OFFICE OF PUBLIC ROADS. 755 



^ The agricultural lands in the counties above referred to are con- 

 sidered fertile and, with improved roads, it is believed that they 

 would not only produce enough for local consumption but would 

 create a supply for shipment to other points. 



A careful study is to be made in all of these counties before and 

 after the roads are improved in regard to the value of the land, the 

 character of crops hauled to market, the size of loads, the distance the 

 various products are hauled to market, the cost of marketing crops, 

 the areas under cultivation, the condition of schools and farm life, 

 the efficiency of rural mail delivery, etc. 



A careful photographic record is to be made of each of the roads. 

 These photographs will show the condition of the roads before and 

 after improvement, the methods of construction employed, as well as 

 the character and extent of traffic before and after improvement. 



In the counties where this investigation has now been in progress 

 for two years it has been found that the price of land lying along 

 the improved roads has already increased in value from 50 to 100 per 

 cent. Heretofore the roads have been so bad that it has been a 

 common practice in many of these counties to open the schools in 

 August and close them during the early winter, so as to avoid the 

 bad roads. 



Extensive mining operations are carried on in two of the counties 

 included in this investigation. The mining towns afford an excellent 

 cash market for farm produce, but the local production does not begin 

 to supply the demand. In fact the records of the railroad companies 

 show that the incoming shipments of food products exceed the out- 

 going shipments at the rate of about 10 to 1, and that they are of the 

 Irind that could be produced in the counties to which they are 

 shipped. One of the reasons for this condition of affairs is that the 

 roads are so bad that hauling can not be done at a profit during a 

 considerable part of the time. 



Investigations dealing with road administration and road manage- 

 ment have been inaugurated during the year. It is believed that 

 when these investigations are completed and published the result 

 will be a complete reorganization of the present system of road ad- 

 ministration in many communities throughout the country. 



Information is being collected in regard to the use of convict labor 

 in road building, and taxation and bond issues for road improvement. 



A complete list of road officials in every county and township in 

 the United States is being compiled. This list will show not only 

 the number of road officials but the character of the work which 

 each class of officials performs. From present indications it appears 

 that there are approximately 150,000 road officials in the United 

 States. 



The system of collecting and disseminating useful data relating to 

 road improvement throughout the United States was improved dur- 

 ing the year by the appointment of a special agent for each State. 

 These special agents report on the first of each month concerning 

 road activities in their respective States. In this way the office is 

 kept in close touch with the progress of road improvement in each 

 State. 



