Page Six 



What the Members Say 



■4;;;-* 



THE I. A. A. RECORD 



EAT MORE EGGS 



Editor, I. A. A. RECORD: 



THERE is so much talk of helping 

 the farmer, I believe I have a good 

 suggestion to make; one that would 

 help them and also the public. This 

 is the time of the year when the pro- 

 duction of eggs is large and they are 

 fresh, and now is the time to get the 

 people to eat them when the farmer is 

 producing, not after the hen has 

 stopped laying and they are in the 

 hands of the speculator. 



The crop is the largest in history, 

 and indications are for a heavy lay. I 

 believe you should encourage the 

 farmer and small town population as 

 well as the city dweller to increase 

 their consumption now, and by so do- 

 ing stimulate prices for the farmer. 

 There is no use to let the speculator 

 put the market down to where it would 

 cost the farmer money to produce, now 

 that the speculator has his load in cold 

 storage to sell next fall at a good profit. 

 Now is the time to start a campaign 

 to eat more eggs while they are fresh, 

 and not wait and let the speculators do 

 it this fall when the hen is through 

 laying. Such an advocation coming 

 from you over the radio and through 

 the press and your papers could make 

 thousands of dollars for the farmer, 

 and cost you nothing as all informa- 

 tion is eagerly sought from an organ- 

 ization of your standing by all news- 

 papers and a short talk on the radio 

 nightly by one of your speakers. Hop- 

 ing you will take some action on the 

 suggestion, I am 



Wilbur Fuller, 

 Cook County, 111. 



A good suKKestion, Fuller. Some day farm- 

 ers will learn to store their own eggs and 

 share in the profits when eggs are high. — 

 Editor. 



AGAINST TAXES 



Editor I. A. A. Record: 



I OBJECT to any income tax for 

 farmers, in fact if the farmers were 

 exempt from any tax for at least one 

 year it would help regain a little of 

 what they have lost. Speaking for my- 

 self I am land-poor and sand land at 

 that which was bought by my father 

 with the laudable desire to make it 

 productive. Buildings and fences and 

 cross fences were a big expense and 

 the feed for the livestock on it has to 

 be bought. 



In the course of time by using car- 

 loads and carloads of limestone, and 

 growing legumes it has a chance to 

 be more valuable. 



I buy com, and feed it and apparent- 

 ly when the returns come in it might 

 look as though I was making money — 

 but — what about borrowing money at 

 seven per cent to pay for com and live- 

 stock, also hired help at high wages? 



I don't believe in the gas tax either, 



but will not write about that now as 

 I have to take a six mile ride to the 

 farm to see how things are and also 

 work even though I have two high- 

 priced men. I am up at from three 

 to four a. m. retiring at 9:30 or 10:30 

 p. m., perhaps — indeed most of the time 

 lying awake worrying. 



Mine is no rocking chair or swivel 

 chair job I can assure you, and I am 

 tired, tired, tired of these eternal taxes. 

 Just take the farm and be done with it. 



A lot of the farmers won't build or 

 improve their property for they know 

 taxes will be increased. Why not legis- 

 late for lower prices for the things we 

 have to buy? 



There is only one farmer in my com- 

 munity who has bought farm machin- 

 ery and everyone wonders how he did 

 it. Catherine Stevenson, 



Mercer Co., 111. 



The state income tax is designed to help yon, 

 not to add to yonr burdens. It would exact 

 taxes from the wealthy owners of stocks and 

 bonds, and the salaried workers who now 

 make no direct contribution to the cost of 

 state government. If we had a state income 

 tax, all the burden of taxes would not fall 

 on farms, homes, and real estate as is the 

 case now. Only farmers with large net in- 

 comes who pay little or no personal property 

 or land tax would contribute to an income 

 tax, and under present economic conditions, 

 this number is conceded to be very small. — 

 Editor. 



BLAMES FEDERAL RESERVE 



Editor, Record: 



I am the man who 'phoned you twice 

 since your talk over the WLS radio 

 station last Thursday. I am the one 

 who blames the Federal Reserve Sys- 

 tem for the present condition of agri- 

 culture all over the country. 



I am indeed confident as to my posi- 

 tion in this matter; for I have given 

 it much forethought and study since 

 the enactment of the Federal Reserve 

 Act of 1913. 



Until 1920, the farmer enjoyed the 

 same so-called prosperity experienced 

 by everybody else; but when the Fed- 

 eral Reserve Board was requested to 

 call in $15,000,000, the grain prices 

 were the first to be affected. When the 

 Federal Reserve called in this $15,000,- 

 000 the dollar was and had been for 

 some time worth approximately 33 1/3 

 cents. With the action of the Federal 

 Reserve Board by order of the Treas- 

 ury, the dollar advanced from 33 1/3 

 cents in value to about 75 cents. Dur- 

 ing this fluctuation, corn dropped from 

 $2.25 a bushel to about $0.30 per 

 bushel; and the farmer was ruined. 



At this juncture, the deflation was 

 halted because it was on the verge of 

 affecting general prices to a downward 

 trend. More money was put into cir- 

 culation which brought the dollar back 

 to about 62 cents where it has re- 

 mained practically all the time since 

 that time; but grain prices have never 

 been put back to their original point 

 of inflation where other prices still re- 

 main, practically. 



The foregoing is the story of the 

 calamity. Although it is unnecessary 

 for one to be an expert economist, yet 

 the American people do not understand 



the reality of the situation; and the 

 so-called agricultural doctors in the 

 form of farm bureaus, cooperative 

 marketing association, and all other 

 organizations connected with the im- 

 provement of agriculture are working 

 night and day to figure out the remedy 

 which is indeed simple. 



The abolition or modification of the 

 powers of the Federal Reserve are the 

 only two alternatives for the solution 

 of the difficulty. There is absolutely 

 no legislation whose enactment can 

 help agriculture permanently without 

 the abolition or limitation of the Fed- 

 eral Reserve System; and I am ready 

 to stand behind the truth of this state- 

 ment under all circumstances. 



G. Rex Clarke, 

 Cook County, 111. 



The deflation policy of the Federal Reserve 

 Board following the war, undoubtedly was 

 partially responsible for the rapid fall in farm 

 prices. But this is not the only reason for 

 the continued agricultural depression. The de- 

 flation policy affected other commodities as 

 well as farm products. The organised indus- 

 tries, however, were able to check the fall in 

 their prices to some extent by reducing pro- 

 duction, whereas agriculture had no effective 

 method of decreasing production and thereby 

 maintaining a fair level of prices. — Editor. 



THANK YOU | 



Editor, I. A. A. Record: * 



I have just received bulletin No. 345 

 "The Distribution of the Tax Burden 

 In Township and Community High 

 Schools In Illinois" put out by your 

 Association. It is such an excellent 

 piece of work that I must congratulate 

 you upon sponsoring it. Authentic 

 data, intelligently interpreted, is one 

 of the things we need for the improve- 

 ment of country life. 



K. Llewellyn MacGarr, 

 Taylor University, Upland, Ind. 



Half ^MilUon Left oj T. B. 



Appropriation 



Don W. Robison, state superintend- 

 ent of animal industry, submits the 

 following financial statement on tuber- 

 culosis eradication in the State of Illi- 

 nois for May, 1927: 



Indemnity and Expenses Paid and Pending 



APPROPRIATION $2,000,000.00 



Indemnity claims against the 



State paid since July 1, 1926 11,068,619.49 



Amount of federal claims paid 



by the State 281,676.37 



Expenses incurred since July 1, 



1925 156,209.61 



Claims pending on 4,251 reactors 

 secured ^ince July 1, 1926, al- 

 lowing $16 per head. (State 

 share) 63.766.00 



Total clain^s and expenses paid 



pending 1,610,189.47 



Free Balance of Appropriation $ 489,880.53 



Farmers pay approximately 16 per 

 cent of the state auto license fees in 

 Illinois. 



Seventy-eight per cent of Illinois 

 farmers live one or more miles off a 

 paved road. 



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