ILLINOIS Farm Bureau leaders are in 

 favor of the immediate removal of 

 consumer food subsidies.' This was 

 demonstrated at the armual spring lead- 

 ers' conference held in Springfield in 

 March. Some 1000 leaders gave hearty 

 applause to the position of the Farm 

 Bureau on subsidies as outlined by lAA 

 President Charles B. Shuman. 



President Shuman reported that the 

 American Farm Bureau Federation board 

 of directors has declared that if the 

 OPA does not agree to terminate food 

 subsidies, the Farm Bureau will vigorous- 

 ly oppose any legislation which would 

 extend the power of OPA beyond July 1. 



The AFBF is not asking that all food 

 price ceilings be eliminated, but only 

 that the ceilings on subsidized foods be 

 increased sufficiently to eliminate the 

 necessity of subsidies. 



Support Reasonable Control 



"The time to remove consumer food 

 subsidies is now," President Shuman de- 

 clared. "Labor has demanded and is re- 

 ceiving substantially increased wages. In- 

 dustry, as a resjilt of these increases, has 

 demanded and is receiving substantial 

 increases in the price of the goods it 

 produces. 



"Stabilization Director Bowles in op- 

 posing the removal of consumer food 

 subsidies, stated that their removal would 

 result in an 8 per cent increase in food 

 costs. There will be no better time for 

 the consuming public to absorb this 8 

 per cent increase than now when all 

 Other groups are themselves receiving in- 

 creased compensation. 



"Farmers will vigorously oppose every 



effort to continue these food subsidies 

 until some later time when supply and 

 demand conditions are such that the 

 subsidy removal would result in decreas- 

 ing farm prices. 



"The lAA and the AFBF have con- 

 stantly supported reasonable price control 

 when applied to all commodities and 

 to industrial labor. 



"The lAA will continue to support 

 reasonable price control when fairly ad- 

 ministered on commodities which are in 

 extremely scarce supply relative to de- 

 mand. 



Watch Local Levies 

 "We do insist that price control be 

 removed as rapidly as supply and de- 

 mand conditions come into reasonable 

 balance. We will actively oppose the 

 extension of price control unless such 

 provisions are incorporated in pending 

 legislation and unless a definite plan for 

 subsidy removal is adopted." 



Two of the statewide issues empha- 

 sized by lAA Secretary Paul Mathias 

 were the 100 per cent assessment law, 

 and the Gateway Amendment. 



In regard to the 100 per cent assess- 

 ment law passed in 1945, local leaders 

 were advised to watch their local levies. 

 With the exception of the levy for re- 

 lief purposes, there are no legal limits 

 upon the tax levies which may be made 

 in the town meeting. More than three- 



By CRESTON FOSTER 



quarters of all farm property taxes are 

 levied by and for the township and 

 school districts in which the property is 

 located. The greater part of each prop- 

 erty tax bill, is therefore, under the con- 

 trol of the people in the community. 



The lAA department of research and 

 taxation has furnished each County Farm 

 Bureau with tax facts for use in studying 

 their local levies. 



Attention of leaders also was called to 

 the Gateway Amendment to the Illinois 

 state constitution to be voted upon at 

 the general elections this fall. 



Under the present state law, to secure 

 an amendment to the constitution it 

 must have a favorable vote of a majority 

 of all those voting in the general election. 

 If the Gateway Amendment is voted by 

 the people in 1946, it would be possible 

 to secure future amendments if two- 

 thirds of those voting on an amendment 

 vote "yes." Such a future amendment, 

 of course, would have to be submitted to 

 the electorate by two-thirds favorable vote 

 of each house of the General Assembly. 



Need for Local Actios 



The method of determining the vote 

 on the Gateway Amendment this fall 

 will be under the old method — that is 

 it will require a "yes" vote by a majority 

 of all those voting in the election. 



During the last session of the General 

 Assembly, the lAA sponsored the "party 

 circle" bills so that the Gateway Amend- 

 ment would have a fairer chance of 

 passage. These bills were adopted by 

 the General Assembly but were vetoed 

 by Governor Green. 



Adoption of the Gateway Amendment 

 will give to the people of Illinois the 



A. A. RECORD 



