September f 1931 



THE I. A. A. RECORD 



Page Eleven 



These Problems Must Be SolvecL 



A 12 Minute Address fo Form Bureau Members About Their Organization 



Eiirl C. Smith 



I GREATLY appreciate the privilege 

 and opportunity provided by the 

 Department of Information in this 

 unique way to extend a word of greet- 

 ing, attempt to brief- 

 ly review the record 

 of progress and 

 achievement of the 

 Farm Bureau move- 

 ment of Illinois, and 

 to outline some of 

 the ever-increasing 

 I problems confront- 

 ing farmers and 

 what is being done 

 I by your organization 

 to secure their prop- 

 er solution. 

 Many of you have given liberally of 

 your time, thought and effort to make 

 possible this great organization. No 

 doubt some of you know as well as do 

 I what has been accomplished and what 

 still remains to be done. For more than 

 1 2 years wc have labored together seek- 

 ing to improve the farmer's economic 

 position. During this time American 

 agriculture has passed through a most 

 critical period, a period of serious and 

 prolonged deflation, which is undoubt- 

 edly the worst in the history of Ameri- 

 can agricvijture. 



Largely due to the lack of organiza- 

 tion, forces beyond the control of farm- 

 ers have operated to cut the value of 

 American agricultural investment from 

 eighty billions to a little over forty 

 billions of dollars. Although fighting 

 an up-hill battle, we take much pride 

 in the fact that we can point to many 

 benefits Farm Bureau members have ob- 

 tained through the power of organi- 

 zation — even though yet in its infancy. 



Three Lines of Endeavor 



I The Farm Bureau program in Illinois 

 has been largely confined to three ( 3 ) 

 general lines of endeavor. One, to as- 

 sist farmers through increased efficiency 

 to lower production costs and over- 

 head expenses; second, to improve the 

 farmer's bargaining power in the sale 

 of his products by and through collec- 

 tive effort; and third, to fill the chair 

 that has so long been vacant around 

 conference tables and in legislative 

 chambers, where public policies and 

 laws were being developed affecting the 

 interests of Illinois and the American 



farmer. ;;,:,■.,■■;;:■.. ■,, k--- .;^j. ■, 



By EARL C. SMITH 



Since 1920, the Illinois Agricultural 

 Association and County Farm Bureaus 

 have prepared and presented much con- 

 structive legislation to each succeeding 

 General Assembly. The Association has 

 provided personnel, which has fought 

 for the farming industry in hundreds 

 of committee hearings, before legislative 

 committees, commissions and rate-mak- 

 ing bodies. Throughout all of thesV\ef- 

 forts, the Association has sought: to 

 maintain a constructive position, one 

 worthy of the recognition of all think- 

 ing citizens, regardless of what their 

 personal or business interests might be. 

 That success in this effort has been real- 

 ized is best attested by the fact that 

 in nearly every instance where agricul- 

 tural interests are involved, the Illinois 

 Agricultural Association is now being 

 invited to sit in and not only present its 

 views, but to speak and act as the rep- 

 resentative of Illinois agriculture. 



This is the 12 -minute address 

 by President Smith recorded on 

 a phonograph record in the Marsh 

 Laboratories, Chicago, and am- 

 plified through the I. A. A. pub- 

 lic address system at district and 

 County Farm Bureau picnics 

 during August and early Sep- 

 tember. 



Mr. Smith is introduced to the 

 Farm Bureau audiences by 

 George Thiem, Director of In- 

 formation. ,. 



While I could speak at some length 

 relative to the success of the Associa- 

 tion in securing the enactment of much 

 of its legislative program during recent 

 years; yet, were I to point to the most 

 important service rendered agriculture, 

 it would be in the success attained by 

 the Association in securing the defeat 

 of much proposed legislation which if 

 enacted into law would have seriously 

 affected and jeopardized the rightful 

 interests of the farming industry. 



The Illinois Agricultural Association 

 and County Farm Bureaus, working to- 

 gether, are largely responsible for the 

 fact that assessed valuations of farm 

 lands and property have been reduced 

 at different times since 1920, totaling 

 in the aggregate approximately four 

 hundred and seventy million dollars. All 

 of this effort was justified because of 



the loss in values and inequality in as- 

 sessments as between different classes 

 of property. These reductions could 

 never have been secured, except through 

 the influence and power of organization. 

 It is, of course, apparent that not 

 only the members of the organization, 

 but others engaged in the industry, 

 have benefited equally from these ef- 

 forts; and it is, therefore, felt that 

 every thinking farmer within the state 

 should add to the strength and influ- 

 ence of the Farm Bureau movement by 

 becoming an active and participating 

 member. 



The Tax Problem 



Possibly the greatest question before 

 the citizens of Illinois is that of secur- 

 ing a readjustment of our taxing ma- 

 chinery to meet modern conditions and 

 to make possible the distribution of the 

 total cost of government in an equit- 

 able manner. The I. A. A. and County 

 Farm Bureaus have inaugurated and 

 continued to struggle in behalf of a 

 system of taxation based on "ability 

 to pay." Support to this program is 

 increasing every day, and certainly no 

 farmer can offer a just reason for re- 

 fusing to support this most worthy of 

 all public effort at the present time. 



We meet on every hand constant and 

 continuing effort to increase rates, to 

 improve the income of one group of 

 our citizens at the expense of another 

 through governmental action. How 

 can the farmer meet these ever-increas- 

 ing problems, except through organiza- 

 tion? Certainly the tremendous invest- 

 ment and interest of agriculture not 

 only justify, but demand the mainte- 

 nance of a strong and militant organi- 

 zation, if for no other reason than that 

 farmers may be represented at all times 

 and in all places where questions of 

 public policy are being considered and 

 in the making. 



In the limited time allowed, I find it 

 impossible to survey the activities and 

 achievements of the 12 service depart- 

 ments of the Illinois Agricultural Asso- 

 ciation and its 8 associated companies. 

 I shall, therefore, only briefly enumerate 

 some of the more recent accomplish- 

 ments. 



Twenty-two per cent (22%) of the 

 livestock produced in Illinois moves to 

 market through co-operative channels. 

 Three billion pounds of fluid milk, or 



