LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 



SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION 



ON M.irch S, 2S00 pciipk. cimsisting iimst- 

 ly ot tarir.irs. went Jown to SpnngtaUl 

 til attend thf licariti}; cit House Bill> 16 1 

 .mJ 16^ ot the liUucation Coiiiniittee. 



The purpose ne-liinJ tliis denion-.tration 

 was lo show to our representatives tliat the 

 present laws are- unjust and that the land 

 urabbing anel rush tor filinj; petitions to add 

 new districts by larjjer communities has 

 reachtd the point where- there must be iin- 

 intdiate legislation to put a halt to this 



However speakini; against these bills was 

 OUT own lAA. The reason given by Mr. 

 (Jox for opposing; these bills se-c-ms to center 

 around the iJca that the lAA is on record 

 as being in tavor of a larger unit and elimi- 

 nation of some of the smaller districts. 



Even if granted that the larger unit were 

 preferable, which those attending seemed to 

 think ofherwise, it is the present law which 

 allows the smaller communities in whole or 

 part by no consent or desire of their own 

 to be absorbed into one of the surrounding 

 larger units that we aie greatly disturbed 

 about. 



Vic left Springtield with the feeling that 

 the lAA is not representing the views of the 

 majority of its members in regard to these 

 bills. 



I think that Mr. Cox as director of rural 

 school relations would do well to give tlicse 

 bills and other similar bills which are about 

 to be proposed a good deal of study .ind to 

 make sure that the views he expresses are 

 those of the members. 



R. E. Trainor, 

 I.ivir>gston 0>unty. 



juhii K. C'>x. lAA director of rural school 



rehl/ons. uj< utll within the policy of the 

 AiUjcijtioH in the pu^ilion he took in the 

 eJucMion committee in Hh General Assetnih 

 on March 8. The lAA uas in>tru»u):tal in 

 lecuring pasiJg.e of tlj% Commiinil) L'nil 

 School Di'Iricl Ait uhich carried a minimum 

 •'OpiiLition figure of J, 01)0. Tfat population 

 fi^^ure tea' conudertU 'UCtSfary to insure a de- 

 arable mii.imum tuf.llment in iht high school. 

 The lAA School Report of 19-tl. a cop) ot 

 uhtch is heing sent to Mr. Trainor. outlrnt • 

 on pages 55 and 36 the lA.i position on 

 fioHie bill 161. Mr. Cox alio represented 

 the position of the lAA in opposing Hou\e 

 hill 165. This hill rti/uiring .; upar.ite faio>- 

 ■ihle lote in eiery high school district or pan 

 thereof uoiild ha; c the etjict of framing \mal! 

 high schools. The lAA helntc: that tht pru- 

 tision for a itparate rur.d and urban f/c 

 now a part oi the Community Act. nirm /■' 

 he good pr, lection to rural peopU . 



FINE IDEA 



"i UNI. IDHA , Mr. Erank .'^human, farm 

 •* adviser, said when I suggested that the 

 picture study of Clyde Miller at the lAA 

 Cci-op Training School be included with 

 ( lyJe's application to n present Illinois in 

 tlic International Farm ^'outli Exchange pro) 

 ect 



Being elected to the co-op board, takini; an 

 active part in the entire school, and being 

 n.imed a finalist in the spealcint; contest, is 

 typical in the life of Clyde Mille-r. Because 



ot his forward stride in l-H. EEA, and Rural 

 ^'outh — both local and vtate — he was se- 

 lected as our applicant for the tariii youth 

 eXehangc- 



Clyde u.is quite pleascvl to have had the 

 iipportiiiiiti to attend the co-op school. I 

 think that everyone who attended, regards it 

 ,is a valu.ible asset to their future community 

 interest. 



Thanks .so much for vour picture stud\ ol 

 .Miller and the tine article. Keep your lingers 

 (.rossed tor him. 



Hubert J. Wetzel, 



\outh Assistant 



W'hitesiile (auintv 



SEARCHING FOR G.l.'s 



n OES the Farm Bureau of your state pub- 

 " lish a magazine.' In the .November. 

 19l,S Nation's Agriculture , on page 21, 

 is an Item about a German soldier. 



He. VCilly Schafer, is trying to get in touch 

 with nine American soldiers he set free in a 

 woods near bourbon, France, during the 

 October, 1944, lighting. The German army 

 was in retreat towards the last bridge over 

 the Mosel River. Finding their way blocked, 

 Schafer s captain ordered him to take the 

 nine Americans and turn them over to the 

 S. S. Brigade in the next village. Knowing 

 that they would be executei), Schafer turned 

 the nine prisoners loose and gave them their 

 chance to escape. He later entered a ho^- 

 pital at St. Die. ,ind thus evaded the S. S. 

 himself His notebook, (in whiih the nine 

 wrote their names and addresses), was taken 

 from him by the Russians, who captured him 

 at Berlin. 



lie, Willy Schafer. wrote to a religious 

 organization at Topeka. asking aid for him- 

 self and family. , telling his story. An ac- 

 count of it was published in a Topeka news- 

 paper, and attracted my attention. 



Out of curiosity I « rote to him, and also 

 sent him some aid. I have carried on cor- 

 respondence with him for upwartls of a year. 



They were all farm boys. If there is a 

 State Farm Bureau magazine in your state, 

 with a "readers column ". 1 wonder if this 

 letter of mine, or a summary of it, could 

 not be published. Perhaps this unusual 

 matter would attract the af'-ntion of one 

 wlio might know one of the nine. 



So much am I interested in fimhng and 

 meeting a group of them, I would be willing 

 to travel to almost anv point in the United 

 states next fall. 



Mv objeet is _ to inform them nf Willy 



Sthafer, and for them to read the letters 



that he has written to me. And so that they, 



the/nselves can give ihcir former guard, a 



helping hand . 



t own a good-sizcLl farm here, and tin- 

 expense of such a trip would be the least 

 of my wiirries". 



Norman .Nictum 

 Tecumsch, Kansas 



HOW MUCH LONGER 



II ">■ .'pinion is there is nothing wrong with 

 •'I this country that the application of a 

 few common sense rules of good business or 

 good farming will rxit cure -Mr Hoover has 

 recommended some verv essential and drastic 



eii.mges to our president, but 1 dt.)n t think 

 any man, or should I say politician, is going 

 to eliminate his so-called loyal supfsorters. 



1 here is no doubt that your money and 

 mine is being wasted at record speed. I am 

 sure if -.oine sincere elfort were made lo 

 operate the federal government, as any sen- 

 Mble business man or tarmer operates his 

 business, our taxes could be greatly reduced. 



At the present high level ot t.ixes and 

 other esst-ntial expenses of farming and busi- 

 ness, tile .government is ta.st removin.g the in- 

 centive for an individual to accumulate any 

 property. I sjvak from the standpoint of a 

 fanner in debt for a farm, but I can also rccog- 

 nixe the similarity of my position to that of any 

 other siiiall businessman. During the last years 

 of high grain and livestock prices, it has been 

 impossible for me to put any amount into 

 needed improvements or c-quipme-nt and still 

 maintain a reduction of the eiebt against my 

 land. 



Perhaps I expect too much but I know that 

 I and my family hiive not indulged in any 

 excess of high living or exte-nsive travel, yet 

 It becomes increasingly hard to carry out that 

 great American herit.ige of owning and pay 

 ing for your own farm or home. 1 am not 

 asking for help from the government e-Xi.cpt 

 in the sense that by using a little common 

 sense, my t.-tx load would be lightened. 



As 1 se-e It all veterans, labor groups and 

 others who would seek more and more 

 government service for the individual, should 

 stop and take another look. Are these people 

 so difTercnt from the rest of us that they can- 

 not see the tax load they are wishing on us 

 and our children' As for our president's 

 recommendation ipf socialized medicine, I am 

 against it in any way, shape, or form. I have 

 no quarrel with our local doctors or hospitals. 

 In our county we have our own county hos- 

 pital to takt lare of the poor and needy 

 to which all of the doctors contribute their 

 time and skill. Let us keep our Blue Cross 

 and similar organizations, but let us keep it 

 local and voluntary. 



I think we should follow our own noses 

 and not the pattern of socialistic Britain, who 

 I understand we are helping to support. I 

 recognize the need for government spending 

 and supervision in certain fields, but let us 

 keep our government out of competition with 

 prnate business. In our administration of the 

 European Rc<overv Plan let us reme-mber this 

 that we hold the aces, that we are Americans 

 .ind that just a little horse sense could easily 

 be the best foreign policy in the world. 



In this letter I am only trying to give you 

 my opinion of the things I feelwe can do to 

 keep our country free and great. The war is 

 over and now is the time for us to use our 

 lieads, keep our powder dry, and put our 

 financial house in order. 



T. M. Stevens 

 Champaign County 



ON THE BEAM 



II i \'\ been having such an interesting time 

 " out here in NXhitcside Rural Youth that 

 I can't let this opportunity go by without 

 telling you about it. Our Rural '\'outh feels 

 rather proud of its record in the recent CROP 

 drive. ( Rural '\'outh carried the responsibility 

 of this program) We finished se«>nd in the 

 state with 12.000 bushels of corn and S l.OOO 

 in cash. It was a lot of work but if it helps 



20 



I. A. A. RECORD 



