a guaranteed price, they responded by 

 producing 122,000,000 pigs and in 1944 

 this record crop crashed through the 

 guaranteed floor. 



Farmers believe in full production 

 and certainly do not relish a return 

 to specific crop acreage control pro- 

 grams of the past. 



It is generally agreed, however, that 

 it will be hard to support prices with- 

 out some control on production. Lead- 

 ers in Congress appear ready to act 

 on this basis if and when it becomes 

 necessary. 



Rep. Cliflford Hope, (Rep. -Kan.) 

 and chairman of the powerful house 

 committee on agriculture, said in an 

 address recently that while price sup- 

 port policy should recognize abundant 

 production, safeguards should be used 

 to protect the farmer from being 

 "drowned in the flood of his own 

 abundance." 



It seems safe to say that production 

 controls will be a part of any future 

 price support program. 



On the basic commodities — as corn 

 or wheat — this will mean acreage 

 allotments and, if necessary, market- 

 ing quotas, for cooperators. The prices 

 will be supported by commodity loans 

 made directly to farmers. 



On the Steagall commodities pro- 

 duction control may be necessary but 

 probably will come later than on the 

 basic commodities. Potatoes again are 

 the exception. Other methods of main- 

 taining support levels probably will in- 

 clude direct market purchases, loans, 

 and direct payments to farmers. 



Following are listed some of the ma- 

 jor crops and products, and their sup- 

 port prices based on 90 per cent of 

 parity in November: 



For basic commodities: corn, $1.22; 

 wheat, $1.68; cotton, 24.3c; tobacco, 

 28.9c. For Steagall commodities: soy- 

 beans, $1.84; hogs, $13.86; eggs, 50c; 

 chickens, 21.8c; whole milk, $3.36; 

 butterfat, 53.4c. 



fihsiA. Jhunumf 



VifE ARE PLEDGED 



TO THE SUPPORT 



OF FARM PRICES 



THE government's pledge to support 

 farm prices for two years was re- 

 newed by President Truman in his 

 state of the union speech and economic 

 report to the Eightieth Congress now 

 in session. 



"We must honor the government's 

 commitment to support farm product 

 prices during the period of readjust- 

 ment to a stabilized peacetime basis," 

 the chief executive said. 



The cost during the next fiscal year 

 for price support operations was esti- 

 mated at $330,000,000 and was based 

 on the assumption of "continued gen- 

 eral prosperity." Costs will be much 

 greater if farm markets are depressed. 



Even with the increased cost of 

 price supports, the president asked a 

 cut in the agricultural department's 

 over-all fund of $73,588,033. 



Largest single budget cut asked by 

 the president was in the program of 

 direct payment to farmers for soil 

 conservation practices. The cut, from 

 $300,000,000 to $200,000,000, would 

 apply to the 1948 crop year. 



Touching on short range agriculture 

 policy, the president said: "Present 

 laws give considerable stability to farm 

 prices for 1947 and 1948, and those 

 two years must be utilized to maintain 

 and develop nurkets for our great pro- 

 ductive power." 



"We shall need to give increasing 

 emphasis to marketing during thejiext' 

 few years. Better marketing can go 

 a long way toward maintaining ade- 

 quate rates of consumption, with bene- 

 fit to farmers and the public alike." . . 



He mentioned the permanent school 

 lunch program recently authorized by 

 Congress. "I hope this program will 

 be expanded until we are sure that every 

 American school child gets an adequate 

 diet." 



"In addition we should study care- 

 fully the possible need for food and 

 nutrition programs to reach low-income 

 families." 



The government's long-range pro- 

 gram to support farm income at reason- 

 able levels must be kept flexible, the 

 president said. 



He advocated the preservation of the 

 family-sized farm, prevention of an- 

 other agricultural depression, compar- 

 able treatment for farm communities 

 in education, housing, medical care, 

 health, nutrition and social security. 



Gwi Qovsih 



Editor's Note: This is the first of a 

 series of cover pictures dedicated to some 

 of Illinois' historic and picturesque 

 scenes. 



OF ALL Illinois' famous sons, none 

 stands higher in her estimation than 

 Abraham Lincoln. Born in Kentucky, 

 he spent the greater part of his life in 

 the area of the Illinois capital city of 



' ' 



Thif If on Interior view of th« Uncoln Tomb at Springflold. 



Springfield, where he is buried in the 

 Lincoln Tomb pictured on our cover. 



Visitors to the tomb — statesmen, 

 royalty, presidents and thousands 

 from all walks of life from every 

 corner of the earth — have for many 

 years come to pay their respects to 

 the Great Emancipator. No longer 

 does Lincoln belong only to Illinois, 

 but as an inscription in the interior of 

 the tomb puts it, "He Belongs to the 

 Ages." 



With funds acquired principally 

 through subscription, construction of 

 the monument, designed by Larkin G. 

 Mead, Jr., was started in 1871. It was 

 decidated in 1874. In 1899-1901 it was 

 rebuilt and the casket moved to a new 

 burial place 10 feet deep and six feet 

 from the north wall. 



Buried in the south wall of the cham- 

 ber are Mrs. Lincoln and three children, 

 Edward, William, and Thomas, fa- 

 miliarly known as "Tad." The eldest son, 

 Robert Lincoln, who died in 1926, is 

 buried at Arlington. In 1930-31 the 

 tomb was again remodeled and the in- 

 terior changed considerably. 



FEBRUARY, 1947 



