with the wintering of bees. This work was undertaken in cooperation with the Bureau of Entomology.

To furnish reliable data on which to base the recipes and practical suggestions published by the office, a laboratory kitchen was installed. Here methods of using food substitutes are tested, standard recipes are worked out, and much-needed information gathered regarding the chemistry and physics of cooking processes. In part of this work the Food Administration has cooperated. A demonstration kitchen has also been equipped in cooperation with the offices of extension work, which will afford opportunity for demonstrating to field agents the results of the department's experimental work and give them an opportunity to practice the different phases of extension teaching in home economics before undertaking the work in the field.

In addition to the cooperation with the Bureau of Chemistry (in problems relating to canning, drying, and salt-pickling foods, and the use of such products in the home), Bureau of Plant Industry, Bureau of Markets, Bureau of Entomology, and the War Department, the year has been characterized by cooperation with the Food Administration and with the Woman's Committee of the Council of National Defense, a member of the office staff having been especially appointed to serve with that committee as executive chairman of its department of food production and home economics.

The office cooperated with the Food Administration and the Bureau of Education in the preparation of four courses of instruction on food in the war emergency situation, designed particularly for women students in colleges and universities. Each course has included 13 lessons. In addition, a book entitled "Food Guide for War Service at Home" has been prepared for publication, which summarizes some of the more important subject matter of the lessons. The office also cooperated with the Food Administration and the Woman's Committee of the Council of National Defense in the preparation of a pamphlet entitled "The Day's Food in War and Peace," which includes 9 lessons on food topics. It is designed for the use of women's clubs and other organizations, each lesson including a discussion of the subject matter, suggestions for a demonstration with recipes for the use of the materials discussed, references to Government publications and to lantern slides prepared by the Department of Agriculture and the Food Administration.

The work with clothing, household textiles, and household equipment was continued, particularly with reference to the preparation of bulletins and other material on methods of handling and caring for such products in such a way that the period of usefulness may be prolonged. This work, as a whole, has a direct connection with war-emergency thrift problems, and a large amount of material has been brought together.

Correspondence with housekeepers, extension workers, teachers, and students markedly increased. This feature of the work is of great importance, not only for the opportunity it offers to aid housekeepers in some of their special problems, but also because of the useful and varied information which they furnish to the office.

REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC

ROADS.

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,

BUREAU OF PUBLIC ROADS, Washington, D. C., October 14, 1918.

SIR: I have the honor to submit herewith the Report of the Office of Public Roads and Rural Engineering1 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1918.

Respectfully,

Hon. D. F. HOUSTON,

Secretary of Agriculture.

L. W. PAGE, Director.

WAR WORK.

At the time the United States entered the war there were on the rolls of the Office of Public Roads and Rural Engineering 187 male employees. Of this number 52, or 28 per cent, entered the military service between that time and the close of the fiscal year 1918. It may be added that the number of those entering the military service from June 30 to September 30, inclusive, has brought the total to 72, or 35 per cent of the male employees who were in the Office on April 6, 1917.

Engineers to the number of 18 have been assigned to Army posts and cantonments for the purpose of supervising and inspecting highway construction, involving several hundred miles of roads of varying types from sand-clay to concrete; at Quantico, Va., for the Marine corps, and at Gunpowder, Md., for the Edgewood Arsenal of the Bureau of Ordnance.

An engineer was assigned on March 5, 1918, to aid the United States Shipping Board Housing Corporation in working out highway and street problems in connection with the various housing projects. This arrangement continued throughout the remainder of the fiscal year.

A similar arrangement was made with the United States Housing Corporation of the Department of Labor. The engineer assigned to that duty did not begin active cooperation, however, until July,

1918.

In the act making appropriations for the Department of Agriculture for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1919, the title of the Office of Public Roads and Rural Engineering is changed to Bureau of Public Roads.

The engineer of tests of this office devoted a considerable portion of his time to aiding the Emergency Fleet Corporation in the testing of materials for and the designing of concrete ships. This cooperation began in November, 1917, and extended throughout the fiscal year.

The testing laboratory of the office was engaged to a considerable extent in the design of apparatus for the Ordnance Bureau to test the power of various explosives. Other special work of this character was done from time to time, and the services of our mechanician, in addition to those of the testing engineers, were utilized to a considerable extent.

Complete and detailed highway maps were made, utilizing, as far as practicable, topographic sheets of the United States Geological Survey, covering all of Maryland east of the meridian passing through Washington, all of the coast counties of New Jersey, all of the coast counties of Connecticut, and all of Florida south of Jacksonville. In addition to these detailed highway maps, the principal highways in a zone extending from Boston to Newport News, through New York and Washington, were plotted on topographic sheets for the use of the Geological Survey. Detailed route maps were prepared, covering the route from Detroit to Baltimore.

The cooperation of the office was sought by the Capital Issues Committee in connection with highway, irrigation, and drainage bonds which were subject to the approval of the Capital Issues Committee. During the fiscal year, inspections were made of 126 highway projects involving bond issues aggregating $49,276,366, and reports made to the Capital Issues Committee. Inspections were made of 25 irrigation projects, involving $18,279,060, and 30 drainage projects, involving $19,356,970, or a grand total of 181 inspections, involving $86,912,396.

Early in the spring of 1918 it became apparent that unless positive action was taken, serious difficulty might arise in obtaining the necessary bituminous materials for highway work during the season of 1918. Accordingly, an arrangement was entered into with the Fuel Administration whereby that organization would issue permits for bituminous materials for highway work upon recommendation of the Office of Public Boards and Rural Engineering. Under that arrangement several thousand applications for approval of highway projects were submitted to the office and permits were issued by the Fuel Administration in line with the arrangement for amounts of bituminous materials equivalent to upward of 100,000,000 gallons. This work, however, was merged in June, 1918, into the work of the United States Highways Council, and the totals to June 30, inclusive, cover in addition to results obtained under the original arrangement, those obtained under the operation of the United States Highways Council for the period from June 8 to June 30, inclusive. To the close of the fiscal year, a total of 2,235 applications had been received, calling for the equivalent of 75,000,000 gallons of bituminous materials, of which 58,000,000 gallons had been approved and permits issued.

It became apparent early in the fiscal year that some method of coordinating the various powers of the Government with reference to highways was essential, not only to the appropriate regulation of

highway work during the period of the war, but to enable really essential highway work to proceed. Evidence of this existed in the fact that the Capital Issues Committee passed upon highway bond issues; the Railroad Administration controlled cars which were required in the transportation of highway materials; the War Industries Board had power to control essential highway materials, such as steel, cement, brick, crushed stone, etc.; the Fuel Administration exercised control over bituminous materials, such as oil, asphalt, and tars; the Department of Agriculture exercised the direct powers of the Government with reference to highways under the terms of the Federal aid road act, and the appropriations for the Office of Public Roads and Rural Engineering; the War Department was directly interested in highways which serve military purposes, such as Army truck routes, etc. Any highway project which required several of the facilities controlled by these various Government agencies was compelled, therefore, to be subjected to the delay and hazard of securing approval separately from each Government organization.

As an outcome of careful consideration, the Secretary of Agriculture requested the Secretary of War, the Director General of Railroads, the chairman of the War Industries Board, and the fuel administrator each to name a representative to serve with the Director of the Office of Public Roads on a council to coordinate these activities. In accordance with the Secretary's suggestion, the United States Highways Council was formed and held its first session on June 8, 1918. An immense amount of regulatory work has been done by the council since its organization.

The Director and the Chief of Management of the Office of Public Roads and Rural Engineering served respectively as chairman and secretary of the council. The office provided engineering and clerical assistance to the council as well as office room, necessary stationery, and printing. Engineers of the office made inspections of projects on which the council desired information.

FEDERAL AID ROAD ACT.

Notwithstanding the adverse conditions incident to the war, work under the Federal aid road act progressed well during the fiscal year. Efforts were made, in cooperation with the several State highway departments, to restrict construction work to such projects as would prove of greatest importance, serve the greatest economic or military use, and contribute, either directly or indirectly, to the success of the Government's war program.

During the fiscal year the legislative assent required by section 1 of the Federal aid road act was given by the legislatures of all States for which such assent had not already been given, except the State of Alabama. The Alabama legislature meets only quadrennially, and. its next regular session will convene in January, 1919. It is expected that at that time the necessary legislative assent will be given for that State. However, the governor of Alabama assented on behalf of the State, as authorized by the act, so that cooperation with the State has not been affected adversely.

With a view to meeting unusual conditions that arose it was found desirable to amend the rules and regulations which were issued Sep