niinoia Home Buraou Federation post pres- 

 idents cut a 20th anniversary cake. Left 

 to right. Mrs. A. R. Rohliing, Mrs. Homer 

 Johnson. Mrs. Elsie W. Mies, Mrs. John 



Cliiton. ond Mrs. Will Parks. Mrs. Spen- 

 cer Ewing, McLean county, the first presi- 

 dent, was unable to attend. Mrs. Johnson 

 was the third president. 



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A SPECIAL and intensive study of rural 

 schools ir every county of the state 

 was recommended by the Illinois Home 

 Bureau Federation in its 20th annual 

 meeting at Farm and Home Week. Such 

 action was urged in resolutions "in order 

 that the people may understand the prob- 

 lems confronting rural schools today and 

 follow that understanding with legisla- 

 tion that is needed and desired. . ." 



The Federation recommended that the 

 work be done through cooperation with 

 county Farm Bureaus and other county 

 groups interested in rural educational 

 problems. 



Attendance at the 20th annual meet- 

 ing was beyond expectations in con- 

 sideration of transportation difficulties 

 and the busy schedules of many of the 

 homemakers. All but three Home 

 Bureaus were represented and there 

 were 126 voting delegates present. 

 More than 350 attended the sessions. 



Other points stressed in the resolution 

 on "Our Community Assignment" in- 

 cluded encouraging the schools to become 

 centers of recreation for both youth and 

 adults, particularly in a "save-our-youth" 

 program. 



"Realization of the present problems 

 of juvenile delinquency should invoke 

 the cooperation of our members in such 

 recreation programs, working with 

 church and school to supply leadership," 

 Home Bureau women declared. 



In the "Home Assignment" resolution 

 emphasis was placed on gardening, elim- 

 ination of food waste, home preservation 



and storage of food, home sewing and 

 conservation of clothing. 



In the field of national achievement, 

 Illinois Home Bureau women pledged 

 their work toward food production and 

 the total war effort; their money in sup- 

 port of the war and the service branches ; 

 their time for such work as canning cen- 

 ters, surgical dressings, service centers, 

 nurses aides, rehabilitation of returned 

 veterans, and their straight thinking in 

 the body politic. 



New oHicers of the Illinois Home Bureau 

 Federation, left to right, seated. Mrs. E. 

 G. Eilers. secretary, and Mrs. Stanly 

 Castle, president, both of Madison county. 

 New directors, standing, left to right, Mrs. 

 Arthur P. Gundlach, St. Clair county; Mrs. 

 A. P. Mcintosh, Macon county, and Mrs. 

 Albert Klever, Stephenson county. 



In another resolution, the Illinois 

 Home Bureau Federation stated, "We de- 

 clare our confidence in and shall give 

 our support to the Illinois Agriculturtl 

 Association, its leadership, its policies, 

 its practices, all of which are as vital to 

 us as are the policies and practices of our 

 own organization." 



Other projects on the 1944 Home 

 Bureau program in addition to the 

 school study include the Blue Cross 

 hospitalization plan, which will enable 

 any Home Bureau member in the state 

 to enroll for this form of insurance; 

 donation of funds for China relief, and 

 supporting a campaign to purchase a 

 Reel Cross Clubmobile. 



Incidentally, Illinois Home Bureau 

 led all the other states in the China 

 Relief fund in 1943. A total of 

 $1977.45 was collected in Illinois with 

 $1805.61 of this from County Home 

 Bureaus, according to Mrs. R. W. 

 Stamey's report. 



President Earl C. Smith of the lAA, 

 addressing an afternoon session of the 

 Federation meeting, stressed the fine 

 working relationship that has existed be- 

 tween the Farm and Home Bureau in 

 Illinois and pledged continued coopera- 

 tion of the lAA with the Federation. 

 Smith briefly outlined the Farm Bureau's 

 position on current legislative issues and 

 gave particular attention to the current 

 discussion of consumer subsidies. He 

 also emphasized the need for localizing 

 post-war planning and pointed out that 

 people in the local communities could do 

 much toward re-establishing the r-turr- 

 ing service man in peace time life. 



Continued growth of Home Buieau 

 membership was reported for Illinois 

 with the Jan. 1, 1944 enrollment of 22,- 

 029, representing a net gain of 873 since 

 July 1, 1943. 



A 20th anniversary dinner was held in 

 the First Presbyterian Church, Urbana, 

 following the afternoon program and was 

 attended by past and present Federation 

 and County Home Bureau presidents, 

 officers and guests. State presidents re- 

 viewed the early days of the organization 

 and brought the story up to the present 

 date. Mrs. Charles Sewell, administra- 

 tive director of the Associated Women of 

 the American Farm Bureau Federation, 

 ■ was guest speaker and praised the woric 

 of the state organization. 



Illinois Home Bureau presidents 

 from 1924 to 1944 are: Mrs. Spencer 

 Ewing, McLean county, 1924-26; Mrs. 

 Sabin, 1927 ; Mrs. Homer Johnson, Mc- 

 Lean, 1928-30; Mrs. Elsie W. Mies, 

 Champaign, 1930-34; Mrs. Leonard J. 

 Killey, Warren, 1934-36; Mrs. J. V. 

 Stevenson, La Salle, 1936-38 ; Mrs. John 

 Clifton, Iroquois, 1938-40; Mrs. Will 

 Parks, Rock Island, 1940-42; Mrs. A. 

 R. Rohlfing, Fulton, 1942-44. 



Mrs. Stanley Castle, Alton, was elected 



24 



L A. A. RECORD 



