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Volume 4 



Issued Every Month for 63,000 thinking Farmiers — April 1, 1926 



No. 4 



HERH TEX T OF FEDER AL FARM BOARD MEASURE; STUDY IT! 



Report of Industrial 

 Economists on Farm 

 Supports Our Position 



National Board Finds Agricul- 

 ture's Plight Largely Due 

 to Buying in Protected 

 Market and Selling in 

 World Market. 



A report on the farm situation 

 was made public recently by the 

 National Industrial Conference 

 Board. This is not a farm organi- 

 zation. It is an organization of en- 

 gineers and economists sustained 

 by the transportation, manufactur- 

 ing, mining and other interests for 

 the scientific investigation of eco- 

 nomic questions pertinent to these 

 industries. 



These industries, having come to 

 the realization that agriculture has 

 a very direct relation to themselves, 

 have undertaken an extended in- 

 quiry to find out just what the eco- 

 nomic status of the farmer is. The 

 study upon which the report is based 

 has been in progress about a year. 

 It substantiates the position of the 

 I. A. A. and many other farm or- 

 ganizations. 



The report shows that there has 

 been: 



"A progressively declining ten- 

 dency ever since 1900, excepting 

 during war years, when there was a 

 temporary respite." 



Farming Laf^ns Bahind. 



Again in the report comes this 

 significant statement: 



"It is no more a question of what 

 ails the farmer than of what will 

 be the consequence for all the rest 

 of the nation, for industry, finances 

 and general business, for all the 

 urban population, if American agri- 

 culture continues to lag behind in 

 comparison with the general devel- 

 opment of the country." 



A capital decrease from 47 billion 

 dollars in 1920 to 32 billion dollars 

 in 1925 is shown by the report. The 

 rate of farm failures from 1910 to 

 1924 shows an increase of over 1,- 

 000 per cent in contrast to that in 

 commercial failures which has re- 

 mained practically the same. Farm 

 acreage and farm production de- 

 clined, and overhead capital costs, 

 including taxes and interest, in- 

 creased about 100 per cent from 

 1900 to 1910 and nearly 600 per 

 cent between 1900 and 1920. Com- 

 bined costs per unit of production 

 rose over 300 per cent, while whole- 

 sale prices increased only 120 per 

 cent. 



Farmers* Earnings Lowest 



Of startling significance, the re- 

 port shows that actual earnings of 

 farmers average only $730 in 1924, 

 as against the average earnings of 

 $1,256 per wage-earner in the man- 

 ufacturing industries; of $1,572 

 among transportation workers; of 

 $2,141 by clerical workers; of $1,- 

 296 by teachers; $1,650 by govern- 

 ment employes, or an average of 

 $1,415 per worker in groups other 

 thail farmers. 



All this is due, the National In- 

 dustrial Conference Board finds, to 

 the fact that 60 per cent of the 

 farmer's income depends on world 

 conditions of supply, demand and 

 costs, which are out of his control, 

 while the expense of operating the 

 farm is determined by domestic con- 

 ditions "which place the costs for 

 the farmer on a higher level of val- 

 ues than the world level of values 

 which determines the bulk of the 

 farmer's income." 



Another Remedy for 

 Surplus: Let U. S. A. 

 Give Liquor Gratis 



Of the many plans offered to 

 the Illinois Agricultural Associa- 

 tion for solving the problem of 

 the surplus, a particularly un- 

 usual one was explained recently 

 by S. Cohn, age 76, "soft drink" 

 manufacturer of 116 N. Keeler 

 Ave., Chicago, who stopped in at 

 the office. 



"The government should pass 

 a law stopping all this temper- 

 ance business," Mr. Cohn sug- 

 gested. "Prohibition has cut 

 down by millions of bushels the 

 demand for farmers' com and 

 barley. Cut out the temperance 

 business, then the government 

 would save enough on its bud- 

 get for enforcement that it could 

 manufacture whiskey, beer and 

 wine and give it away free, which 

 would get rid of the surplus." 



Appeal to I. A. A. for 

 Help in Dealing With 

 Thieving from Farmers 



An appeal to the I. A. A. to in- 

 augurate some state-wide move to 

 stop thieving from farmers was 

 made by Samuel Sorrells, executive 

 committeeman for the 21st district, 

 who presented a resolution from 

 Sangamon, Christian, Montgomery 

 and Macoupin counties, which com- 

 prise that district. 



The executive committee referred 

 the resolution to the sub-committee 

 dealing with public relations with 

 the request that definite considera- 

 tion and recommendations be laid 

 before the executive committee at 

 its next regular meeting, which" will 

 be April 9. 



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I 



Why Farmers Shoulq Support the Tax 



. Amendment to Illinois Constitution 



» ii Novenber, l»M) i i 



(To b« voted on I 



1. Real estate, altboufh leia ftian one-half— many say less tfaaa 

 40 per cent — of the property in |the state, is now pajinc about 80 

 per cent of all of the taxes for itiost purposes. 



2. Tangible property, althoug|i probably not more than one-half 

 of the property in the state, is tmyr paying more than 92 per cent 

 of all of the taxes for most purposes. 



3. A minority of the people if the state are now paying all of 

 the taxes for most purposes. I 



4. Ow^ners of some kinds of property easily can and do add their 

 taxes to the prices of their services or products. Owners of other 

 kinds of property, notably land, Icannot «hift their taxes to others 

 to pay. , 



5. Owners of mortgaged prc^perty are now paying doable or 

 multiple taxes. They pay taxes Aot only on their equities, but also 

 on the value of the mortgages, avd pay a higher rate of interest on 

 taxable mortgages whether the i^ortgages pay taxes or not. 



• 6. Lack of personal interest f>n the part of most people in the 

 economical and efficient use of tax moneys, and their belief that 

 they are paying no taxes of any |cind, promote extravagance and a 

 rapid increase of deferred taxes i* the form of bonded indebtedness. 



7. Taxes are rapidly increasing in Illinois partly because the 

 population is increasing, but chiely because of the demand for new 

 forms of service. 



8. Under the present constititional limitations none of the in- 

 equalities of the present taxing syatem described above ean be fairly 

 or properly corrected. The proposed amendment is a grant of 

 power to the General Assembly, enabling it from time to time to 

 correct inequalities in taxation at d to establish a modem and equit- 

 able system of taxation. 



[Brief artides in support of the points 

 of The Record. Questions relative to th4 

 will be answered through Thf Record.] 





Pn BidcBt, Illinois A^cultural Association 



stated above will be'printed in later issue* 

 proposed tax amendment are invited and 



Afore Voluntary Support 



STATC or ii.LtNOia 



Mr. A. 



Varna, 



JUSTICE CLYDE C STONS 



Peoria, Illinois ^ 

 ICarch 4tb, 1926. 



R. ffrighi, 



111. 



My dear Mr. Wright: 



I am in receipt this morning of a ' 

 copy of the Illinois Agricultural Asfiociation 

 Record end notice on its editorial ptge thtt 

 individual membership fee in the Illinois Agri- 

 cultural Association is $5.00 a year. I ae 

 wondering vheth' r or not membership trivileges 

 would extend to a perso.-. who farms throu£^h a 

 tenant. If so, I should like to Join the Asso- 

 ciation and assipt In any way I can to further 

 the intereets of- that organization as I under- 

 stand them to be; 



The necessity for such an organiza- 

 tion in the agricultural industry is so very 

 epnarent in order to secure a fair place for 

 that industry thet I trust it will grow verj 

 r;.pidly in cumbers and influence. 



V Awaiting your coi:^Dieiice, I &c 



Or THB 12 Pboducer agbncies function- 

 ins on livestock markets of the United States 

 which reported their standinss during the 

 first part of March, six were first in volume 

 (rf business done and one was seoond. I 





WHEN A. R. Wright of Vama, 

 representing the 16th district 

 on the I. A. A. executive committee, 

 received the letter reproduced above 

 from Clyde E. Stone, justice in the 

 Supreme court of Illinois, needless 

 to say he was pleased. Mr. Wright 



"■-■■,,-, ri'' . ■ — :■' 



informed Justice Stone that it would 

 be necessary to join the county 

 Farm Bureau In his home county, 

 which is Peoria, and the fee is $15 

 for a joint membership. Justice 

 Stone replied saying he was joining 

 In Peoria county. 



National Association 

 of Grain Dealers Set 

 to He lpi ? } Farmers 



If You Don't Believe it. Read 

 What Has Been Sent All 

 Their Members Concerning 

 Dickinson Bill Principles. 



The official organ of the Grain 

 Dealers National ^sociation, well- 

 known friends of the fanners, con- 

 tains the following significant para- 

 graph in bold face type which con- 

 cludes a long editorial tirading 

 against the farmers' efforts to se- 

 cure better prices for their crops: 



"It mmj be necetssry for tbe At- 

 socuttion to call upon its members, 

 direct end effilieted, for eesistence 

 in the fifht before Ceecress. If tbe 

 DickiDSOB bill is reported out, end 

 indicetioBS point to its serious con- 

 sideretioa hy the House, then it irill 

 be up to YOU to 4o your duty! 

 Yon will be kept posted and wben 

 President Horner issues the cell for 

 your aid yon will be expected to re- 

 spond as you did when the McNary- 

 Hangen bill was sno%ved under. You 

 are duty bound to Bght such legisla- 

 tion, from the standpoint of patri- 

 otum as well as SELF-INTEREST." 



Some of the 75 Chicago members 

 of this association are: Armour 

 Grain Co.; Bartlett, Frazler Co.; 

 Rosenbaum Bros, and the Rosen- 

 baum Grain Corporation, which, it 

 wilt be remembered, were anxious 

 some time back to assist the farm- 

 ers by selling them a J26,000,OO0 

 "cooperative" grain company. 



The Association is maintaining a 

 representative at Washington who 

 is carefully watching developments. 



THI BXBCUTTVE COMntTTBK OT TBI CSAW- 



fonl County Farm Bureau rvcentl; decided 

 that all serrice be limited t0 members only, 

 and tbe7 have called on the members to 

 help carry out the new poller. 



Measure Embodies 

 Broad Principles 

 of Dickinson Bill 



President Smith Says Mem- 

 bers Can Do Nothing More 

 Important for Cause Than 

 to Study Bill Now. 



THE complete text of the "Federal 

 Farm Board Measure" is print- 

 ed in this issue of The Recobb so that 

 every member can carefully study 

 this proposal which contains the gen- 

 eral principles of the Dickinson bill 

 which were endorsed by deltgates at 

 the annual meeting of the 1. A. A. 

 at Champaign-Urbana in January. 

 In addition to the text, there is a 

 chart-diagram which pictures the 

 measure in an understandable man- 

 ner. 



Sam H. Thompson, pretlident of 

 the American Farm Bureau Feder- 

 ation, your national organization 

 that is on the job at Washington 

 guarding and advancing your inter- 

 ests, has the following to say aoout 

 the measure: 



"Farmers, themselves, and not 

 members of C<*igress, nor any com- 

 mittee thereof, have drafted and 

 presented this bill on farm relief 

 which is epochal in character. Not 

 often in Congressional history has 

 such a burden been thrown upon 

 farm leaders. Congress realizes that 

 there must be farm relief, but seems 

 either indisposed or unable to pre- 

 sent a solution, in definite form. It 

 is into this breach that faimer& have 

 thrown themselves in offering this 

 measure, which need not be pre- 

 sented as being perfect but which 

 represents a sincere and consci- 

 entious effort to solve the perplexing 

 problem of surpluses in a way which 

 is economically sound." 



Earl C. Smith, president of the I. 

 A. A., urges that every member 

 read with considerable care the en- 

 tire bill as presented in Th8 Reooko. 



"There is nothing more important 

 that individual members can do at 

 this time in helping win tbe battle 

 for 'Equality for Agriculture' than 

 to make themselves fully corversant 

 with this measure and thus be abli; 

 to talk intelligently with thedr neigh- 

 bors about it," President Smith de- 

 clares. "Keep this issue for future 

 reference." 



The measure begins on page 2. 



Executive Committee of 

 I. A. A. Offers Proposal 

 to Farmers' Elevator Co. 



At the March meeting of the LA. 

 A. executive committee, a resolution 

 was passed to the effect that the 

 committee is willing to enter a con- 

 tract with the directors of the Na- 

 tional Farmers' Elevator Grain 

 Company, to furnish a man and pay 

 his expenses to sell the stodc of the 

 company in Illinois. The other terms 

 of the proposed agreement are tbe > 

 same as the general practices among 

 other business institutions. 



At a meeting on March 15 of the 

 board of directors of the National 

 Farmers' Elevator Grain Company, 

 Cooperative, a committee to consider 

 the proposal was appointed, consist- 

 ing of D. H. Allen, Delavan : Fred 

 Mudge. Peru; F. W. Hall, Leiand. 

 and Lawrence Karlow, Blootnington. 



Further progress will depend 

 upon action of this committee. 



SsMun. iNsuu.. PUBLIC unLfTT OKKtua or 

 Cfaicaco who has succewfuUy direet«l and 

 promoted rlsantic trmctioo. power, ass aad 

 li(ht eoterprisea throuEhont the Middle Wast. 

 hsi k»t heevil; for 20 rears in opateHas ' ' 

 4.800 acre Lake eoartr farm. Praip EMr 

 nmrrated in the Chicaco Trfbuae reasa^. 

 The farm itself Is divided and kept seperate 

 from the Insull home estate, which Is not 

 expected to earn its way. but the farw Is 

 operated under approved methods with ef- 

 Sclencr stresMd to the limK. ret K lost aa 

 avar^re of SIS aa acre last faar. 



