There is hereby created and established a state highway department, which shall be charged with the giving of instruction in the art of building, improving and repairing public wagon roads and bridges, collecting reports from township and county highway commissioners, overseers of highways and superintendents and commissioners of streets in villages and cities, and with the distribution of any state reward for improving the public wagon roads, that this legislature or any future session may provide for, or any funds that may be given to the state for such purposes by the United States government.