388 ANXUAL EEPORTS OF DEPAETMENT OF AGRICULTUEE. 



introduced on May 2 ; H. R. 4125, introduced on May 3 ; H. E. 4188, 

 introduced on May 4 ; H. !R. 4630, introduced on May 22 ; and H. E. 

 4961, introduced on June 11 by the chairman of the House Committee 

 on Agriculture. Similar bills were also introduced in the Senate. Ex- 

 haustive consideration and debate and numerous changes by the re- 

 spective committees and Houses followed, during which from time 

 to time the Solicitor and some of his assistants attended meetings 

 of the committees and performed various services for the House 

 Committee on Agriculture in connection Avith the legislation. Briefs 

 on the legal questions involved were submitted to the House Commit- 

 tee on Agriculture, one of which was directed to the legal questions 

 respecting self-incriminating evidence and unreasonable searches and 

 seizures arising out of the food survey provisions, and another and 

 more extensive brief was addressed to the provisions of H. E. 4630, 

 known as the food control bill. The latter brief presented and dis- 

 cussed all the constitutional questions arising out of the proposed 

 legislation and was printed as part 10 of the hearings of the Com- 

 mittee on Agriculture in the Ilouse of Eepresentatives, Sixty-fifth 

 Con2fress, first session. The legislation finally enacted is that em- 

 braced in H. B. 4188 (Pub. No. 40) and H. E. 4961 (Pub. No. 41), 

 approved on August 10. 1917, by the President, the former being 

 commonly known as the food production or food survey bill and the 

 latter as the food control bill. 



THE FEDERAL AID ROAD ACT. (39 Stat. 355). 



This act was approved July 11, 1916, and appropriates a total of 

 $75,000,000 for the construction and improvement of rural post roads 

 in cooperation with the several States, and $10,000,000 for the survey, 

 construction and maintenance of roads and trails within or only 

 partly within the National Forests. Eules and regulations for the ad- 

 ministration of the act were promptly prepared in cooperation with 

 the Office of Public Eoacls and Eural Engineering and the Forest 

 Service. In order to ascertain whether each of the 48 States had a 

 highway department within the meaning of the act and had other- 

 wise qualified for Federal aid thereunder, examination was made of 

 the statutes of each State. Thirty-two States were found to have 

 highway departments as defined in the act. Sixteen either had no 

 such departments or needed to confer additional authority upon exist- 

 ing organizations to give them the requisite powers. Fifteen of these 

 States have since created highway departments or, by supplementary 

 legislation, have conferred appropriate powers upon existing organi- 

 zations. At the request of six of the States this office cooperated with 

 the Office of Public Eoads and Eural Engineering in preparing bills 

 for enactment by the States to enable them to participate in the 

 benefits of the act. Pending road legislation in 18 States was criti- 

 cally examined and suggestions made, where necessary, for amend- 

 ment. The office drafted a form of bill for enactment by many of 

 the States to enable them to comply with that provision of the act 

 which requires the assent of each State to its provisions. In addition, 

 proposed assenting acts of a number of States were reviewed to ascer- 

 tain whether they were sufficient. Upon request, proclamations were 

 drafted to enable several States, through their governors, to accept 



