BLAZE- Burning trash got out of hand Thursday afternoon and an outbuilding
burned to the ground before North Raeford firemen extinguished the blaze.
The pre flared up at a home on the Blythe Dairy Farm west of the eity.
Accent On Agriculture
Rising marketing spreads con
tinue to account for a major share
of the increase in retail food prices.
Government reports show that for
all of 1975, rising marketing
spreads accounted for almost three
fourths of the rise in retail food
prices.
Similar trends are apparent in
the Government's market basket
figures. The retail cost of a market
basket of food produced on Ameri
can farms rose to a record of $1,876
in 1975 over 1974 - an increase of
SI26, only $35 of it went to the
farmers who produced the food
included in the market basket.
The remaining $91, which
amounts to 72 percent of the
increase, went to middlemen who
process, transport and sell the
food. These figures do not neces
sarily mean that the middleman is
making huge profits from retail
food sales. Much of the increase in
marketing and retail costs are due
to government - fed inflation and
increased labor costs in the food
business - all the way from the
farm to the consumer's table.
The steady rise in retail food
prices, however, is in the face of
declines in the market prices of
cattle, hogs and broilers from the
highs of last fall.
The parity ratio for 1975 also
reflects the decline in some farm
prices. The parity ratio for 1975
averaged 73 percent, the lowest in
four years, according to prelimi
nary estimates by the U.S. Depart
ment of Ariculture.
The ratio averaged 81 percent in
1974, and 88 percent in 1973 when
prices of major farm commodities,
including cattle, hit peak levels.
The ratio was 74 percent in 1972
and 70 percent in 1971.
While some economists discount
the parity ratio as a measuring stick
of how well farmers are doing
because they say it is outdated, the
ratio accurately reflects the down
ward trend of net farm income.
One thing for certain from all
these figures a. id that is farmers are
not to blame for the increase in
retail food prices in the past several
years.
SCS Activities
The following is a letter received
from James H. Canterberry, State
Resource Conservationist, directed
to all District Conservationists in
North Carolina.
"We have just received new
information from the U.S. Depart
ment of Interior, Fish and Wildlife
Service regarding the Farm Pond
Fish Stocking Program. The in
formation provided is as follows:
'On Apirl 16, 1975, we wrote to
you advising of the impending
policy on fish distribution which
would preclude providing fish for
private farm ponds. We advised
you at that time that we would not
Cotton Activity
Topic Of Meeting
Highlights of current National
Cotton Council activities will be
featured during a meeting in
Laurinburg Mar. 1, beginning at 6
P.M. in the Holiday Inn.
Marshall Grant, Garysburg,
chairman of the North Carolina
State Unit, will preside. The meet
ing is one of a series being held
across the Belt, and Grant urged all
people who have an interest in
cotton to attend.
The program will include reports
on cotton's competitive situation,
export opportunities, improving
public attitudes toward cotton,
developments in production and
marketing, research and merchan
dising effort being carried out by
Cotton Incorporated, and Council
Washington activities.
Reports will be given by Council
staff members.
Wrecks Total 16
Sixteen accidents, including one
fatality, were reported to the
highway patrol in January, ac
cording to the monthly report. 20
accidents were recorded for Jan
uary, 1975.
Total number of accidents for
the district, which includes Rich
mond and Scotland counties, was
84. One fatality occurred in
Scotland County.
provide fish for this purpose after
the spring of 1976 and that
applications received after Aug. 31.
1975, would not be honored.
However, the above policy has
not yet been finalized: and, pend
ing final approval we will continue
the Farm Pond Program at least
through the spring of 1977. Con
sequently, we will process fish
applications through Aug. 31,
1976, with subsequent stocking in
the fall of 1976 and the spring of
1977, Fish applications received in
our office since Aug. 31, 1975, have
been held in a pending status, but
we are currently in the process of
notifying these applicants that their
requests will be filled during the
1976-77 stocking season.
The finality of the Aug. 31. 1976.
cutoff date is contingent upon
action of the Department of the
Interior. Continuance of the Farm
Pond Program for another year
does not represent a relaxation of
the Fish and Wildlife Service's
effort to reduce expenditure of
resources in an area where the
benefits accrue mainly to the
landowner. The Service will en
deavor to place its resources in the
areas of broadest public benefit,
and therefore applications for
private waters will receive the
lowest priority assignment for
available fish.
We apologize for the uncertainty
of the present situation; however,
we feel we must react according to
prevailing circumstances.
This should alleviate the im
mediate problem of fish availability
and will give commercial fish
producers additional time to in
crease production. We will keep
you informed of any changes in this
position by the Fish and Wildlife
Service.
For further information please
contact your local conservationist,
Furman O. Clark, whose office is in
the post office building in Raeford.
THE MOST RAPD TRANSIT SYSTEM
OF THEM Mi.
There are a lot of proposals on
the drawing boards of America
for new types of rapid transit
systems designed to move
people quickly and cheaply. But
no system will ever beat the
telephone. It gets you where
you want to go. It doesn't use much
energy. It doesn't pollute. And you
can take your trip in the comfort
of your own home or office.
DON'T GO.
CALL.
"Xtt
Carolina Telephone and Telegraph Company
1-2-3 -? Insulating your attic and realizing savings on heating and cooling
costs is as easy as one. two. three. Start wth a sharp knife and a straight
edge to cut into the proper lengths.
Attic Insulation Easy
By Willie Featherstone
Assistant Agricultural Agent
Installing attic insulation is an
easy do - it - yourself project that
can reduce home energy and fuel
waste up to 30 per cent. The only
tools required are a sharp knife, a
straight ? edge and measuring rule.
and a pair of gloves. Actual
installation is simply a matter of
unrolling the insulation, cutting it
into the required length and then
placing the material between the
joists on the attic floor. For further
information contact the Hoke
County Extension Service at 875
,14b 1.
Rural Fires
875-4242
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