During the late 19th century, various interest groups began putting pressure on the Federal Government to examine its role in national road development. Groups such as the Good Roads Movement lobbied local, state and federal officials on the benefits of a good road network, not just for bicyclists, but for the benefit of rural communities and farmers. In response to this movement, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and former acting governor of Nebraska, Julius Sterling Morton set up the Office of Road Inquiry within the Department of Agriculture to investigate the condition of roads throughout the nation. The automobile increased the demand for better roads. Farmers, in particular, pressed for improved farm-to-market roads as they began purchasing automobiles to transport their goods. The Federal Government struggled with their role in the development of an improved road network. In 1912, Congress passed the Post Office Appropriation Act which allotted $500,000 (equivalent to $ in ) for rural road construction to improve mail delivery.