COOPERATIVE RELATIONS 63 



mittee of both houses of Congress was created for the pur- 

 pose of investigating the subject of federal participation in 

 highway construction. This committee made an exhaustive 

 report in the following year, and a standing committee on 

 roads was appointed in the House of Representatives. 



The Federal aid road act, which marks the culmination of 

 this agitation, carries an appropriation of sevent>'-five mil- 

 lion dollars to aid the States in the construction of rural 

 post roads, and ten million dollars to be expended for the 

 construction and maintenance of forest roads and trails. 

 The appropriation for rural post roads was made available 

 at the rate of five million dollars for the fiscal year ending 

 June 30, 191 7, ten million dollars for the next fiscal year, 

 fifteen million dollars for the third, and so on for five years, 

 ending June 30, 1921. 



The appropriation for forest roads and trails was made 

 available at the rate of one million dollars per fiscal year 

 beginning July i, 191 6. A sum not to exceed three per 

 cent of the post road appropriation may be used by the 

 Secretary of Agriculture for administering the act. The 

 apportionment of this fund among the States, after deduct- 

 ing the amount allowed for administration, is based upon 

 the relative areas, population, and mileage of rural delivery 

 and star routes in each State, each of these factors having 

 a weight of one-third. Any unexpended balance of an 

 allotment to a State remaining unexpended at the close of 

 the fiscal year for which it is made may be carried over to 

 the next fiscal year. If such balance is not expended by the 

 close of the second year, the amount is re-allotted among 

 the States on the basis of the original apportionment. 



The federal appropriation for post roads may be expended 

 only for construction, must not exceed fifty per cent of the 

 total estimated cost of the road, and in no case be more 

 than ten thousand dollars per mile, exclusive of bridges of 

 more than twenty feet clear span. 



In order that a State may receive the benefits of the post 

 road provisions of the federal act, it must have a state 



