Page Fourteen 



THE I. A. A. RECORD 



August, 1932 



Conferences To Reduce 

 Taxes Now Completed 



Tax Committees At Work Get- 

 ting the Facts, Co-operate 

 With Others 



"D ECENT conferences with Farm 

 -■•^ Bureau leaders and county tax 

 committees held in Rock Island and 

 Warren counties concluded a series 

 of district and county tax con- 

 ferences sponsored by the Illinois 

 Agricultural Association during the 

 past two months. 



Attendance at the larger district 

 conferences where a program of in- 

 telligent tax reduction was present- 

 ed by John C. Watson ran as high 

 as 175 or more. The majority of 

 those attending these meetings had 

 had previous experience in their 

 respective counties with tax matters 

 and many were veterans of past 

 battles to secure equalization of as- 

 sessments. 



Latest reports coming to the De- 

 partment of Taxation indicate that 

 county tax committees are at work 

 throughout Illinois studying levies, 

 treasury balances, tax rates, and 

 expenditures with an eye to reduc- 

 ing wherever possible without ham- 

 pering necessary public service. The 

 Tax Department already has a 

 number of requests on file for fur- 

 ther co-operation both in compiling 

 and presenting information to 

 proper authorities for action. 



In a recent letter to the counties 

 Mr. Watson said: 



Aug. 2 Last Day 



"Please note that Aug. 2 is the 

 last day on which any school dis- 

 trict board of directors or board of 

 education can legally certify the 

 levies for school purposes, taxes for 

 which are to be paid next year. 

 Whatever tax reductions are to be 

 secured this year whether in ele- 

 mentary or high school districts, 

 must be secured before Aug. 2. This 

 work should be done as soon as 

 possible. If any board certifies its 

 levy before Aug. 2, it has the right 

 at any time up to but not after this 

 date to withdraw such certificate 

 and to substitute a new levy there- 

 for. 



"There are some outstanding 

 matters on which taxpayers' com- 

 mittees can properly and safely 

 act this year if information secured 

 warrants such action. These are as 

 follows: 



1. Elimination of waste or ex- 

 travagance. 



2. .Elimination of expenditures 

 for non-essentials. 



3. Reduction of levy for roads 

 and bridges to require a rate of not 

 over 25 cents where possible with- 

 out jeopardizing maintenance. 



4. Reduction or omission of levy 



4-H CLUB DELEGATION FROM ILLINOIS TO WASHINGTON 



Left to riKhtt E>. I. Pilchard, atate Clab leaden Bert McKee, Blarshall-Patnam 

 county; Clara Hann, Marshall-Patnam county; Caroline Farrar, Colea countyy 

 Themaa Chamberlain, Colea connty; Martha Henaley -who anpenrlsea Kirla' clnb 

 work in northern Illinola. 



Thomas Chamberlain represented the encamped club member* from all the 

 atatea in preHenting a baton made front tvood taken from the "White Honae fvhen 

 it ivaa remodeled in 1927 to Captain Tailor Branson, director of the U. S\. Marine 

 Band. The t-wo boys and two grlrls were chosen for their outstanding Tvork laat 

 year. Between 150 and 200 Club members from alt the states participated in the 

 six-day encampment on the srronnds of the U. S. Department of AKricnlture. 



for school purposes where cash on 

 hand is needlessly large and per- 

 mits such action." 



Mr. Watson recommends that the 

 Farm Bureau invite the co-oper- 

 ation of other constructive tax- 

 payer organizations and persons so 

 as to avoid duplication of effort 

 and accomplish substantial tax re- 

 ductions. 



Out For a Fee 



Farmers and others should be 

 warned of the fact that there are 

 many individuals, particularly law- 

 yers, operating today who promise 

 to secure reductions in taxes on a 

 contingent base. It is not necessary 

 to pay or bribe anyone to get taxes 

 reduced. If it is necessary to go to 

 court to obtain justice the cost 

 should either be borne by the Farm 

 Bureau or prorated among the 

 beneficiaries. In court the Farm 

 Bureau can represent only its mem- 

 bers. 



Fifteen district tax conferences 

 were held since the latter part of 

 May in addition to several county 

 conferences. All the organized 

 counties in the state were repre- 

 sented at the district meetings with 

 the exception of three or four. The 

 largest tax conference was held at 

 Bloomington where 176 attended. 

 There were 135 present at the 

 Peoria conference. 



Tells How To Get Facts 



The Tax Department has supplied 

 all County Farm Bureau tax com- 

 mittees with detailed information 

 on mimeographed sheets telling 

 how to go about the compilation of 

 necessary figures. 



In a recent letter regarding tax 

 reductions for school purposes, Mr. 

 Watson said that if the income tax 

 is sustained by Supreme Court any 



Paqi^:eW5 



President Earl C. Smith discussed 

 farm legislation on the National 

 Farm Forum conducted by the Na- 

 tional Broadcasting Company over 

 a chain of stations from Washing- 

 ton during the last days of Con- 

 gress. 



The daily farm program of the 

 I. A. A. over station WJJD has been 

 discontinued during August and 

 early September. The station is 

 economizing by reducing its hours 

 of broadcasting through the sum- 

 mer months. 



Instead the I. A. A. will have a 

 15-minute period in co-operation 

 with Farmer Rusk on station WJJD 

 Thursday nights from 8:15 to 8:30 

 P. M. Central standard time. 



"The Grain Exchange Contro- 

 versy" was the title of a 10 minute ,, 

 radio address by George Thiem, ed- 

 itor of The Rkcord, Thursday night, 

 July 28. 



balance remaining in the proceeds 

 derived therefrom, after first de- 

 ducting the amount appropriated 

 for the state school fund, will be 

 distributed not on the basis of the 

 average levies as often erroneously 

 stated, but of the average expend- 

 itures for educational purposes in 

 the elementary grades in the im- 

 mediately preceding four years. 

 There is no reason, therefore, why 

 the levy should not be reduced, or, 

 if possible, entirely omitted in any 

 school district which has a need- 

 lessly large balance at the end of 

 the preceding school year. 



i 



