$15,000,000. If the two schools were 

 combined, there would be a valuation of 

 $21,000,000 with an enrollment of 235 

 students and 17 teachers. 



If a unit district were set up, the extra 

 high school building could be used as a 

 grade school. In this farmer's particu- 

 lar grade school district the enrollment is 

 135 pupils with 8 teachers, and the ad- 

 joining grade school district has 50 

 pupils with only two teachers. By bring- 

 ing the two high schools, two grade 

 schools and other nearby one- room 

 schools into one unit district and using 

 one of the high schools as a grade school 

 building, economical and efficient use 

 could be made of valuation, buildings, 

 equipment and teachers. 



The Illinois Agricultural Association 

 supported passage of legislation in the 

 1947 session of the state legislature to 

 aid in the formation of the 12 grade unit 

 system, so that farmers could reorganize 

 districts where needed and get more ed- 

 ucational service for their tax dollar. 



The next big expense item for this 

 farmer with the $559.08 tax bill is roads. 

 In his township he has 82.5 miles of 

 roads to keep up. Some $106.82 of his 

 taxes were spent on road and bridges 

 and road bonds in his township. The 

 mileage of roads in his township is well 

 above average so that better use of 

 machinery is made. Most of the farm 

 homes are located on good gravel roads. 



There's no question but good roads cost 

 money, but the Illinois Agricultural As- 

 sociation has been trying to get the state 

 to recognize that it must help to main- 

 tain rural roads either by appropriations 

 or sharing the state gas tax. 



The lAA secured for the farmers 

 $30,000,000 in appropriations from the 

 1945 and 1947 sessions of the state 

 legislature for a four-year period. 



In that period, July 1, 1945, to June 

 30, 1949, this farmer's township received. 



or was entitled to receive, $31,345.56 

 from state appropriations. The amount 

 of money each township received from 

 the $30,000,000 in state funds was on the 

 basis of the percentage of total miles 

 of road in each township to the miles 

 of township highways in the state. 



The $31,000 this township received 

 can help to relieve the local tax burden, 

 provide more and better roads, or ^^t 

 can be wasted. 



The farmer in his township can con- 

 trol his tax bill by controlling the levy. 

 Of course he will have to attend his 

 annual town meeting and also participate 

 in the business affairs of his school board, 

 countv board etc. to do this. In the 

 last couple of years when prices were 

 good, he might not have worried too 

 much about the size of his local tax 

 bill. But it's going to take more corn 

 to pay the bill now. 



A lot of folks blame the "Butler 

 bills" for all their tax troubles. The 

 lAA fought the Butler bills with all the 

 force they could muster, but they passed, 

 and now the job is to see what we can do 

 about them. The Butler bills didn't 

 raise taxes, but this legislation did in- 

 crease the taxing power of almost all 

 governing bodies. Also, they raised the 

 bonding limits so that higher levies could 

 be voted, if the local folks permitted it. 

 Valuations were brought to a full cash 

 value by use of a multiplier. 



In the farm under discussion, the 

 valuation in 1945 was $7,410. The rate 

 applied to that valuation was $4.24 per 

 $100. The 1948 valuation was $28,560, 

 The rate applied was $1.94 per $100. 



The matter of spending tax money is 

 just like any other kind of spending. 

 Either you get your money's worth, or 

 you don't. 'The time to go to work on 

 your tax bill is not when you receive it, 

 but when your local boards are making 

 up their budgets and setting the levies. 



County Wool Pools 

 Boost Country Price 

 On 1949 Clip 



PROOF that the lUinois Wool Market- 

 ing Association is helping the current 

 wool price is found in a report received 

 from one central Illinois county. In this 

 particular county, the market price being 

 offered by independent buyers was 38 

 cents. Then a farmer delivered 440 

 pounds of wool to his County Farm Bu- 

 reau wool pool and got 44 cents a pound. 

 As the result of this sale, the independent 

 buyers over the county raised their offer 

 six cents per pound. 



Farm Bureau members should need no 

 further evidence of the worth of their co- 

 operative wool marketing program. You 

 can deliver your wool to your county 

 wool pool and receive immediate pay- 

 ment. Another way by which you can sell 

 your wool cooperatively is by the consign- 

 ment method. In this case you deliver 

 your wool to the county wool pool, where 

 it is weighed and placed in bags fur- 

 nished free, and shipped to the Associa- 

 tion's warehouse at Paris where it is 

 graded by your own cooperative. You 

 will receive a receipt for your wool and 

 an advance payment will be received 

 from the Association as soon as it is 

 graded. Final payment will be made as 

 soon as the wool is sold by the National 

 Wool Marketing Association in Boston. 



Harold Allan, Champaign covntjr's vetmran 

 sheep thearar, clip* the wool from one of 

 Arthur Klttenhouse'f Shropthir* awes. Al- 

 len has sheared sheep for four gonoratlont 

 of Ritfenhouses. Only years he missed 

 were fhe three seasons he Mpent In the 

 army In World War II. Maybe this picture 

 will remind tome folks fo get their wool 

 clipped to ship fo fheir coimfy wool pools. 

 It pays fo markef your wool cooperatively, 

 yo« know. 



{Coarirr Slmf Photo) 



JUNE, 1949 



