Pa^e4 



The lUinou Acricukuml AModalion Record 



AuKwt 2, 1924 



'PinSBURGH PLUS" 

 GETS DEATH WALLOP 

 AHER LONG BATTLE 



AboUtion of " Phantom ' 



Freight EvU by Federal 



Trade Comniaaion Saves 



Farmers Money 



Pittsburgh Plus is doomed. If 

 not actually ended. If the Vj S. 

 Steal Corporation, does not ap- 

 peal a decision rendered last 

 Tuesday. •>"•>• ^L •>>• the Federal 

 Trafle Commission, this iniquit- 

 ous" practice, which cosU the 

 ?ar,i.e?8 of the midwest »30,000,- 

 UOO annually, and is estimated to 

 cost) the farmers of Illinois not 

 less than 13.500.000 each year, 

 will be ended for all time. 



II the corporation does appeal 

 to the federal courts, the final 

 vlct&ry will only be delayed for a 

 short "me. for the dec sion of 

 the I Federal Trade Commission is 

 sweeping and comprehensive and 

 there is no question as to lU Jua- 



With the information afforded, 

 as the result of the commission s 

 careful and painstaking Investi- 

 gation, covering about five years, 

 the 



ratt 



public will never again sub 

 to "Pittsburgh Plus" or any 



similar practice, either in steel or 



f" 



ny other commodity 



j Charged ' Phantom' Rate 



Pittsburgh Plus, as all farmf" 

 now know. Is the practice of the 

 ste*l mills of charging for all 

 «te*l as if it was made and 

 shipped from Pittsburgh, no mat- 

 ter where the steel was actually 

 made and shipped from. That Is. 

 ste^l produced at Chicago, or any 

 other steel producing town in II- 

 linSls, or in Gary. Indiana, was 

 charged to the consumer at the 

 I'ittsburgh mill price plus 

 freight, not from the mill which 

 actually produced the steel and 

 from which it was shipped, but 

 from Pittsburgh. Therein lay an 

 unearned freight charge of over 

 15 per cent of the actual price of 

 the steel and this charge the con- 

 sumer paid and the mills pock- 

 eted. 



The farmer, as a class, is the 

 laiftest consumer of steel. There- 

 fore, the farmer was the one who 

 was principally affected by this 

 device of the steel mills. 



Four years ago the American 

 Farm Bureau Federation, and 

 our I A. A. joined whole-heart- 

 edly in the fight on Pittsburgh 

 Pins and since that time have 

 been leading factors in that flght. 

 It took a great deal of money 

 to fight the U. S. Steel Corpora- 

 tion, whose resources are practi- 

 cally unlimited. Therefore, last 

 year the legislatures of Illinois. 

 Iowa. Wisconsin and Minnesota 

 were appealed to tor aid in this 

 flght. Illinois appropriated $25.- 

 000 and the other three states 

 } 10.000 each. The farm bureau 

 In each of these states aided ear- 

 nestly in procuring these appro- 

 priations. 



In Illinois a commission of 

 seven was created by the legisla- 

 ture to administer the appropria- 

 tion and direct the flght on this 

 evil. Sam H. Thompson, presi- 

 dent of the Illinois Agricultural 

 Association, was made a member 

 of this commission by the gover- 

 nor, and has taken an active part 

 in the fight. 



States Joined FIftht 

 As a result of these legislative 

 appropriations, an organization of 

 32 states was formed to flght 

 Pittsburgh Plus. this being 

 known as The Associated States 

 Opposing Pittsburgh Plus. Mr. 

 Thompson is a director of this 

 association, and a member of its 

 executive committee. 



The victory assures the con- 

 sumers of the country relief from 

 an exaction of not less than 175.- 

 000.000 a year, of which the 

 farmers bore the major part. An 

 appeal to the courts may delay 

 tl^e final victory but It will only 

 bi delay. Even should the courts 

 oVer-nile the commission, there 

 will be final victory, and In a 

 short time< for Congress, in view 

 of /the ^^cts brought out. will 

 h^rdlK^delay In altering the law 

 ro flr this situation. 



Thompson made the fol- 

 Ij^ing statement to the press, 

 thlch was carried by all the 



leading press associations, and 

 widely distributed throughout the 

 country, upon the news of this 

 great victory: 



"The decision of the Federal Trade 

 commission outlawing Pittsburgh 

 Plus constitutes a well-earned vic- 

 tory for American farmers in gen- 

 eral and our Illinois farmers In par- 

 ticular. It Is also a fine victory for 

 the Illinois Agricultural Association 

 since the state and national units 

 of the farm buxeau started and fur- 

 nished the Impetus for the flght In 

 lil20 and have been actively oppos- 

 ing both financially and physically 

 the principle of Pittsburgh Plus 

 ever since. Many other organiza- 

 tions in the Middle West Joined 

 hands with the farm bureau and de- 

 serve credit for their initiative and 

 support. 



"It is conservatively estimated 

 that the abolition of Pittsburgh 

 Plus will save the farmers of Illi- 

 nois over 13.000.000 each year, and 

 approximately the same result will 

 apply to the other great agricultu- 

 ral states. The Federal Trade com- 

 mission In rendering the decision, 

 states that Pittsburgh Plus specifi- 

 cally adds 130.000.000 annually to 

 the coat of steel products bought by 

 farmers In 11 western states, which 

 Include Illinois. Our farm bureau 

 Investigations show that approxi- 

 mately i55. 000,000 is the amount of 

 annual saving effected for American 

 farmers In the aggregate. 



Benellts Taxpayers 



"This decision, insuring lower 

 steel costs, will also benefit the tax- 

 payers of the state, inasmuch as 

 hard roads consume vast quantities 

 of steel. The superintendent of 

 highways of Illinois several years 

 ago estimated that the additional 

 cost of Illinois roadways in the state 

 roadWay construction program ot 

 that time due to Pittsburgh Plus 

 was over half a million dollars. 

 Since then, with constantly expand- 

 ing roadway construction programs, 

 this cost would be Immeasurably 

 greater. If the Pittsburgh Plus addi- 

 tional charge were made, 



"Another important effect of this 

 decision to the farmers is the assur- 

 ance of more stable nearby markets, 

 due to greater industrial activity in 

 Illinois towns that have potent'all- 

 tiea for steel fabrication. With 

 Pittsburgh Plus abolished these 

 towns will come Into their own, and 

 the farmers in their Immediate vl 

 ctnlty will feel the benefit of thjs In 

 a better nearby home market for 

 their products, which will serve to 

 stabilize farm prices and enable the 

 nearby farmers to obtain a greater 

 proportion to-themselves for what 

 they produce. 



"This victory Is conclusive proof 

 that organized and united effort on 

 the part of the farmers is necessary 

 to overcome some of the difficulties 

 which confront the american farmer. 

 This decision could not have been 

 accomplished without the united ef- 

 fort and Influence of strong organi- 

 zation, 



"It also demonstrates the wisdom 

 of having farmers on the federal 

 boards and commissions; men that 

 can be depended upon as having the 

 interests of America's basic Industry 

 at heart." 



SAYS FARMERS ARE 

 FACING REAL TEST 



(Continued from page 1.) 

 you on that. You have had good 

 representation from the country 

 and you have got to have that If 

 you are going to do business for 

 your people. 



I "To me. It seems that agri- 

 culture of the United States is in 

 the time of a real test. We have 

 practically got through with the 

 exploitation period. We have oc- 

 cupied the land. Not that there 

 is other land that is to be brought 

 in. but what is left is the sort of 

 land that has to be brought In 

 under high prices, land that you 

 have to • put water on or take 

 water off. and that all costs 

 money. We have occupied easily 

 tillable land. During that period 

 of exploitation, a man. and a 

 good wife, who did real work 

 and got a small start could get 

 ahead only by long hours of 

 hard work. We are through 

 with that period. Most of the 

 proflt in that period came through 

 increased land values. 



Nee<l Brain Work 

 "Not that we are going to have 

 advance In the land but land Is 

 not going to advance consider- 

 ably. Our present period brings 

 wholly new problems. We have 

 got to have brain work to work 

 with the hand. We have new im- 

 provements in labor saving ma- 

 chinery. We figure in the Depart- 

 ment that in a relatively short 

 period of time the efflclency of 

 the Individual has increased about 

 18 per cent and on the other 

 hand, you farmers have substan- 

 tial Increases in your fixed liabil- 

 ities, your taxes, your Interest. 

 The mortgage debt on the farms 

 of the United States from 19.10 

 to 1924 is nearly double, taxes 

 on roads and Increased cost of 

 government brings wholly new 

 problems before the farmers of 

 this generation and the coming 

 generation. Now the question is 

 whether the people of United 

 States are willing to pay the in- 

 creased price which comes to the 

 agricultural industry to maintain 

 our sort of agricultural civiliza- 

 tion. That we have all been 

 striving for. Whether they are 

 going to do that depends on t}ie 

 intelligence and the vigor with 

 which the farmers of the United 

 States see it. Thf rerf map in the 



Outing Secretary. 



Illinois Agricultural Association, 



Chicago, Illinois. 



.192 



We have organized a group of hosts In this 



neighborhood who will be glad to entertain 



Chicago poor children for two weeks beginning 



Following are the names of hosts, num- 



Month and Date 



ber and description of children wanted by each host: 



y«n€ Jo RECORD ikowt the vigor 

 trith whirh three-fourths of the 

 United States saw it. — Editor. 



Foreifn>e>*8 Study Our Markets 

 "The week before I left Wash- 

 ington, delegates from New Zea- 

 land, sent over here by the New 

 Zealand government to study how 

 they could enlarge th$ market 

 here for their butter, came to my 

 office seeking information regard- 

 ing their United States outlet. 

 And not long ago delegates came 

 from Australia and from Argen- 

 tina seeking how they can get 



nto the United States with their 

 chief products — thus meeting us In 

 the market of the world. These 

 delegattons are all fgolns to the old 

 country. We know Danish butter 

 has been coming in here. 



"All those thing^s are going to 

 make organization more necessary- 

 The individual isn't going to count. 

 He has to cooperate with his fellow 

 farmer. Farmers must work through 

 their organizations such as this. 

 Through systematic study of the 

 problems and the adoption of the 

 same sort of business principles 

 used in business, we are going to 

 maintain our basic Industry — Agri- 

 culture. 



A Blv Chall«BKe 



•r want to tell you that It is the 

 biggest challenge that ever came to 

 any generation of this country. It 

 is the testing time whether America 

 la going to be kept up on Agrtcul- 

 ture's expense and whether the 

 stream of potency which has been 

 going into the situation from the 

 American farms Is going to be kept 

 up or going to break down until w« 

 have the peasant system of farm- 

 ing. 



"If this nation had to depend on 

 the children born In the cities for 

 the Increase in population our popu 

 'atlon would not come up to Stan 

 ,lard. The Increase in population li 

 '■oming from the farm and from the 

 foreign element. During the last 

 hundred years a constant stream of 

 fresh blood comes Into the cities, 

 educated at the expense of the farm- 

 ers without cost to the city- 

 grown up from 18 to 25 years of age 

 nnd then turned over free of charge 

 to the cities. If cities did the fair 

 thing they would pay 40 per cent of 

 the cost of education of the country 

 people. Now if conditions such as 

 have existed In the past three years 

 'ontlnue we are going to drive off 

 the farm the very best blood. In a 

 general way, the best blood of the 

 farm is going to be driven off the 

 farm because there Is no man but 

 who wants his wife and children to 

 have a fair chance. We. as farm- 

 ers, are not going to stand ■ such 

 conditions. We have got to become 

 alive to the big necessity of the sit- 

 uation we are now confronting. And. 

 Juat as you men are doing here, 

 study the situation as it affects you. 



RfHder (ireater Servlee 



"See how you can render greater 

 service to your members. Improve 

 their systems of marketing. Im- 

 prove the whole mechanism of the 

 farm. More than that, study the big 

 national movement that affects farm 

 prices. We have to produce for 

 dollars as well as bushels and 

 pounds. You have to look into the 

 national centers of growth to see 

 what Is going on there; that has 

 its influence on the crops. You can 

 produce to the limit. You can dou- 

 ble your production. If J^ou please. 

 If the population grows to consume 

 it. but until you pay attention to the 

 matters of large national policy 

 which, without your realising It- 

 send your dollar down in purchasing 

 value to half of what It is or 75 

 per cent of what It was or send It up 

 the other way. 



"Your production Is going to be a 

 rather hard task. You have to em- 

 ploy men who are capable of think- 

 ing in those larg^er terms. Have in- 

 telligence of what they want to do 

 and how to do it and then go at 

 it and do it. 



"This is not only your own indi- 

 vidual job. but it is a duty which 

 has been laid upon you. Don't think 

 the fight Is over. The contest Is be- 

 tween the industrial East and the 

 agricultural West. We have a big 

 job of education on our hands.'* 



12TH DISTRICT MEN 

 HEAR AIMS OF NEW 

 FARM ORGANIZATION 



Cowlet Outline* Purpose of 

 AgricultunJ Council; Com- 

 mittee Takes No Action 

 On Reorganisation Plan 



It is understood that United Charities of Chicago assumes the 

 liability in the case of accident or Illness to any of the chil- 

 dren sent to us; however, we pledge to exercise proper pre- 

 cautions In the care and treatment of these children. 



We will meet the children at or 



Railway Station 



(Please name at least one optional Railway Station) 



Remarks: 



Name of ^ost Chairman.. 

 Post Office 



Rural Route No. Telephone No.. 



Discussion of the Grain Mar- 

 keting Company, as recently In- 

 corporated under the Illinois Co- 

 operative Marketing Act of 1923 

 and explanation of the American 

 Council of Agriculture by R. A. 

 Cowles. treasurer of our I. A. A., 

 occupied the center of the stage 

 at the 12th district meeting at 

 De Kalb, July 23. Thirty farm 

 bureau members attended the 

 meeting in spite of the pressing 

 farm work. 



G. F. Tullock, Rockford, exec- 

 utive committeeman from the 

 12th district, presided at the 

 morning session. A report was 

 made by the organliation com- 

 mittee which has been consider- 

 ing since February the drafting of 

 a new plan of organization for 

 the district. No definite action 

 was taken due to the absence of 

 several members of the commit- 

 tee. A tour of inspection to 

 the experimental plots ot the De 

 Kalb county farm bureau ended 

 the morning meeting. 



Discuss Grain Merger 

 Sam H. Thompson, our I. A. A. 

 president, was to have explained 

 the grain marketing merger and 

 the aims of the American Coun- 

 cil of Agriculture but In his ab- 

 sence Mr. Cowles. who was elect- 

 ed secretary of the Council at 

 the St. Paul meeting, July 12. 

 thoroughly discussed the two or- 

 ganizations. 



He told of the purpose of the 

 American Council of Agriculture 

 as determined at the St. Paul 

 conference. It Is a centralized 

 body of agricultural organiza- 

 tions which will coordinate the 

 efforts of all farm Interests 

 toward, the enactment of legisla- 

 tion embodying the principals of 

 the McNary-Haugen bill, recently 

 defeated In congress. "The 

 American Council of Agriculture 

 has nothing to do with partisan 

 politics," Mr. Cowles explained. 

 "All we want is equality for agri- 

 culture with Industry and labor." 

 In his explanation of the Grain 

 Marketing Company as it was 

 recently incorporated Mr. Cowles 

 showed that such incorporation is 

 a necessary step to make legal 

 any further consideration of the 

 proposal for farmers to purchase 

 the terminal marketing equip- 

 ment of large grain,' firms. He 

 repeated the statement made by 

 President Thompson that our I. 

 A. A. had up to that time re- 

 tained an open mind on the plan 

 of the Grain Marketing Company. 



There are handredii of little Chlensco ■lam klddlen who are hop- 

 Ins aome Kood-hrarted farm bnrMm member will irlve them n 

 two weeks* vacatloB la the eoaatry. fan joa take onet Yoa*ll 

 eaJOT their vaeatloa, ti>a! Pill In the above blank and mall It In 

 to the Ontlnf Meeretnrx. 



Tariff Agreement 



To Favor Shipper* 



An agreement reached recently 

 by the transportation department 

 of our I. A. A. and the L. & N. 

 Railroad, as to the exact inter- 

 pretation of tariff rates on mixed 

 shipments of livestock over that 

 road, will reduce charges on such 

 shipments along the L. & N. 



The litigation in regard to the 

 tariffs arose, after L. J. Quasey. 

 director of the transportation de- 

 partment of our I. A. A. filed 

 claims for overcharge made on 

 several shipments from Carml. 

 White county, to East St. Louis. 

 The case has been before the Illi- 

 nois Commerce Commission for 

 more than a year. 



The method of applying 

 charges used by the L. & N. was 

 held unjust, unreasonable and ex- 

 cessive by the complainant and 

 the case was to have been given 

 a hearing before the Commerce 

 Commission July 22 but after ex- 

 tensive negotiations the L. & N. 

 admitted the error of wrong in- 

 terpretation of the tarills and 

 agreed to make the necessary ad- 

 justments. 



Logan County Gets 

 Land Valuation Cut 



As the result of petitions circu- 

 lated by the Farm Bureau and 

 signed by more than 50 per cent 

 of the land owners In the county, 

 the Logan County Board of Re- 

 view last week ordered a 16 per 

 cent reduction in the assessed 

 valuation of farm lands. The 

 petitions were signed by over 800 

 land owners representing more 

 than 250.000 acres of land. 



Last year the taxation depart- 

 ment of our I. A. A. co-operating 

 with the County Farm Bureaus 

 and county boards of review de- 

 creased the taxes of Illinois farm- 

 ers approximately two and a half 

 million dollars. But Logan coun- 

 ty made no reduction In the land 

 valuation uhtil the present time. 



The final assessed valuation for 

 1924 will be about $3,073,000 

 less than in 192 3 following the 

 15 per cent reduction. The re- 

 duction will also lower the tax 

 valuation in overlapping school 

 districts along county lines, where 

 favorable valuations have already 

 been effected in adjoining coun- 

 ties. 



The Quiiicjr btuikers Clearing 

 House Association is offering to 

 Adams county farmers several 

 prizes of purebred boars and 

 good seed corn to be awarded on 

 the basis of township attend- 

 ance at the Adams County Fair. 



1 



