilate
to judge.
farm machinery We urge
farmers to take the time to
be safe; in many cases,
haste has been the reason for
farm accidents When we get
m a hurry we overlook safety
measures and face ad-
ditional hazards Most
pieces of farm machinery
have safety guards to be
kept over dangerous places.
To operate the machine
contributed $759,899 to
congressional candidates, according
April Fools joke on the farm com
munity?
In effect, this move will clamp a
tight lid on farm prices No
businessman will consider bidding
prices up on raw materials like beef,
pork or vegetables if he knows he is
committed to holding the line on his
sales price
Cham stores work on thin margins
and they will do nothing to squeeze
profits any tighter than they already
are.
The bottom line, of course, is that
farmers can hope for no adjustment
to the prices they receive no matter
what the market would dictate
Once again, agriculture is being
used as a political tool to placate the
consumer voting block
Any cap on food prices has to be
read as a cap on farm prices, and
therefore farm prosperity It’s an
insult to farmers, another example of
political expediency
It makes for good reading in all
sorts of newspapers—except for
farm papers
But the enemies of Jesus
knew that only Pilate could
give them what they wan
ted; “It is not lawful for us to
put any man to death.” The
Romans had taken that
power from the Jewish
authorities. They were not
seeking justice, Pilate
realized, but vengeance
Pilate had the power to
keep this sordid affair from
going any further, but
perhaps having the naked
power was not enough for
him, perhaps what he
wanted as well was the
approval or admiration of
the people whom his nation
had conquered. He would not
be the first or the last
without these guards is a
“No-No” and should not be
done. Take the time to be
safe - otherwise you may be
sorry for the rest of your life
TO BE A GOOD
MONEY MANAGER
If you have just recenly
sold a string of cattle, or
other livestock, and have
some money left, what
should you do with it 9 Some
By Tom Armstrong
(THE MAN WO SELLS
7 ME THESE HATS f'
BY CURT HARLER, EDITOR |
conqueror to want that
“something more”. So, he
wavered from his intention
and began to question Jesus,
looking for some way to both
serve justice and please his
subjects.
The conversation with
Jesus only strengthened his
certainty: “I fmd no crime
in him” (18:38). If only he
had stopped right there with
that affirmation, Jesus’ Me
might have been spared and
Pilate’s soul would have
escaped eternal anguish It
was the answer of his heart
and he knew in his heart it
was the right answer
But, he went on, following
farmers may invest it back
into other livestock; others
may go on the money market
and invest it in short-term
paper Some of the returns in
interest from this money is
amazing No doubt savings
accounts are getting to an
all-time low when there are
so many other says to have
money working for you. I am
not in a position to say what
is the best way to invest your
funds; however, I feel that
more farmers need to give
Saturday, March 22
Hunterdon Co. 4-H roller
skating party,
Whitehouse Rink, 10 00
a m
Rising Sun, Md Milk
Squirters 4-H Holstein
tour of Lancaster County;
9 OOa.m
Pennsylvania Maple
Festival, Meyersdale,
i
4
to Common Cause, a nonpartisan
citizens’ lobby And money like that
makes Congressmen dance
The National Grange supports
trucking reform So does Farm
Bureau In fact, they have been
active in the fight and have backed
several pro-farmer sections, in
cluding provisions to exempt from
ICC regulation livestock, agricultural,
seed, fertilizer, and other farm
commodities'
New standards will make it easier
to enter the trucking industry Some
rate freedom is provided.
It all should add up to less freight
charges on many of the everyday
items we use on our farms, from
tractors to tool bars, from combines
to calf hutches, as long as truckers
continue to serve all areas and not
only the high profit major centers
Remember, few farm communities
have central terminals
The measure could be on the
Senate floor before the April 4 Easter
recess The controversy will make a
sizable financial difference to far
mers. In basic terms, the fight will
come down to a battle with farms and
free enterprise vs unions and
bureaucracy
It’ll be interesting to see which side
our lawmakers embrace
...But You Have A Custom
Farm Calendar
\) }
(is
the giudance of his wily
mind; “But you have a
custom that I should release
one man for you at the
Passover; will you have me
release for you the King of
the Jews?” (18:39). But the
crowd called out, “Not this
man, but Barabbas! ”
In his own mind, Pilate
thought that he could let the
crowd make their own
decision and still keep his
conscience clear. The other
Gospel writers tell us that he
symbolically washed his
hands of the whole affair.
But Pilate was to find out
that the blood of Jesus was
not so easily purged from his
conscience.
more attention to their
money management
Perhaps some counseling
with your banker, or other
financial authority, will be of
help For those who have to
borrow money at current
interest rates, it looks like a
full-time job to meet interest
payments
TO COMMUNICATE
WITH LEGISLATORS
I’ll admit that I’m not
much of a politician;
(Turn to PageAl4)
through the 30th; 10:00
a m -5-00p.m.
Monday, March 24
Red Lion Young Farmers
meeting, 8:00 p.m ; at the
school ag shop.
National DHIA convention,
Columbus Sheraton,
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