OFFICE OF PUBLIC EOADS AND RURAL ENGINEERING. 335 



ROAD ECONOMICS. 



J. E. Pennybacker, Chief. 



GENERAL ECONOMIC AND STATISTICAL WORK. 



The comprehensive collection of data touching mileage of im- 

 proved and unimproved roads, taxation, revenues, and bond issues 

 for road purposes, which was begun last year, has been completed. 

 A series of bulletins is now in course of publication. 



The collection and compilation of current data relating to the 

 progress o-f highway work, especially that under the supervision of 

 the various State highway departments, has been continued through- 

 out the year. In connection with this work, a State index is main- 

 tained for ready reference, showing progress and other statistics of 

 the several phases of road improvement in each State. Such portions 

 as are of general interest and value are assembled and published an- 

 nually as circulars. 



STUDIES OF STATE HIGHWAY SYSTEMS. 



Studies are being made of the organization, methods of operation, 

 and results accomplished by State highway departments, for the 

 purpose of securing a more definite knowledge of the successes as 

 well as failures which have been made by each, in order that the 

 accumulated experience of each of these several departments may 

 be made helpful te all. Studies of one-half of the States having 

 highway departments had been completed at the close of the year. 



STUDIES OF COUNTY ROAD MANAGEMENT. 



The investigations of road management in selected counties 

 throughout the United States were continued on June 30, 1916. 

 Studies had been completed in 24 States. The ultimate purpose is 

 to issue one or more bulletins explanatory of the systems of road 

 management prevailing in local communities, and indicating the 

 lines along which the best results may be obtained. 



STUDIES OF CONVICT LABOR IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION. 



The preparation of a comprehensive bulletin on the subject of 

 convict labor in road construction, undertaken in the fiscal year 

 1915, was completed. 



In January an experimental convict camp was established by the 

 county commissioners of Fulton County, Ga. It was conducted 

 by them through the remainder of the year under the observation 

 and in accordance with the suggestions of this office and the United 

 States Public Health Service. The conclusions reached as a result 

 of the extensive study of convict camps the preceding year were 

 thoroughly tested and their success as applied to the camp popula- 

 tion of 40 negro convicts under the honor system has demonstrated 

 that in road construction modern methods of penology and sanita- 

 tion may be applied to convict road camps with distinct gain of 

 efficiency and of economy. 



Advice was given to committees of the Legislatures of Georgia 

 and Maryland in connection with convict-labor legislation under 

 consideration by those bodies, and advice in connection with the 



