F. Kaylor, Director, Department of Forests and Parka; Edward
R. Keil, State Conservationist, U. S. Soil Conservation Service.
Appointed members: T. Walter Denny, 1962; Charles H. Rems-
berg, 1962.
Fred L. Bull, Secretary

College Park (Prince George's County) Telephone: Warfield 7-3800

The State Soil Conservation Committee, established by Chapter 436,
Acts of 1937, consists of the Chairman of the State Board of Agricul-
ture, the Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station, the Director
of the Agriculture Extension Service, the Dean of the College of Agri-
culture, the Director of the Department of Forests and Parks, the
State Conservationist of the U. S. Soil Conservation Service, and two
Soil Conservation District Supervisors appointed by the State Board
of Agriculture for a one-year term. The Committee selects its officers,
and its duties include (1) rendering assistance to the supervisors of
the several soil conservation districts, (2) providing information about
the experiences and activities of the several districts, (3) coordinating
the programs of the districts, (4) securing cooperation of the various
Federal and State agencies in the work of the districts, (5) dissemi-
nating information about soil conservation throughout the State, and
(6) organizing new soil conservation districts where advisable. It has
organized soil conservation districts in all counties of the State (Code
1957, Art. 66C, sec. 91).

Appropriations 1961 1962

General Funds $111,976 $113,887
Staff: 4.

Public Improvements

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS

Albert P. Backhaus, Director, 1963
Garrett O. Billmire, Assistant Director
Laurence P. Sangston, Principal Architect
Frank L. Byron, Principal Engineer
Edwin J. Trexler, Assistant to the Director
Elizabeth W. Letmate, Executive Secretary

301 W. Preston Street, Baltimore I Telephone: 837-9000

The Department of Public Improvements was created by Chapter
171, Acts of 1947. The Director of Public Improvements, the desig-
nated head of the Department, is appointed by the Governor for a
four-year term.

The duties of the Department of Public Improvements consist, in
part, of the following: to assist and advise the Board of Public Works
and other State agencies on all matters of engineering surveys, plans,
specifications, and contracts for public improvements that may come
before the Board or in which a State agency may be interested; to
select and appoint architects and engineers, subject to approval of the
Board of Public Works, to prepare plans and specifications for all
public improvements; to assist the State Planning Commission in the
development of technical details necessary for the preparation of the
Capital Improvement Program; to collect and maintain a file of plats
ana surveys of the location of all public improvements; and to repre-
sent the Board of Public Works at the opening of all bids for public