18 



I. A. A. RECORD— May, 1933 



State Watches Motor 



Fuel Tax Evasion 



;^\;:r:'\;: 



J. M. Braude, superintendent of the 

 division of motor fuel tax, is beginning 

 to supervise more carefully applica- 

 tions for refunds of the three cent gas 

 tax on motor fuel. 



"We ask the co-operation of the Illi- 

 nois Agricultural Association and the 

 County Farm Bureaus and service 

 companies in seeing that the law is 

 complied with," said Mr. Braude. "The 

 law provides for a 3c tax on fuel 

 used in motor vehicles on the public 

 highway. We have had plenty of evi- 

 dence that many have been claiming 

 tax exemption for all motor fuel pur- 

 chased regardless of whether or not 

 part of the gasoline was used in auto- 

 mobiles and trucks. Some have claimed 

 that they purchased all gasoline for 

 their cars and trucks at filling sta- 

 tions and use that delivered to the 

 farm only in tractors and gas en- 

 gines. This may be true in some in- 

 stances but we shall insist that ap- 

 plicants for refunds secure and send 

 in receipts for gasoline bought for cars 

 and trucks at filling stations with 

 their applications. Otherwise refunds 

 will be held up. We insist that farmers 

 deduct from total purchases that por- 

 tion used in cars and trucks when 

 applying for refunds." 



Mr. Nudelman, in charge of gas tax 

 inspection, states that a number of 

 farmers he called on admitted that 

 they applied for refunds on all gaso- 

 line purchased, although part of it 

 was used in their automobiles. 



developments in the alcohol-gasoline 

 dilution plan, Mr. Smith stated that a 

 bill would be introduced in Congress 

 shortly which attempts to meet the 

 obstacles toward relief from this 

 source. 



I. A. A. Sponsors Legis- 



^ lation At Springfield 



y, (Continued from page 4) ■, 



• . rendered a fine service, but don't over- 

 -. ^' look the fact that membership is the 

 life blood of the organization. These 

 .^ . institutions depend on membership. 

 We are just one family and all of 

 our state^nd county commercial en- 

 terprises are part of the program, but 

 their continued success depends to a 

 large extent on the maintenance of^ 

 strong parent organization. The I. A. 

 A. has currently met its dues and paid 

 10 per cent of its receipts from mem- 

 bership each month to the American 

 Farm Bureau Federation needed to 

 . carry on the national program. It 

 will continue doing so so long as the 

 members recognize the importance of 

 putting first things first." 



Secretary Geo. E. Metzger outlined 

 the membership plan with a quota 

 system for each county designed to in- 

 i. crease membership throughout Illi- 

 nois. 



Following an explanation of recent 



Corn Yield May Again 



Be Reckoned in Gallons 



(Continued from page 16) 



lar gas than it did with Hi-Ball; 

 aligned against him were 683 who re- 

 ported that with Hi-Ball their general 

 motor performance was distinctly bet- 

 ter. In the premium fuel group 25 

 had better performance with Hi-Ball, 

 and four could notice no difference. 



One particularly interesting experi- 

 ment was conducted which would seem 

 to indicate that regardless of its 

 higher price the blended fuel may 

 prove to be a real economy for the 

 motoring public should it ever come 

 into general use. 



Aldoph Woolner, Jr., a prominent 

 citizen of Peoria, III., made this test 

 over a measured course of 128 miles, 

 extending from Peoria to Bureau 

 Junction, back to Sparland, 111., thence 

 to Mt. Hawley road and back to the 

 starting • point. The first test was 

 made with Hi-Ball gas. Mr. Woolner 

 drove over the course, until he had 

 covered 500 miles during which trip 

 his car consumed 40 gallons of Hi- 

 Ball, or an average of 12.5 miles to 

 the gallon. The following day he 

 drove over the course until he had 

 consumed 40 gallons of "regular" 

 gasoline and compared the mileage. 

 He was surprised to note that while 

 40 gallons of Hi-Ball had driven his 

 car 500 miles, 40 gallons of the regu- 

 lar gas drove him only 380 miles, or 

 an average miles per gallon of only 

 9.5 miles, as compared with 12.5 for 

 Hi-Ball. r;T^.;-y^.-;':-:^;- v^:;v:p.-,ir 



Several days later Mr. Woolner 

 made another test, this time using 40 

 gallons of ethyl-gasoline. On this oc- 

 casion he succeeded in making 488 

 miles on the 40 gallons, or an average 

 of 11.2 miles per gallon as compared 

 with 9.5 for the regular and 12.5 miles 

 for Hi-Balir^ — ' ;- v ^ > ^ ; 



It is interesting to note the cost 

 figures compiled by Mr. Woolner fol- 

 lowing his test. His Hi-Ball gasoline 

 cost him 18.6 cents per gallon, he 

 bought his regular gas for 14.6 cents 

 per gallon and he paid 18 cents per 

 gallon for Ethyl-gas. At these prices 

 his average cost per mile for gaso- 

 line was: regular gas 1.53 cents per 

 mile, ethyl-gas 1.60 cents per mile, Hi- 

 Ball Gas 1.48 cents per mile. The con- 

 clusion is inescapable that should the 

 blended fuel come into general use, 

 users who pay th premium per gal- 

 lon which will be necessary to cover 



increased blending and refining ex- 

 pense, will more .than get it back in 

 reduced gasoline cost per mile in op- 

 eration of their motor vehicles. All the 

 tests above referred to were made 

 with a Packard car, 1929 model, 

 weighing 5,400 pounds. 



There is only one conclusion to be 

 drawn from this test and that is that 

 gasoline, diluted with grain alcohol at 

 a ratio of 10 to 1 and used as a motor 

 fuel works as well in the engine of a 

 Model T Ford on a country road as it 

 did in a shiny laboratory cluttered 

 with tachometers and what not. The 

 folks who said the idea was practical 

 were right. It seems to not only work, 

 but work better than anything else we 

 have today. 



Of course, Illinois Farm Supply's 

 test is only the first step. Much re- 

 mains to be done in the way of over- 

 coming selfish opposition and there 

 are many legislative and constitutional 

 obstacles still to be hurdled. There is 

 also, the matter of inadequate distil- 

 lery capacity which may require 

 years to correct. 



We must not be over-enthusiastic 

 or over-confident. Much remains to be 

 done and alcoholic dilution of gaso- 

 line isn't going to make the grain 

 farmer rich over night. But, on the 

 basis of the results obtained in a fair, 

 impartial and carefully conducted test, 

 there seems to be a good deal of hope 

 for better things in the future. Of 

 course we must wait for a little while, 

 but farmers don't mind waiting. We 

 are used to it. 



Inflation Move Changes '■'^ 

 ■>>;" Picture On Farm Aid 



..- v. (Continued from page 5) • . : ■- 



of farms lost through foreclosure 

 within the last year. The Reconstruc--^ 

 tion Finance Corp. is authorized to 

 advance $200,000,000 to the Farm 

 Loan Commissioner for this purpose. 



Under the proposed bill, joint stock 

 land banks would be slowly liquidated. 

 Arbitrary foreclosing of farm prop- 

 erty would be stopped. The joints 

 would be permitted to borrow up to 

 $100,000,000 to refinance present 

 mortgages. This would be at the dis- 

 posal of the Farm Loan Commissioner 

 to take over joint stock farm mort- 

 gages at not to exceed 60% of the 

 normal value of farms so pledged. 



Another $50,000,000 would be avail- 

 able from the R. F. C. to refinance 

 encumbered lands in drainage, levee, 

 and irrigation districts. 



Reports from Washington at this 

 moment indicate possibilities of the 

 congress giving President Roosevelt 

 broad powers to inflate the currency 

 using one or more of several methods. 



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