THE Farm Bureau in Illinois will be 

 on test in the vote on the Gateway 

 Amendment at the general elections 

 Nov. 5! . 



That's the challenge as it was placed 

 before some 850 Farm Bureau leaders at 

 the regular fall meeting Sept. 16 at 

 Springfield. 



Since the Illinois Agricultural Associ- 

 ation sponsored the GatevKay Amend- 

 ment at the last session of the General 

 Assembly and mustered enough votes to 

 have it placed before the people at the 

 general elections, the proposition is 

 pretty well identified over the state as an 

 lAA-Farm Bureau project. 



A heavy vote for the Gateway Amend- 

 ment in rural areas will sustain the Farm 

 Bureau's reputation as a potent force in 

 Illinois. Failure of the amendment to 

 receive such a vote in rural areas cer- 

 tainly will be damaging to Farm Bu- 

 reau prestige. 



Paul Mathias, lAA secretary, warned 

 Farm Bureau leaders at the Springfield 

 meeting that the "job is in the precincts." 

 He recommended that every County 

 Farm Bureau see to it that two repre- 

 sentatives be stationed at every rural 

 precinct on election day to inform voters 

 on the Gateway Amendment. 



The campaign, he said, will be sup- 

 ported on the state level by the lAA 

 through every possible means — • public- 

 ity, literature, pamphlets and overall di- 

 rection and assistance to the County 

 Farm Bureaus. But the determining fat- 

 tor in the success or failure of the Gate- 

 way Amendment will be at the precinct 

 level. 



Both lAA President Charles B. Shu- 

 man and former president Earl C. 

 Smith further emphasized the need for 

 concerted local action in securing adop- 

 tion of the Gateway Amendment. 



Other state problems discussed at the 

 Springfield meeting included the town- 

 ship roads program, rural school reor- 

 ganization and license fees for tractors. 



Mathias pointed out that the Farm 

 Bureau has a definite responsibility in the 

 roads program to see that the 15 million 

 appropriation secured by efforts of the 

 lAA at the last General Assembly is 

 properly spent. He cited the need for 



From plnHorm lAA beard and officers discuss organisation (Policy wirii state Farm Bureau 

 leaders. At rostrum is Otto Steffoy, Henderson county. 



FARM BUREAU ON TEST 

 IN GATEWAY VOTE 



further study in the organization of road 

 districts and indicated that further dis- 

 cussion will be held on this matter at 

 the lAA annual meeting. 



On rural school reorganization, Mathi- 

 Bs advised that county survey commit- 

 tees use caution to avoid establishing dis- 

 tricts that might prove to be too small 

 at some later date when better transpor- 

 tation facilities are available. He also 

 noted that too often rural districts were 

 being absorbed by large urban districts 

 with the result that rural people lose a 

 voice in school affairs. This trend was 

 also noted by several of the local Farm 

 Bureau leaders who offered comments in 

 the discussion. 



George E. Metzger, lAA field secre- 

 tary, in discussing license fees for trac- 

 tors, reported that there is likely to be 

 agitation for legislation requiring motor 

 vehicle licenses and the payment of a 

 fee for farm tractors used on the high- 

 way. He indicated this matter will be 

 given further consideration at the lAA 

 annual meeting by the delegates. 



Donald Kirkpatrick, lAA legal coun- 

 sel who has devoted considerable time 



Slate Farm Bureau teoders jam Kniglits of Columbus itali in Springfield to question 

 and l*ear lAA leaders discuss organization policy. 



and study over the past few years to the 

 Farm Bureau's national fertilizer pro- 

 gram, gave a progress report on this 

 project and stressed the need for the 

 national deposits of potash and phos- 

 phorus being held in trust by the gov- 

 ernment for the welfare of agriculture. 

 He cited the fertilizer industry's inability 

 to supply agriculture with^ sufficient ma- 

 terials for the rebuilding of soils mined 

 during recent years. 



Other matters discussed at the Spring- 

 field meeting included the Farm Bu- 

 reau's position on soil conser\'ation which 

 was outlined by President Shuman; the 

 4-H memorial camp, reported by K. T. 

 Smith, chairman of the lAA public re- 

 lations committee; progress report on 

 livestock marketing by Homer Curtiss, 

 chairman of the lAA marketing com- 

 mittee; change in membership agree- 

 ment by Otto Steffey, chairman of the 

 lAA organization-information commit- 

 tee; economic trends and problems by 

 lAA Vice-President F. E. Morris who is 

 chairman of the newly organized lAA 

 committee for economic study, and a re- 

 view of the lAA management board and 

 its functions by President Shuman. 



Former lAA president Earl C. Smith, 

 who is a member of the state commis- 

 sion on secondary roads, discussed the 

 need for more local action on the rural 

 roads program. He also stressed the 

 need for rural people to get out and vote 

 at the Nov. 5 elections. "We can never 

 overemphasize," he said, "the importance 

 of a sustained agriculture to the welfare 

 of the nation. We need large produc- 

 tion in both industry and agriculture, 

 but we cannot have that unless there is 

 a fair exchange value between the prod- 

 ucts of industry and agriculture." 



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I. A. A. RECORD 



