fitting that the great cities contribute heavily to the construction of state trunk lines through the territory upon which they are dependent in a large measure for support.

RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF ROUTES

As it will be many years before all of the routes suggested for State Highways can be constructed to a proper alignment and grade, it would be well for the Legislature to designate the routes of primary importance, though not prohibiting expenditures on secondary roads until such time as the primary routes are completed.

As shown on the accompanying map, there are 2,242 miles of primary routes and 2,026 miles of secondary routes, or a total of 4,268 miles. Of this total, 692 miles are in the National Forests or Parks, 213 of which are primary and 479 miles are secondary routes.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, it appears that Oregon must ultimately accept the principle of classifying her roads in accordance with their use, and fixing responsibility upon specific officers, for the administration of each class of roads.

That State roads must be uniformly constructed and maintained seems to be generally accepted. But the same principles should also govern the construction and maintenance of important county roads. There is no reason for leaving either the construction or maintenance of county roads to the districts through which they pass, than there would be for surrendering control of a branch railway line to the section foremen in charge of the various sections. County road's should be uniformly maintained without absolute domination by any particular district through which such road may travel.

It has been demonstrated that through such classification of roads, the cost can be distributed about as equitably upon those who use them, as by any other plan yet suggested.

The Legislature should, however, permanently designate the State routes, and the State Highway Department should be given some voice in the selection of county highways, so as to secure proper connections at county lines.

The most important lesson to be learned by the people before we can make any substantial progress on so large a road program, is how to organize for effective construction and maintenance work. Also how to profit by past experience and prevent the duplication and waste under the present system and how to standardize present practice and improve upon such standards as experience is gained.

This requires an effective road organization where continuity of service of efficient employees can be reasonably insured It should provide for local control of road revenue, yet centralize control of technical work and accounting so as to coördinate results on the different classes of roads. One man working eight hours a day can do very little unless the laws provide for such an effective road organization for him to direct.

The lesson of thorough maintenance should be learned before expensive pavements are laid. This lesson can be learned better on present roads than on more expensive roads.

The old policy of division of responsibility with its innumerable checks and balances should give way for a larger measure of centralized, executive control if we expect to carry out a consistent and continuing road program as outlined above.

DISTRIBUTION OF PROPOSED STATE ROADS AND CONTRIBUTION BY COUNTIES FOR THE YEAR 1916

Of this total of 4,268 miles, 692 miles is in National Forests or Parks, 213 of which are primary and 479 miles secondary roads.

Roads Within and Adjacent to National

Forests in Oregon

By B. J. Finch, United States Senior Highway Engineer

INTRODUCTION

The development and settlement of any new country follows the line of least resistance. When the early settlers came to Oregon they located along the banks of the Willamette River and in what is known as French Prairie. Overland travel from the east to this fertile valley found a barrier in the Cascade Mountains. The easiest passage was down the Columbia River, but it was a dangerous route to travel. One of the early pioneers, Joel Palmer, spent months in making his way from Central Oregon to the south of Mt. Hood along what is now known in part as the Barlow Road, in order that he might avoid the dangerous passage of the Columbia.

The line of least resistance in Oregon has always been along north and south lines. Since the days of Joel Palmer the Cascade Mountains have stood as the same barrier, and even today the crossing of these mountains on any road is a feat accomplished only by those who are willing to take the risk.

The development of roads across these mountains has been slow for many reasons, the main one of which is the difficulty and expense of such development. The taxable resources of this section of the State are small. Distances are so great that timber land becomes of no value, due to the fact that the cost of transporting the lumber would be greater than the value of the lumber itself. With no means of communication the area surrounding the Cascade Mountains would be valueless, and in private ownership could not be developed for years to come, and then only by a destructive development, leaving the country even less valuable than before.

This area, however, lies within the National Forests. Twenty per cent of the total area of the State is National forest land, and of this National forest land forty-five per cent, or approximately one-tenth the area of the State, lies within the National Forests along the Cascade Range. Realiz

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ing the need of development of this section, the Forest Service has been seeking a way to meet this need. They began by concentrating their efforts on the McKenzie River road in the central part of the range, and doing what they could with the limited funds available from the receipts of the National Forests, a sum of from $20,000.00 to $30,000.00 per annum. Not all this fund could, however, be expended on this one project so that the amount which it has been possible to expend there has only been about $10,000.00 a year. Progress has been necessarily slow, and only a small part of the work has been completed. A partial solution of the problem now appears in the Act of Congress which appropriates one million dollars a year for ten years for National Forest roads, of which sum Oregon will receive about $127,800.00 per year.

COÖPERATION

In order that this fund may accomplish the greatest possible development it is desirable that the State and counties coöperate with at least an equal amount. This simply means putting all money available for road building on these roads in one fund, as a large fund can be handled more economically than the same amount in several small ones. This will allow the construction of real development roads across the Cascade Mountains, and because of this feature of development the Department of Agriculture is justified in requiring coöperation on account of the increased resources resulting from the construction of the roads, and consequently of the increased amount which will be available from taxation.

EFFECT OF ROAD IMPROVEMENT ON LAND VALUES Investigation by the office of Public Roads and Rural Engineering in eight counties in various parts of the United States shows that by the construction of improved highways land values in those counties increased on an average about seventy per cent. These counties were in more or less settled portions of the country and the results to be obtained by road construction in a new country, such as we have in this area along the Cascade Mountains, could not fail to be even greater than this. In fact, I believe I am justified in predicting that