Pole Setting Ceremony 



Held in Scott County 



(See pictures page 5) 



Several hundred farmers, townspeople 

 and officials from Scott, Pike, Green and 

 Morgan counties gathered in Riggston 

 township, Scott county, Saturday, June 

 12, at a pole setting to celebrate begin- 

 ning of construction of the 626 mile line 

 of the co-operative Illinois Rural Electric 

 Company. 



The project now underway will serve 

 approximately 2,300 customers and will 

 require an expenditure of around $688,- 

 000. It will bring electricity to 16 vil- 

 lages in addition to the farms. It is one 

 of 300 similar projects underway in the 

 United States sponsored by the Rural 

 Electrification Administration and local 

 co-operative groups. 



Engineer H. L. Caldwell of Jackson- 

 ville said that the project will use 1 1 ,000 

 poles or 160 carloads, 1,200,000 pounds 

 of wire or 20 carloads, 1 500 transformers 

 and 200 tons of miscellaneous material. 

 At the peak of employment between 100 

 and 150 men will be given work. The 

 labor bill will run around $100,000. 



Earl C. Smith, president of the lAA, 

 the principal speaker, was introduced by 

 Chairman Judge Barnes, Jacksonville, as 

 an outstanding leader of national prom- 

 inence, and head of the largest farm or- 

 ganization of its kind in the country. 



In his address, Mr. Smith called at- 

 tention to the conference of farm repre- 

 sentatives called by President Roosevelt in 

 1933 primarily to control farm surpluses 

 and raise farm prices. He asserted that 

 President Roosevelt had delivered on all 

 of his promises made at that conference 



MAKING THE HOPPERS HOP 

 Peoria county farmers who attended this grasshopper control demonstration learned what 

 to do to protect their crops when the little 'hoppers hatched. Similar instruction was carried 

 on ail over the state last month as farmers prepared for an insect war. 



and that higher farm prices were respon- 

 sible for a large measure of recovery in 

 the United States. 



Speaking of the electric project, Mr. 

 Smith said, "This is your company. The 

 degree of success you achieve here rests 

 in your hands." 



He compared the development of rural 

 electrification in that territory to the work 

 of the small group that initiated the 

 movement to get the paved road, now 

 known as U. S. 36, along which the cele- 

 bration was held. "It is our privilege 

 and resf)onsibility," he continued, "to 

 make this a better community and a bet- 

 ter world for the boys and girls who will 



THEY SOLD $80,000 OF COUNTRY LIFE INSURANCE IN ONE DAY 

 Like an old fashioned husking bee, General Agents from Champaign, Edgar, Iroquois, 

 Macon, Moultrie and Piatt counties, helped Vermilion county special agents with their work, 

 June 7. Bernie Mosier and Russell Graham, district fieldmen (front row, left) did their bits, too. 



soon take our places." 



Colonel C. W. Sass of the lAA staff 

 told the group that there is more to elec- 

 tricity than its use in lighting. He em- 

 phasized the fact that the chief value of 

 electricity to the farmer is in saving labor. 

 Other speakers dwelled on the fact that 

 the project belongs to the community, 

 that each prosp)ective user and member 

 should regard it as his company. Each 

 has some responsibility to make it suc- 

 ceed. 



Telegrams were read from Governor 

 Horner, Congressman Scott Lucas, John 

 M. Carmody, REA Administrator, and 

 others. "The people have already waited 

 too long for electricity," telegraphed 

 Carmody, "so push your project ahead 

 with all possible speed. Then you can 

 have a more important celebration when 

 you are ready to turn on the current." 



24 



John Spencer to lAA 



Heads Soil Conservation 



John R. Spencer, farm adviser in 

 Rock Island county since 1929, was 

 recently employed as director of the 

 new Soil Conservation Department of 

 the Illinois Agricultural Association. 

 Mr. Spencer expects to join the lAA 

 staff early in July. 



Spencer is a graduate of the Univer- 

 sity of Illinois, College of Agriculture. 

 Before going to Rock Island county he 

 did agricultural extension work in Ken- 

 tucky. 



The Rock Island County Farm Bu- 

 reau set up many new services and was 

 active in organizing the Quality Milk 

 Association and the Producers Dairy of 

 Moline during Mr. Spencer's service. 



At a recent meeting Ben H. Bollman 

 was elected president of the Rock 

 Island Farm Bureau to fill the unex- 

 pired term of the late Edgar Walther. 



L A. A. RECORD 



