flationar)' price levels have resulted in road 

 maintenance costs which are far in excess 

 of existing revenues. Tlie last annual 

 meeting of the Association authorized 

 the appointment of a Road Study com- 

 mittee which has submitted a tentative 

 report that should receive the careful 

 consideration of ever)- farmer in Illinois. 

 No single panacea can be evolved which 

 will solve our road problems. In fact, 

 the development of a satisfactory farm- 

 to-highway road system presents many 

 problems that differ from those ques- 

 tions that must be faced in connection 

 with our primary road network. Reor- 

 ganization of road districts to obtain more 

 efficient use of manpower, machinery and 

 funds is certainly needed. Traffic con- 

 trols to protect our highways from need- 

 less destruction must be enforced. Rev- 

 enue for road building and maintenance 

 must be increased. 



Careful studies should be made and 

 gasoline taxes increased if necessary to 

 be sure tnat property owners do not un- 

 duly subsidize highway users. A continu- 

 ing rural road research project should be 

 established to develop improved methods 

 and materials. In short, a permanent, 

 longtime plan for an adequate rural road 

 system must be adopted at an early date. 

 City consumers as well as farmers pay 

 a heavy penalty as a result of rapidly de- 

 teriorating rural roads in Illinois. 



Economy in Government 



With the increased drain upon the 

 sfate treasury for welfare, education and 

 all other state activity there is little pos- 

 sibility that the state of Illinois will con- 

 tinue to pile up a surplus. T.irmers will 

 .continue to insist that every possible 

 economy be made in the operation of 

 government. There arc thousands of em- 

 ployees on the government payrolls who 

 would be of greater service if they were 

 available for private employment. 



College of Agriculture's Needs 



Farmers are proud of ti;e excellent 

 State-owned colleges and universities in 

 Illinois. We know the great service that 

 has been rendered to all phases of agri- 

 culture by the College of Agriculture and 

 Experiment Station at the University of 

 Illinois. Each biennium the Board of 

 Trustees goes before the Legislature for 

 the operating and building needs for the 

 entire University. Tlie Illinois Agricul- 

 tural Association has recognized the grow- 

 ing needs of a great university and has 

 supported these requests. We have seen 

 the huge new building programs include 

 athletic, engineering, student housing, 

 chemistry, art and airport facilities. 



However, there has been no major 

 agricultural structure erected in the last 



The first president of 

 the Illinois Agricul- 

 tural Association, Her' 

 man W. Oanlorth, Iro- 

 quois county, register* 

 for the 34th ar\rtual 

 lAA convention. The 

 girl taking the data Is 

 Grace ■ Powell ol the 

 lAA office. Danforth 

 was president in 1916. 



Looking over the 1948 

 annual report of the 

 lAA and Associated 

 Companies Issued dur* . 

 Ing lAA convention 

 ore (left to right), 

 Leo Swinford, Edgar 

 county; Dr. A. E. Dick- 

 erson, veterinarian, 

 Sangamon; Edwin 

 Gumm, Knox, lAA di- 

 rector; and Albert E. 

 Debatin, Clinton. 



21 years. Durir^ this period of time 

 the research and educational needs of 

 agriculture have expanded very^ rapidly. 

 If IJlinois is to continue to have an ade- 

 quate Agricultural College and Experi- 

 ment Station, we must have increased 

 appropriations earmarked for both operat- 

 ing and building needs of the College 

 of Agriculture. The major needs are 

 for the Veterinary College. Home Eco- 

 nomics, Agricultural Laboratory and Agri- 

 cultural Engineering Buildings. Farmers 

 will not permit this essential institution 

 to continue to suifer from neglect. 



Today, as never before in the history 

 of our country, the activities and policies 

 of the Federal government influcnte to a 

 marked degree the every-day life and 

 business of all Americans. We live today 

 in an artificial economy created bv govern- 

 ment as it struggles under the impact of 

 the most destructi\e war in history. with its 

 aftermath. The size of the nation.U debt 

 is almost beyond comprehension. 



Demands- for more and more govern- 

 ment services and assistance have resulted 

 in adding millions of persons to the 

 federal payrolls and their numbers con- 

 tinue to increase. AH of these factors 

 contribute to the inflation that is ramp- 

 ant in America today. If there was ever 

 a time for clear thinking and united ac- 

 tion, that time is now. The American 

 Farm Bureau Federation is one of the 

 few national groups which has thus far 

 developed a broad plan that charts a com- 

 mon-sense course of action. 



During 1948, we have experienced still 

 further intlation. Farm operating costs 

 mounted rapidly as the general price level 

 reached new all-time high peaks. Some 

 of the contributing factors to this con- 

 dition were continued high consumer pur- 

 thasing power, heavy government spend- 

 ing, new rounds of industrial wage in- 

 creases, huge exports to foreign countries 

 to relieve suffering and an artificially 

 j-'egged government bond market. A 

 few feeble attempts were made to apply 

 the brakes, but they were not sufficiently 

 drastic to have much effect. Early in the 

 vear there was a slight adjustment in 

 the bond market and more recently con- 

 sumer credit restrictions were applied. 



^'our organization has long insisted 

 that tile most etfective remedy for infla- 

 tion IS full and adequ.'.te produition by 

 all segments of the economy — ■ labor, 

 industry and agriculture. I'armers have 

 responded to the incentixe of high prices 

 and. with the assistance of a lavorable 

 season, are flooding the markets with one 

 of the largest crops in history. The re- 

 sult has been that many farm product 

 prices have come crashing down, some 

 of them to below parity levels. 



If labor and industry would attempt 

 to match this abundant production we 

 could check inflation and adjust to new 

 price levels without serious injur)- to any 

 group. I regret to report that thus far 

 there is no indication that either industry 



( Coi/miutfJ 



(y^jge -12) 



JANUARY, 1949 



33 



