Smyrna times., 1926-11-10
A NEW GRANGE QUESTION
Farmers Organization Keenly Inter
ested in Bus and Truck Regulation

eSted In Bus and Truck Regulation
A new issue that will come before
the National Grange session this year
and which is likely to create wide
spread discussion, followed by lively
consideration in the State Oranges of
the next two or three months, has to
do with Federal and state regulation
of motor busses and trucks. At a
recent hearing on the subject before
the Interstate Commerce Commission
at Washington, DIR. T. C. Atkeson,
Washington representative of the
Grange, with the approval of the ex-
ecutive committee, filed a vigorous
brief, protesting against Federal reg
ulation of motor vehicles and insist
ing that the whole question of the use
of the highways by trucks and busses
belongs within state jurisdiction and
should be left there
The Grange has for a half century
been an active factor in the discussion
of all transportation questions and
over and over again its influence has
been exerted in securing and prevent
ing legislative enactments and before
the Interstate Commerce Commission
and state regulation boards. One of
the early issues that gave impetus to
the Grange movement, particularly in
the Central West, was the impending
railroad monopoly and the determina-
ton of the organized farmers to safe
guard their interests in transportation
channels, SO vital to the successful
movement of their crops.
While the Grange position has al
ways been in favor of rigid regulation
of public service corporations, in
order that the interests of the gen
eral public might be adequately pro-
tected, at the same time the National
Grange has always refused to support
the project of government ownership
of transportation facilities and is also
an opponent of guarantee of fixed
earnings to public service corpora
tions, of any sort. Very keen inter
est will await the declarations of the
National Grange upon this new phas.
Of the transportation question.
A Remarkable Year
Early in the year Louis J. Taber,
Master of the National Grange, called
upon every one of the 5000 subordi-
nate Oranges in the United States to
tackle this year some definite piece of
community service work beneftting
its home locality. The response has
been remarkable and from every
Grange, state, and in consequence
more Grange service of this kind has
been carried out during 1926 than
ever before Community appearance
has been improved, churches, schools
and libraries assisted, civic associa-
tions supported, innumerable acts of
kindly ministry carried out, hospitals,
district nurse associations and parent
teachers associations aided and a
thousand small local projects have
been initiated by the Grange and car
ried through to successful completion.
Never during its so years of exist
ence has the Grange as whole rem
dered SO much benefit to the home To-
cality as during 1926.
Coming Grange Event
Already plans are we'll under way
for the 1927 conference of New Eng
land Grange lecturers. This will come
during the month of August and the
location will be the Rhode Island
State College at Kingston, with the
college dormitories used for quarter
ing the Grange guests. For nearly
Is years this get-together of New
England Grange workers has been an
annual midsummer event, rotating
among the six New England states
and always meeting at the respective
state agricultural colleges. The at
tendance has steadily grown until
nearly the 1000 mark has been reach
ed and the Rhode Island crowd next
year is expected to exceed that num-
Der.
A Years Grange Figures
The substantial prosperity of the
Grange organization in the United
States is proven by the fact that for
its fiscal year ending October 1st the
Grange organized 126 new subordi-
nate units, distributed over 26 states,
and reorganized 33 subordinates; or
ganized II new Pomona Oranges and
reorganized one; organized 10 new
Juvenile Oranges and reorganized six.