The Dlinois ImlM teciation tord 



The Illinois Agricultural Association RECORD 

 is published monthly by the Illinois Agricultural 

 Association at 1501 West Washington Road. Men- 

 dota. 111. Editorial Offices. 608 So. Dearborn St.. 

 Chicago, 111. Entered as second class matter at 

 post office, Mendota. Illinois. September 11, 1936. 

 Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage 

 provided in Section 412, Act of Feb. 28. 1925. 

 authorized Oct. 27, 1935. Address all communica- 

 tions for publication to Editorial Offices, Illinois 

 Agricultural Association RECORD, 608 So. Dear- 

 born St.. Chicago. The individual membership 

 fee of the Illinois Agricultural Association is five 

 dollars a year. The fee includes payment of fifty 

 cents for subscription to the Illinois Agricultural 

 Association RFCORD. Postmaster : Send notices 

 on Form 3578 and undeliverable copies returned 

 under Form 3579 to editorial offices, 608 S. Dear- 

 born St., Chicapo, III. 



Editor and Advertising Dire''tor. E. G. Thiem ; 

 Assistant Director and Ass't. Editor. L. A- Potter. 



Illinois Agricultural Association 



Greatest State Farm Organization in America 



OFFICERS 



President, Earl C. Smith Detroit 



Vice-President, Talmage DEpREES-Smithboro 

 Corporate Sec'y., Paul E. Mathias. .Chicago 



Field Sec'y.. Geo. E. Metzger Chicago 



Treasurer, R. A. CowLES Bloomington 



Ass't Treas., A. R. Wright Varna 



BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

 (By Congressional District) 



1st to 11th Arthur States, Elwood 



12th E. E. Houghtby, Shabbona 



13th Leo M. Knox, Morrison 



I4th Otto Steffey, Stronghurst 



15th M. Ray Ihrig, Golden 



I6th Albert Hayes, Chillicothe 



17th C. M. Smith, Eureka 



I8th W. A. Dennis, Paris 



19th Eugene Curtis, Champaign 



20th K. T. Smith, Greenfield 



21st Dwight Hart, Sharpsburg 



22nd A. O. Eckert, Belleville 



23rd Chester McCord, Newton 



24th. Charles Marshall, Belknap 



25th August G. Eggerding, Red Bud 



DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS 



Comptroller R. G. Ely 



Dairy Marketing Wilfred Shaw 



Field Service Cap Mast 



Finance R. A. Cowles 



Fruit and Vegetable Marketing H. W. Day 



Grain Marketing Harrison Fahrnkopf 



General Counsel Donald Kirkpatrick 



Live Stock Marketing Sam F. Russell 



Office C. E. Johnston 



Organization O. D. Brissenden 



Produce Marketing F. A. Gougler 



Publicity George Thiem 



Safety C. M. Seagraves 



Soil Improvement John R. Spencer 



Taxation and Statistics J. C. Watson 



Transportation-Claims G. W. Baxter 



Young Peoples Activities Frank Gingrich 



ASSOCIATED ORGANIZATIONS 

 Country Life Ins. Co Dave Mieher, Sales 



Mgr., Howard Reeder, Home Office Mgr. 

 Farmers' Mut. Reinsur. Co...J. H. Kelker, Mgr. 



HI. Agr. Auditing Ass'n C. E. Strand, Mgr. 



HI. Agr. Mut. Ins. Co...A. E. Richardson, Mgr. 



HI. Agr. Service Co Earl Smith, Pres. 



Donald Kirkpatxick, Sec'y 



III. F. B. Serum Ass'n S. F. Russell, Sec'y 



III. Farm Supply Co L. R. Maichant, Mgr. 



III. F/uit Growers Exch H. W. Day, Mgr. 



III. Grain Corporation Frank Haines, Mgr. 



111. Livestock Mark't. Ass'n...Sam Russell, Mgr. 



111. Milk Prods." Ass'n Wilfred Shaw. Mgr. 



III. Producers' Creameries _ 



J. B. Countiss, Sales Mgr. 



Frank A. Gougler, Procurement Mgr. 



To advance the purpose for which the Farm Bureau was 

 organized namely, to promote, protect and represent the 

 business, economic, social and educational interests of the 

 farmers of Illinois and the nation, and to develop agriculture. 



DECEMBER 1939 



VOLUME 17- NUMBER 12 



By Earl C. Smith 



Earl Smith 



THE $30 every 

 Thursday scheme 

 voted down in Cali- 

 fornia a few weeks 

 ago, and the $50 a 

 month pension pro- 

 posal which met the 

 same fate in Ohio 

 indicate that taxpay- 

 ers are at last get- 

 ting in the mood to 

 halt the growing cost of government. 

 Taxes, county, state and national, are 

 taking approximately one-fifth of the 

 national income. One in every seven 

 persons in Illinois is on some form of 

 relief. Taxes collected by the State of 

 Illinois have increased more than 40 

 times since 1900. 



At the turn of the century, the state 

 collected a trifle over $5,000,000 an- 

 nually for operating expenses. In the 

 fiscal year ending June 30, state taxes 

 reached the staggering total of $216,- 

 000,000 including gasoline taxes paid 

 over to counties and cities for road and 

 street improvement, and the portion of 

 the occupational tax paid to counties, 

 townships and the City of Chicago to 

 supplement relief. 



$200 Million Business 



It should be not only interesting but 

 a public duty for all citizens to analyze 

 and study the annual income and ex- 

 pense of our various units of govern- 

 ment. Our state government alone in 

 Illinois is a 200 million dollar business. 

 As "stockholders" in this business we 

 might well ask if these taxes are justified. 

 Are we getting our money's w rlh? Are 

 state revenues being wisely spent? If 

 taxes are too burdensome which could 



be eliminated.'* What services if any 

 should be discontinued.' 



Many citizens dismiss the whole sub- 

 ject of taxes and government with blan- 

 ket charges of "politics and waste," 

 without stopping to consider their own 

 responsibilities in the matter. Without 

 justifying the present level of tax col- 

 lection and expenditure, let us admit 

 that there are some good reasons for 

 higher taxes. First, there are twice as 

 many people living in Illinois today as 

 there were 39 years ago. More schools, 

 roads, prisons, hospitals and other pub- 

 lic institutions are needed in a stare of 

 7,000,000 persons than in one of 3,- 

 500,000. 



Secondly, government services and 

 functions have multiplied. For the most 

 part voters have demanded these addi- 

 tional ser\'ices such as paved roads, more 

 expensive schools, increased state regula- 

 tion, police protection, and aid to the 

 aged and infirm. 



Wasteful Administration 



A third reason is wasteful administra- 

 tion of which both political parties have 

 been guilty. Federal aid requiring 

 matching with state funds is a fourth 

 reason why taxes have mounted so amaz- 

 ingly. Last but not least is the pauper- 

 ization of millions of our citizens by the 

 derangement of price and wage levels. 

 High industrial and low farm prices 

 drastically curtailed the exchange of 

 goods and services between farmers, in- 

 dustrial workers and others resulting in 

 widespread unemployment. Unemploy- 

 ment relief is probably our biggest na- 

 tional problem. It is one of the major 

 items of state as well as federal govern- 

 ment expense today. 



But all of these reasons do not justify 

 the tremendous increases in payrolls of 



DECEMBER. 1939 



