Page Four 



THE I. A. A. RECORD 



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the date of distributing iny fundi in excess 

 of $3,000 from SeptembcT 30 to March 31; 

 second, by making it possible for a resident of 

 any county of the state who has losses in any 

 other county to file claims for indemnities; and 

 third, by specifically making eligible to in- 

 demnities the death or the killing of any of 

 the domestic animals named in the act which 

 might be preyed to have been infected 

 rabies. 



jrith 



AMEND INSURANCE ACTS 



Senate Bills 375 and 376, introduced by 

 Senator Flagg, and sponsored in the House by 

 Representative G. J. Johnson, provide that any 

 county fire insurance company may reinsure 

 the whole or any part of its risks with cjther 

 fire insurance companies, and that it may| re- 

 insure the whole or any part of the riskj lo- 

 cated in this state of other fire insurance com- 

 panies organized under the laws of this state. 



The representatives of the Association sup- 

 ported these amendments in their final form 

 because they facilitate and regulate the practice 

 of reinsurance. 



FERTILIZER ACT 



Vith the concurrence of the University of 

 Illinois and the National Fertilizer Association, 

 the Illinois Agricultural Association introduced 

 a bill modifying the fertilizer law to eliminate 

 the term "ammonia" and to require, instead, 

 the term "nitrogen" as a means of reporting 

 the nitrogen content of commercial fertilizers. 

 The change, representing an improvement 

 which the Illinois Agricultural Association has 

 advocated for some time, was passed wit]iout 

 opposition. 



itho 



OTHER RILLS 



Other bills favorably regarded by the ! As- 

 sociation and in some instances given lome 

 active support were: | 



Senate Bill 9, by Senator Lantz, amen^ling 

 the act of 189$ for the organization of park 

 districts and providing that in the organiza- 

 tion of such park districtsi where a portion of 

 the proposed district is outside of a city, vil- 

 lage, or incorporated town, such outside terri- 

 tory cannot be included in the proposed dis- 

 trict unless a majority in such outside terri- 

 tory votes in favor of organization. 



Senate Bills 126 and 127, companion bills, 

 relaring to boys* aiid girls' 4-H Qub Work, 

 by Senator Lantz, the first providing that agri- 

 cultural extension clubs may participate in the 

 distribution of the newly named state, county 

 fair and agricultural extension premium fund; 

 the second setting forth the requirements for 

 participation in such premium fund by mem- 

 bers of agricultural extension clubs. 



House Bill 361, sponsored by the Farmers 

 Grain Dealers Association of Illinois, and in- 

 troduced by Representarive Hunter, amending 

 section 50a of the Act of 1874 regarding liens, 

 and providing that a thresherman's lien shall 

 not be valid and enforcible against a purchaser 

 of crops from the owner or lawful possessor 

 thereof unless the lien holder shall, previous to 

 or at the time of making final settlement for 

 such crops by such purchaser, serve upon such 

 purchaser a notice in writing of the > existence 

 of such lien. 



In determining the provisions of thi* bill 



and in its passage in the General Assembly, the 

 Illinois Agricultural Associauon cooperated 

 with the Farmers Grain Dealers Association of 

 Ulinois. This followed a meeting of repre- 

 sentatives of the two organizations in which 

 the legislative program of both organizations 

 was reviewed. 



RESIST TAX INCREASES 



In every recent session, the General Assembly 

 has had scores of bills to increase taxes either 

 by making appropriations for new purposes, by 

 increasing appropriations for present activiries, 

 by increasing maximum tax rates, or by re- 

 moval of limitations on tax rates or on the 

 power to issue bonds. In this respect the Fifty- 

 sixth General Assembly was no exception. In 

 spite of the general recognition of the gross 

 injustice of the present general property tax, 

 especially on real estate, many bills were en- 

 acted into law which cannot fail to increase 

 the present burden of taxes. Apart from cer- 

 tain taxes for state purposes, most of the in- 

 creases in taxes were sought by city representa- 

 tives and will fall upon owners of urban 

 property. Some of the increases, however, 

 especially for state purposes, will fall in part 

 upon owners of farm property. 



The Conerton Bills 



Representatives of the Association actively 

 opposed a series of bills introduced in the House 

 by Mr. Conerton, of La Salle county, and 

 sponsored by the state associations of supervis- 

 ors, county commissioners, county and probate 

 clerks and county auditors. The purpose of 

 these bills was to increase from 25 cents to 

 40 cents the maximum rate that can be used 

 for county purposes without a referendum. 

 This proposed increase of 60 per cent in the 

 county tax rate would have permitted in the 

 state as a whole, an increase of nearly 

 $13,000,000 in county uxes. There can be 

 little doubt that if these bills had been enacted 

 into law, most of the possible increase would 

 have been made in taxes to be paid next spring 

 and that nearly all of the possible increase 

 would have been made within a few years. In 

 the state as a whole nearly one-fourth of the 

 increase would have fallen on farm property. 

 In many counties most of the increase would 

 have been paid by farm property. 



When the bills were before the Revenue 

 Committee of the House and again later were 

 before a sub-committee of the Revenue Com- 

 mittee, representatives of the Association pointed 

 out that the proper remedy for a shortage of 

 funds in many counties is either equalizarion 

 upwards of low valuations of some classes of 

 property, or a general increase of valuations 

 to the level of valuations in the state as a 

 whole. If either or both of these remedies are 

 not applicable to some counties, any such 

 county has the constitutional and statutory 

 right to submit , to a referendum vote of its 

 people a temporary increase in its county tax 

 rate. 



Tax Increase Fails 



Representatives of the state associations of 

 supervisors, county commissioners, county and 

 probate clerks, and county auditors, objecting 

 to all of these remedies as poliucally inexpedi- 

 ent, urged a favorable report on the Conerton 

 bills. However, neither the sub-committee of 

 the Revenue Committee of the House, nor the 

 Revenue Committee as a whole, was willing to 

 assume the responsibility which the county 



officials were trying to shift to the General 

 Assembly. 



Until the present revenue system is so re- 

 vised that taxes can be distributed equitably 

 among all persons able to pay them, owners of 

 some kinds of property, especially real estate, 

 are compelled to resist further increases in 

 taxes. The present inadequacy of funds for 

 many purposes is due to such resistance. More 

 serious inadeqiMcy of funds, however undesir- 

 able, may prove to be the surest and speediest 

 means of changing the taxing system. 



The defeat of the Conerton bills is a strik- 

 ing example of one type of service which the 

 Association can perform by having its repre- 

 sentatives in Springfield. To prepare and 

 sponsor constructive measures in the interest 

 of agriculture is an important type of service. 

 To be watchful for bills which would injure 

 agriculture is an equally necessary duty. Legis- 

 lation invariably tends to move in the direction 

 desired by powerful and active organizations, 

 especially if those who may be injured thereby 

 make no resistance. In former days nuny 

 burdens were thus placed on farmers solely 

 because they were not organized, and there- 

 fore, could make no effective resistance. 



Examine All BUIs ^ 



Representatives of the Association have ex- 

 amined every bill and resolution offered in 

 the 56th General Assembly. In many cases 

 they suggested or asked for modifications. In 

 a few cases active opposition was necessary. 



The accomplishments of the Association in 

 the recent legislative session are in large part 

 due to the effective work of the County Farm 

 Bureaus and their collective supporting mem- 

 bership. The continued presuge and influence 

 of the Associauon in matters of this character 

 in a very large measure depend upon the un- 

 derstanding, determination and activities of the 

 membership throughout the state. 



Farmers should study the records of their 

 representatives and regardless of party affilia- 

 tion, return their proven friends to the legis- 

 lative halls. By following such a policy, farm- 

 ers can render the most effective service in 

 protecting their rightful future interests. 



September Drive 



A NATION-WIDE drive for Farm Bureau 

 members is announced for September by 

 the American Farm Bureau Federation. 



"Success of the national farm program for 

 the improvement of agriculture depends upon 

 the majority of farm people acting in 'unison'," 

 said President Sam H. Thompson in a recent 

 statement. "This principle, which hat been 

 advocated as Farm Bureau gospel since the 

 creation of the organization, was recently given 

 governmental sanction by Secretary of Agri- 

 culture Hyde. 



"Through organized effort agriculture can 

 add from four to five billion dollars to its 

 annual income. Translated in termi of in- 

 dividual farm families, this means $750 a year 

 for every family now living on a farm in the 

 United States. 



"The national organization has set aside the 

 month of September and has asked all state, 

 county and community units to co-operate in 

 building membership, to the end that we may 

 more quickly reach the goal of organized effort. 

 I hope every member during September will 

 become an energetic volunteer recruiting of- 

 ficer." 



Be rare to read pages 6, 7 and 8, thii iaae. 



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