

WE'RE BACK 

 IN THE MUD 



(Continued from pugt 4) 



The Association believed the proposal 

 for increasing the gasoline tax and mo- 

 tor vehicle license fees to be fair. An 

 average motorist, driving 7500 miles 

 per year and getting 15 miles to the 

 gallon of gasoline, would use 500 gal- 

 lons of gasoline. The additional 2c tax 

 would cost him $10. The additional 

 license fee would have cost $1.50. or a 

 total of 811.50 for the year. 



However, the bill failed to pass. 

 There was general agreement on the 

 condition of our highways and the need 

 for additional revenues except that pe- 

 troleum interests and the trucking in- 

 dustry opposed the increase and argued 

 that highways could be rebuilt from 

 present funds. The state administration 

 did not favor the allocation of I2V2 

 per cent for local roads. 



Cities generally opposed the alloca- 

 tion for local roads insisting that cities 

 were entitled to their present percentage 

 of gasoline tax revenues and should 

 have one-third of the total revenues 

 from the increased tax. The Illinois 

 Agricultural Association and represent- 

 atives of townships pointed out that the 

 12^2% allocation to townships was ar- 

 rived at as a result of a compromise in 

 the Illinois Highway and Traffic Prob- 

 lems Commission. They could not agree 

 to a further reduction in the allocation 

 for local roads. 



As a result of the differences over the 

 allocation together with the general op- 

 position to a tax increase, the bill was 

 defeated. No additional revenues will 

 be available and our Illinois highway 

 system wiH continue to deteriorate. The 

 state will have very little money avail- 

 able for new construction. Coanties 

 and cities must get along with their 

 present revenues. 



There will be no state aid for local 

 roads. For the past four years 87,- 

 500,000 per year from general funds 

 has been available. A similar appro- 

 priation was not made at this session. 

 While this appropriation has been be- 

 littled, nevertheless it has been of real 

 aid. The local roads must rely upon 

 local property taxes and the proceeds 

 of local bond issues. The problem will 

 be particularly acute in those areas 

 where schools have been reorganized 

 and state funds are needed in order to 

 provide roads over which the school 

 busses can operate. There is need for 

 state aid for local roads from a perma- 

 nent source in order that a long-range 

 program for improvement of these 

 roads may be developed. There also is 

 need for reorganization of township road 

 administration on a more efficient basis. 



Some of the opposition to the allocation 

 of state funds to townships was on the 

 ground that the mr.ey would be wasted 

 and no lasting results would be ob- 

 tained. Local people must give atten- 

 tion to the problem of obtaining funds 

 for these roads and the problem of se- 

 curing more uniformly efficient admin- 

 istration. 



RURAL YOUTH 



(Continued from page 20) 



give the campers an appreciation of the 

 out-of-doors and the varied plant life 

 of the area. 



Campers under the trotter system 

 place the food on the table and remove 

 the dishes at the end of the meal. They 

 lead the singing, preside at group meet- 

 ings, and put on their own stunt shows; 

 in fact, the whole program is planned 

 to develop self-reliance, citizenship, a 

 love for the out-of doors, and to help 

 the campers discover their own talents. 



Candldatet tor the llllnol* Dairy QiMen of 

 1949 pose wffh Hyland Copron (Ml), presi- 

 dent ot the Peoria Milk Producers' and O. 

 H. Ryan, la Salle county, president of the 

 llfinels Milk Producer*' Attotlatlon during 

 final* of ttate contest held In feoria July 

 14. The girls, left to right, are: Carolyn 

 Sear*, Vandalla; Pat Stanley, Harvard; 

 Shirley Moberly, Bloomlngton; Joan trady, 

 Decatur; Dorothy Davie*, La Salle; Donna 

 Waddlngton, Pana; Joan JUnant, OIney; 

 and the winner, June Bostrom, Chicago. 



June Bostrom f center J hears the applau*o 

 of the crowd as *he I* proclaimed llllnol* 

 Dairy Queen for 1949 during mtate final* 

 In Peoria July 14. Rlsrht Is fast year'* 

 queen, Patricia Monroe ot Decatur. At left 

 Is Announcer MIton Budd. 



New Laws Passed 



(Continued from page 18) 

 Doubtlessly much of the additional 

 state money will be used to increase 

 teachers' salaries. Gradually, over a 

 period of years, better salaries should 

 attract better talent into the teaching 

 field and enable school districts to 

 retain teachers of ability who would 

 otherwise be attracted to other jobs. 

 Also better salaries should encourage 

 many teachers now on the job to return 

 to summer schools for refresher courses. 

 However, the main reason for addi- 

 tional state aid is to equalize educational 

 opportunity. Better teachers is an im- 

 portant step toward this goal but onlv 

 one step. Improved curriculums plus 

 more adequate equipment are other 

 steps toward an equalization of oppor- 

 tunity. School boards should see to it 

 that additional state funds are used to 

 strengthen all phases of their educa- 

 tional program. 



AUGUST. 1949 



2S 



