^m 



^p 



A. RECOR 



Pnge ^ 



4th^vms Uni 



dy to operaj 

 intial increas^ 

 ndlcates that 



more and 

 ue of co-oper 

 a means of] 

 osts. 



inimously 



\on have 



in busi- 



farraers 



lore the 



Itive pur- 



[reducing 



•roll 

 Is 



Bureau 

 |ast year 



savings 

 )aid in, a 

 [total cost 

 lanization 



returns 

 lough its 



jed prin- 



Ithe Farm 



|ile insur- 



)etroleum 



)ne. The 



|es, utility 



(ting, and 



Bureau 



kye figure. 



)uted 



on oil 



kugh the 



I'^ie sav- 



Ihe Farm 



lated at 

 lie insur- 

 ^BS were 

 tst com- 

 |e serum 



the sav- 



through 



ngs by Townah^ 



township excej 

 more than $£ 

 )wnships, the si 



$1,000. In RcJ 

 w^here 79 mem| 



of the servic 



was returned, 

 of one of the 

 in the county 

 IS per membfj 

 ) $149, depencl 



they used thj 

 the Farm Bure 

 3 listed the savil 

 ler of individua 

 i: Roland Ar^ 

 Buerman, $8.94 

 arance, $3.40 oil 

 14.63 on serum] 



Son, $10.42 on| 

 d $11.52 on oil 

 mmer, $24.93 oii 

 es Cheeseman 



insurance andl 

 >; H. L. Derrer, 

 and $12.50 on 11 

 klin and Son, 

 ance, $30i^on li| 

 )2 on oil an? 

 serum; F. a. 

 uto insurance, 

 s, $78 on serum.1 

 ne. 



Typical County 

 county is not c-i 

 optional county 

 rk, but as a typij 

 r direct savings 

 ;very organized 

 rhese five servJciL 



actual cash sal 

 s are on the re 

 !tly how each 

 )y patronizing 

 . The amount of] 

 ds almost entire 

 nt of patronat. 

 Ives to these sei 

 direct benefits 

 tax reduction pre 



A., from repres. 

 e -making and U 

 ;, and from co-, 



of farm product 

 dollars and cent 

 ber to a much! 



SAVES MEMBERS MONEY 



MlUi^SAVED 

 AS RESULT OF 

 I A. A. SERVICE 



FARM BUREAU 

 HGHTS TO CUT 

 TAXESJURTHER 



Tax Committees Reveal Lo- 

 cal Districts Can Eliminate 

 Levies Next Year 



one the 



In eight 



Iving was 



pk Creek 



;rs took 



BS, more 



average 



low that 



ranged 



ig upon 



various 



lU. 



igs made 



\s picked 



[lan and 



5n auto- 



oil and 



Charles 



lauto in- 



md gas; 



oil and 



lind Son, 



|$1.17 on 



L4.34 on 



iiestone; 



17.06 on 



fs, and 



^ilhelm, 



).96 on 



ind $24 



here 



Farm 



coun- 



can be 



)unty in 



are ex- 



lers and 



Jords to 



Imember 



lis own 



Ithe sav- 



(y upon 



the in- 



ttces. 



received 



ram of 



^ntation 



r-mak- 



jrative 



would 



return 



higher 



Farm Bureau members who 

 gather in every Illinois county to 

 take part in the state -wide demon- 

 stration July 4 will have in their 

 mind^ the dramatic story of how 

 their organization has led the fight 

 for just taxation during the past 

 ten years and will have at their 

 command figures to show the dol- 

 lars-and-cents value of such work. 



They will also gather in their 

 various counties with a determi- 

 nation to continue the fight and put 

 across the new state-wide campaign 

 of intelligent tax reduction now be- 

 ing conducted by the Farm Bureaus 

 and Illinois Agricultural Associa- 

 tion. County Tax Committees are 

 now getting the facts about tax- 

 ation in their own communities 

 with an eye to reducing if not wip- 

 ing out levies in the next year or 

 two. 



"Information brought to light at 

 district tax reduction conferences 

 held up to date indicate that many 

 school districts have sufficient 

 funds on hand so that substantial 

 cuts can be made in local tax 

 levies," John C. Watson, director of 

 taxation, reported recently. 

 Can Eliminate Levies 



"Members of the County Farm 

 Bureau tax committees, many of 

 whom are local school trustees, 

 showed that there were sufficient 

 funds in local treasuries to entirely 

 eliminate tax levies for the next 

 year or two and still remain on a 

 cash basis," he said. 



Watson reported that the local 

 tax reduction program is being ac- 

 cepted enthusiastically over the 

 state and that tax committees are 

 already .taking steps to secure full 

 information before proceeding fur- 

 ther. 



"While the results of this inquiry 

 cannot' be measured until late sum- 

 mer or early fall," said Mr. Wat- 

 son, "the outcome so far looks en- 

 couraging. We believe it will result 

 in a substantial reduction in gen- 

 eral taxes on property without im- 

 pairing any necessary or essential 

 public services. 



"The state-wide investigation 

 growing out of the appointment of 

 county and township Farm Bureau 

 tax committees has for its goal tax 

 reduction without creating or in- 

 creasing public debt, but if possible 

 with reductions in existing debts," 

 Mr. Watson said. 



"There is no intent in this survey 

 to embarrass any public official, in 

 fact, we expect it to result in ac- 

 knowledgment and commendation 

 of good administration wherever 

 found." 



Township Committees Too 



The County Tax Committees will 

 secure all necessary information 

 about the revenues, expenditures 

 and financial condition of their 

 own respective counties. Township 

 Tax Committees will do the same 

 for taxing districts wholly or par- 

 tially within the township. 



Thus far all counties have been 

 represented In the district con- 

 ferences held with one exception 

 and that county is expected to be 

 represented at a later meeting. 



Conferences with attendance held 

 to date are as follows: ^__ 



May 25, Aledo, 80 present 

 June 2, Rushville, 105 present 

 June 6, Murphysboro, 113 present 

 June 7, Carmi, 150 present 

 June 8, Olney, 47 present 

 June 9, Tuscola, 43 present 

 June 10, Danville, 78 present 



$1,500,000 Slasli ** 

 Reductions in farm valuations in 

 Illinois during 1931 alone, through 

 the efforts of the Farm Bureau, 

 -were slashed approximately $1,500,- 

 000 from the tax bill of Illinois 

 farmers as compared to what they 

 would have paid under 1930 valua- 

 tions. 



Farm property will pay about $6,- 

 500,000 less in all taxes on the 1931 

 valuations than it would have paid 

 if assessments had remained the 

 same as in 1920. 



This means an average saving of 

 nearly $33 in taxes on each of the 

 214,000 farms of three acres or more 

 in the state. In a number of coun- 

 ties the actual reduction amounts 

 to this much from 1931 to 1932 

 alone. 



On December 14, 1921, farmers 

 were represented along with other 

 taxpayers in a public^ hearing be- 

 fore the Illinois ^ax Commission 

 for the first timeyin the^ history of 

 Illinois. Mr. WatSQn was there to 

 give the commission the results of 

 studies he had been making. The 

 Illinois Agricultural Association 

 protested against the increase in 

 valuations which had raised farm 

 taxes and asked for a new deal. 

 In 1921-1922 

 As a result of these efforts in be- 

 half of the farmer, the commission 

 cut valuations of land $181,066,785 

 in 1921 and 1922. At the state rate 

 then in effect this meant a saving 

 of more than $1,000,000 to farmers. 

 The following year saw practically 

 every Farm Bureau checking land 

 and Improvement valuations. The 



association failed to win its fight for 

 equalizatjlon in certain counties, but 

 at the end of the year the re- 

 capitulation showed that from 1921 

 to 1923 land owners had secured 

 the benefit of a total reduction of 

 $3,963,773 in state and county taxes. 



In both 1924 and 1925 the con- 

 tinuing effect of the previous efforts 

 saved the farmers of Illinois be- 

 tween ^2,000,000 and $2,500,000. 

 Each year reduced valuations have 

 helped cut the farmer's tax burden 

 in spite of some increases in rates. 



Assessed valuations of Illinois 

 farm lands and improvements were 

 cut more than $286,000,000 in 1931, 

 it is shown in a survey recently 

 completed by the taxation depart- 

 ment of the I. A. A. This means 

 that the total assessed values of 

 farm property, excluding Cook 

 county, are now approximately 15.9 

 per cent below 1930 values. 

 All Except Six 



Every county in the state except 

 six received reductions in land 

 valuations during the past year 

 ranging from less than one per cent 

 to as much as 37 per cent. In some 

 instances land was assessed as 

 much as $20 to $25 an acre lower. 

 Fourteen counties had reductions 

 of at least 25 per cent. In one 

 county $14,500,000 was cut from the 

 total valuation of farm lands and 

 improvements. 



Not only were valuations cut, but 

 drastic reductions were made in the 

 farmer's taxes as a result of the 

 cuts. Taxpayers in Piatt county are 

 paying $107,714 less taxes this year 

 than a year ago because of lower 

 assessments secured through the 

 efforts of the Farm Bureau tax 

 committee. 



Thirty-six farms picked at ran- 

 dom from various townships in 

 Rock Island county show how the 

 fight waged by the Farm Bureau 

 last December succeeded in lower- 

 ing farm taxes. All the farms ex- 

 amined except one paid less taxes 

 for 1931 than for 1930. Reductions 

 ranged from $3 to $80 per farm. 

 Save $2 to $72 Per Farm 



In a similar test in McDonough 

 county every one of the 36 farms 

 showed a reduction. The saving 

 varied from $2 to $72 per farm. In 

 ten cases out of the 36 the reduc- 

 tion was more than $50 per farm. 

 This saving is In the most part 

 accounted for by the 25 per cent 

 reduction in assessed valuations 

 secured through the Farm Bureau. 



Sangamon county is another ex- 

 ample of the influence of the Farm 

 Bureau In securing tax reductions. 

 There the cut In valuations on farm 

 lands and improvements last year 

 was 26.89 per cent, a reduction of 

 $18.88 per acre in the assessed valu- 

 ations. This means a saving of 

 about $90 per quarter section of 

 land in the tax bill under the pres- 

 ent rate. 



Even with these drastic reduc- 

 tions in assessed valuations and 

 taxes, they are still out of line with 

 present selling values. Figures just 

 released by the Bureau of the Cen- 

 sus show that during the decade 

 1920 to 1930 farm property values 

 declined 26.5 per cent. Since 1930 

 there have been more rapid de- 

 clines. 



Local Pavers Called it a "Mystery" Meeting. 



Biggest Task Yet 



Undertaken In State 



All officers, directors, and the en- 

 tire staff of the I. A. A. and as- 

 sociated companies are mobilized to 

 help out In organization work and 

 preparation for Dedication Day. 

 Officers, directors and staff mem- 

 bers will appear as afternoon 

 speakers at the celebration meet- 

 ings to follow the big parade. Allied 

 organizations in Illinois and from 

 adjoining states have been called, 

 on for help In providing speakers 

 for the occasion. 



This state -wide demonstration to 

 to be held simultaneously In every 

 county on the same day Is the big- 

 gest task ever undertaken by 

 farmers of -^ Illinois, The problem of 

 scheduling a speaker at every 

 county look^ almost impossible 

 when the plan was first outlined, 

 but with the co-operation of all 

 groups a list of speakers was drawn 

 up and a schedule arranged to pro- 

 vide for every county celebration. 



IF THE FARMER DOESN'T 

 ORGANIZE OTHERS WILL 

 AND THEY'LL TAKE CARE 

 OF THEIR OWN INTERESTS 

 FIRST 



grazing-ln-transit privilege was se- 

 cured from the Rock Island which 

 meant a saving of $28 on a double 

 deck car of sheep from the West. A 

 transit privilege on red-top seed 

 was established which made pos- 

 sible a saving of $30. a car. 



Fruit Rates Cut 



Early In 1924 In a proceeding be- 

 fore -the Interstate Commerce Com- 

 mission a proposed advance In 

 fruit and vegetable rates was op- 

 posed resulting in a saving of from 

 $22 to $30 a car on peaches and 

 strawberries, and from $7 to $9.50 

 a car on other fruits and veg- 

 etables. 



In a complaint brought by the 

 I. A. A. before the state commerce 

 commission the minimum weight 

 on hogs In carloads was reduced 

 from 17,000 to 16,500 pounds, re- 

 sulting In an annual saving of ap- 

 proximately $100,000. The Illinois 

 Agricultural Association working 

 with the American Farm Bureau 

 succeeded In defeating a proposed 

 increase in freight rates on farm 

 products asked by the railroads In 

 1925. 



Each year the services of this de- 

 partment have broadened and the 

 savings to fanners have Increased. 

 Last year, advice and representa- 

 tion meant a saving ,of at least 

 $500,000. Eighty-five counties shared 

 In this service which includes ad- 

 justment of freight rates, train 

 service, shipping facilities, railroad 

 station closing cases, railroad right- 

 of-way cases, pipe lines, telephone 



, (Continued on page 4, Col. 3) , 



« • r I- 



Illinois Farmer Now Has 



Expert Representation And 



Freight Rate Service 



Farmers who attend the state- 

 wide celebrations July 4 could count 

 up several million dollars they have , 

 saved as a result of advice and 

 representation In public utility mat- 

 ters made available through the 

 Illinois Agricultural Association 

 since the organization was started. 



The transportation department 

 works quietly in conferences with 

 utility and railroad executives, be- 

 fore state and interstate commerce 

 bodies, and in its own office at the -■ 

 I. A. A. headquarters. Even the 

 members of the Farm Bureau 

 scarcely realize that matters vitally • 

 affecting their interests are being 

 brought up almost daily." 



Railroads are constantly attempt- 

 ing to change freight rates, to dis- 

 continue local stations, and other- 

 wise alter shipping facilities;, con- 

 struction companies are continu- 

 ously offering contracts for rights- 

 of-way across farm lands which 

 frequently would work out to the 

 disadvantage of the farmer; tele- 

 phone complaints come In almost 

 every day; the construction of elec- ;: 

 trie transmission lines frequently 

 starts controversies; and damage 

 claims are made by the hundreds. 



Need Expert Service 



In this day when every farmer 

 has business sooner or later with 

 railroads or utilities of some sort, 

 he must have expert representation 

 which he can get only through or- 

 ganization. The individual farmer . 

 cannot protect his own interests 

 against powerful corporations. He 

 cannot keep Informed as to freight 

 rate matters which require expert 

 Interpretation. 



The I. A. A. transportation de- 

 partment, organized in 1920, at first 

 devoted its attention to settling loss 

 and damage claims for members, - 

 but soon initiated the important 

 work in securing lower freight 

 rates and opposing Increases. 



The first outstanding accomplish- ;. 

 ment that really showed the pos- • 

 sibilitles in transportation service ''-■. 

 was realized when the association 

 secured freight rate reductions on 

 limestone for western 1 1 11 n o i s 

 farmers, saving them approxi- 

 mately $30,000 on the basis of 1920 

 figures. J. R. Bent and L. J. Quasey 

 played an important part In this 

 accomplishment. 



In 1923 the Interstate Commerce 

 Commission's decision In the mixed 

 livestock case, for which the as- 

 sociation was one of the hardest 

 workers, saved Illinois farmers ap- 

 proximately $270,000 a year. Re- 

 duced rates on livestock were 

 gained for shippers along the Wa- 

 bash railroad to East St. Louis. A 



•-■ / 



%^ 



'■■•''♦. ■" 



