Show reorganization OF RURAL engineering the annual report of the office of public roads which the department of agriculture has just issued for the fiscal year enang june 30 1915 announces the incorporation into tho the office of the work in farm drainage irrigation and architecture this work was transferred to the office of P public bublic roads under the act of congress dated march 4 1915 which reorganizes the department pa part ment of ag agriculture ri culture in certain important features in order that the new organization might be actually under way at the commencement of the fiscal y year car 1916 the office of public roads took over this new work on april 1 since that time drainage investigations have been carried on in florida in states north of the ohio river in kentucky and in northern idaho plans for the organization of drainage districts and methods method of financing such organizations havo have also been stud aed the farm irrigation investigations which were formerly con conducted ducted an on a ferrit territorial orial basis are now being handled on a subject ab basis and t the e local offices ach were previously maintained id in various states have been abandoned hereafter the men inn kark from three central offices cices oi pr from washington wahington irr in its ts road work the office I for or thelast the past year has continued to Su supervise the expenditure of the appropriation which congress provided the post office department for the im faient of post roads in ciufi counties or states contributing double ahe amount spent by the Fe federal aeral government five such roads were completed during the year in iowa maryland oregon and Virgi virginia nii work was vas also on 6 eleven leve n other roads being bul built it under dundei this appropriation ti on bridges find and road systems were also phin planned ried for a number of counties through out the country and advice given tv local officials eldIs in a large number of states the demonstration of maintenance teft ance work which the office started last year on the highway from washington to atlanta nasr vw continued ceded with much success cc so oatlie e 1000 milea of this highway are how under the tupe supervision rv of the office the coun counties affected are being encouraged cou raged to undertake construction where this is necessary and to maintain the road in good dondit condition iori elsea elsewhere here expert eapen in the maintenance of various kinds of highways s have also been conducted in virginia and Marv maryland land one of the most important ac stivi tivi of the office mentioned in the report has been the collection in the rast past year of data on the mileage of improved and unimproved roads throughout the country and of the expense incurred for road purposes traffic studies on a number of important roads have also been made in ade in order to determine the traffic in ton aton miles before and after if ter improvement this affords an a basis for calculating the amount of bonev each community may profitably spend upon the th improvement of its roads numerous tests of materials used in road building have also been conducted I 1 |