A24—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 8,1981 4 Block Vote 9 Bill (Continued from Page A 22) “blockvoting” will sometimes try to pass the procedure off with respectability by saying it is just the way your representatives work in Harrisburg. That is, our directors (elected represen tatives) are only voting for their members like you do at the state capital. Anyone who tries to sell this cheap shot, either doesn’t know how government works with it’s system of checks and balances, or is just trying to confuse the issue because that’s not how our state government works Our con stitution sets safe guards as to how many votes it takes to carry an issue. It’s not just a majority of those voting, but a constitutional majority. There is a big difference, as any member of the House well knows If you choose not to vote, your vote is recorded in the negative, and no one, not your country chairman, not your state chairman, no not even your floor leader himself has the right to vote for you How did this miscarriage of justice come about f (block voting). Power brokers in Washington when Capper-Volstead Act was passed in 1922 were able to insert the philosophy that when a producers jomgs a cooperative he SOYBEAN ROASTING ON YOUR FARM DON'T WASTE IT ROAST IT : BARLEY & WHEAT | t Roasted for drying and ♦ better digestability J DAVID N. GROFF ALLEN SUMMERS RDI, Box 506 C Lewisburg, PA 17837 717-966-3593 Distributor of Blue Ball, Pa. loses his right to individually decide some issues. In this case the block voting issue was important to one group only, the big milk cooperatives. And why the big milk cooperatives? Because, by being able to vote all the votes of their members or by block voting they had a better chance to succeed in obtaining marketing orders Under these marketing orders the United States Government would then set the wholesale nnces and subsidize milk. What this legislature does with H B. 767 will have no effect on federal law. So, contrary to some whole sale buyers of milk, national milk marketing orders are not decided by state statutes. So, that issue is mute. What we are considering is, shall the Pennsylvania legislature allow this travesty to continue; where Pennsylvania commodities can tax their producers tor a program they may not be in agreement with. Aside from block voting this amendment covers several other issues All are probably “OK” except one Section 6 would change, underthis proposal from a majority by number and a majority by volume to 2/3 ■'oting The volume part should be her profits from all grains, roasting TDN, destroys molds and retards removes moisture. >TOM GRAIN ROASTING DONE IN PA AND SURROUNDING STATES DALE L. SCHNUPP RD 6, Lebanon, Pa 17042 Ph-717-865-6611 *-J ■* Aluminum Livestock Body nMTiirfai Sales & Service RD #l, Box 152-C Nottingham, PA 19362 215-932-4761 Refrigerated Trailers 717-354-4971 State Grange .ij name is Feryl Treicnk. i am a dairy farmer from Berks County and am chairman of the Dairy Committee of the Pennsylvania State Grange First, I would like to state that the Pennsylvania State Grange opposes the amendments to the Pennsylvania Agricultural Commodities Marketing Act as recommended in House Hill 767 for three very basic reasons: We are opposed to any crippling of the effectiveness of cooperative groups by prohibiting bloc voting on marketing order referendums. We feel that efforts should be retained under H.B. 767. As it is its a safeguard and returns it to its original language. To use 2/3 of those voting could be very misleading and weakens the act, should it be passed. Under this proposal a 2/3 vote could be had by only three people voting. Some mmimums or constitutional volume should be included as present law requires. With the amendments 1 have suggested, if this Bill is passed into law, all farmers in Pennsylvania will be treated equally for the first time since the “Pennsylvania Commodities Act” became law. The end result of a successful referendum under the Penn sylvania Commodity Act can have a substantial effect on prices all people pay. Its effect penetrates into every comer of our society if vou’re not drying the m-c way with Heat Recouery... you’re paying too much to dry grain! Of aft the dryers / looked at the M C with Heat Shown Gene Meyers with M C975E Continuous Dryer Recovery seemedto fit into my new dryeration system with Heat Recovery rated at 4258 P H 10 point removal rf)e best and / m very happy with it SAVE by metalling a Heat Recovery SAVE and STORE vynh an M C SAVE with Heat Recovery on M C a^ k K V rvi n OAA S <wi n ! DRTBINE with total heat recovery AUTOMATIC BATCH CONTINUOUS presenMOO 600 800 900 1600 E AH air from cooling is used fordrying and EXPANDABLE MODELS ana oiu models For more information, contact: TUT HERSHEY EQUIPMENT n (COMPANY, INC. Designers of Quality Systems ftr PouHiy, Swine and Grain Handling. concentrated instead on providing adequate time for individuals to vote on marketing orders and encouraging individuals to vote. We feel that an empty vote in place of a bloc vote will not provide any better producer represen tation on marketing programs. To my knowledge, members of the board of directors governing cooperatives are voted into office by the members of the cooperative. Members are, in essence, electing these individuals to represent them in making policy decisions for the cooperative as a whole. In fact, the bargaining power that is gained in banding together is one of the advantages of joining a cooperative in the first place. By joining such a group, a producer imparts some authority to the directors to speak for him. We believe in independent, equal rights for votmg on all issues by the individual and the State Grange has long urged its mem bers to discharge their duties as citizens by voting in all elections and referendums. As stated in the present Act, “The Secretary shall consider the vote of a cooperative association as the votes of such members, providing the cooperative has first notified its members, in writing, of its intention to cast a represen tative vote. Such notice shall in form the producer of his right to cast his vote individually and shall include thereon the following words in bold face type- “Warning - if you do not exercise your right to vote, your cooperative has the right to vote for you. ” We feel that this is sufficient notification. Our concern is that notification is given to the in dividual as least four weeks in advance so that he has adequate HEAT RECOVER^^^^^ * Cuts fuel bills up to 50% • Will not reduce drying capacity • Air flow is not reversed in cooling process • More capacity— better use of heat • Operates simply and efficiently for years of trouble-free service GENE MEYERS OF MARENGO ILLINOIS SAYS The options are yours fa compare... and you’ll uuv m-c time to make an intelligent decision. We therefore urge that the ammendments as stated in House Bill 767 not be made to the present Agricultural Commodities Marketing Act. Instead, let efforts be concentrated on allowing suf ficient notification time for referendums and on encouraging individuals to express their views by voting for themselves. I, Deputy Secretary J. Luther Snyder, am here this morning representing Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Penrose Hallowell, to testify concerning the current Pennsylvania Agricultural Commodities Marketing Act of 1968, and proposed amendments to the act included in House Bill 767 We believe that the existing law has been working satisfactorily, not only in terms of procedures for creation of marketing programs and reviews of programs, but also in terms of the benefits provided to the producers who are included in the three current marketing programs The amendments to the act in cluded m HB 767 appear to ac complish the end of insuring in dividual balloting, but in fact, the existing law also makes provisions which guarantee individual voting rights The current act provides that a simple majority by number of producers and by volume is needed to pass a proposed program HB 767 would amend the Marketing act to require a two-thirds majority for passage We believe that any amendment which would provide other than a simple SYCAMORE IND. PARK 255 PLANE TREE DRIVE, LANCASTER, PA. 17603 (717)393-5807 Route 30 West at The Centerville Exit PDA (Turn to Page A 32)
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