Page Four 



THE I. A. A. RECORD 



April, 19} 2 



ing Act by the adoption of the equalization fee 

 and such other amendments as may be offered 

 by friends of the measure to make it more 

 effective. Also that Congress restore to the 

 revolving fund an amount equal to the value 

 of any commodity taken from the Farm Board 

 for charitable and- other uses. 



The audience cheered the reported statement 

 of Chairman James C. Stone that he would 

 welcome a congressional investigation of the 

 Farm Board providing a similar investigation 

 was made of the grain, livestock, and produce 

 exchanges and their members, and that a full 

 and impartial report be made at the same 

 time of both. JC' 7^ 



Clifford V. Gregory, editor of Prairie Farmer, 

 pointed out some of the things that might be 

 done to improve our national credit machinery. 

 He gave a clean-cut analysis of the international 

 economic situation before and following the 

 war, and how the growth of European debts 

 and poverty had destroyed the American farm- 

 ers' foreign markets. "The people in this coun- 

 try cannot eat all we can raise," he said, "even 

 in normal times. We must either find new for- 

 eign outlets for our surplus food products or 

 else reduce our production." 



Mr. Gregory expressed the belief that the J-- 

 pression had continued two years because the 

 farmer financed it by supplying cheap food. 

 Without cheap food we either would have had 

 a revolution or else drastic measures would 

 long ago have been adopted by the government 

 to end it, he said. 



He called on all Illinois farmers to vote for 

 members of the legislature seeking re-election 

 who had voted for the state incortie tax. "This 

 is very important. If you as farmers are to 

 have proper influence and retain the prestige 

 you have gained at Springfield," he continued, 

 "make every effort to see that these men and 

 women are returned to office." 



Gregory paid his respects to the "traitors 

 to agriculture." "We don't biame the middle- 

 men for fighting for their interests," said 

 Gregory. "We would do the same thing. But 

 I do blame those farmers and ex-farmers who, 

 posing as friends and representatives of agri- 

 culture, are betraying their neighbors. They 

 are traitors to the cause." 



"Get out and vote on primary day and on 

 election day," President Smith urged. "Farmers 

 are fast becoming a minority as a group and 

 to get a square deal we must stand together on 

 matters affecting the welfare of agriculture. 



"The I. A. A. does not endorse candidates for 

 political oflSce," he continued. "It does not 

 enter into partisan politics. Its policy is to give 

 full information on candidates for the legis- 

 lature and congress and urge support of those 

 whose records justify farmers' votes." 



It was moved, seconded, and unanimously 

 carried that this policy of the Association be 

 continued. 



In reviewing the history of the fight for legis- 

 lation to make the tariff effective on farm prod- 

 ucts, it was stated that the very people from 

 business and industrial groups of the country 

 who strongly advocated the Agricultural Mar- 

 keting Act are now attempting to crucify it. 



Someone asked for information about the so- 

 called "Federation of American Business," an 

 anti-co-operative propaganda organization. A 

 list of the directors giving their connections 

 was read. The list revealed that nearly all the 

 directors are either engaged in handling farm- 

 ers' products on a commission basis or are 

 closely affiliated as employees and associates of 

 middlemen. 



Secretary George Metzger reported that an 

 advisory committee of five had been established 

 to assist the Sanitary Milk Producers in their 

 struggle at St. Louis. Illinois and Missouri farm 

 and co-operative organizations are represented 

 on this committee. It was reported that the 

 Pevely Dairy Co. had dropped from first to 

 second place as a milk distributor on that mar- 



ket, had lost approximately 54 wagon routes 

 since last September. Financial assistance is 

 being given the Milk Producers in their efforts 

 to get their story before the consumers of 

 St. Louis. 



"I have faith in the agricultural leadership 

 of Illinois represented here in this room," J. C. 

 Spitler, state leader of farm advisers, said in 

 a brief address at the close of the program. 

 "The Farm Bureau is doing great things for 

 agriculture but its greatest accomplishment is 

 that it has developed and is developing think- 

 ing farmers." 



In the morning session membership main- 

 tenance and collections policies were outlined by 

 George Metzger, .ind Treasurer R. A. Cowles. 



A Farm-Minded Editor 



"WOWi; V. MORGAN, editor of the Sparta 

 News-Plaindealer, is a firm believer in 

 the value of organization for farmers. He 

 is a member of the Randolph County Farm 

 Bureau and a stockholder in the Randolph 

 County Service Company and the Illinois 

 Agricultural Holding Company. 



Mr. Morgan's interest in agriculture comes 

 naturally, since he was reared on a farm 

 and knows what it is 

 like to follow the 

 plow and milk cows 

 each night and morn- 

 ing. 



He has always used 

 his editorial columns 

 to help fight the 

 battles of the farm- 

 ers, believing, he 

 says, that the welfare 

 of the town and its 

 business institutions 

 are dependent upon 

 the welfare of the 

 H. V. Morgan farmer. 



In a recent editorial he said: "Randolph 

 county farmers have learned that the in- 

 dividual farmer stands alone. As long as 

 he operates as an individual, he will be 

 forced to accept what the stock buyer, the 

 grain buyer and the milk buyer choose to 

 give him for his surplus products. He is 

 at their mercy. Likewise, he is at the mercy 

 of those from whom he buys his seed, his 

 implements and his other necessities. 



"Acting as a body, the members of the 

 Farm Bureau command the attention of the 

 big buyers and the big dealer and procure 

 the best terms on the market. This is true 

 in buying as well as in selling. Thousands 

 of dollars have been saved local farmers on 

 their purchases of fertilizers, seed and other 

 products through the Farm Bureau." 



Mr. Morgan is a member of the Southern 

 Illinois Editorial Association, the Illinois 

 Press Association, and the National Editorial 

 Association. He was president of the Illinois 

 Press Association in 1930-31 and is now a 

 member of the executive committee. He is 

 also an honorary member of Sigma Delta 

 Chi, national journalistic fraternity. His 

 paper is one of Illinois' outstanding weeklies 

 and won first prize for its interest and at- 

 tractiveness in a recent newspaper contest. 



Lawer Minimum Weight 

 Requirements on Livestock 



Livestock producers in northern and 

 western Illinois can now ship their live- 

 stock by rail in lots as small as one- 

 third of a regular carload as a result of 

 a decision of railroads in that area to 

 lower the minimum weight require- 

 ments. 



The area affected by this ruling in- 

 cludes more than 30 Illinois counties 

 m which more than 50 per cent of the 

 state's livestock is produced. The chief 

 significance of the decision lies in the 

 fact that it offers additional facilities 

 to shippers who are unable to obtain 

 full carloads. 



The new minimum for all kinds of 

 livestock is 6,000 pounds as compared 

 with 22,000 pounds, the former mini-, 

 mum. These light carloads have spe- 

 cial rates, although they do not go as 

 low as regular cars. A 6,000 pound 

 car is figured at 150 per cent of the 

 regular carlot rate. Special rates range 

 from 150 per cent down to 120 per 

 cent, depending upon the weight of 

 the load. ■■''-y.:'^:':^ ■'■:■!''■' ■■^■^i:-^ 



The purpose of the lower minimum 

 weight requirement is to encourage rail 

 shipment of livestock. These rates ap- 

 ply on single line traffic for a distance 

 of 500 miles, which includes Illinois, 

 and parts of Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin 

 and Minnesota. 



Farm Bureau members can get fire 

 insurance at low rates compared with 

 rates of old line companies in the Farm- 

 ers Mutual Reinsurance Company. This 

 company was organized in 1924 by the 

 I. A. A. and a number of local fire 

 mutuals to give farmers this service at 

 a saving. 



Base and Surplus 

 -^^ Plan for Selling Milk 



Milk is usually sold to distributors or 

 dealers by co-operative marketing asso- 

 ciations on a classified or "use" basis. 

 The dealers pay the association mem- 

 bers one price for milk used as fluid 

 purposes (commonly called base price) 

 and a different price for milk used in 

 manufacturing purposes, or pay accord- 

 ing to the use of which they make of 

 the milk. 



If the dealers reduce the retail price 

 of a quart of milk two cents, or 93c 

 per 100 pounds, it would not be fair to 

 reduce the farmer's price one-half or 

 46V2C per 100 pounds on all milk sold 

 because only a relatively small percent- 

 age of milk sold to the dealers is mar- 

 keted in quart bottles. Price changes 

 should depend upon the whole market, 

 including that sold for retail and whole- 

 sale trade, and for manufacturing pur- 

 poses. 



The Cook County Farm Bureau re- 

 cently held a meeting of fruit and vege- 

 table growers, looking toward the de- 

 velopment of some marketing plan to 

 assist the producers of these commodi- 

 ties in the Chicago area. 



/~m.'^ 



"♦o 



y * 



H 



J. w. 



