Before any projects are approved in any State, such State, through its State highway department, shall select or designate a system of highways not to exceed 7 per centum of the total highway mileage of such State as shown by the records of the State highway department at the time of the passage of this act. Upon this system all Federal-aid apportionments shall be expended. Highways which may receive Federal aid shall be divided into two classes, one of which shall be known as primary or interstate highways, and shall not exceed three-sevenths of the total mileage which may receive Federal aid, and the other which shall connect or correlate therewith and be known as secondary or intercounty highways, and shall consist of the remainder of the mileage which may receive Federal aid. The Secretary of Agriculture shall have authority to approve in whole or in part the systems as designated or to require modifications or revisions thereof: Provided, That the States shall submit to the Secretary of Agriculture for his approval any proposed revisions of the designated systems of highways above provided for. Not more than 60 per centum of all Federal aid allotted to any State shall be expended upon the primary or interstate highways until provision has been made for the improvement of the entire system of such highways: Provided, That with the approval of any State highway department the Secretary of Agriculture may approve the expenditure of more than 60 per centum of the Federal aid apportioned to such State upon the primary or interstate highways in such State. The Secretary of Agriculture may approve projects submitted by the State highway departments prior to the selection, designation, and approval of the system of Federal-aid highways herein provided for if he may reasonably anticipate that such projects will become a part of such system. Whenever provision has been made by any State for the completion and maintenance of a system of primary or interstate and secondary or intercounty highways equal to 7 per centum of the total mileage of such State, as required by this act, said State, through its State highway department, by and with the approval of the Secretary of Agriculture, is hereby authorized to add to the mileage of primary or interstate and secondary or intercounty systems as funds become available for the construction and maintenance of such additional mileage. SEC. 7. That before any project shall be approved by the Secretary of Agriculture for any State such State shall make provisions for State funds re quired each year of such States by this act for construction, reconstruction, and maintenance of Federal-aid highways within the State, which funds shall be under the direct control of the State highway department. SEC. 8. That only such durable types of surface and kinds of materials shali be adopted for the construction and reconstruction of any highway which is a part of the primary or interstate and secondary or intercounty systems as will adequately meet the existing and probable future traffic needs and conditions thereon. The Secretary of Agriculture shall approve the types and width of construction and reconstruction and the character of improvement, repair, and maintenance of each case, consideration being given to the type and char acter which shall be best suited for each locality and to the probable character and extent of the future traffic. SEC. 9. That all highways constructed or reconstructed under the provisions of this act shall be free from tolls of all kinds. That all highways in the primary or interstate system constructed after the passage of this act shall have a right of way of ample width and a wearing surface of an adequate width which shall not be less than eighteen feet, unless, in the opinion of the Secretary of Agriculture, it is rendered impracticable by physical conditions, excessive costs, probable traffic requirements, or legal obstacles. SEC. 10. That when any State shall have met the requirements of this act. the Secretary of the Treasury, upon receipt of certification from the governor of such State to such effect, approved by the Secretary of Agriculture, shall immediately make available to such State, for the purpose set forth in this act, the sum apportioned to such State as herein provided. SEC. 11. That any State having complied with the provisions of this act, and desiring to avail itself of the benefits thereof, shall by its State highway department submit to the Secretary of Agriculture project statements setting forth proposed construction or reconstruction of any primary or interstate, or second ary or intercounty highway therein. If the Secretary of Agriculture approve the project, the State highway department shall furnish to him such surveys, plans, specifications, and estimates therefor as he may require; items included for engineering, inspection, and unforeseen contingencies shall not exceed 10 per centum of the total estimated costs of its construction. That when the Secretary of Agriculture approves such surveys, plans, specifications, and estimates, he shall notify the State highway department and immediately certify the fact to the Secretary of the Treasury. The Secretary of the Treasury shall thereupon set aside the share of the United States payable under this act on account of such projects, which shall not exceed 50 per centum of the total estimated cost thereof, except that in the case of any State containing unappropriated public lands exceeding 5 per centum of the total area of all lands in the State, the share of the United States payable under this act on account of such projects shall not exceed 50 per centum of the total estimated cost thereof plus a percentage of such estimated cost equal to one-half of the percentage which the area of the unappropriated public lands in such State bears to the total area of such State: Provided, That the limitation of payments not to exceed $20,000 per mile, under existing law, which the Secretary of Agriculture may make be, and the same is hereby, increased in proportion of the increased percentage of Federal aid authorized by this section: Provided further, That these provisions relative to the public land States shall apply to all unobligated or unmatched funds appropriated by the Federal aid act and payment for approved projects upon which actual building construction work had not begun on the 30th day of June, 1921. SEC. 12. That the construction and reconstruction of the highways or parts of highways under the provisions of this act, and all contracts, plans, specifications, and estimates relating thereto, shall be undertaken by the State highway departments subject to the approval of the Secretary of Agriculture. The construction and reconstruction work and labor in each State shall be done in accordance with its laws and under the direct supervision of the State highway department, subject to the inspection and approval of the Secretary of Agriculture and in accordance with the rules and regulations pursuant to this act. SEC. 13. That when the Secretary of Agriculture shall find that any project approved by him has been constructed or reconstructed in compliance with said plans and specifications, he shall cause to be paid to the proper authorities of said State the amount set aside for said project. That the Secretary of Agriculture may, in his discretion, from time to time, make payments on such construction or reconstruction as the work progresses, but these payments, including previous payments, if any, shall not be more than the United States pro rata part of the value of the labor and materials which have been actually put into such construction or reconstruction in conformity to said plans and specifications. The Secretary of Agriculture and the State highway department of each State may jointly determine at what time and in what amounts payments as work progresses shall be made under this act. Such payments shall be made by the Secretary of the Treasury, on warrants drawn by the Secretary of Agriculture, to such official or officials or depository as may be designated by the State highway department and authorized under the laws of the State to receive public funds of the State. SEC. 14. That should any State fail to maintain any highway within its boundaries after construction or reconstruction under the provisions of this act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall then serve notice upon the State highway department of that fact, and if within ninety days after receipt of such notice said highway has not been placed in proper condition of maintenance, the Secretary of Agriculture shall proceed immediately to have such highway placed in a proper condition of maintenance and charge the cost thereof against the Federal funds allotted to such State, and shall refuse to approve any other project in such State, except as hereinafter provided. Upon the reimbursement by the State of the amount expended by the Federal Government for such maintenance, said amount shall be paid into the Federal highway fund for reapportionment among all the States for the construction of roads under this act, and the Secretary of Agriculture shall then approve further projects submitted by the State as in this act provided Whenever it shall become necessary for the Secretary of Agriculture under the provisions of this act to place any highway in a proper condition of mainte nance the Secretary of Agriculture shall contract with some responsible party or parties for doing such work: Provided, however, That in case he is not able to secure a satisfactory contract he may purchase, lease, hire, or otherwise obtain all necessary supplies, equipment, and labor, and may operate and maintain such motor and other equipment and facilities as in his judgment are necessary for the proper and efficient performance of his functions. SEC. 15. That within two years after this act takes effect the Secretary of Agriculture shall prepare, publish, and distribute a map showing the highways and forest roads that have been selected and approved as a part of the primary or interstate, and the secondary or intercounty systems, and at least annually thereafter shall publish supplementary maps showing his program and the progress made in selection, construction, and reconstruction. SEC. 16. That for the purpose of this act the consent of the United States is hereby given to any railroad or canal company to convey to the highway department of any State any part of its right of way or other property in that State acquired by grant from the United States. SEC. 17. That if the Secretary of Agriculture determines that any part of the public lands or reservations of the United States is reasonably necessary for the right of way of any highway or forest road or as a source of materials for the construction or maintenance of any such highway or forest road adjacent to such lands or reservations, the Secretary of Agriculture shall file with the Secretary of the department supervising the administration of such land or reservation a map showing the portion of such lands or reservations which it is desired to appropriate. If within a period of four months after such filing the said Secretary shall not have certified to the Secretary of Agriculture that the proposed appropriation of such land or material is contrary to the public interest or inconsistent with the purposes for which such land or materials have been reserved, or shall have agreed to the appropriation and transfer under conditions which he deems necessary for the adequate protection and utilization of the reserve, then such land and materials may be appropriated and transferred to the State highway department for such purposes and subject to the conditions so specified. If at any time the need for any such lands or materials for such purposes shall no longer exist, notice of the fact shall be given by the State highway department to the Secretary of Agriculture, and such lands or materials shall immediately revert to the control of the Secretary of the department from which they had been appropriated. SEC. 18. That the Secretary of Agriculture shall prescribe and promulgate all needful rules and regulations for the carrying out of the provisions of this act, including such recommendations to the Congress and the State highway departments as he may deem necessary for preserving and protecting the highways and insuring the safety of traffic thereon. SEC. 19. That on or before the first Monday in December of each year the Secretary of Agriculture shall make a report to Congress, which shall include a detailed statement of the work done, the status of each project undertaken, the allocation of appropriations, an itemized statement of the expenditures and receipts during the preceding fiscal year under this act, an itemized statement of the traveling and other expenses, including a list of employees, their duties, salaries, and traveling expenses, if any, and his recommendations, if any, for new legislation amending or supplementing this act. The Secretary of Agriculture shall also make such special reports as Congress may request. SEC. 20. That for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this act there is hereby appropriated, out of the moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $75,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1922, $25,000,000 of which shall become immediately available, and $50,000,000 of which shall become available January 1, 1922. SEC. 21. That so much, not to exceed 22 per centum, of all moneys hereby or hereafter appropriated for expenditure under the provisions of this act, as the Secretary of Agriculture may deem necessary for administering the provisions of this act and for carrying on necessary highway research and investigational studies independently or in cooperation with the State highway departments and other research agencies, and for publishing the results thereof, shall be deducted for such purposes, available until expended. Within sixty days after the close of each fiscal year the Secretary of Agriculture shall determine what part, if any, of the sums theretofore deducted for such purposes will not be needed and apportion such part, if any, for the fiscal year then current in the same manner and on the same basis as are other amounts authorized by this act apportioned among all the States, and shall certify such apportionment to the Secretary of the Treasury and to the State highway departments. The Secretary of Agriculture, after making the deduction authorized by this section, shall apportion the remainder of the appropriation made for expenditure under the provision of the act for the fiscal year among the several States in the following manner: One-third in the ratio which the area of each State bears to the total area of all the States; one-third in the ratio which the population of each State bears to the total population of all the States as shown by the latest available Federal census; one-third in the ratio which the mileage of rural delivery routes and star routes in each State bears to the total mileage of rural delivery and star routes in all the States at the close of the next preceding fiscal year, as shown by certificate of the Postmaster General, which he is directed to make and furnish annually to the Secretary of Agriculture: Provided, That no State shall receive less than one-half of 1 per centum of each year's allotment. All moneys herein or hereafter appropriated for expenditure under the provisions of this act shall be available until the close of the second succeeding fiscal year for which apportionment was made: Provided further, That any sums apportioned to any State under the provisions of the act entitled "An act to provide that the United States shall aid the States in the construction of rural post roads, and for other purposes," approved July 11, 1916, and all acts amendatory thereof and supplemental thereto, shall be available for expenditure in that State for the purpose set forth in such acts until two years after the close of the respective fiscal years for which any such sums become available, and any amount so apportioned remaining unexpended at the end of the period during which it is available for expenditure under the terms of such acts shall be reapportioned according to the provisions of the act entitled "An act to provide that the United States shall aid the States in the construction of rural post roads, and for other purposes," approved July 11, 1916: And provided further, That any amount apportioned under the provisions of this act unexpended at the end of the period during which it is available for expenditure under the terms of this section shall be reapportioned within sixty days thereafter to all the States in the same manner and on the same basis, and certified to the Secretary of the Treasury and the State highway departments in the same way as if it were being apportioned under this act for the first time. SEC. 22. That within sixty days after the approval of this act the Secretary of Agriculture shall certify to the Secretary of the Treasury and to each of the State highway departments the sum he has estimated to be deducted for administering the provisions of this act and the sums which he has apportioned to each State for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1922, and on or before January 20 next preceding the commencement of each succeeding fiscal year, and shall make like certificates for each fiscal year. SEC. 23. That out of the moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there is hereby appropriated for the survey, construction, reconstruction, and maintenance of forest roads and trails, the sum of $5,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1922, available immediately and until expended, and $10,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1923, available until expended. (a) Fifty per centum, but not to exceed $3,000,000 for any one fiscal year, of the appropriation made or that may hereafter be made for expenditures under the provisions of this section shall be expended under the direct supervision of the Secretary of Agriculture in the survey, construction, reconstruction, and maintenance of roads and trails of primary importance for the protection, administration, and utilization of the national forests, or when necessary, for the use and development of the resources upon which communities within or adjacent to the national forests are dependent, and shall be apportioned among the several States, Alaska, and Porto Rico by the Secretary of Agriculture, according to the relative needs of the various national forests, taking into consideration the existing transportation facilities, value of timber, or other resources served, relative fire danger, and comparative difficulties of road and trail construction. The balance of such appropriations shall be expended by the Secretary of Agriculture in the survey, construction, reconstruction, and maintenance of forest roads, of primary importance to the State, counties, or communities within, adjoining, or adjacent to the national forests, and shall be prorated nd apportioned by the Secretary of Agriculture for expenditures in the several States, Alaska, and Porto Rico, according to the area and value of the land owned by the Government within the national forests therein as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture from such information, investigation, sources, and departments as the Secretary of Agriculture may deem most accurate. (b) Cooperation of Territories, States, and civil subdivisions thereof may be accepted but shall not be required by the Secretary of Agriculture. (c) The Secretary of Agriculture may enter into contracts with any Territory, State, or civil subdivision thereof for the construction, reconstruction, or maintenance of any forest road or trail or part thereof. (d) Construction work on forest roads or trails estimated to cost $5,000 or more per mile, exclusive of bridges, shall be advertised and let to contract. If such estimated cost is less than $5,000 per mile, or if, after proper advertising, no acceptable bid is received, or the bids are deemed excessive, the work may be done by the Secretary of Agriculture on his own account; &nd for such purpose the Secretary of Agriculture may purchase, lease, hire, rent, or otherwise obtain all necessary supplies, materials, tools, equipment, and facilities required to perform the work. The appropriation made in this section or that may hereafter be made for expenditure under the provision of this section may be expended for the purpose herein authorized and for the payment of wages, salaries, and other expenses for help employed in connection with such work. SEC. 24. That in any State where the existing constitution or laws will not permit the State to provide revenues for the construction, reconstruction, or maintenance of highways, the Secretary of Agriculture shall continue to approve projects for said State until three years after the passage of this act, if he shall find that said State has complied with the provisions of this act in so far as its existing constitution and laws will permit. SEC. 25. That if any provision of this act, or the application thereof to any person or circumstances, shall be held invalid, the validity of the remainder of the act and of the application of such provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby. SEC. 26. That all acts or parts of acts in any way inconsistent with the provisions of this act are hereby repealed, and this act shall take effect on its passage. Approved, November 9, 1921. POST OFFICE APPROPRIATION ACT OF JUNE 19, 1922 [42 Stat. 660] An Act Making appropriations for the Post Office Department for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1923, and for other purposes * SEC. 4. That for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of the act entitled "An act to provide that the United States shall aid the States in the construction of rural post roads, and for other purposes," approved June 11, 1916, and all acts amendatory thereof and supplementary thereto, there is hereby authorized to be appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the following additional sums, all such sums to be expended in accordance with the provisions of such act: The sum of $50,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1923. The Secretary of Agriculture is hereby authorized, immediately upon the passage of this act, to apportion the $50,000,000 herein authorized to be appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1923, among the several States as provided in section 21 of the Federal highway act approved November 9, 1921: Provided, That the Secretary of Agriculture shall act upon projects submitted to him under his apportionment of this authorization and his approval of any such project shall be deemed a contractual obligation of the Federal Govern. ment for the payment of its proportional contribution thereto. PAR. 2. For the purpose of carrying out the provisions of section 23 of the Federal highway act, approved November 9, 1921, there is hereby authorized |