2 BULLETIlSr 387^ U. S. DEPAETMENT OF AGKICULTUEE. 



closer cooperation was maintained with State highway departments, 

 and wherever practicable the information was collected directly by 

 collaborators named by the respective State highway departments 

 and acting under specific instructions from this offi.ce. This policy 

 was not practicable in connection with earlier bulletins owing to the 

 fact that many of the States then had no organized highway 

 departments. 



For convenient reference and to avoid delay in publication, the 

 information obtained from the Southern States is published in this 

 bulletin. Bulletins on this subject covering the Middle Atlantic 

 States and the New England States have been issued, and the 

 Middle Western and Western States will be dealt with in a subse- 

 quent publication. 



WORKING PLAN AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION. 



The method of procedure followed in obtaining the information 

 contained in this bulletin was as follows : 



A series ,of card inquiry forms, designated A, B, C, and D, covering, 

 respectively, mileage, taxation and revenues, administrative organi- 

 zation, and bond issues, was prepared and submitted to the various 

 State highway departments for suggestion and approval. After 

 changes were made to meet conditions peculiar to individual States, 

 supplies of the card forms, with necessary stationery, were sent to 

 each State collaborator, and correspondence then was conducted by 

 the collaborators under Government frank with the respective county 

 and township officials. 



In many instances it v/as impossible for the collaborators to obtain 

 replies from all local officials, and accordingly letters and forms were 

 sent directly from this office to such local officials. In the course of 

 the investigation it was found necessary to enlist the aid of local 

 and State road associations, chambers of commerce, automobile 

 clubs, postmasters, and private individuals in order to obtain ade- 

 quate information. On account of the absence of detailed records 

 in many of the towns and counties utmost accuracy is impossible, and 

 because of the large amount of correspondence necessary to conduct 

 the investigation, considerable delay in the issuance of the bulletins 

 has been unavoidable. The data on mileage and revenues should, 

 therefore, be considered as approximate only. 



A summary sheet for each of the forms A, B, C, and D was pre- 

 pared for each State at the outset of the investigation, and as the 

 card forms were received from local officials or from the State col- 

 laborators the information was entered on the summary sheets under 

 appropriate headings. These summaries, when completed, were 

 forwarded to the respective State collaborators or to the heads of the 

 State highway departments, who thereupon prepared a text explana- 

 tory of the statistical tables and of the administrative system in effect 



