REPOKT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGiaCULTURE. 41 



tainties ; and to provide positive assistance in carrying on vitally essen- 

 tial highway work, I requested each of the Government departments 

 and administrations interested to name a representative to serve on a 

 council to deal with highway projects during the period of the war. 

 As a result, the United States Highways Council, consisting of a rep- 

 resentative from the Department of Agriculture, the War Depart- 

 ment, the Eailroad Administration, the War Industries Board, and 

 the Fuel Administration, was formed in June. During the first four 

 months of its existence, the council passed upon about 5,000 applica- 

 tions, involving nearly 4,000,000 barrels of cement, 3,250,000 tons of 

 stone, 1,140,000 tons of gravel, 1,207,000 tons of sand, over 77,000,000 

 brick, and nearly 20,000,000 pounds of steel, and 140,000,000 gallons 

 of bituminous materials. 



FOREST FIRES. 



Protection of the forests against disastrous fires proved an excep- 

 tionally difficult task. An unusual strain was imposed on an organi- 

 zation somewhat depleted in numbers and much weakened by the loss 

 of many of its most experienced men. Added to this was the diffi- 

 culty of securing good men for temporary appointment as guards 

 during the fire season and bodies of men for fighting large fires. 

 An unusually early and severe dry season caused the outbreak of 

 serious fires before the summer protective organization was fully 

 ready for them. Some embarrassment in meeting the situation was 

 caused by the failure of the annual appropriation act to pass Con- 

 gress until after the fire season was virtually over. Ordinarily, ex- 

 penditures during the summer months are greater than those for the 

 remainder of the fiscal year. Therefore, the sums available under 

 the continuing appropriation of one-sixth of the annual appropria- 

 tion for the preceding year to cover the months of July and August 

 were insufficient to meet the situation. Relief was furnished by 

 the President, who placed $1,000,000 at my disposal as a loan 

 from his emergency fund. It may be necessary to seek from Con- 

 gress again a deficiency appropriation of $750,000. 



The greater part of the extra outlay for fire fighting was on a 

 relatively small number of forests in the Northwest which present 

 conditions of great difficulty. These forests for the most part are 

 rugged, unbroken wilderness. While the Forest Service for years 

 has been attempting to develop a system of communications in the 



97335°— AGR 1918 4 



