much simpler when compared with the old one, where the accuser received one-third of the fines collected, the alcalde another third, and the remaining third was held and deposited in a fund reserved for the improvement of roads.

I have to reiterate my statement made in previous reports in reference to the comparatively high cost of maintaining the roads, that I believe, after the present extensive and unusual repairs made necessary by neglect dating back to before the war are finished and the general condition of the roads has assumed a more normal aspect, their maintenance will be less expensive to the Government if done by contract covering a period of a year or a series of years. With rigid specifications and exercising a constant and intelligent inspection, the results I am certain would be more satis factory than now.

2. Construction of new and reconstruction of old and unfinished roads.-Under this head is comprised all the actual new and important repair work carried on during the year by contract and day labor, either with appropriations from the regular budget or with allotments from the so-called "trust fund." It will be well to enumerate them chronologically in the order in which they were begun, giving those completed first and closing with those still in progress or unfinished at the end of the fiscal year.

(1) Arecibo section of the Arecibo-Ponce road.-This section, about 12.8 kilometers long, was commenced under the military government in February, 1900, under a contract made with a New York firm. The first appropriations for its construction were made from insular funds. These were not sufficient to complete the work as originally contemplated, and after they had been expended the contract was discontinued. An allotment of $42,726 from the trust fund was subsequently made to complete the work left unfinished under the previous contract, and the recommendation to do this by day labor was approved. At the beginning of the fiscal year work had just been started, but it was carried on vigorously during the following months and was practically completed in December last at a cost of $41,411.18.

The southern end of this section had been nearly completed for about 5 kilometers under the original contract, and comparatively little work had been done to the remainder. The work done by day labor was, therefore, in reality, equivalent to constructing over 7 kilometers of new road, the greater part of which was through a low cane country having no bottom, figuratively speaking, requiring for long distances an expensive Telford paving for a foundation. But the whole distance of over 12 kilometers was put in thorough good order at comparatively little expense, and reflects credit upon the young engineer who had charge of it.

(2) Second section of the Manati-Ciales road.-This section is 8.1 kilometers long, and, like the preceding one, had been commenced by the military government and partly finished under a contract with the same company referred to therein, with funds appropriated from the insular budget.

At the beginning of the fiscal year an allotment of $49,680 had been made from the trust fund to complete it by day labor, and work had just commenced. The road was finished in December last, at a total expense of $30,885.46. The balance of the allotment, which is still on hand, is to be expended in erecting the large iron bridge across the Manati River, for which preparations are in progress.

(3) Caguas-Humacao road.-This road, passing through the towns of Gurabo, Juncos, and Piedras, is 36.2 kilometers long, including the section from Humacao to Humacao Playa. It was received from the military engineers in an unfinished state, all the grading having been done and considerable macadam. An allotment of $65,000 was obtained from the trust fund to complete it, and it was decided to do part of the work by contract and part by day labor. A contract was made with Marix & Co., of San Juan, to complete the three middle sections of the road situated between Gurabo, Juncos, Piedras, and Humacao, respectively, for the lump sum of $44,250, using as a basis the quantities and labor required as determined by a detailed examination and estimate made shortly before the work commenced. The length of the road covered by the contract was 20.2 kilometers. Work was begun in December, 1901, and was finished in June, 1902, having been much delayed by the heavy rains. At many points the sub-bed had become so soft that macadam could not be placed upon it except at a great loss, and it became necessary to lay first a telford pavement. The drainage along the road was also found insufficiently provided for in the original project, which required the construction of additional culverts, drain pipe, and dry retaining walls, and the excavating of extra ditches. The total amount expended under the contract was $52,914.33. The balance of the allotment was applied in repairing and maintaining the two end sections of the road near Caguas and Humacao Playa, the last named one particularly requiring much attention, as the culverts were old and the macadam only a few inches in thickness. A new bridge of 5.50 meters span was built on the Playa section in place of an old, large, brick culvert destroyed about a year ago, with an allotment of $1,800 from the trust fund.

(4) Defendini section of the Arecibo-Ponce road.-This section comprises the last unfinished portion between Ponce and Adjuntas, and begins at kilometer 15 of the old road built northward beyond Ponce, and joins the new road recently extended southward from Adjuntas at a point near the top of the mountains, called “Defendini.” Its length is 5.93 kilometers, 3 kilometers following the old Adjuntas road, the rest being an entirely new line. A resurvey which was in progress at the beginning of the fiscal year was completed some time in August, and a project having been made and approved, an allotment of $90,000 was obtained from the trust fund, the work to be done by contract.

The following is an abstract of bids received for this work on December 31, after proposals had been invited by public advertising:

TABLE No. 8.-List of bids for the construction of 5.93 kilometers of road No. 6, “Defendini” to kilometer 15, opened December 31, 1901.

The contractor immediately began work and, favored by fine weather which prevailed during the first three months of the present year, made considerable progress. At the end of the fiscal year nearly all the grading and excavations had been made and about two-thirds of the masonry work had been constructed, and preparations were in progress to spread the macadam. The recent rains, however, have slightly interfered with the work. It is expected, however, that the contractor will complete the contract as agreed upon by October 4, 1902.

(5) Rio Chico section of the Arecibo-Ponce road. This is a section beginning 10 kilometers south of Utuado and extending for a length of 5.22 kilometers to a point called "Vuelta de los Tallones," joining on both ends with unfinished portions of roads built by the military engineers. Its route lies principally along the old Utuado-Adjuntas trail and no work had been done thereon before. From a survey made at the beginning of the fiscal year a project was prepared and approved and the work was ordered to be done by contract, with an allotment of $74,000 made from the trust fund. In response to the usual advertisement the following bids were received:

TABLE NO. 9.-List of bids for the construction of 5.22 kilometers of road No. 6, between Adjuntas and Utuado, opened February 6, 1902.

Work has been in progress since the latter part of February, and at the end of the fiscal year about three-fourths of the grading and excavation and nearly one-third of the masonry work had been done. With the exception of delay caused by several unexpected landslides, the work is progressing well and is expected to be finished by the time fixed upon on the contract, viz, August 28, 1902.

(6) San German and Pezuela Bridge section of the Mayaguez-Ponce road.-This section, which is 64 kilometers long, had never been in charge of the public works, having been built by municipalities before the war. Its condition had become wretched by neglect, and as it is an important highway and connects at Pezuela Bridge with a finished portion of the same road leading into Mayaguez, which is being maintained by this bureau, orders were given last January to repair it, the expenses to be defrayed with an allotment of $10,000 made from the "trust fund." The repairs were done by day labor under the supervision of three experienced "sobrestantes," and were finished in April. Over 3,000 cubic meters of broken stone were placed, requiring at many and the most miry points large block stone for a foundation. A thorough drainage was provided along both sides of the road and the road was left in good order after the allotment had been expended. Since then it has been temporarily taken care of until it will be placed in charge of the regular road force.

a Contract awarded.

(7) Yabucoa-Maunabo road.-A detailed survey for a new road following the old trail over the mountains at La Pandura was made early in the year, and subsequently a preliminary examination for another route following for a certain distance in close proximity to the seashore, but the latter having been found too circuitous and considerably longer than the former, a project was submitted and approved along the first-named route for a second-class road with 3 meters of macadam, at an estimated cost for the whole length, which is 9.36 kilometers, of $38,000. The work was ordered to be done by contract and the allotment, as estimated, having been made from the trust fund, the following bids were received on April 16, 1902, in response to the usual advertisement.

TABLE NO. 10.-List of bids for the construction of 9.36 kilometers of road No. 7, YabucoaMaunabo, opened April 16, 1902.

Roque Paniagua, Ponce.
Carlos Clausells, Ponce
Marix & Co., San Juan.
Demetrio Garofalo, Humacao ❝.

$45, 159.65 38,829.59 34, 155. 40

30, 799. 52

Work was commenced in May last and is now in progress. About 10 per cent of the whole contract had been accomplished at the end of the fiscal year.

(8) San Sebastian-Lares road. This is an extension of the first-class road already finished between Aguadilla and San Sebastian. A survey had been ordered and was in progress at the beginning of the fiscal year and was finally completed in October last. The route follows practically the old trail to Lares, with slight "variantes" introduced at such points where an easier grade was required. Its total length is 14.7 kilometers. On account of the large expenditure involved it was decided to build only a second-class road 5.68 meters wide, to be covered with 3 meters of macadam, but this original order was subsequently modified and the macadam increased to 4.5 meters in width. Nearly all the broken stone required therefor was already available, having been purchased and stored near the route by the military engineers two years ago. The project having been approved, an allotment of $75,000 for the construction of the road in accordance therewith was set aside from the "trust fund," the work to be done by contract. The work was advertised in two sections, one 6 and the other 8.7 kilometers long, the estimated value of each being nearly equal.

The bids received were as follows:

TABLE NO. 11.—List of bids for the construction of 14.67 kilometers of road No. 8, San Sebastian-Lares, kilometer "0" to kilometer 14.67, opened March 19, 1902.

Lowest bid, exclusive of 11, 554 cubic meters of broken stone furnished by bureau of public works, $74, 119. 34.

The aggregate of the lowest bid being higher than the original estimate and the allotment made for the work, it was decided to reject these bids and to advertise again. The second set of bids received were considerably lower and were as follows: TABLE NO. 12.-List of bids for the construction of road No. 8, San Sebastian-Lares, kilometer "0" to kilometer 14.67, opened April 23, 1902.

Lowest bid $78,315.68, including 11,554 cubic meters of broken stone, at $1, furnished by bureau of public works, making net bid $66,761.68.

a Contract awarded.

INT 1902-MIS, PT 2-33

The engineers and the contractors were in the field at the end of the fiscal year preparing to begin actual operations.

(9) Fajardo-Naguabo Playa road.-The demand for the repairs of this road, which constitutes the only outlet for a large and prosperous sugar-cane region, were very great. It was originally built by the municipalities interested therein, and by neglect extending over a series of years had become almost impassable. An allotment of $10,000 was made from the "trust fund" to put the road in good order at points requiring immediate attention, including the regulating of the roadbed and drainage along the whole line.

The distance between Fajardo and Naguabo Playa is 18 kilometers. The repairs, which are being done by day labor, were commenced in April last under the supervision of several sobrestantes and are still in progress, about $8,720 having been expended at the end of the fiscal year.

(10) Yauco and Sabana Grande section of the Mayaguez-Ponce road.-With a view of reconstructing it, a survey of this section was ordered and made last year, followed by a survey of another section of the same road located between Sabana Grande and San German. This was done to obtain complete information about the present condition of the whole road between Yauco and Mayaguez, the section between San German and Pezuela bridge, where the finished road begins, having previously been surveyed. The survey showed that the section between Yauco and ́Sabana Grande was in immediate need of improvement, and a project having been submitted therefor an expenditure of $61,782 from the trust fund was authorized for that purpose in March last.

The section is 16.2 kilometers long, and was heretofore a municipal road. Its maintenance had been entirely neglected, the roadbed having become impassable except in dry weather, but most of the old culverts were found in fairly good condition. It was decided to repair the old culverts and to construct new ones and additional drainpipe where needed by contract, and subsequently to finish the road by day labor. The construction of the culverts, etc., was advertised for, and in response thereto the following bids were received:

TABLE NO. 13.-List of bids for the construction of auxiliary works, road No. 3, YaucoSabana Grande, opened June 3, 1902.

At the end of the fiscal year actual construction work had not yet been begun, but the contractors were preparing the material for the masonry.

(11) Repairs of the Mororis road.-The construction of this road had been begun under a contract by the military government. It was classed as a country road, 5 meters in width, and was only partly finished when work was suspended under the original contract in April, 1901, on account of lack of funds. Its length is 12 kilometers from the junction with the Manati and Ciales road to the town of Morovis, where it ends. In view of the great distance and cost involved in building this somewhat unimportant branch road into a region which had no particular preferences over others, nothing had been done to it since the first work was ordered to be discontinued. Much of the grading was done; several expensive concrete culverts and two large concrete abutments for a long-span iron bridge across Morovis River had been built; the principal work now required was the placing of broken stone and necessary drainage. To prevent the work already done from going to ruin it was decided to put a force of men on the road and to do such work as could be done toward its completion with funds from the regular budget. Since last April several hundred men have been employed under the direction of a sobrestante in breaking and placing stone and in grading and cleaning ditches.

At the end of the fiscal year $9,000 had been thus expended in finishing the grading for a length of 6 kilometers and spreading stone for a length of 5.4 kilometers. Besides this, 9,000 linear meters of ditching was done, one culvert and one dry retaining wall were constructed, and about 1,200 cubic meters of broken stone were stored away in addition to what was used on the road. It is expected that funds will be obtained the coming year to finish the road completely.

(12) San Lorenzo-Caguas road.—As stated in last year's report, this road, which is 9 kilometers long, had been repaired at a total cost of $8,418, of which $2,500 was from the trust fund, and as comparatively little was to be done to make it serviceable and no further allotment could be made, the municipalities of Caguas and San

a Contract awarded.