^ ^:;- 



persMis. We reaffirm our conviction that 

 local grovernmental units should be re- 

 quired to carry a reasonable portion of 

 the burden of providing relief. To this 

 end we recommend the enactment of 

 mandatory legislation requiring local 

 communities to assume the care of and 

 provide for all unemployable dependent 

 persons residing therein. t 



In providing for employable persons 

 we recommend the immediate abandon- 

 ment of the present "dole" system and 

 the substitution of a practical public 

 work program which will enable and re- 

 quire these employable persons to earn 

 the necessities of Ufe for themselves and 

 their dependents. In eur opinion the con- 

 struction, maintenance and improvement 

 of roads and streets constitute the most 

 practical public work projects for the 

 employment of these persons and will 

 afford the most lasting widespread bene- 

 fits. We propose that all uncommitted 

 State, County and municipal motor fuel 

 tax funds collected during the year 1935, 

 together with all Federal funds made 

 available for relief purposes in this State 

 during such year, be used in providing 

 . employment for these persons upon road 

 and street projects, that this work be 

 carried on under the direction of the 

 officials of the local governments involved 

 or committees of local citizens and that 

 tl\e wages paid therefor be somewhat less 

 than the usual wages for similar work in 

 the respective communities in order not 

 to compete with private industry and to 

 provide an ever-present incentive to seek 

 better paying private employment. Thus 

 we shall have some lasting benefits from 

 our enormous relief expenditures, the 

 motor fuel tax funds will be preserved 

 for roads and streets, the expenditures 

 for administration of relief will be sub- 

 stantially reduced and the able-bodied 

 unemployed will be afforded an opportu- 

 nity to preserve their self-respect and 

 provide for themselves and their families. 

 We direct the officers and directors of 

 the Association to exert every effort to 

 secure the enactment of the foregoing 

 recommendations and proposals into law. 



-■;■■ .■=-■-..;;- VIII . ,;■ 



We reaflfirm our position heretofore de- 

 clared supporting proper amendments to 

 the revenue article and to Section 6 of 

 the legislative article, which provides for 

 apportionment of State legislative dis- 

 tricts upon the basis of population. 



In particular, we reaffirm our position 

 stated one year ago in favor of a con- 

 stitutional limitation on property taxes 

 of not over one per cent for all pur- 

 poses, ezc^t payment of bonded in- 

 debtedness and interest thereon, and in 

 favor of broader powers to tax other 

 sources of revenue. We hold that the 

 soundness of this position is demon- 

 strated by the experience of seme other 

 states where property taxes have been 



Br«ft]cfast for Comity Orranixatlon Director! ftad Farm Bureau Leader* In the yeweemb Hotel. Quiney. 

 Wedneaday momiiv. Jannary SO. 1S69 new metnbera hare been si^ed since the first of the year. 



SO limited. In such states, in contrast 

 with present conditions in Illinois, heavy 

 reductions in levies of taxes upon prop- 

 erty have been accompanied by even 

 larger reductions in delinquency of prop- 

 erty taxes; with the development of new 

 sources of revenue therein, widespread 

 default has ceased in payment of matur- 

 ing bonds and interest; closed schools 

 have been reopened and all teachers are 

 promptly paid their current salaries. 



We oppose any reapportionment of 

 State legislative districts under the pro- 

 visions of the present constitution. 



IX 



After giving careful consideration to 

 the proposed reductions of motor vehicle 

 license fees and motor fuel taxes advo- 

 cated by certain interests, we are con- 

 vinced that the decreased revenues re- 

 sulting from such reduction would be 

 wholly inadequate to provide the neces- 

 sary services now supported from these 

 monies. 



It appears such drastic reductions 

 would force the levy of taxes on prop- 

 erty either for retirement of State high- 

 way and relief bonds, including interest, 

 which will require an aggn'egate of more 

 than $280,000,000 in the next twenty- 

 five years, or for maintenance and fur- 

 ther improvement of important county 

 and local roads and city and village 

 streets and would further result in the 

 loss of at least one-third of all future 

 allocations of Federal funds to Illinois 

 for highways which in 1934 totalled more 

 than $14,000,000. 



Until the more important county and. 

 local highways are so improved that 

 most of the persons residing on the 

 70% of all farms in the State now lo- 

 cated on dirt roads have access to the 

 State highway system at all seasons, we 

 oppose any reduction in gasoline taxes 

 and the extreme reduction proposed in 

 license fees for motor vehicles of all 

 types, weights and uses. We believe, 

 however, that motor license fees for pas- 



senger cars should be revised and that 

 such fees should be based upon net 

 weight. 



We favor the licensing of all passenger 

 cars at substantially the following sched- 

 ule of fees, based on net weight: 



Less than 3,000 pounds $ 6.00 



3,000 to 4,000 pounds 8.00 



4,000 to 5,000 pounds 10.00 



Over 5,000 pounds _... 12.00 



We deem it essential to provide reve- 

 nue, sufficient, if used with proper econ- 

 omy, to insure retirement of all State 

 highway and emergency relief bonds and 

 payment of interest thereon, the con- 

 tinued and unimpaired allocation of Fed- 

 eral highway funds to Illinois and the 

 maintenance and improvement of the 

 more important county and local roads 

 and city and village streets without ad- 

 ditional property taxes. 



We request the officers and Board of 

 Directors of the Association to prepare 

 and sponsor, amendatory legislation to es- 

 tablish the schedule of license fees for 

 passenger cars herein advocated. 

 :•• .V:.:,— ;j^;.. .|/.,.-.,:y: 



We oppose legislation consolidating 

 school districts so long as taxes must be 

 levied under the provisions of the pres- 

 ent State constitution, and so long as 

 seventy per cent of the farms in the 

 State, as disclosed by the 1930 Census of 

 Agriculture, or any substantial percent- 

 age thereof, are situated upon dirt roads 

 which are impassable for motor vehicles 

 for considerable periods of time every 

 year. Forced consolidation under the 

 present constitution, even where trans- 

 portation is possible at any season, ^ould 

 unfairly increase costs in the rural por- 

 tions of most school districts not only 

 for the necessary facilities, including 

 transportation, but also for operation. 

 Under existing conditions we regard the 

 present State law as much fairer in per- 

 mitting either the temporary closing of 

 any school of small attendance when the 

 directors have provided for its pupils in 



I. A. A. RECORD 



