Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1935-01-17
secrest On Roads Committee


was honored recently by being elect
ed to the roads committee of the
house. His selection to this post
comes in recognition of his active
interest in roads and road legisla-
ton. He is the only Ohio member
on the roads committee During the
past session of congress, Secrest
fought for legislation directing fed
eral funds to school bus routes, mail
routes, and farm to market roads.
However, this bill did not brin <
about improvement of mud roads as
rapidly as was hoped and he intro
duced another measure to accom-
plish the same results more rapidly.
The Secrest road bill as finally in
troduced, calls for an expenditure
of 500, 100000 in each of the fis-
cal years ending 1886, 1887, and
1888. This money will be spent
on rural mail routes off the federal
and state highway systems thus in
surfing the improvement of thou
sands of miles of mud roads and
furnishing employment to rural
areas
There are more than 100 rural
mail routes in Ohio and it is esti-
mated that this network of routes
reaches 500 of Ohio's farmers. If
the federal government is forced to
improve mud mail routes, the bal
ance of the mud roads in Ohio can
be taken care of by existing
agencies in a reasonable period of
time. Nearly every farmer would
have a good road in the next six or
eight years, if this legislation is
passed
AS member of the roads COM
mittee, Secrest will be in a posi-
ton to exert strong influence for
road legislation that will bring
about rapid improvement of roads
in rural sections which have been
d1sregarded in past federal road
building programs Secrest is also
Ohio's only member on the mines
and mining committee, and is rank
ing member of the library commit
tee Should he remain in congress,
he will be the next chairman of
this committee.
Congressman Secrest introduced
a resolution this week directing the
federal trade commission to investi-
gate and report to the senate and
to the house of representatives the
cause for the high price of farm ma
chinery. Upon introducing the res
olution, Secrest issued the follow
ing quotation: 'Practically every
farmer in the United States is in
need of more farm machinery
Without this machinery, he is def
nitely handicapped in his efforts to
make his farm profitable. He can
not buy this machinery at the pres
ent exorbitant prices. Even in the
drought year of 1880, the farmer
was compelled to spend more than
one-fourth his income for the pur-
chase of farm machinery. Even to-
day, when the average price of all
farm products is just equal to the
pre-War index, the price of farm
machinery is nearly 500 higher
than the pre-war index. The five
great companies producing farm
machinery manufacture over 61.5%
of the total farm machinery used in
the United States. If, by this inves-
tlgation, or any other means, we
can expose monopoly or reduce the
prices of farm machinery, we shall
be doing one of the greatest services
ever performed for the American
farmer. The National Farm Grange
has urged an investigation of farm
machinery prices as one of it's major
programs of legislation for this
congress.
Mr.. Secrest, member Of the
grange in his home county, Noble,
expects to confer with National
grange officials