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I. A. A. RECORD— December, 1933 



Membership Growing 



JirMore Than 1,000 Radio Meetings Tune In or\':''^i-}y^ 



^^■•v'^-:-v.';;;.o-> ;!,.■„. ■■;■■•.. Nov. 16 Broadcast. ^■■' ;-:-:---■■'/■ <:o' ■':■■.'■ 



TOTAL of 2,091 new members 

 had been signed in the County 

 Farm Bureaus and the I. A. A. 

 by Nov. 11 just five weeks after the 

 fall mobilization campaign was launch- 

 ed on Oct. 9. In addition, approximate- 

 ly 3,500 delinquent members were re- 

 stored to good standing. 



A brief report of progress to date 

 was broadcast during the half hour 

 organization radio program over sta- 

 tion WENR, Chicago, the night of 

 Nov. 16. It is estimated that more 

 than 1,000 radio gatherings in homes 

 of members and public meeting places 

 were tuned in on the program. 



Last minute reports received by 

 telephone and telegraph credited 

 Peoria county with 128 new members, 

 Mason with 121, Henderson 99, Edgar 

 88, Whiteside 83, Adams 81, McHenry 

 77 (including 28 who never belonged 

 heretofore, telephoned Lester Sied- 

 schlag, captain), Christian 76, Kendall 

 68, Knox 65, Logan 61, Woodford 61, 

 Randolph 60, Morgan 51, St. Clair 50, 

 Shelby 43, etc. 



Will See Them All 



"Our drive in Mason county will not 

 be considered complete until all pros- 

 pective members are interviewed," 

 telegraphed Captain Leonard Keith of 

 Mason county. 



"We are dividing the county into 

 four areas with three sub captains," 

 wired Effingham County Farm Bu- 

 reau in reporting 17 new members. 

 "Another intensive campaign starts in 

 10 days. Watch Effingham county." 



In most counties the campaign for 

 new members was coupled with efforts 

 to restore present members to good 

 standing. In Schuyler county where 

 31 new members were signed sides 

 have been chosen for the continued 

 membership contest to end January 1, 

 winners to eat turkey and the losers 

 beans. 



In LaSalle county where J. R. Bent 

 is captain, a splendid record was 

 made with 19 new members signed, 

 273 delinquents restored, and $4,076 

 collected. In Livingston county 52 

 members were signed and 304 delin- 

 quents restored to good standing with 

 nearly $3,000 in back memberships 

 collected. In Champaign county where 

 38 new members were signed collec- 

 tions totaled $3,394, in Madison $2,- 

 701, Woodford $1,920, Christian 

 $1,900, Ford county 37 new members 



and $1,966 collected, Montgomery 

 county 12 new members, $904.50 col- 

 lected, Morgan $1,600 collected, Knox 

 county $1,779, Boone $1,271. .■,,r^::\^.,<,^: 



Mr. Smith Speaks 



In his radio address on the WENR 

 program President Earl C. Smith 

 called attention to the accomplish- 

 ments made possible by a minority of 

 farmers working together through or- 

 ganization. "It has taken long years 

 of struggle," he said, "for less than 

 10 per cent of the farmers of the 

 United States, through organization, to 

 finally get full recognition by govern- 

 ment of the seriousness of the farm 

 problem and its relationship to the 

 welfare of all other business and in- 

 dustry of the nation. This could have 

 been accomplished much more quickly 

 with 90 per cent of the farmers in 

 organization. It will be more difficult 

 to secure and maintain full and effec- 

 tive administration of the present law 

 to raise farm prices, refinance farm 

 loans on a long-time basis at low 

 rates of interest, and revise our mone- 

 tary system on a sound basis. 



"The greatest contribution farmers 

 can make to speed the day of agri- 

 cultural recovery is for each and all 

 to do their part in building and main- 

 taining an effective and efficient 

 organization," continued Mr. Smith. 

 "While government may do much tem- 

 porarily to assist farmers in improv- 

 ing their condition, yet farmers 

 should recognize that all government 

 policies are subject to change on short 

 notice. 



"The more dependable and permaJ 

 nent way would be for farmers to 

 fully recognize that with every phase 

 of industry, labor and finance thor- 

 oughly organized, they too must or- 

 ganize more completely and maintain 

 their rightful strength and influence 

 around every council table, in every 

 legislative hall, before the congress of 

 the United States and upon all the 

 market centers of America." 



Metzger Cites Opportunity 



In his radio talk Secretary George 

 E. Metzger emphasized that farmers 

 must look ahead to the time when 

 temporary plans for raising farm 

 prices are no longer in existence. 

 "What then will happen," he said, "to 

 agriculture when aggressive govern- 

 ment assistance now available is no 

 more? Will farmers organize and 

 administer their own production con- 

 trol plan with the idea of obtaining 

 fair prices for their commodities? 

 Will they organize to the point that 

 they can demand and secure reduction 

 of at least 50 per cent in taxes on real 

 estate ? Will they organize and de- 

 mand a monetary system providing 

 for stable purchasing power in terms 

 of commodities ? I , 



"The opportunity is here for farm- 

 ers to work together with government 

 assistance for a planned production 

 and reasonable prices. The time is 

 here when farmers can through or- 

 ganization determine whether the in- 

 dustry is to go forward with an 

 income that will support a good school 

 system, adequate rural churches, and 

 reasonable conveniences that make for 

 a higher standard of living on the 

 farm. The alternative that will sure- 

 ly follow a lack of proper organiza- 

 tion is cheap food and cheap materials 

 for an industrial nation, unbearable 

 farm taxes, exorbitant prices for 

 supplies farmers must purchase, and 

 a dominated peasant agriculture." 



Here are three of the men who assisted in putting Peoria county at the top 

 in the Farm Bureau mobilization campaign. 



Left to right : Thurman Scott, Glasf ord, who signed 25 members in one town- 

 ship and still working; H. S. McNaughton, county captain; and Leonard Strope, 

 Hollis township, who signed 23 members in one of the smaller townships. 



Up to Nov. 11 Peoria county had signed 128 new members since Oct. 9. 



