12 



1." * 



'» ^-^ '• *•' 







-w^ 



Chicago's Back Taxes 



• Key To School Problem 



Payment of $30,000,000 Now Due 

 • C Would Reimburse Schools 



■•?. : 



A Aggressive enforcement of the prop- 

 erty tax laws by public officials in 

 Cook county, and payment of delin- 

 quent taxes now due would go far to- 

 ward overcoming shortages in the 

 state common school fund as well as 

 greatly aid the Chicago schools, Presi- 

 dent Earl C. Smith pointed out in a 

 recent statement. In line with the ac- 

 tion of delegates at the recent I. A. A. 

 convention in opposing further diver- 

 sion of state gas tax funds from high- 

 way improvement and maintenance, 

 the I. A. A. legislative committee is 

 opposing new efforts to divert gas tax 

 funds, at Springfield. :- 



*The facts show," Mr. Smith said, 

 "that Cook county owes the state more 

 than $30,000,000 in delinquent and de- 

 layed taxes, whereas downstate coun- 

 ties as a whole are delinquent only to 

 the extent of approximately $3,000,- 

 000. If these delinquent taxes were 

 paid, the state could fulfill its obliga- 

 tions to the elementary schools of the 

 state and pay into the common school 

 fund the $12,000,000 still owing the 

 schools. ;.•■■ 



;■ Downstate Pays ': 



"Hard hit financially as farmers and 

 other downstate people have been 

 throughout the depression, tax collec- 

 tions in most downstate counties have 

 been at a comparatively high rate in 

 contrast with the deplorable situation 

 in Chicago and some of its suburbs. 



"Lack of aggressive action by pub- 

 lic officials is largely responsible for 

 this situation in Cook county which 

 imposes an unfair portion of the cost 

 of state government on all downstate 

 counties as well as great hardship on 

 schools in a few downstate counties. 



"We have great sympathy for all 

 overburdened property taxpayers 

 whether on the farm or in the city," 

 he continued, "but so long as Cook 

 county legislators insist on continuing 

 the present property tax system 

 rather than a fair taxing system based 

 on ability to pay, downstate legisla- 

 tors should insist that it be enforced 

 in Cook county rather than divert 

 other revenues to meet deficits in Cook 

 county tax payments to the state." 



The present effort to divert the gas- 

 oline tax fund from road building and 

 improvement is the third distinct ef- 

 fort in this direction. The original ef- 

 fort to divert $20,000,000 of gasoline 

 tax fund, plus interest on the bonds, 

 to unemployment relief was successful. 



They're All After Him 



The gasoline tax fund will be further 

 obligated if the people of Illinois ap- 

 prove the proposed $30,000,000 bond 

 issue next November in which case the 

 bonds and interest will be paid off out 

 of gasoline tax funds. In addition, ap- 

 proximately $11,000,000 of gas tax 

 funds have been borrowed on state an- 

 ticipation warrants for general state 

 purposes. ;■;'•...'.;.'•. .,•,■' \';'^yi.'\';:"-- '■■■■'^■■''■i:.\''-''''y/:'' 

 The present effort to divert gaso- 

 line tax funds to the schools is pro- 

 posed only as a temporary measure. 

 Experience shows that such temporary 

 expedients often become permanently 

 established. The Illinois Agricultural 

 Association is vigorously opposed to 

 further gasoline tax diversion because 

 continued crippling of road building 

 and improvement not only adds to un- 

 employment, but it deprives a large 

 part of the rural people who reside on 

 the 70,000 miles of public highways 

 still largely unimproved from direct 

 benefits of the gasoline tax which they 

 are helping to pay. . 



Gaining In Iroquois 



The Iroquois County Farm Bureau 

 recently passed its quota of a 25 per 

 cent membership increase since Janu- 

 ary 1. Approximately 300 new mem- 

 bers had been signed by Mar. 20 since 

 the first of the year. "Membership is 

 gaining steadily," reports Farm Ad- 

 viser C. E. Johnson, "and more farm- 

 ers are interested in the Farm Bureau 

 and its program of service today than 

 at any time during recent years." 



.1 



102,053 Corn-Hog Con- 

 tracts Signed — Mumford 



Dean H. W. Mumford, chairman of 

 the state corn-hog committee, reported 

 that 102,053 contracts had been re- 

 ported signed on March 12. It is esti- 

 mated that approximately 176,000 

 farmers are eligible for the corn-hog 

 adjustment program. 



I. A. A. Record — April, 19.14 



Chicago Producers Annual 



;;';'/ :;^'^^-".^''-^^:7 Meeting v:;:f^"^-^-s:'-.^^ 



; V (Continued from pige 11) ^^^ 

 markets. Mason City, for example, has 

 an advantage of 14 cents per ewt. on 

 live hogs to eastern points over Chi- 

 cago, based on the dressed pork 

 rates.- '■ .•'■'•'■•"• '■-(•' ■ '■-■'■ •'■■'. ■' :'.-'--:^ ■•.•■•■ •/••■'■■•:v.--. 



Mr. Ashby stated that his study re- 

 vealed that Iowa hogs had been selling 

 at too low a price. He quoted a packer 

 buyer on the Chicago market as fol- 

 lows: — "If we bought all the good 

 light hogs we wanted at the terminal 

 markets we would put the price up on 

 every market in the United States." 

 Comparatively few eastern packers 

 are buying hogs on the big terminal 

 markets because they can buy them 

 cheaper in the country." 



The speaker expressed the opinion 

 that the interior Iowa packers have 

 more to say about hog prices than 

 any group in the United States, also 

 that hog producers have lost 20 cents 

 per cwt. or more on terminal prices by 

 saving 10 cents per cwt. in letting 

 their hogs go to packers at local con- 

 centration points. : 



Still Growing 



President Henry H. Parke of De- 

 Kalb county, Illinois, and Manager D. 

 L. Swanson gave interesting reports 

 showing the substantial progress made 

 by the Chicago Producers during the 

 past year. The percentage of cars 

 handled increased from 9.32 per cent 

 in 1932 to 11.18 per cent in 1933. Gains 

 were made in all departments. The 

 Chicago Producers stood first among 

 all firms on the U. S. Yards in total 

 carloads in cattle and calves and in 

 hogs. In the latter class the Pro- 

 ducers handled more than the next 

 five firms. The co-operative was second 

 in sheep. Receipts from commissions 

 last year totaled $341,593.46. - 



C. A. Ewing, president of the Na- 

 tional Livestock Marketing Associa- 

 tion, made an interesting talk during 

 the morning session in which he em- 

 phasized the necessity for broadening 

 foreign outlets for livestock products. 

 He favored this method of solving the 

 surplus and price problem rather than 

 curtailment of production. Geo. F. 

 Tullock of Rockford was re-elected to 

 the board of directors. 



■I . 



Wallace Appoints Board 



Members of the corn-hog board of 

 review for Illinois recently appointed 

 by Secretary Wallace are Joe Fulker- 

 son of Jersey ville; P. E. Johnston of 

 the Illinois College of Agriculture; and 

 A. J. Surrat, agricultural statistician, 

 Springfield. 



