COOPERATIVE RELATIONS 65 



Act relating to post roads has been assigned by the Secre- 

 tary of Agriculture to a previously existing administrative 

 unit known as the Office of Public Roads and Rural Engi- 

 neering. Prior to this time the work of this office had been 

 almost wholly devoted to research and the giving of expert 

 advice to road builders. The administration of this new 

 measure necessitated a complete reorganization. To meet 

 the new demands, the work of the office was grouped in 

 two branches, known, respectively, as the engineering di- 

 vision and the management and economics division. At the 

 head of these divisions were placed a chief engineer and a 

 chief of management, respectively, who are under the im- 

 mediate supervision of the director of the office. There are 

 also two general inspectors who operate independently of 

 the two branches and report immediately to the director. 

 For administrative purposes the country has been divided 

 into ten districts, with a supervisory engineer in charge of 

 the construction work in each district. These engineers 

 report directly to the chief engineer.^^ 



Immediately after the passage of the act, and under the 

 authority contained therein to make rules and regulations 

 for carrying into effect its provisions,^^ the Secretary of 

 Agriculture called a conference of the heads of the various 

 state highway departments, to whom was submitted a tenta- 

 tive draft of rules and regulations. Most of the sug- 

 gestions of the state officials were incorporated in the final 

 draft. 



The procedure adopted provides for the submission of 

 an application, known as a project agreement, by the state 

 highway department to the district engineer, who examines 

 the road that it is proposed to improve or construct, and 



28 Reports of the Department of Agriculture, 1917, p. 35Q. 



*'' This and a number of other recent acts specifically confer upon 

 the ofiicer or dL[)artmcnt charged with the administration power to 

 make necessary rules and regulations. Under our system of gov- 

 ernment this i)owcr would exist irrespective of any specific grant. 

 Such rules and regulations must, however, conform strictly to the 

 law upon which they are predicated. 



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