BUREAU OF PUBLIC ROADS. 409 



NATIONAL FOREST ROADS. 



During the first half of the fiscal year unfavorable conditions for 

 road improvement, resulting from the war, limited the period during 

 which active operations have been resumed to a few months of the 

 present construction season. The major portion of the work for 

 this fiscal year has been in the last four months. There has been in 

 these few months a marked increase in road activities in the national 

 forests, even though conditions have not returned to the normal pre- 

 war basis. " 



The year has been marked with a shortage of labor, equipment, 

 and material for construction purposes. Unsettled conditions gen- 

 erally have made contractors extremely cautious, and it has often 

 been difficult to recommend to you awards for work at what was 

 considered satisfactory prices. On a number of occasions we have 

 felt it advisable to recommend against making aw^ards even after 

 work had been extensively advertised and previous proposals re- 

 jected. In these instances department forces have been organized to 

 start the work and other portions of the projects have been let out 

 to station contractors. A great handicap to the work has been the 

 lack of suitable equipment in the possession of local contractors who 

 are making proposals on road construction. The assembling at 

 points convenient to our operations of suitable construction equip- 

 ment wliich can be loaned to contractors for our work will aid ma- 

 terially in securing mifxe reasonable prices and hasten the comple- 

 tion of our building program. 



It is hoped that from the surplus equipment of the War Depart- 

 ment allotted to this bureau under the terms of section 7 of the Post 

 Office appropriation act it will be possible to provide for the major 

 equipment needs of this bureau. Requistion has been placed and 

 shipping orders given for approximately $2,000,000 worth of equip- 

 ment and material. Very little has been received in time for this 

 season's work. It is important that it be secured in ample time for 

 proper assembling, overhauling, and distribution before the next 

 construction season opens, so that the purchase of other equipment 

 may be obviated. 



With respect to explosives the bureau has been materially bene- 

 fited in havmg allotted to it about 4,000,000 pounds of T. N. T. from 

 the War and Interior Departments. Considerable of this material 

 has been delivered and some has been used on our work during the 

 present season. 



The general organization plan followed during the preceding fiscal 

 year has been continued, there being six distinct offices and suboffices 

 to cooperate with the six western forest districts, the work in the 

 seventh forest district being divided among the district engineers of 

 this bureau in charge of post road work. There has been an increase 

 in the personnel on forest-road work made necessary by our increased 

 building program. 



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