Page 2. THE GAZETTE-TIMES, Heppner, OR., Thursday, June 26, 1975
Horse sense T
v !
I
By
I ERNEST V. JOINER
The media has given us surcease from the many causes
of cancer lately. Instead they bring us stories of how
American business men are extending bribes to foreigners to
influence their purchase of American goods. This is another
nail in the business and industrial coffin. For the American
public, which already views business and industry more as
an enemy than friend, points to such practice as further proof
of corporate immorality. Some Americans, no doubt,
devoutly wish for collapse and even disappearance of all
business-for-profit. Their dreams arc getting closer to
realization all the time.
Anti -business elements point out that United Brands paid
more than $2 million in bribes for special tax treatment on
bananas it imports from Honduras. They are aghast that a
general in the French Air Force had a $7500-a-year retainer
from Northrop Corp., and that the general earned his money
convincing the French government that the Northrop Cobra
YF 17 fighter plane is superior to its French counterpart.
Pacific Gas & Electric has been legally enjoined from
advertising its product on the shaky theory that to do so
induces read that bribes ) consumers to use more electricity.
Foes of business say the cost of advertising is added to the
customers' bills, and that by eliminating advertising the cost
of electricity will be reduced. The opposite is true. Energy
costs continue to escalate. The ads PG&E are forbidden to
run call for the wise use of energy. They also bring news of
consumer aids that require electricity or gas. which is indeed
a way of promoting wider uses of energy. But the public has
never been made aware that mass production and mass
merchandising lowers the cost of the product.
If Northrop hadn't landed the French contract for $2
billion worth of aircraft there would probably be no Northrop
Corp. inside a year, and 100.000 workers would be on
unemployment and without the stuff with which taxes are
paid. $7300 a year is a small price to pay to get a superior
product in the hands of the French Air Force, and to keep
Americans employed and those tax dollars rolling in to
support our multi-billion-dollar social schemes which we are
totally hooked.
If United Brands hadn't bribed Honduran officials to
obtain a more favorable tax base, the cost of bananas to the
American consumer would soar. United Brands knows that
only the mass consumption of bananas at the lowest cost
keeps it in business a condition much to be desired by its
thousands of workers.
When Gulf Oil paid $4 million to Middle East government
officials (whose dedication to the puritannical principles of
Islam does not extend to banditry and bribery) this country
would have lost billions of dollars worth of oil badly needed to
keep our first, second and third cars on the road around the
clock.
A silver key. according to an English proverb, can open
an iron lock.
Bribery, in its classic sense if not in its dictionary sense,
is a time-honored tool in business, politics, economics,
religion and even ethics. There are areas in our business and
social relationships w here the principles of bribery' are good,
not bad. It is bad to bribe a public official: it is good to bribe
people into being just. The grocer who marks down a can of
beans by io cents from the regular price is offering his
customers a bribe. The U.S. Government bribes the nation's
investors by offering tax-exempt bonds. When mother
reuards junior with a peanut butter sandwich for "being
good" she is. in principle, offering her own son a bribe. A
college scholarship to a graduating high school senior with
high academic marks is a form of bribery. The Christian
religion offers a person the choice of a joyful forever as
opposed to an eternity of torment ; which, it would appear, is
a reward for being virtuous. The element of bribery runs
throughout these and other cases, right down to the tip you
leave on the counter for the waitress.
Bribery, then, can't be all bad. If the results of bribery
are the general good, then it's a great idea If bribery results
are generally negative, it is bad. A blanket indictment of the
term cannot be justified without considering the effects for
good or cm I Aside from its application to government
officials, there's a lot to be said in favor of bribery.
There are several causes of inflation, but the chief culprit
is government School boards can't or won't hold out against
unionized teachers for higher wages. The average
government worker gets an annual wage of $18 OoO for which
an employee in the private sector receives 113.000. Every
lime Congress meets the minimum wage goes up. Postal
rates are increased along with all other government
sen ices The latest governmental contributor to inflation is
the Internal Revenue Service On July I the interest rate for
delinquent taxpayers goes from 6 per cent to 9 per cent. Also,
the interest rate on overpayments refunded to a taxpayer
bears 9 per cent interest. Government is on a collision course
with disaster because of its deliberate policy of unbridled
inflation There is no reason why any individual or firm
should try to hold the line He is one against the most
powerful nation on earth He might as well enjoy the ride,
right up to the time the government is forced to repudiate its
debts. Just be sure vou save some seed for what's ahead'
With the resignation of Dorothy Krebs from the Board of
Education of Blue Mountain Community College. Morrow
County residents had better think of someone to replace her
Without someone from Morrow County on the Board, we will
not hav e the proper representation w e need and deserve Ron
Daniels and the board hope to select a replacement for Krebs
at the July 16 meeting, yet. there is no guarantee a Morrow
Count) resident will be selected If you know someone willing
to serv e on the board. illing to take the abuse w ith no credit,
contact Ron Daniels at Blue Mountain Community College
either by phone or in writing Morrow County needs
representation on the Board of Education for BMCC.
W hen Lence Martin resigned from the Heppner common
council last Thursday night. Jim Rogers said. "Vou can't
resign, where are we going to find another dummy to replace
vnu"" ' Great are the rewards of serving on the city council
EC.
If sou get a fifth on the Fourth, you may not be able to
come forth on the Fifth. -Bennett Cerf
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"...And The Tar Baby, He Didn't Say Nothing."
IVIieaf league president speaks
"Since this is the year before our country celebrates its
200th birthday. let's talk about 'The great American know
how' and the wheat farmer," said Wes Grilley, executive
vice president of the Oregon Wheat Growers League,
speaking before the Chamber of Commerce Monday.
"Our farmers literally supply the bread basket of the
world." he continued, the United States supplies food for the
world and our farmers have developed the greatest
technology and production of wheat the world has ever
known."
The international language is food. You can't reason with a
hungry man. It has been said that when people are hungry,
on the first day they will lie: on the second day they will
steal, the third dav thev w ill riot: and the fourth day they will
kill.
Dr. Norman Borlaug. the noted plant breeder, won the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his plant breeding efforts to
feed the world's population. Dr. Borlaug said, "If you desire
peace, cultivate justice, but at the same time cultivate the
fields to produce more bread. Otherwise there will be no
peace".
The American wheat farmer is trying to meet this
challenge with all the old fashioned ingenuity, stubborness
and know-how that our forefathers gave us.
Let's talk a minute about this challenge. We'll go back to
the old days and let's use my grandfather to illustrate a
story. My grandfather. Wesley Harrah. came to this country
as a young book salesman. He later taught school and started
to accumulate farm ground and slarled farming He lived
and farmed in the days w hen overalls were 50 cents and Sam
Gorfkle sold socks for 16 cents a pair . . . and men were paid
$2 per day and wheat sold for $1 per bushel . . . and the rest of
the costs were in the same proportion.
We can compare these costs today and we can use a
common denominator. Let's use the amount of wheat it takes
to pay for a day of work. We just mentioned that men were
paid $2 a day and wheat was $1 per bushel so that means that
a days work was worth two bushels. We can compare that
with today ... a man is worth from $35 to $50 per day In the
old days, you paid for that with two bushels of wheat, so that
means wheal should be worth about $25 per bushel on that
same scale.
Of course, the American farmer has become much more
efficient m production than the old days and wheat isn't $25 a
bushel either. The farmer is more efficient because we have
equipment, fertilizer, herbicides, pew varieties of wheat and
ail other technology that has dramatically zoomed
production.
Costs of production has certainly gone up since the "good
old days". In (act. just since 1972. fertilizer costs are up 276
per cent and diesel is up 290 per cent . It used to cost from $25
to $50 per acre to produce wheat. A study at Oregon State
University completed in December 1974 concluded that the
cost per acre for wheat production was $121 95. . .or $3 81 per
bushel.
I hope these figures point out to you that the farmer is a
businessman just like a lot of you. but unlike a lot of you, the
farmer takes his product to the market place and says . . .
" What will you give me?" . . . and not . . . Here's what it will
cost you". The farmer has no way of passing on cost
increases.
In view of this, back in 1926. the Oregon wheat farmer
started on a then unique venture and formed the beginnings
of the Oregon Wheat Growers League. He began to look
around for new markets for our soft white wheat . . . and took
the approach of "What can we do to help ourselves?" This
self help approach worked and led to the formation in 1947 of
the Oregon Wheat Commission and the Oregon wheat man
taxed himself one half cent per bushel with this money to go
for self promotion and market development of wheat. The
late Jens Ter jeson from Helix was the first chairman of the
Oregon Wheal. Commission.
The new market for wheat developed to be the
heavily populated Far East countries. India, Japan, The
Phillipine ... all were traditionally rice-eating and Oregon
wheal representatives used good old salesmanship to
convince these countries and their people that wheat was a
good food Salesmanship included countless demonstrations
and schooling sessions. Wheat makes good noodles in Japan
andchapati'i In India . . .and wheat, calorie for calorie. Is Vt
times less than the cost of rice. These efforts have done much
to contribute lo the overall health and well being of these
people as well at helping the Oregon wheat farmer.
The Oregon wheat producers were so success'"! with this
market development program that soon the state of
Washington joined in, then Idaho, then Montana and now all
the Pacific Northwest ilalea are joined together In wheat
development work and call themselves Western Wheat
Associates. Other agricultural commodities have looked at
Western Wheat and now the California raisin people and the
California prune people have development contracts with
Western Wheal. Due to these market development programa
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of Pacific Northwest wheal producers, there has never been
a surplus of our white wheal since their organized efforts.
Besides this market development, Oregon farmers have
been quite aclive in the promotion of wheat variety research.
In fact, wheal producers have funded their own research for
some time As a result of this, we learned in Corvallis of the
economic impact of some of this wheat-industry funded
research. Dean Cootiey . Dean of the School of Agriculture at
Oregon State University . stated that the OSU-developed
wheat varieties of Yamhill, Hyslop. and McDermid wheat
added a value of $20 million to the economy of the Slate of
Oregon. Now that is what I call an effective rate of return!
I.el's mention the role of the U S Government in the world
markets and how Ihey contributed to feeding the world's
people Public I-aw 480 has been a substantial lool in the U S.
foreign policy. PL 480 is the method of buying U.S. food and
donating or selling the product to foreign countries . . . this is
the "Food for Peace" program. Many of these PL 480 sales
are made in local currency . . . like rupees or yen . . . and
these funds are then used for other development work In
Ihese countries without upsetting their balance of trade. The
PL 4K() program has been . . . and still is ... one of the best
foreign policies of the United States in the promotion of world
peace In addition, it has been the basis of the development of
cash dollar markets in these riceeating countries and has
contributed to the balance of trade of the United Slates.
Food prices are up along with everything else. So'i the
price of w heat . People forget that prices of wheat were so low
three years ago thai the farmer was operating at a loss . .
people forget, but farmers don't forget. Because of Inflation,
prices w ill slay up We've heard thai high prices will cause
bread lo go to $1 per loaf . . . it's not so ... if it does, don't
blame the price of wheat. It's like the hog farmer
commenting to his friend as he payed his lunch check,
"According lo w hat they charged for that ham sandwich, I've
got a hog that's worth $30fio!" Thai's just like the wheat man
w hen he hears the story about $1 loaves of bread, because the
wheat cost in an average loaf of bread Is only about i't cents.
A standard one pound loaf of bread tells for 69 cents a loaf
and the wheat in that loaf of bread it worth about 4'i. The
truck driver that delivers the bread gets more money than
the farmer w ho produced the basic raw ingredient. Even the
cost of the wrapper is more than the producer gets. If bread
dot's go to $1 per loaf because of the Ingredient cost, wheat
will have to sell for over $12 per bushel.
America intends to be the peace-broker of the world and, at
we said, the international language it food. Oregon wheat
producers have long been leaders In recognizing the many
advantages of self help and will stay geared up for food
production in the promotion of world pence.
We've attempted to point out a few of the facts turrounding
agriculture and how (hey effect all of ut ... in the city and on
(he farm . Our economy in Oregon Is based on agriculture and
wheat It (he basis of (hit economy ... and thit basis will last
because (he United Stales is feeding (he world in our role as
keeper of the International peace. The Oregon farmer will be
part of (lilt international scene as In the past . . , through
market development , . . through variety and disease
research . . . through good old know-how and Ingenuity that
we have Inherited from our forefathers. We can work
together lo this common goal ... a common goal of basic
economic soundness for both farm snd city.
Mayor of Hardman
DEAR MISTER EDITOR:
This salesman that calls on the feller that runs the country
store was running late Saturday night, and he got caught up
in a discussion that covered the waterfront. The fellers was
gitting warmed up. and Ed Doolittle was lining up hit
clippings according to tubject matter when the salesman
allowed that he didn't make it to college, but during his years
on the road he earned a BS degree,
They ain't nothing short of a editorial cartoon, this feller
declared, lo teach a lesson quicker than bumper ttickers.
They give opinions on ever course from political science and
home economics to religion and import larif. He told (he
felk-rs (he one he saw lasl week thai got him thinking said
"Cancer Cures Smoking." The salesman said fer gitting the
message acrost, thai beats "Save Our Trees-Eat a
Beaver." and the one he sees in natural gas country that says
"Use More Gas-Freeze a Yankee," Whutever your politics
and prejudices, the salesman allowed, you can find it on the
bumper of the car in front of you.
After the salesman left. Bug Hookum look note that he Is
seeing "June Dairy Month" on bumpers, and he told the
fellers this was a pore time lo come out with a report he had
saw about the bad side of milk. Bug said he alius figgcred
that when (he Guvernmenl final declared everthing
hazardous to our health, we'd still have milk (o drink. Now
this report claims more than Iwo glasses of milk a day cause
stomach trouble fer up to 90 per cent of (he adults in the world
because of somepun called lactose Intolerance. With the
saturated fats in meat, the colesterol In everlhing thai taste
good, and the calories in booze, Hug said all we got left lo live
on is polluted air and water full of deadly enemies. f
Clem Webster broke In to declare thai he won't be
surprised to see a "Naw More Hones" bumper sticker any
day. Clem had read where the lower Jaw of people is Killing
weaker and smaller on account of our sofl diets. We don't
have lo chew enuff. Clem said, and Ihis is causing our face
below the eyes lo change. Our teeth is gitting to big fer our
mouth, and we're going to w ind up looking like Andy Gump,
that feller in the funny papers that didn't have no lower Jaw
at all and tried to hide behind a droopy muslash. He was a
man ahead of his time. Clem said
Mister Editor, my old lady likes to say it ain't whal we eat
that gives the trouble it's what's eating us. She is a great one
fer making the worst of a best situation when she's spreading
gossip, but I'll say fer her she ain't a worrier. She's more apt
lo worry other folks, especial if they hold up her canning or
house cleaning. Another of her sayings Is thai when a man
stays a boy to long he falls right into a pitiful old age.
Personal. I come in the world bald and toothless, so I flgger
I've broke even.
Yours truly
MAYOR ROY
Church leader
roast Ford for
Mayaguei action
By I ESTER KINSOLYIM;
The President of the United Stales had hardly ordered the
U S Marines to begin rescue operations for the Mavaguez
when the President of the I 8 million -member United Church
of Christ wired the While House:
"My conscience requires me to make the following
statement for communication lo the members of Ihe United
Church of Christ l'('Ci and to the puhhc at large: If the
UniledStatesistohaveone shred of mural integrity left to il.
we. Ihe people of this country, must rise up and denounce our
government's senseless use of military force against
CanilxKlia "
Aboard Ihe Mavaguez. however, there was a distinctly
different reaction from other Americans. Third Male David
English apparently did not regard Mr Ford's action as
"senseless." for he recalls:
"The most depressing moment came when we were taken
into Kompong Som. I thought this is il. (he old North Viet
Nam prison slum . . . into some jail and nobody would hear
Irom us for years,"
Added Seaman Earl Gilbert:
"Ford did a damn good job. but I just want to thank those
Marines."
Hut President Moss was apparently not so much concerned
uhoul such people as English and Gilbert as he was about his
conlenlion, in President Ford:
"There is no justification for using force of arms to solve a
problem thai could lie handled in a civilued manner through
diplomatic channels and the force of world opinion "
In point of fact. Mr. Ford did try diplomatic
channels-assiduously-during the two days before hc
ordered military action. But the Maoist Chinese refused to
deliver the message.
It may be thai some members of the UCC had relatives
aboard the L'SS Pueblo seven years ago. If so. they may want
lo ask President Moss tome pointed questions about the
eleven months of diplomatic channels and world
opinion-which in no way deterred the North Koreans from
administering repeated and atrocious torture to Ihese
American seamen.
The UCC is scheduled lo open lis annual General Assembly
in Minneapolis on June 27. But it will probably be
inordinately difficult for any of the 800 delegates lo ask any
tuch embarrassing questions. For Dr. Moss and his fellow
top hierarchs of the UCC seem to be far less accountable lo
Ihe rank and file of this denomination than are Congressmen
lo their consliluenta-particularly during ihe five day UCC
Assembly, whose agenda Ihey influence as skillfully as any
other national headquarters bureaucrats,
If by any chance any of these delegates dares to to question
Dr. Most about this issue, (he UCC President can rightfully
poinl out thai he never claimed to be speaking for all of the
denomination'! members-any more than any Congressman
can be expected lo poll his entire constituency before he
votes. ;
Al Ihe same time, constituents at least know how much'of
(heir (axes are being tpenl on (heir Congressman's salary
and allowances. J
By striking contrast, when local UCC congregation!
contribute their assessments (o national UCC headquarter!
In New York, they are not allowed to learn precisely how It It
tpent. regarding the talarles of Dr, Most and the other lop
brass.
One of this column's readers, a UCC clergyman who asked
for anonym ily (In view of what national hierarchs can do by
way of retaliating against meddlesome local clergy) flat
written:
"The UCC hat constantly demanded that corporatiant
throughout the world open (heir books. They have demanded
Ihe right to Investigate the most closely held corporal
decisions. Why then will the UCC officials not open their
book! and share with (hose who support them and pay the Ir
salaries, openly and honestly? Are Ihese salaries hidden
because of their size?" i
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