OCR Text |
Show May, 1973 UTAH FARM BUREAU NEWS r Child Labor, Cloud Ahead The Utah Legislature, which was in session from Januai y 8 to March entertained 600 bills. Of these, 116 were classified as being related to Farm Bureau activity. There were 58 bills that were real important to Farm Bureau, 58 of high interest and a few others that rated only minor interest. for Simplification filing greenbelt applications was accomplished. Applicants that No Special Privilege The Supreme Court opinion said: "The sole issue before us in the obligation of reporters to respond to grand jury subpoenas as other citizens do and to answer question relevant to Looking Seeding, SMV Enacted 8, wish coverage only need to file once, instead of each year. Property will otherwise be reported for a change when the land use changes. Utah's child labor laws were revised to allow youthful employment on farms or other ac: tivities except that youth working with machinery should be at least 14 years old. A resolution to the Congress requested a similar - . national policy. A bill to provide for enrichment additives for certain flours that are not already being enriched was passed. The safety act which requires vehicles to display an authorized sign was implemented. SMV signs are now required on all vehicles designed for speeds 25 miles per hour or less, whether driven by employee or employer. The highways will be policed to slow-movi- ng insure enforcement September beginning 1, 1973. Cloud seeding has been authorized under the direction of the Natural Resources Division of state government. Legal entities, such as a five county or 6 county area or similar group may apply to cloud seed and establish a method of financing the program. Water derived would become part of water administered under current state water laws. Even though the air pollution act was ammended to accomodate industry, provisions covering agriculture were unchanged. Vendor sales of 15 cents or less were exempted from sales tax to avoid penalizing one commercial activity merely because of the method of distribution. Another significant bill that passed, which has previously been tried in the Legislature, allows state income tax filings to coincide with federal format with a few simple adjustments. The Legislature, recognizing the great losses due to predators approved a resolution asking President Nixon to relax restrictions on use of canine toxicants. A number of bills were passed that Farm Bureau feels the merit of such should be considered with some reservation. There were three major insurance proposals approved. One relates to the degree to which a party contributed to the accident. A motorist be liable for that portion of damage caused by his relative negaligence. lt Another called the Insurance has such a low threshold ($500) for filing suit as to be impractical. It is well to keep in mind that this law is more accurately defined as a compulsory insurance law. That is, certification will be required as proof that automobiles are covered with legal liability No-Fau- requirements. action insurance Other established conditions allowed for insurance companies to cancel policies of insurance. Along with of premium and a very poor driving record, comnon-payme- nt panies were allowed "fail to renew" action if membership in connection with insurance was not paid. A wildlife bill was passed that would allow hunters to shoot predators from aircraft. A new school finance bill was passed that allocates funds on an individual unit rather than a distribution unit. It is a rather President EDUCATION PROGRAM Searcy, Arkansas . SPECIAL PRIVILEGE PROFESSION? A considerable controversy has been generated in the press over the refusal of newsmen to A Brashers Accept Church Call Kenneth Brasher has resigned his position as a member of the Utah Farm Bureau board of directors. Ken and his wife, Erma, will serve for a year and a half in the New Mexico-Arizon- a mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da- y Saints. The Brashers will be located at Many Farms, Arizona; a distance of about 125 miles from Blanding, Utah. Their assignment will be to give assistance in the development of new farm lands that are being opened to production for the first time. They will help in the art of irrigation as well as other skills. During the winter months, the Brashers will give assistance to missionary activities. They are looking forward to their assignment and will be of valuable service because of the many years experience they have both had in farm production and related activities. It is of interest that Olaf George, former vice president of the Utah Farm Bureau, and his wife Blanch are serving there also. The Georges are in the second month of a second term working and supervising farming activities among the Indian people. technical procedure. The Jordan Parkway bill was ammended and funds allocated for development of parks along the Jordan and Provo rivers. The Deseret Livestock bill was compromised to allow Legislative Council time to study feasibility. Farm Bureau contributed to 22 bills being killed. These included 9 migratory labor bills, enlarge board of big game, purchase of Deseret Livestock farm and some unrealistic tax reductions. There were four bills that Farm Bureau wanted passed which included an axle weight permit (but bill conflicted with federal regulation), a resolution to unify highway regulations in Congress, with spotlights hunting (regulations requiring sheriffs supervision being setup), and land use planning. A farm truck law was killed in the Senate during a political hassle over Constitutional amendments. Controversies prevented 5 other important bills, that needed amendments from passing. They included subdivision act, planning and zoning, public land tax exemption, register of hypodermic needles, unethical practices in dairy sales. Summing up the classification of bills of high interest, 33 passed, only three are questioned by Farm Bureau. Seven were killed that action was supported by Farm Bureau. Twenty eight others just didnt make it through. Of these, 15 were definitely good, 5 were very controversial, 5 were constitutional amendments, and 3 became part of other bills that did pass. The 1973 session of the Legislature was one of the busiest for a long time in considering bills of interest to Farm and ranch people. It is impossible to measure the accomplishments due to Farm Bureau activity, but to be sure rural Utah is better off because Farm Bureau was there. confidential divulge formation to grand juries the denying immunity from disclosure of confidential information to grand juries and courts. The high court decision added Fire to a widening controversy which now embraces asking safeguarding the public from criminal elements and they cannot retain their mere the designation "newsman permits anyone to defy a common law applicable to all. reporters newsmen for June 18, 1973. According to the rules, there are set periods of time that should lapse before workers can fields where pesticides have been used. con- re-ent-er Permanent rules reflecting additional studies will be incorporated into the standards in six months. John Stender, assistant labor secretary for the departments Occupational Safety and Health Administration, made the observation that an estimated deaths and ill effects to 80,000 workers occur each year. The crops covered under the temporary rules include oranges, 800 lemons, grapefruit, peaches, grapes, apples and tobacco. Summer Tour Season Here laws overriding the court decision are being considered in Congress. Vital Public Stake The public has a vital stake in all phases of the controversy. The Supreme Court has held, in effect, that if a criminal can escape grand jury indictment and court conviction because of the lack of evidence winch might have been supplied by a newsman, thepublic interest is jeopardized. The court says the constitution grants a newsman no such special privilege. The other major issue concerns the erection of some kind of safeguard to assure the public that the news and information it receives from the media is not colored, or biased, or contaminated with advocacy or adversary viewpoints of the media. Since Congress is being pressured to enact "shield laws to circumvent the Supreme Courts interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, con- 20 proposed The summer tour season has arrived, the weather has finally turned warmer. Farm work is going ahead full speed to make up for lost time. Although energy is directed to land preparation now, a little attention could be given to summer and fall plans soon. Interest develops from time to time about taking tours that will enhance appreciation for American farm production and at the same time expose tour participants to varied ideas, exotic beef and methods that could be incorporated in this country to add to efficiency of operations. Farmer-To-Farm- tours have been arranged to see the exotic beef er in Europe, Scandinavia with so many interesting sights, Europe again in the fall to see a more general view, Alaska to see the spectacular of this northern state, and finally the Orient will be scheduled for early November to visit Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Thailand. Now is the time to make your plans. Let Farm Bureau know which tour is of interest to you. cerned citizens should understand clearly the facts involved and the issues being hrgued. As a journalist for more than 35 years, I honor the profession and contend that most news media are honest and responsible. I support the claim of confidentiality of reporters sources except where transcendent public interest is involved. TOvvaao IS Newsmen Involved Three cases reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Justice Byron White, who wrote the majority opinion, states the issue and the decision tersely: The issue in these cases is whether requiring newsmen to appear and testify before State or Federal grand juries abridges the freedom of speech and press guaranteed by the First Amendment We hold that it does not. The newsmen involved were Paul M. Branz-burof the Louisville Courier-Journa- l; a THE WE ALASKA June 18 to July 2 and June 24 to July 8 EXOTIC BEEF TOUR OF EUROPE May 14 to June 4 and Sept. 10 to Oct. 1 TRAVEL SCANDINAVIA Aug. 2 to 23 EUROPE Oct. 11 to 31 ORIENT Nov. 1 to 26 Please send me information on tour checked g, Paul television Rhode Pappas, newsman-photographe- r, of Providence, Island; and ef- fectiveness, it seems to me, if fidential information unless is it deemed necessary for indictment or prosecution for criminal acts. The media is charges (from within the profession of journalism itself) of bias in news handling, "advocacy journalism, and "adversary journalism. About in all-power- disclose other confidences, their informants will refuse or be reluctant to furnish privilege will undermine the freedom of the press to collect and disseminate news. But this is not the lesson history teaches us. . . From the beginning of our country the press has operated without constitutional protection for press informants, and the press has flourished. The Supreme Court points out that no court or grand jury is went to jail. The issue of special privilege for newsmen now has reached the U.S. Supreme Court. The "law of the land has been newsmen remain requiring Our courts must The U.S. Department of Labor has issued temporary rules with protection for farm workers as the goal. The standards go into effect Amendment privilege formation even if subpoenaed in criminal proceedings. Some subpoenas testimony. Rules Issued For Pesticides newsworthy information in the future. "We are admonished that refusal to provide a First in- pressuring is, however, that reporters are exempt from these obligations because if forced to respond to subpoenas and identify their sources or locations from Massachusetts to California. The newsmen defied orders of grand juries and claimed the First Amendment gave them a special established jury in confidence. The inin- are 3 Congress for "total and absolute immunity from grand claim vestigating criminal acts. There have recently been eight such incidents, ranging in to . withhold elements an investigation into the of crime. . . commission Citizens generally are not constitutionally immune from grand jury subpoenas; and neither the First Amendment nor other constitutional provision protects the average citizen from disclosing to a Sand jury information that he Dr. George S. Benson NATIONAL Page split on the issue, but powerful Earl Caldwell, reporter for the New York Times. All three claimed immunity from the common law requiring testimony under subpoena. MAIL TO: UTAH FARM BUREAU TRAVEL East 4th South Salt Lake Gty 84102 629 |