190 



ANNUAL EEPOKTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



penditure for the year of $175,124.38. There was also an unexpended 

 balance in the section 8 appropriation of $1,803,837.37, showing an 

 expenditure during the year of $167,405.97. 



The following tabulation gives the number of miles of public 

 roads constructed prior to December 31, 1917, from the 10 per cent, 

 section 8, and cooperative funds : 



Road construction and improvement,^ from the 10 per cent, section 8, and 



cooperative funds, by States. 



state. 



Alaska 



Arizona... 

 Arkansas. . 

 California. 

 Colorado . . 



Florida 



Idaho 



Kansas 



Michigan.. 

 Minnesota. 

 Montana . . 



Total 



mileage 

 to Pec. 

 31, 1917. 



Mies. 



21.21 

 127. 70 



24.50 



257. 88 

 172. 67 



10.00 



176. 89 

 3.40 



22.20 



2.00 



192. 25 



Total mileage 



in calendar 



year 1917. 



10 per 

 cent 

 fund. 



irUes. 



10.50 



7.45 



5.25 



22.50 



63.97 



47.43 



11.50 



Sec- 

 tion 



8 

 fund. 



Miles. 



1.40 



State. 



Nebraska 



Nevada 



New Mexico... 



Oklahoma 



Oregon 



South Dakota. 



Utah 



Washington. . . 

 Wyoming 



Total , 



Total 

 mileage 

 to Dec. 

 31, 1917. 



Miles. 

 4.60 



136. 35 

 71.60 

 28.00 



175. 61 

 14.05 



143. 35 

 82.63 

 76.10 



1,742.99 



Total mileage 



in calendar 



year 1917. 



10 per 

 cent 

 fund. 



Miles. 



3.35 



10.50 



27.10 



.95 



2.07 

 1.95 



'■ 214. 52 



Sec- 

 tion 



8 

 fund. 



Miles. 



4.00 



.10 



'i.'so 



7.00 



Does not include bridge or maintenance work. 

 2 Road construction, 81.19 miles; repairs, 121.26 miles; trail construction, 12.07 miles. 



"While the total mileage constructed or repaired in the calendar 

 year 1917 was about 74 miles greater than in the preceding year, it 

 will be noted that very little work was done on section 8 projects, 

 which are of a relatively high type of construction, and that only 

 about 81 miles of road were constructed, in whole or in part, from 

 the 10 per cent appropriation. It was stated in last j^ear's report 

 that little construction work could be anticipated. Difficulties in ob- 

 taining the necessary labor and materials were foreseen, but the 

 allowances made for the effect of the war on road work were insuffi- 

 cient. The small amount of construction work done during the cal- 

 endar year 1917 was due to some extent also to the delays involved 

 in negotiating cooperative agreements,' to the necessity for making 

 location surveys and plans on section 8 projects, and to difficuties 

 encountered in effecting a satisfactory organization. 



In the spring of 1918 a considerable number of projects were ready 

 for construction. While it was realized that the supply of available 

 labor had been greatly reduced by enlistments and the draft and by 

 the large enrollment in shipbuilding and other war industries, and 

 while it was known that the cost of work would be very high, the 

 full extent of the effect of the wa,r on the road work was not revealed 

 until attempts were made to let work by contract. Few contractors 

 were willing to bid at all; and those making bids, in attempting to 

 forecast the cost of doing work, submitted proposals greatly in excess 

 of the engineer's estimates and the total amounts made available by 

 the cooperators. 



