REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC 



ROADS. 



U. S. Departivient of Agriculture, 

 Office of Public Roads and Rural Engineering, 



Washington, D. C, August 27, 1915. 



Sir : I have the honor to submit herewith the report of the Office 

 of Public Roads for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1915. 

 Respectfully, 



L. W. Page, Director. 

 Hon. D. F. Houston, 



Secretary of Agriculture. 



INTRODUCTION. 



In accordance with the act of Congress dated March 4, 1915, 

 making appropriation for the Department of Agriculture for the 

 fiscal year 1916, and effecting reorganization of certain branches of 

 the work, the Divisions of Drainage and Irrigation, from the Office 

 of Experiment Stations, and the farm architectural work from the 

 Office of Farm Management Investigations, were to combine on 

 July 1, 1915, with the Office of Public Roads, under the new branch 

 designated as the Office of Public Roads and Rural Engineering. 

 Preparatory to this consolidation, the Secretary of Agi'iculture 

 authorized the Director of the Office of Public Roads to assume 

 supervision of the four branches named, on April 1, 1915, in order 

 that the work of coordinating administrative details might be ac- 

 complished and the work under the reorganization be in actual 

 progress at the commencement of the fiscal year 1916. 



The four branches were accordingly removed during the month of 

 May into necessarily larger office quarters in the Willard Building, 

 Washington, D, C. ; the clerical forces were combined in one work- 

 ing unit; the number of the engineering field quarters was reduced 

 from 32 to 3, to be located at Denver, Colo., New Orleans, La., and 

 Berkeley, Cal. The total worlring force, therefore, under the super- 

 vision of the Director of the Office of Public Roads on June 30, 1915, 

 was 450, of which number 288 were on the rolls of the Office of 

 Public Roads, the remaining 162 having been brought in under the 

 other branches. 



GENERAL WORK OF THE YEAR. 



Under the names of their respective divisions, the work of the 

 divisions of Drainage, Irrigation, and Farm Architecture since April 



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