REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC ROAD 



INQUIRIES. 



U. S. Department of Agriculture, 



Office of Public Road Inquiries, 



Washington, D. C, August 25, 1900. 



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

 Public Road Iiiquiries for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1900, together 

 with an outline of the work for the current year and estimates for the 

 ensuing year. 



My appointment as Director of the Office of Public Road Inquiries did 

 not take effect until near the close of the last fiscal year, and as my 

 assistant, Mr. M. O. Eldridge, directed the operations of the inquiry 

 for several months previous to my coming, he has prepared, at my 

 request, that portion of the report relating to the work of the year. 

 Respectfully, 



Martin Dodge, 



Director. 

 Hon. James Wilson, Secretary. 



WORK OF THE YEAR. 



The work of the Office during the fiscal year 1899-1900 continued 

 according to plans laid down in our previous report and in pursuance 

 of the general plans and pui-poses of the inquiry. The office force was 

 kept busy collecting and giving information, attending road conven- 

 tions and other meetings where the subject was under discussion, and 

 cooperating with Stateagricultural colleges and experiment stations 

 and State and local road authorities in the construction of object- 

 lesson and experimental roads. The field agents of the Office were 

 engaged in attending road meetings and in looking after the details 

 connected with the building of sample roads throughout the country. 

 Owing to the great importance of practical work and the urgent and 

 constantly increasing demand for practical demonstrations in road 

 building, the Office has made a special effort to push the scientific and 

 practical side of the work, although the literature of the subject has 

 not been neglected. 



In presenting this report, this Office desires to acknowledge the 

 generous cooperation of various road-machine companies and trans- 

 portation companies in the work of constructing experimental and 

 object-lesson roads. 



According to the strict construction put upon the law by your pred- 

 ecessor (see letter of instruction printed in the report of this Office 

 for 1893), we were, up to the time of your accession, prohibited from 



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