ROAD MILEAGE, REVENUES, SOUTHERN STATES, 1914. 23 
ties reported between 200 and 300 miles; 14 counties reported from 
100 to 200 miles; while 40 counties reported no surfaced roads. 
Twenty-six counties reported a smaller mileage of surfaced roads for 
1914 than was reported by them in 1909. In spite of this decrease, 
however, the complete returns show that during the 5-year period 
1909-1914, 2,288.33 miles of road were surfaced and that the per- 
centage of surfaced roads increased from 18.82 in 1909 to 21.4 in 
1914. Mileage statistics for the various counties for the year 1914 
are shown in Table 42. 
LOUISIANA. 
Louisiana has a land area of 45,409 square miles, a total road 
mileage of 24,563, and a population, according to the 1910 census, 
of 1,656,388. The State, therefore, has a population of 36.47 per 
square mile of area and 67.43 per mile of road, with 0.54 mile of 
road per square mile of area. Of the population in 1910, 70 per cent, 
or 1,159,872 was rural, thus indicating a rural population of 47.22 
per mile of road. 
The State board of engineers is required to appoint a State high- 
way engineer and such assistant engineers and other help as may be 
necessary to the proper conduct of the work of establishing, con- 
structing, maintaining and repairing public highways with bridges, 
culverts, drains, and other appurtenances and accessories incident 
thereto. When requested so to do by the police jury of a parish or 
the municipal authorities of any city, town or village, the State 
board of engineers is required to furnish such parish, city, town or 
village with plans and specifications and with such advice and assist- 
ance as will tend to create a uniform system of public roads through- 
out the State. 
The State highway engineer, subject to the approval of the State 
board of engineers, is given authority to determine the character, 
select the materials and have general supervision of the construction 
and repair of all highways in the improvement of which State aid 
may be given. Written application for State aid must be made to the 
State highway engineer by the police juries of parishes and by the 
mayors or other governing authorities of cities, towns or villages. 
Upon receipt of such application the State highway engineer is re- 
quired to send to such authorities blank forms eliciting such informa- 
tion as he may desire concerning the proposed improvement, and he 
may, subject to the approval of the State board of engineers, approve 
the same and have plans, specifications and estimates of cost there- 
for prepared. 
Where the cost of the improvement will exceed $2,000, it shall be 
done by contract, but where such cost will be less than $2,000 it shall 
be discretionary with the State highway engineer, subject to the 
approval of the State board of engineers, to let the work to contract 
