MORE FARM EQUIPMENT 



BUT NOT ENOUGH FOR DEMAND 



WHAT'S the farm machinery picture 

 for 1944? That's one of the big- 

 gest questions on the farm front today. 



Here's the overall picture as received 

 from W. F. Heesch, deputy director, 

 farm machinery and equipment division, 

 War Production Board, Washington, D. 

 C. who visited the lAA offices in mid- 

 January. 



As a whole there will be more new 

 machinery available in 1944 than in 1943. 

 But there still will be a minimum num- 

 |-)er of implements available to do the 

 job of maximum production, and the 

 new equipment will go only to those 

 who have the most urgent need for its 

 use in food production. 



Because of the realization that every 

 piece of used equipment will have to be 

 utilized to the fullest extent in 1944, the 

 farm implement industry is marshalling 

 its resources on the production of repair 

 parts. WPB is placing special stress on 

 this part of the machinery program and 

 farmers are advised that they should be 

 persistent in seeing to it that dealers 

 follow through on getting the repair 

 parts from the manufacturer. In filling 

 orders for repair parts on implements 

 that have been out of production for 

 some time, it may mean that manufac- 

 turers will have to dig out old patterns 

 to make the parts, but the industry is 

 ready to do this, according to the WPB. 



Manufacturers are allotted twice as 

 much raw materials in 1944 for making 

 new machinery and repair parts as in 

 1 94 3, and what's more important they arc 

 actually getting the materials. The only 

 bottleneck this year will come from labor 

 shortages and the difficulty of getting 

 certain parts to complete a farm imple- 

 ment such as bearings, bushings, mag- 

 netos, forgings, or any other items in 

 which there is also a heavy military de- 

 mand. These are the very components 

 required by Army tanks, the Navy's 



(above) 



Machinery shortages boom farm sales as 

 evidenced here where bidders crowd 

 around a 1927 model tractor that sold for 

 S475 at a McLean county sale. 



(Pancasraph Phutn) 



landing craft, airplanes, trucks and other 

 war equipment. 



David Meeker, chief farm maclimcrv 

 and supplies division, WFA, says "As an 

 example, engme blocks and heads have 

 been a critical problem in making trac- 

 tors. This is because some of the foun- 

 dries are supjilying castings for fighting 

 machines. 'These same plants were 

 .supplying engine block and head castings 

 for tractor engines. This resulted in a 

 collision between orders for tractor com- 

 ponents and landing craft components. 

 However, tractor companies who make 

 their own castings or get them from com- 

 panies not working on militar)- orders 

 are not being interfered with. Those 

 who are involved can only overcome that 

 difficulty by reopening unused facilities, 

 or shifting their orders to a plant that 

 can deliver." 



A tractor corn planter brings S587 at a 

 McLean county iarm sale. 



(Pantagraph Photo) 



However, Meeker reports that the 

 farm machiner)- program, as a whole, is 

 in good shape. The production of new 

 farm machinery has been speedmg up in 

 the last two months, and except for a 

 few items, is not in serious direct com- 

 petition with the manufacture of mechan- 

 ical war equipment. 



Anyone who doubts the scarcity of 

 farm equipment in Illmois only has to 

 attend a farm sale. At one sale in De- 

 cemlxr a four row corn planter sold for 

 SH40. At another a 1 7-yea»old four 

 section peg tooth harrow bought for $)5 

 and u.sed for 17 years was sold for S99.50. 

 A manure spreader bought for $160 

 a year ago sold for S-40. 



At that kind of pricc-s. it's a safe bet 

 that the machinery situation is tight in 

 the corn belt. A farmer who wants to 

 be sure of maintaining full operation dur- 

 ing the hea\y seasons will have to get 

 his equipment in shape during the winter 

 months. There can be no letup m the 

 "Care, Repair and Share' campaign 



Farmers Petition to Retain 



Carrollton Branch Line 



.Sdine I'^Cl C^alluiiiii .uul Grcciic loun- 

 ty farmers attcndctl the hearing Jan. 

 10 and 1 1 in the Carrollton courthouse 

 held by the Interstate ( ommercc Com 

 mission on the petition ot the Alton 

 railroad to ab.mdon the ( arrolkon-I-ast 

 Hardin branch line of 19. l miles. The 

 line is the onlv adequate rail outlet tor 

 the produce ot 2O0.000 tillable acres 

 situated between the Mississippi and 

 Illinois rivers. 



Representing the farmers' interests at 

 the hearing was Guy W. Baxter, direc- 

 tor ot transportation for the Illinois 

 Agricultural Association, who called 13 

 witnesses to furnish evidence in sup- 

 port of continuing the line in service. 

 A decision on the hearing is expected 

 in the near future. 



Disastrous spring floods covered the 

 branch line until about Sept. 1, and on 

 Sept. 2 I. 1943 action to secure resump- 

 tion of service was started by the farm- 

 ers of the two counties when Baxter 

 filed a complaint with the Illinois Com- 

 merce Commission on behalf of the 

 C allioun and Greene County Farm Bu- 

 reaus. The complaint charged that the 

 Alton railroad had abandoned service 

 without authorization of the Illinois 

 Commerce Commission or the Inter- 

 state Commerce Commission. 



On Oct. 20. Alton railroad attorneys 

 notified Baxter that work had been 

 started on rebuilding the line, and 

 shortly afterward it was returned to 

 service However, the Alton railroad 

 filed a petition with the Interstate Com- 

 merce Commission asking permission to 

 abandon service, and the hearing in 

 January was on this petition. 



FEBRUARY, 1944 



11 



