Page Sixteen 



THE I. A. A. RECORD 



April, 1932 



A. F. B. F. Board Acfs 



On Legislafive Matters 



Outlines Policy on New Taxes, 

 Names Committee to Draft 

 Farm Planks for Nomi- \ . 

 nating Conventions 



E. A. O'Neal 



farm 



ing 



in 



dustry 



CONSTRUCTIVE action on a wide 

 range of subjects affecting every 

 phase of the American Farm Bureau 

 Federation's service program for Amer- 

 ican agriculture marked the regular 

 spring meeting of the Federation's 

 Board of Directors in Chicago, March 

 10 to 12. President Earl Smith of the 

 Illinois Agricultural Association par- 

 ticipated as one of the five representa- 

 tives of the eleven states in the mid- 

 west group of state organizations. 



Urged by President E. A. O'Neal, 

 the directors agreed to concentrate the 

 I' .• \,;,.2: : : ' major legislative ef- 

 fort of the organiza- 

 tion on a three-point 

 program covering 

 the following mat- 

 ters: (1) restoration 

 of farm purchasing 

 power through legis- 

 lation to correct in- 

 adequacies in the 

 monetary system; 

 (2) attainment of 

 equality for agricul- 

 ture, by bringing the 

 into the American 

 protective system; to be accomplished 

 by amending the Agricultural Market- 

 ing Act to include the equalization fee 

 for use of the Federal Farm Board in 

 surplus crop control activities; and (3) 

 reduction of the cost of government 

 to a point proportionate to the income 

 of the people. 



Among resolutions approved by the 

 national directors was one insisting that 

 Congress in any consideration of the 

 Marketing Act, "confine its efforts to 

 strengthening the Act by adoption of 

 the Equalization Fee, and such other 

 amendments as may be offered by its 

 friends to secure greater effectiveness; 

 that the revolving fund provided in the 

 Act be left intact and necessary funds 

 be made available for its proper admin- 

 istration; further, that Congress restore 

 to the revolving fund an amount equal 

 to the value of any commodity taken 

 from the Board and otherwise di- 

 rected." 



A second resolution restated the Fed- 

 eration's opposition to a general sales 

 tax and declared that "only a national 

 emergency and an absence of other 

 sources upon which an equitable levy 

 can be made, justify such a tax." To 

 balance the budget, this resolution de- 

 mands that Congress "confine its adop- 



tion of new forms of taxation to a se- 

 lective luxury tax and gift tax and in- 

 creases in rates of inheritance and in- 

 come tax schedules." . ..J " /-; 



A special committee was authorized 

 to draft proposals for the agricultural 

 planks in the platform of the two ma- 

 jor political parties when they meet in 

 Chicago in June. In this project an 

 effort will be made to develop a joint 

 program with the National Grange and 

 the Farmers Union, so that the "big 

 three" farm organizations can approach 

 the conventions with a united front. 



Another committee authorized will 

 be known as the National Committee 

 on Co-Ordination and Efficiency in 

 Government. It will be commissioned 

 to work out plans for securing greater 

 efficiency in government, through co- 

 ordination of the activitites of state and 

 national units of government and 

 through reduction of costs of govern- 

 ment. The plan must be ready for con- 

 sideration at the national convention in 

 Chicago next December. 



The date of this convention was fixed 

 for December 5 to 7, and again, as last 

 year a great, national exposition of 

 agricultural progress will be conducted 

 in conjunction with the convention. 



By unanimous agreement the Board 

 authorized another national Farm Bu- 

 reau Muster Day, similar to those con- 

 ducted in September for the past several 

 years. Authorization was also given for 

 conducting a nation-wide Farm Bureau 

 Fourth of July picnic, as organized ag- 

 riculture's contribution to the observ- 

 ance of the George Washington bi- 

 centennial anniversrary celebration. 



Livesfock Growers Get 



Freight Rate Reduction 



I. A. A. Appeal to Commerce Com- 

 mission Succeeds in Securing 

 8 Per Cent Cut 



Corn Credit Loans on 



Less Than 1% of Crop 



ALTHOUGH loans made by the National 

 Corn Credit Corporation have enabled 

 many Illinois and Iowa farmers to meet press- 

 ing obligations without selling their corn on a 

 forced market, the total amount of corn sealed 

 as security for loans to date is less than 1 per 

 cent of the 1931 production of the two states. 

 The bulk of the crop from both states is fed 

 to livestock. 



Approximately 1,900 loans had been made up 

 to March 23, according to Harry Laird, mana- 

 ger of the credit corporation. These loans went 

 to 70 counties in Illinois and 38 in Iowa. The 

 average loan is slightly less than $400. 



"One of the most commendable features of 

 the plan is the fact that loans are being dis- 

 tributed to a large number of farmers rather 

 than to a few large producers," Laird said. 

 "Thus, the corn credit corporation is serving 

 the purpose for which it was created, namely, 

 to give relief to the farmer who is hard pressed 

 but who does not want to sell his corn crop 

 at present prices." 



The machinery for sealing cribs and handling 

 applications is practically complete in both Illi- 

 nois and Iowa. Up to December 15, Illinois 

 counties had filed 83 requests with the state 

 department of agriculture for the appointment 

 of warehouse supervisory boards. Most of the 

 sealers have been appointed and bonded. 



FREIGHT rates on cattle and hogs 

 from southern and eastern Illinois 

 counties were recently reduced approxi- 

 mately eight per cent through the ef- 

 forts of the Illinois Agricultural Asso- 

 ciation and the Producers' marketing 

 agencies at Peoria, Chicago, and East 

 St. Louis. This will mean a saving of 

 from $6 to $8 a car in many cases, de- 

 pending on the distance from market. 



The new rates became effective 

 March 14 in the entire territory south 

 of the line between Chicago and Pekin 

 and east of the Illinois river. 



Savings on cattle and hogs received 

 by the co-operative Producers' agencies 

 alone from this part of the state is at 

 least $15,000 a year, and this is a com- 

 paratively small part of the total sav- 

 ing. Figures on the total amount of 

 the reduction are not available due to 

 the fact that it is not known what 

 percentage of the receipts on Illinois 

 markets comes from this area. 



In 1928 the Interstate Commerce 

 Commission reduced interstate rates in 

 Central Freight Association territory 

 about 1 2 ^2 per cent, leaving intra-state 

 rates unchanged. Interstate rates were 

 later raised four per cent, but were still 

 8 Yz per cent below rates in southeastern 

 Illinois. 



After the I. A. A. had asked the rail- 

 roads to adjust these rates without get- 

 ting any action, a complaint was finally 

 filed before the Illinois Commerce Com- 

 mission requesting a reduction. As a 

 result, the carriers immediately sought 

 permission from the Interstate Com- 

 merce Commission to adjust rates in 

 this area. Rates for the northern and 

 western part of the state were not af- 

 fected by the change. 



According to G. W. Baxter of the 

 I. A. A. transportation department, a 

 farmer shipping a load of cattle from 

 Lincoln to Chicago will save $6.60, or 

 shipping a load of hogs from Lincoln 

 he will save $3.68. From Mt. Pulaski 

 to Chicago the saving on a car of 

 cattle will be $4.40, or on a car of hogs 

 $2.80. Champaign shippers will save 

 $3.30 a car on cattle and $2.10 on 

 hogs. 



Shipping to East St. Louis from El- 

 dorado a farmer will save $7.70 a car 

 on cattle and $5.50 on hogs; from 

 Anna to East St. Louis, $4.40 on cattle, 

 $2.15 on hogs; from Clinton, $6.60 on 

 cattle, $4.58 on hogs. 



