Page Ten 



THE I. A. A. RECORD 



February, 1933 



IX — Lower Utility Rates 



On account of the economic depression, large num- 

 bers of public utility users have found rates and 

 charges higher than they were able to pay and have 

 discontinued the services. 



The remaining customers find it increasingly diffi- 

 cult to meet the high cost of public utility charges. 



The decrease in customers reduces the revenues of 

 the companies, makes maintenance and operation 

 more costly, and in the case of telephone service, 

 greatly diminishes the value of the service to the re- 

 maining subscribers. 



The valuations of public utility properties are gen- 

 erally on a basis seriously out of line with present cost 

 levels. 



We believe that the Public Utility companies should 

 take the initiative in lowering their rates by reducing 

 the valuations of their properties, construction and 

 maintenance costs consistent with reductions in labor 

 and materials. 



We urge the Illinois Commerce Commission to exer- 

 cise the full extent of its legal and persuasive powers 

 in bringing about reductions in all public utility valua- 

 tions, costs and charges in keeping with general eco- 

 : nomic conditions. 



X — Excise Tax On Oleo '■']\:,--: ■'■■': ''^.^.:.\:':'' 



Because of continued importation of large quan- 



■ titles of foreign oils and fats and their displacement of 

 our farm products in manufacture for domestic con- 



r sumption, we authorize and direct the Ofllcers and Di- 



' rectors of the Association to use every proper effort 



to secure enactment of a State excise tax on all oleo- 



margarine which contains any such imported oils and 



; fats and is sold or offered for sale in the State of Illi- 

 nois. 



Since relief workers for the Illinois Emergency Re- 

 : lief Commission apparently are recommending to their 



• dispensing agencies the use of butter substitutes in 

 the place of butter for supplying the unemployed; and 



- since the keynote of this convention has been to re- 

 store farmers' buying power that the country may re- 

 turn to normal business conditions; and since public 

 funds are used for unemployment relief, it seems only 

 fair that farmers' products should be purchased with 

 public money and thus return to him purchasing power 

 to help business conditions return to a normal basis. 

 Therefore we urge the Illinois Agricultural Associa- 

 tion to investigate this situation and if found to be 



. true take such means as it deems advisable to correct 



• this c&ndition. - 



XI — Better Supervision of Raw Milk Sales 



In practically all of the organized fluid milk markets 

 of the State, certain standards of quality which or- 

 ganized farmers have been required to meet, have 

 been specified by the health departments in the various 

 cities served by these organizations. Our organized 

 dairymen have met these requirements. To produce 

 high quality product, however, requires considerable 

 . capital investment in barns, equipment and labor to 

 keep equipment in a sanitary condition. 



We now find interference with the milk markets by 

 producers who are not equipped to produce a high 

 quality product. We find further that the specifications 

 of health departments in various cities are avoided by 

 establishing retail milk stations outside the city limits, 

 where milk of unknown origin is sold to consumers 

 under conditions considered unsafe by city health de- 

 ; partments. City health departments are powerless in 

 ; these cases. In the interest of public health and for the 



■ protection of those dairymen who have been required 

 to make substantial investments to produce quality 



, milk, we favor the enactment of a law which will em- 



power the State Department of Health to set up speci- 

 fications covering raw milk and require such milk to 

 conform more closely to the requirements of the 

 various city ordinances. : --, 



XII— Soybean Oil In Paint 



Experiments at the University of Illinois disclose that 

 soybean oil as a basic ingredient in paint is at least 

 equal, if not superior, to other oils. Tests of paints 

 carrying different percentages of soybean oil have been 

 made in different sections of Illinois by hundreds of 

 farmers and such paints have met with great favor. 

 Thus far, it has been found impossible to secure in- 

 clusion of paint carrying soybean oil in the specifica- 

 tions of public contracts. 



Without exception, all experiments justify specifi- 

 cation of soybean oil in public contracts. We insist, 

 therefore, upon such changes in statutes or regula- 

 tions as will remove present discriminations. 



;; - XIII — Consolidation In Dept. of Agriculture" ,v- ; 



We favor any reasonable consolidation of the 

 Divisions of the State Department of Agriculture re- 

 lating to the livestock, poultry and dairy industries, 

 with transfer to the College of Agriculture, University 

 of Illinois, of educational functions, when such con- 

 solidation may be in the interest of economy and 

 efficiency; and we emphatically urge, in order that 

 the livestock, dairy and poultry industries may best be 

 served, that the administration of such consolidated 

 Division be in the hands of a practical livestock man 

 who has the best interests of these industries at heart 

 and who is free from selfish business or professional 

 interests. 



XIV — Century of Progress 



The metropolis of Illinois is the agricultural capital 

 of the world and celebrates during the year its one 

 hundredth anniversary by opening to the world an 

 international exposition displaying in modern and 

 royal fashion the fine arts and sciences. The industry 

 of agriculture is being given its proper place in this 

 gigantic pageant which is under the immediate direc- 

 tion of one of the first presidents of Illinois Agricul- 

 tural Association. 



We hereby pledge to the commissioners of this inter- 

 national exposition the heartiest cooperation of the 

 Farm Bureau people of Illinois. 



XV — Stop Reserve Board Deflation 



Inasmuch a§ the purchase of government securities 

 by the Federal Reserve system expands deposits, and 

 eventually loans, we view with alarm the sale in 

 January, 1933, by the Federal Reserve system, of $70,- 

 000,000 of bonds. This action is definitely deflationary, 

 and we insist such policy be immediately discontinued. 



- • ■ XVI - ■ 



The delegates and visitors of this Eighteenth Annual 

 Meeting of the ILLINOIS AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIA- 

 TION held in PEORIA, January 26 and 27, 1933, here- 

 by express their grateful and hearty appreciation for 

 the cordial welcome and for the unfailing courtesy 

 and cooperation shown them by the Peoria County 

 Farm Bureau, the Mayor, the Convention Bureau of 

 the Ass'n, of Commerce, and the organizations of the 

 City of Peoria, and the citizens of the City of Peoria 

 and Peoria County who have contributed so effectively 

 to the comfort, convenience and success of this annual 

 meeting. 



Members of the Resolutions Committee were A. R. 

 Wright, Chairman, Harold C. Vial, Chas. Marshall, 

 Talmage Defrees, W. A. Dennis, Chas. Bates, A. B. 

 Schofield, Harvey Herndon, F. C. Thomas, R. B. Endi- 

 cott, Geo. W. Lenhart. 



