Page Eight 



THE I. A. A. RECORD 



November, 19} 1 



ff 



. I EiEilNOIS 



CDLiTVBAL ASSOCIA 



RECORl> 



T o advance the purpose for which the Farm Bureau was organizeJ, 



namely, to promote, protect and represent the business, economic, political, 



and educational interests of the farmers of Illinois and the nation, 



', and to develop agriculture. ^ 



-::']■:':"■':,'"■'-•:-■,;' -i''^' ':. ^ George Thiem, Editor ■: \ •■■■.,.- ^yr- ..i:':.-- 

 Max Harrelson, Assistant Editor 



Published monthly by the Illinois Agricultural Association at 165 So. 



Main St., Spencer, Ind. Editorial Offices, 608 So. Dearborn St., Chicago, 



- 111. Application for transfer of second class entry from Marshall, 111., to 



Spencer, Ind., pending. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage 



provided in Section 412, Act of Feb. 28, 1925, authorized Oct. 27, 1925. 



Address all communications for publication to Editorial Offices, Illinois 



, . Agricultural Association Record, 608 So. Dearborn St., Chicap;o. The indi- 



!"f- vidual membership fee of the Illinois Agricultural Association is five 



: ■ dollars a year. Tne fee includes payment of fifty cents for subscription 



;!; to the Illinois Agricultural Association Record. Postmaster: In returning 



;" , an uncalled for missent copy please indicate key number on address as is 



'. required by law. 



OFFICERS 



, President, Earl C. Smith Detroit 



, Vice-President, A. R. Wright Varna 



Secretary, Geo. E. Metzger Chicago 



Treasurer, R. A. Cowles Bloomington 



BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

 (By Congt-essional District) 



1st to 11th H. C. Vial, Downers Grove 



12th G. F. Tullock, Rockford 



13th C. E. Bamborough, Polo 



14th. M. G. Lambert, Ferris 



ISth Charles Bates, Browning 



16th Geo. B. MuUer, Washington 



17th A. B. Schofield, Paxton 



\ 18th W. A. Dennis. Paris 



19th C. J. Gross, Atwoo-I 



20th Charles S. Black, Jacksonville 



2l8t Samuel Sorrells, Raymond 



22nd Frank Oexner, Waterloo 



23rd W. L. Cope, Salem 



'.. 24th Charles Marshall, Belknap 



25th Fred Dietz, De Soto 



DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS 

 Comptroller J. H. Kelker 



: . Finance R. A. Cowles 



Fruit and Vep:etable Marketing A. B. Leeper 



Grain Marketmg .^ Harrison Fahrnkopf 



Information George Thiem 



Insurance Service V. Vaniman 



• Legal Counsel Donald Kirkpatrick 



y . Limestone-Phosphate J. R. Bent 



Live Stock Marketing „ Ray E. Miller 



Office _ C. E. Johnston 



Organization G. E. Metzger 



Produce Marketing F. A. Gougler 



.- Taxation and Statistics J. C. Watson 



Transportation L. J. Quasey 



ASSOCIATED ORGANIZATIONS 



^^~ Country Life Insurance Co L. A. Williams, Mgr. 



Farmers Mutual Reinsurance Co J. H. Kelker, Mgr. 



Illinois Agricultural Auditing Ass'n F. E. Ringham, Mgr. 



Illinois Agricultural Mutual Insurance Co A. E. Richardson, Mgr. 



Illinois Farm Supply Co L. R. Marchant, Mgr. 



Illinois Grain Corp Chas. P. Cummings, Vic»-Pr~!. and Salps Mar. 



Illinois Livestock Marketing Ass'n _ R. W. Grieser, Sales Mgr. 



Illinois Produce Marketing Ass'n F. A. GouHer, Mgr. 



Soybean Marketing Ass'n W. H. Coultas, Mgr. 



The Farmer as Speculator 



CELL your crop when it is produced, take what 

 you get and go ahead producing more. 



Such is the advice the leading editorial of the 

 Chicago Tribune of Oct. 30 handed out to farm- 

 ers while criticizing them as "speculators" for 

 holding 16 to 18 cent corn on the farm for a 

 better market. 



Refusing to sell corn for one-third to one- 

 fourth its cost of production may be speculation, 

 but if so the odds were in favor of the speculator, 

 as events since have proved. At this writing corn 

 prices have advanced approximately 15 cents a 

 bushel or 83 per cent since the L A. A. first pro- 

 posed a plan to help finance growers who desire 

 to hold corn for a better market. 



Holding corn, wheat, hogs, cattle, clover seed, 

 alfalfa hay, or any other farm crop for a higher 

 market all involves risk. But that risk is greatly 

 diminished when going prices are far below cost 



of production. It is an economic fact that pro- > 

 duction of commodities is not maintained very • 

 long when prices fall below the cost of producing— 

 them. - 



The L A. A. may be wrong, but if so, it is 

 making no apologies for the effort it has made 

 to assist producers in getting a higher price for J 

 their corn. ■' ' '' ■■'■ 7^.- '■■;r'v •-'■:;.^^ 



An Opportunity for Statesmanship 



pERHAPS the outstanding feature of the Gov--:: 



ernor's Tax Conference report now being con-- ■ 

 sidered by the legislature in special session is its 

 open admission that the general property tax has 

 broken down; that it no longer is adequate to 

 finance government. This situation the Illinois 

 Agricultural Association predicted years ago. The 

 depression only hastened the process, revealed the 

 glaring weaknesses of a taxing system which levies 

 burdensome assessments regardless of ability to 

 pay. ■ ■■-■■■ y-:--''-'- --i-r-- ' -:.- v.. •- '■ -■:- • :> y ,',.:-< y/.. 



The General Assembly, backed by a state-wide 

 group of prominent citizens representing all in- 

 terests, now has a great opportunity to exercise 

 real statesmanship; to initiate some long-overdue 

 revenue reform. Bills as drawn if enacted into 

 law guarantee that revenue derived from new 

 sources will be used to reduce taxes now levied on 

 property to the extent of approximately $50,- 

 000,000 aftnually. The new measures include an 

 income tax and a sales tax on tobacco, both of 

 which recognize the cardinal principle of taxa- 

 tion based on ability to pay. ' ' 



Constructive recommendations have also been 

 made toward reducing the cost of government as 

 well as distributing the burden more equitably. , 

 The people of Illinois owe a debt of gratitude to 

 the executive committee of the Tax Conference 

 for its tireless four months of effort in trying to 

 find solutions for pressing problems of govern- 

 ment. Through their representatives at Spring- 

 field they can show their appreciation by support- 

 ing its commendable program. ;> 



International Livestock Show 



A/TORE than 12,000 choice farm animals will 

 fill the 22 acres of exposition halls and show 

 barns at the coming International Livestock Ex- 

 position November 28 to December 5 in Chicago, 

 Manager B. H. Heide announces. 



Pure bred herds have been entered from Canada 

 to the Gulf, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and 

 samples of wheat are en route to the International 

 Grain and Hay Show from western Australia. 



The Exposition promises to be outstanding in 

 every respect and will be worth the time and 

 money of every producer v^ho has not seen this 

 brilliant spectacle. J^v^ ^ J ;■ 





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