Membership Hurdles 140,000 

 Mark Set For 1947 



COUNTY Organization Directors and 

 the lAA organization department may- 

 take a bow. With the April 1 re- 

 port on Farm Bureau membership, lAA 

 Organization Director O. D. Brissenden 

 announced that the year's goal of 140,000 

 has been surpassed. The official report 

 revealed that membership on April 1 

 had reached 142,375! 



Congratulations from the American 

 Farm Bureau Federation were extended 

 by Wilfred Shaw, former lAA director 

 of milk marketing recently promoted to 

 secretary-treasurer of the AFBF. 



The new membership figure reflects 

 the steady growth in Farm Bureau mem- 

 bership during the past several years. 

 When the goal of 140,000 by Sept. 30, 

 1947 was set at the lAA annual meeting 

 last year, it appeared to be a sizeable 

 figure to shoot at. But when lAA Di- 

 rector Otto Steffey, chairman of the lAA 

 organization-information committee, chal- 

 lenged the organization department to 

 raise the membership to 140,000, Bris- 



senden said his organization men would 

 do it. 



At that time, Brissenden said: "The 

 growth in Farm Bureau during the past 

 year has been phenomenal. It should 

 continue during 1947 and the goal 

 thrown out by Mr. Steffey should be at- 

 tained." 



The organization department has done 

 that and more. From Oct. 1, 1946 to 

 April 1, 1947 membership has risen 15,- 

 649 as compared with an increase of 

 15,174 fi;om Oct. 1, 1945 to Oct. 1, 

 1946. 



President Charles B. Shuman of the 

 lAA echoed his statement of last No- 

 vember when he said: "This rapid ad- 

 vance is a tribute to the sound program 

 of service to farmers offered by your 

 organization. It is also a tribute to the 

 ability and loyalty of our organization 

 staff and especially to the thousands of 

 Farm Bureau members who have served 

 as volunteer workers." 



BOND COUNTY FARM 

 ADVISER HAROLD KUHNEN 

 DIES OF HEART ATTACK 



Harold Kuhnen, 44, farm adviser at 

 Bond county since 1944, died suddenly 

 April 13 of a heart attack, according to 

 word received as this issue of the lAA 

 Record went to press. 



Mr. Kuhnen's death was a shock to 

 his Bond county friends and to his co- 

 workers in farm adviser circles in Illi- 

 nois. The warmth of his friendly per- 

 sonality will be greatly missed in Farm 

 Bureau circles. 



Mr. Kuhnen was born Aug. 23, 1903, 

 in Highland. He was graduated from 

 the University of Illinois in 1925. Fol- 

 lowing graduation he worked as a field- 

 man for Beatrice Creamery Company at 

 Champaign and Charleston. He went 

 to Greenville in 1938 as fieldman for Pet 

 Milk Company, and in September, 1944, 

 he was named farm adviser in Bond 

 county. 



Mr. Kuhnen leaves his wife and three 

 children : Ted L., 1 1 ; Linday Kay, 4, 

 and Louis 2^ years old. He also leaves 

 his mother and one sister of Highland. 



i 



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TAX RATES STILL MAINLY A LOCAL MATTiR 



THE first tax bills since the adop- 

 tion of the 100 per cent assessment 

 program have been or soon will be 

 received by Illinois property tax- 

 payers. In many instances the taxes 

 are greatly increased. 



There is a tendency for local officials 

 to disclaim any responsibility for this 

 increase and to attempt to shift all 

 responsibility for increased taxes to 

 state authorities. 



While action of the state legislature 

 and state authorities made a part of 

 this tax increase possible, the entire 

 responsibility for tax increase cannot 

 be placed upon the state. The 100 per 

 cent assessment program was forced 

 through the 1945 session of the state 

 legislature in its closing days with a 

 narrow vote margin by a bi-partisan 

 combination of the state administration 

 and the Chicago City Hall. The Illinois 

 Agricultural Association and others bit- 

 terly opposed this legislation, pointing 

 out some of the confusion and the in- 

 creased taxing power likely to result. 



The individual property tax bill is 

 determined by two principal factors. 



16 



namely, the amount of the assessment 

 on the property and the amount of levy 

 or demand made by the local officials. 

 The 100 per cent assessment program 

 raised the amount of the assessment on 

 all property. 



The governing body of each local 

 governmental unit, whether county, 

 school district or other agency, deter- 

 mines the amount to be levied or de- 

 manded of property within their par- 

 ticular unit. If the local governmental 

 officials have carefully estimated and 

 anticipated the requirement of their 

 particular governmental unit and then 

 have levied only a sufficient amount to 

 meet these needs, the taxes ordinarily 

 will not be greatly increased. 



The governmental unit would levy 

 or demand only that amount which it 

 reasonably needs, regardless of the fact 

 that it may have a great deal of addi- 

 tional, unused taxing power. It would 

 not use the maximum rate. 



However, if local officials, without 

 taking the trouble to carefully and in- 

 telligently estimate their needs, blindly 

 levy the maximum rate permitted by 

 law regardless of the amount that such 



a levy may produce, then the tax bill 

 may be greatly increased. The amount 

 of money produced under the maxi- 

 mum rates permitted by the 100 per 

 cent assessment program may sub- 

 stantially exceed the needs of the par- 

 ticular governmental unit. 



The action of the state in adopting 

 the 100 per cent assessment legislation 

 gave local government units the means 

 by which they may substantially in- 

 crease local taxes. But the amount of 

 the local levy or demand, what the tax- 

 payer has to pay, is determined by the 

 local governmental officials. 



In the past, taxpayers too often have 

 concentrated attention only upon the 

 amount of the assessment upon their 

 property. They have ignored the 

 amount of the levy or demand made by 

 the local officials. Under the present 

 law, it is more important than before 

 that attention be given to the amount 

 of the levy or demand made by the 

 local officials. With greatly increased 

 taxing power, this demand ordinarily 

 will determine the amount of the taxes 

 extended and the amount of the tax 

 bill. 



L A. A. RECORD 



4. 



