Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1987. július-december (41. évfolyam, 26-48. szám)
1987-10-29 / 40. szám
Thursday, Oct. 29. 1987. AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZO 11. ÁmÉRICAh HÜnGARÍAhs TESTING FOR PESTICIDES Economic Notes (CONDENSED FROM NYT) Two California supermarket-chains have become the first to test fruits and vegetable for the presence of pesticides. The two chains responding to the increasing fears of consumers about chemicals in food are also agressively advertising the results of the residue - testing programs to gain an advantage over their competitors. Laboratories that conduct the tests for the two chains say they use Federal standards and testing procedures. If a shipment is found to contain levels of pesticides that exceed -Federal standards, it is quarantined and sent back to the grower. Executives from the two chains: Raleys Incorporated and Irvine Ranch Farmers Market said they instituted the chemical residue testing programs after the National Academy of Sciences published a study last spring outlining the dietary risks from eating food containing trace amounts of pesticides. Raleys which had sales of 900 million last year began advertising its residue testing-program in May. The program subjected tomatoes, potatoes, oranges, lettuce, apples, peaches, carrots, corn and grapes to residue tests. They said the program cost $í 10,000 and raised the volume of produce sold in the stores by 5% since the start of the year. The Irvine Ranch Farmers Market has a similiar testing program. They also report approval by customers. The chemical testing techniques are based on scientific procedures established by the Federal Food and Drug Administration. Scientists do not always agree about the potential dangers to human health that may result from eating food contaminated with trace amounts of pesticide. Yet several incidents including the contamination in 1985 of California watermelons by a commonly used pesticide which sickened thousands of people in the west, have swayed public opinion. In recent years polls by the Food Marketing Institute, a Washington bureau, have shown that pesticide residues in food are at the top of consumer concerns. "We've seen it coming for years", said Frank McKinn, Raley's vice president for market and advertising "Our customers didn't like all the chemicals in the food". ON THE MINORITIES All those who live in the Hungarian People's Republic regard it as their homeland, whatever their native language. Around four per cent of Hungary's 10.6 million citizens belong to one of the ethnic minorities. This represents around 450,000 to 500.000 persons. The largest group are the Germans, numbering around 220,000. They are followed by the Slovaks, around 120,000 to 130,000, the Southern Slavs, 100,000 to 120,000 and the Romanians who number 25,000 to 30,000. Visitors traveling in Hungary by train or car can see for themselves which towns and villages have ethnic minorities. When they arrive in such a place they will see the name of the locality indicated in two or more languages at the railway station or at the entry to the settlement. The practice of the policy on ethnic minorities attributes an important role to the school and education. It is also in the interest of those living here to learn Hungarian as the first, official language of the country, but all children in the families of ethnic minorities have the means and possibility to learn, preserve and cultivate the language of their forefathers, at both primary and secondary level. For knowledge and protection of the language is a fundamental requirement for cultivation of the cultural heritage. In the villages of the ethnic minorities the cultivation of folk customs and folk art traditions has gained new impetus in recent years, not least of all thanks to the achievements of the policy on ethnic minorities. Each ethnic minority has its own amateur arts groups which look for old tales, dances and folk songs, perform them and if necessary adapt them. In the past three years but especially in 1986, Hungarian agriculture has been stricken by drought. The Hungarian government pays the total damages of those agricultural complexes which became lossmaking because of a more than 20 percent déficit caused by drought. Where damages are less, state farms and cooperatives are indemnified by the government proportionally. Hungary is a net importer of energy, last year's radical and sudden drop in oil prices was one of the factors behind the poor trading results. Hungary imports oil from the Soviet Union under what is known as the Bucharest pricing principle: the price paid is the average world market price in the previous five years. As the world price fell, the price of Hungary's substantial exports of oil products was left high and dry. There was a secondary effect as well. The oil- producing developing countries are a major export market for Hungary. As their oil income fell, so did their ability to pay. Then there was the dollar. The prices of half of Hungary's convertible-currency exports are expressed in dollars, but the prices of two-thirds of its convertible-currency imports are expressed in Western European currencies. As the dollar fell in 1986, Hungary's terms of trade deteriorated. • In the last twenty-five years the number of people working in the professions and doing intellectual work in Hungary has increased most rapidly. In 1960 the proportion of people employed in these fields was 16%, ten years later it had increased to 22.3%, and by 1980 the figure was 28.2%. In 1987 out of Hungary's population of 10.7 million, 354,000 people receive some sort of pension, and family allowance is paid to the parents of slightly more than two million children. WHEN YOU HAVE TO CO The process of eliminating waste from the body is an obvious necessity. Yet you would never know it in New York City. Unlike most big cities there are no public facilities in the five boroughs. These elementary conveniences just aren't available. We become aware of it in two ways: one when we have to go and there is a frantic, uncomfortable search and when the subways and various street corners emit overwhelming odors. This city has a huge street population and thé homeless, who have no recourse but to use the streets. In addition, there are taxi-drivers, bus drivers and ordinary pedestrians. Sightseeing tourists are often inconvenienced as they tour the city. Private industry cannot and should not take on this responsibility. This is a municipal obligation and New York has been most • remiss in dealing with an amenity that is taken for granted in most sophisticated cities. This is never a problem in London, and Paris is known for its pissoirs. Budapest, Prague and Berlin all have public restrooms. This city should face up to it. One possibility is to install one in every OTB facility and see to it that it is clean. Yes, maintenance costs money but making a cesspool of our streets is far more expensive, odorous and ugly. B. K.
