REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC 



ROADS. 



United States Department of Agriculture, 



Bureau of Public Roads, 

 Washington, D. 0., October 15, 1923. 



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

 Bureau of PubUc Roads for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1923, 

 covering especially those functions of the Bureau which are pro- 

 vided for by the act making appropriations for the Department 

 of Agriculture. A full statement of work in connection with the 

 construction of Federal-aid and national forest roads will be made 

 in a subsequent report as provided for in section 19 of the Federal 

 highway act, approved November 9, 1921. 

 Respectfully, 



Thos. H. MacDonald, 



Chief of Bureau. 

 Hon. Henry C. Wallace, 



/Secretary of Agriculture. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The functions of the Bureau of Public Roads divide themselves 

 according to their nature and the legislative authority for their 

 performance into two general classes, comprising: (1) The ad- 

 ministration of Federal-aid and forest road construction under the 

 Federal aid road act of July 11, 1916, and its amendments, and 

 (2) the work of an educational and scientific nature with respect 

 to road management, finance, construction, and maintenance, and 

 agricultural engineering subjects involving land drainage and irriga- 

 tion, farm water supplies and waste disposal, farm power, farm 

 architecture, and other matters relating to the application of en- 

 gineering principles to farm life. 



The first class of functions, those relating to the Federal 

 aid and forest road work, are largely of an administrative nature, 

 involving cooperation with the State highway departments in the 

 preparation of plans, specifications, and estimates for Federal-aid 

 roads, the inspection of projects necessary for the control of con- 

 struction in accordance with the provisions of Federal legislation, 

 and supervision of the construction of forest highways. 



The Federal highway act, approved November 9, 1921, requires 

 that the Secretary of Agriculture shall make a report to Congress on 

 or before the first Monday in December of each year, in which he 

 shall include a detailed statement of the work done, the status of 

 each project undertaken, the allocation of appropriations, an item- 

 ized statement of expenditures and receipts during the preceding 



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