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CASTOR COMMENT | Farmers need more -- or we won't eat Consider the following statistics compiled by the Toronto Star: Between 1971 and 1976, the farm population in Canada plung- ed by nearly 30 per cent. ; Agriculture Canada specialists estimate that farm. income in Canada will decline by 12 per cent this year. In Ontario alone -- a region that produces 30 per cent of the nation's agricultural goods -- farm income is expected to drop by 40 per cent. The cost of farm machinery has increased at least five-fold in the past 10 years. ; Between 1966 and 1976, On- tario alone lost more than a million acres of farmland, much of it not only the best in Canada, but among the best in the world. During those same 10 years, more than 130,000 farms across the country ceased to exist. Agriculture Canada estimates that, across the nation, about 200 acres of arable and potentially arable land are built over, swamped, flooded or eroded every day. In the metropolitan Toronto area, an acre of farmland that cost $1,300 in 1971 soared to a price of $6,100 by 1976. It is any wonder that, at the Canadian Federation of Agriculture conference in Ottawa earlier this month, the faces of farmers from across the country were fraught with worry? It is any wonder they passed resolution upon resolution asking the government to reverse what can only be seen as the disintegra- The Ontario -election is in full swing. Premier Davis has swept the rug out from under the Liberal leader by simply taking over his position of full support for Mr: Trudeau's policies. This leaves Mr. Smith hanging in mid-air, where he is likely to be when the election is over. As for Mr. Cassidy, he moves about assiduously digging up issues of great concern to himself and debating them in detail with anyone who will listen. What. are the issues? The first power possessed by the Conser- vative Party. This is a long time for the same party to be in power. The Conservatives will say it is not the same party. Mr. Davis is not Mr. Robarts. Mr. Robarts was not Mr. Frost and so on. Too bad. On the constitutional issue, Mr. Trudeau needs Ontario badly, so is, of course, the 38-year lease on' They're off he must tolerate Mr. Davis' curious performance as the Premier of the most populous province in Canada, tacitly agree- ing that the Federal government and Parliament shall be permitted to rewrite the constitution even in matters within provincial jurisdic- tion, in spite of the objections of the provinces. Mr. Davis thereby collaborating in the demise of a Federal arrangement which has stood for one hundred years, in order to win an election. Mr. Trudeau needs Mr. Davis on the Constitution and Mr. Davis needs Mr. Trudeau; neither needs Mr. Smith, so Mr. Smith will be thrown to the wolves and Mr. Cassidy will be left to pick up the pieces, gaining whatever advan- tage he can out of the situation. As John Diefenbaker would say, "Ts this the way to build a na- tion?"' HOCKEY HERO Well, there he goes, my seven plus siks: Wobbling and hockey sticks. reeling among Skating the length of the arena ice Swinging this way once and that way twice. Round a weaving enemy shirt Carrying the puck, always alert. Bent on completing an urgent mis- sion Rocking and wheeling into posi- tion. He trips -- he falls -- head over heels The world spins round as over he keels. 445-3345 Editor: Tom Van Dusen, Associate Mark Van Dusen, Sports: Jack McLaren, Editor, 445-2131; Gary Ris, Columnist 445-2069. News: Russell, Suzanne Schroeter, 445-5709; Greely, Bar- bara Overell, 821-1155. Photographs Dusen, 445-5770. Mike Van Advertising Manager Theresa Griffith, 445-2820. Bookkeeper: Joan Van Dusen, 445-2080. Coming events: Jude McGann, 445-3108. Second Class Mail Registration No. 4218 ISSN 0707 ---4956 CASTOR REVIEW "One Canada"' Box 359, Russell, Ontario "(POETS OF THE.. The ice swings up to meet his eye He rises, he staggers and plunges by. On to the blue line, my, oh my Determined never.to groan or cry. Snow-covered snow and sporting an egg _A rosy cheek and a badly bruised leg. ; Defiance strong in his young soul He totters on towards the goal. He loses the puck -- it bounces a yard And over the stick of the goalie guard. Back he comes a-prancing. Ankles dragging -- brown eyes dancing. with feet Submissions preferably typed, double-spaced are welcomed, publishable at the discretion of the editor. Published by- ~ 'Castor Publishing, Russell, Ontario. President: Thomas W. Van Dusen. Subscription rate: $3.50 a year; $4.50, out-of-country. Printed by Performance Print- ing, Smiths Falls. NEXT DEADLINE MAR. 9, NEXT ISSUE MAR. 14 Si AFF MEETING MAR. 26 tion of Canada's farming industry to foreign and domestic speculators and to urban sprawl? One could detect an undercur- rent of desperation at the con- ference, a foreboding that, like a cheese in a big family, the farming industry in Canada is slowly, but surely being sliced away. Unfor- tunately, in this. case, there is only one wedge. Will we look up too late to ask 'where did it all go?' The Canadian federation asked Marc Lalonde, the energy minister, to help them out by sub- sidizing soaring fuel costs. Lalonde, who boasts of his farm' boy roots, said no; that they were already enjoying prices much below the world rate. The Ontario federation, through its president Ralph Bar- rie, asked for subsidies to cushion inflated interest rates. Eugene Whelan, the agriculture minister, who professes to be the farmer's friend, said no; that they should be no better off than other Cana- dians. It is not as if the farmers were demanding ransom or kickbacks. They were asking for help; they got none. Nor were these men -- steady of gaze and thick of hand -- spendthrifts. Many wore suits that had obviously been altered several times, many forsake the Skyline Hotel dining room for the hot dog stand downstairs. Farmers are already -- directly or indirectly -- subsidized by all levels. of governments through loans at reduced rates, property AfOs ~ Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania is noted as the home base of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club as well as the habitat of the grdun- dhog called "Punxsutawney Phil." Last week, right on schedule, before TV cameras and a host of watchers, including, of course, the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, which was out in force, Punx- sutawney Phil climbed out of his burrow at Gobbler's Knob at 7:28 a.m., and dived right back in again when-he saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter. Some doubt was cast on the report of the members of the Punxsutauney Groundhog Club covering this incident, since it was pouring rain at the time. Never- CASTOR; With a toothless lisp and a mile wide grin '"'Didja see that Mum, didja see " me win?" My son, may you always have courage like this When things are seemingly going amiss. Dare to do what you did to-day Your very best when you work or play. Avoid the obstacles, using good sense Go bravely in search of excellence. Success will be yours in the years that span Your three score and ten as a full- grown man. Phyllis Curran Martintown LIFE AND CLARITY As a child I have often travelled the expanse of the Universe In one step I conquered whole Galaxies. Giants begged forgiveness at my feet eS Stars melted around me. Astonishing you say! Follow me What you will see will amaze and astound you. But soon you will believe* for lam reality * and you merely a dream inaccessible to all- including the dreamer. Bruno Santilli Russell - Beaver Bob Phil who? theless, that is their story and they are sticking with it. I have a groundhog at the bot- tom of my lawn, a fine old fellow, greying around the muzzle, not quite as old as Punxsutawney Phil, who allegedly has been mak- ing his appearances for 94 years (proving the difficulty of telling one groundhog from another). Perhaps I should not use the possessive when referring to "'my" groundhog. After all, he may regard me as his tenant, not the other way round. He was here first. In any case, he allows me to inhabit a house on his property, provided certain elementary con- ventions are observed between us. As far as he is concerned, he has agreed not to dig holes in my lawn. He understands this perfect+ ly well..One hole he dug in ad- vance of the Demilitarized Zone was quickly filled in with sand and he never tried to reopen it. He has one hole under the willow tree and another near the river bank. He is entitled to those. He has another one 250 feet away opening onto the Castor. At least, I presume it is the same groundhog, because it certainly looks like him. It may, of course, be a relative. We have this working - agree- ment, where he keeps~to his ter- ritory and I keep to mine. There is no question of his being in subjec- tion. He is an irascible fellow and if I come too close when he is feeding on the lawn, which<he often does in summer, he sits up , and gives me a baleful glare, as though to say, "Watch it, bub." Last summer, he came up as far - as the pear tree, picking up fallen pears; sitting up, holding them in his paw and demolishing them with an appearance of gourmet enjoyment, while I sat and watch- ed him. If I came foward, he would suspend operations and stare, first inquiringly, as though to say, "what is this idiot up to now? Can't he see I'm eating.' Then the stare would become hard and fixed if I approached beyond the recognized limits." Often through binoculars, I would watch as he lay in the field, beside another of his holes, sunning himself in the afternoon. He is a large animal, the size of a small dog and it is strange to think of a creature that size spending most of his life under ground. How would you like it, dear reader? I mention the Castor Groun- dhog, simply to go on to my main point, which is, that since he disappeared into his den in late October, when the wind was lashing the branches of the willow and the rain was whipping coldly across the meadow, he has not been seen. : -tax reductions, crop insurance, research funding, irrigation projects, transportation and storage systems. But the programs are simply not enough, as statistical projections suggest The farmers need more. In asking ourselves whether we are willing to pay, we must also ask -ourselves whether the survival of our food production is as vital to our well being as guaranteed health care. : The alternative? As the Toronto Star said recently: "Canada has a chance now to learn from the mistakes.of the " past -- if we do not, we will be doomed to repeat them, and in this case risk becoming another hungry nation in a world of starv- ing millions." Correspondence Editor, Castor Review. I was saddened by Mark Van Dusen's_ article entitled "Tabernacle television'? in the Castor Review. I can agree with him in some respects, but I disagree quite a bit in others. Firstly, I agree that the dramatic style of a TV preacher can be a 'turn-off' to some peo- ple, myself included: but I don't believe it is to all. Because we are all different and unique in- dividuals I think our Lord has one certain person 'to tell each one of us of _ Jesus' love and, power. About two years ago, I heard a Toronto area hog farmer tell of the changes in his life after he ask- ed the Lord to become real to him and direct his life. I was very mov- ed by his simple, quiet way. Since then, I have had a desire to read the Bible and see what Jesus and his church was like, before we each directed it our own way with our own interpretations of his instructions. Jesus' church was powerful --~ converting, healing and even resurrecting people and He said that his followers (us) would do even greater things. Many chur- ches don't teach us to expect heal- ing when we're sick or a comforter when we're distressed, but God promises it to us in the Bible, and I have experienced it myself many times in the last two years. I can't see the hearts of those television ministers that you were speaking of, but the Lord can. Just because I am put off by an in- dividual, it doesn't mean that he is not doing the Lord's work and helping many others according to His plan. : James 2:24 "You see that a man is justified by works and not by . faith alone."; 26 "For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead." We all reach a point in our lives when we must search inwardly and ask "Is my faith alive with works?" Yours sincerely, Sharon Guntzel Editor, Castor Review. Your publication is enjoyed im- mensely in spite of the fact that it usually arrives a month after publication. I plan to attend the home-coming reunion in June and look forward fo visiting your of- fice at that time. Sincerely, Donald A. MacKeracher, San Jose, Calif.