Page Four 



THE I. A. A. RECORD 



n • 



A news report from Washington as 

 of October 7 states that "The Federal 

 Tariu Board has decided to fight back 

 against its enemies which it charges 

 have instituted an 'insidious' propa- 

 ganda campaign through rural news- 

 papers in the middle west to discredit 

 it in the eyes of the farmers. 



"Samuel R. McKelvie, wheat mem- 

 ber of the board, today announced that 

 the board has laid its charges before the 

 federal trade' commission for investiga- 

 tion with a view to forcing into the 

 open the alleged instigators of the cam- 

 paign who, he said, are allied with rep- 

 resentatives of private grain dealers' 

 organizations. 



Tells of Campaign 



" 'The campaign has been carried on 

 most insidiously,' Mr. McKelvie said. 

 'Recently they have secured both the 

 open and active suppiort of organiza- 

 tions pretending to support the farmers' 

 movement and many people are being 

 misled by their statements as to co- 

 operative associations.' 



"The usual practice, Mr. McKelvie 

 said, has been to run a full-page adver- 

 tisement in a rural paper and supply 

 reading matter of the same nature to 

 be printed with the advertisement. He 

 had specimen sheets of this nature from 

 Minnesota and Nebraska farm papers. 



Calls Statement False 



'"They are telling elevator managers 

 that the Farmers' National Grain Cor- 

 poration will step in and run their ele- 

 vators, that. they will have no control 

 over their property, and that farmers 

 will lose control over their own produce 

 if they sell through co-operatives,' said 

 Mr. McKelvie. 'Such false statements 

 arc clipped from the small papers and 

 distributed all over the country.' 



"Mr. McKelvic's announcement was 

 liie first word about any direct action 

 taken by the board to combat attacks 

 against it, no announcement having 

 been made by the trade commission." ' 



Wrest Control Away 



The Farmers National Grain Corp. 

 states that efforts arc being made by 

 old line grain interests in all the states 

 to wrest control of the farmers' ele- 

 vator associations away from the real 

 producers so that they can be used for 

 propaganda against the Farm Board and 

 the Agricultural Marketing Act. In 

 one or two states operators, apparently 

 subsidized by private interests, have 

 been successful in their insidious work. 

 Obviously all efforts at stirring up 

 strife among producers of farm com- 

 modities that prove successful will re- 

 tard the development of co-operative 

 marketing. In Illinois the propaganda 

 has caused some confusion among farm- 

 er elevator stockholders who have been 



falsely led to believe that under the 

 new co-operative marketing program 

 they would be forced to relinquish con- 

 trol of their local elevators. 



A meeting of state delegates of the 

 National Farmers Grain Dealers Asso- 

 ciation with a committee of the Farm- 

 ers National Grain Corporation it is re- 

 ported will be held in Chicago early 

 in December. , 



Who KiUed Cock 



Robin, Is Question 



clay County Farmers Grateful to 

 Board of Review for Lowering 

 Tax Valuations . ■ y • 



THE Clay County, 111., Board of 

 Review recently took exception to 

 a statement published in the Clay 

 County Republican announcing that 

 "Over-assessment of farm lands and 

 improvements disclosed by the Farm 

 Bureau are being met by a flat 20 per 

 cent reduction by the Clay County 

 Board of Review." 



The letter received by the Editor of 

 the RECORD from Ralph Hastings, 

 chairman of the Board of Review, to 

 which the names of the other two 

 members were signed, states that the 

 Farm Bureau should not have any credit 

 for bringing the justice of a reduction 

 in valuations to the attention of the 

 Board. Mr. Hastings, demanding that 

 his letter be given publicity, states that 

 the Board of Review made a tour of 

 investigation in adjacent counties and 

 that this trip and nothing else disclosed 

 the fact that the land in Clay county 

 was assessed higher than that in other 

 counties with similar soil types. 



Hastings' letter was brought to the 

 attention of the Clay County Farm Bu- 

 reau to which Mr. C. S. Love, of that 

 organization, replied as follows: 



"I truly believe that the pressure 

 brought to bear by the Farm Bureau 

 tax committee was responsible for the 

 tax reduction. You were correct in 

 your belief that the Clay County Farm 

 Bureau tax committee appeared before 

 the Board of Review previous to this 

 year. 



"When the Board of Review first 

 went into session I personally appeared 

 before them and asked if something 

 could not be done to lower the as- 

 sessed value on farm lands. At that 

 time I stated that the assessment on 

 household goods, compared to their real 

 worth was not in kecpmg with the as- 

 sessment on farm lands. The highest 

 assessed value on any household goods 

 in the township in which I am living is 

 $50. I told them for one that I was 

 not paying enough tares. At this time 

 I was told that there was nothing that 



could be done as a definite budget had 

 to be met and that lowering of the tax 

 rate would not supply the necessary 

 funds to meet this budget. 



"Later a tax committee composed of 

 Farm Bureau members appeared before 

 the Board of Review. They were not 

 given much encouragement. Later this 

 conimittee met with County Judge 

 Reaugh, at which time he promised to 

 use his influence and recommend to 

 the Board of Review that the assessed 

 valuation on farm land be reduced. 



"The next step taken by our tax 

 committee was to draw up a resolution 

 requesting the Board of Review to 

 lower values on farm lands. These 

 petitions were circulated in the various 

 townships and were signed by several 

 hundred farm owners. Before these 

 petitions were presented, the Board of 

 Review made a tour of surrounding 

 counties and finding that comparative 

 lands in Clay county were being as- 

 sessed higher than the same kind of 

 land in joining counties, a 20 per cent 

 reduction was allowed. 



"The petitions were never presented 



to the Board of Review because they 



took action before this material was 



necessary." ,j . ; ■ ^ . :.. 



C. S. Love, 



Clay County Farm Bureau, 

 Louisville, 111. 



Regardless of what prompted the 

 board of review to equalize land valua- 

 tions in line with other property. Clay 

 county farmers, particularly Farm Bu- 

 reau members, are grateful to Mr. Has- 

 tings and his colleagues, A. H. Kellums 

 and L. H. Smith, for their conscien- 

 tious work in getting the facts and act- 

 ing on the information secured. 



Station WLS 



(Continue J from page J) 

 sections of the United States to individuiliy and 

 collectively acquire the absolute ownership and 

 control of this station. 



"It is a well known and accepted fact that 

 Station WLS has for some time been the out- 

 standing station serving the interests of agri- 

 culture and recognized generally by farmers as 

 outstanding in its service to their interests. 



"Should the option of purcltjsc above re- 

 ferred to be executed. Radio Stjiiun Wl S will 

 not only become the property of the farmers 

 of the central west, but one of its underlying 

 principles will be the vesting of control of its 

 policies on a basis wherein the general farm 

 organizations of the territory served will con- 

 trol one-third of the voting power; the co- 

 operative organizations and associations one- 

 third and the so-called standard farm press 

 one-third. 



"It is believed that the above interests taken 

 together would constitute as near as it is pos- 

 sible a true voice of agriculture. 



"In view of the facts as stated above and 

 the developments that are fast taking shape, the 

 Agricultural Radio Association respectfully urges 

 your Honorable Body to leave undisturbed and 

 intait all rights and privileges now belonging 

 to ai J enjoyed by the owners of Radio Station 

 WI :. •• 



