The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1916-12-15
General Treat Brings instructions
From Washington To Begin
" Work At Once
COMMANDER At ScHoFIELD
SuBsTANTIATES REPORTS
Belt Highway To Be Parent Road
Z, Of Big System For Gar
IT. rison's Guns

-, To perfect the latest plans Of the
army war college in Washington for the
strptegic defense Of Oahu by the dovel-
opment of complete and efficient road
system Is the chief mission of Brig
Gen. Charles @. Treat, who arrived in
Honolulu Tuesday night on the trans
port sheridan, to ASSUME command of
the first brigade, Hawaiian division,
stationed Mt Schofeld Barracks.
Honolulu and every U:aer district on
the island of Oahu are to reap benefits
in more ways than one from the defen-
sive system of highways that General
Treat is instructed to construct if pos
sible.
Primarily General Treat 3 mission is
a military one and accomplishment will
go far toward making 0ahn safe
against invasion. Briefly, according to
lege of the army purposes to install
system of modern roadways &C.
eessible and adaptable for the
rapid shifting of higher caliber,
long range, motor drawn artillery from
forts or barracks TO points Of attack.
Incidentally IL means for Honolulu
and Oahu the attainment of the long
sought motor highways that will mean
better communication and rapid growth
for all parts of the Island, an attrac.
tion 10 tourists that win double the
availability of the scenic spots Of the
Islands and source of pleasure and
increased business opportunity for
every resident of Oahu.
General Treat last night substan-
tiated the word received from Wash.
ington AS to the plans of the army war
college. 49,.
Old Plan AmpliAed
fT'he plan," he said, "is an ampli
fcation Of the old plan adopted for the
development Of a defensive road system
for the island"
This old plan called for the construc-
tion OF an around the island road,
military belt road which was INTENDED
TO provide easy transport for troops
or guns 20 any part of the island shores
Butlthe new plan goes big step for.
ward of this. Many plans have been
suggested in the connection by army
engineers and the present one Is the
ontgroWth of long investigation and
mapping out Of systems.
The theory of the war college road
strategy is based on the circumstance
that the enemy would be at his weakest
Of the point of landing, namely: on the
beach. The road system is to consti.
tute the last line Of defense when with
fleets overNowered and forts silenced,
the enemy we're to attempt a landing
expedition. 49,. lo
General Treats assignment to serv,
ice here is the first move in the mate
realization of the recently perfected
phns Of the war college with regard to
Island defenses. A board of Army en-
gineers made an extensive investigation
Of the situation recently and made its
report to the war college. General
Treat has been a member of the board
ofdefensive strategy, and the report on
Oahu was made to the war college just
before he left Washington for Homo.
lulu.
Nothing Definite Yet
'" GAS yet | can say nothing definite
about the plans" said General Treat
last night, "as the report was made to
the war college just + sfOre left.
will make a complete survey of the
plan and its possibilities, will investi.
gate the needs of military roads, and
may possibly make some further recon
mendatiOns.
''Bcfore anything definite is done on
the report of the engineers board and
the plans of the war college, am in
structed to look into the situation my
self. / expect TO start to work imme
diately."
Is The war college plans, say Washing,
ton dispatches, not only contemplate
The construction of new roads, but spe-
city the Improvement and extension of
oil roads on the Island of Oahu so that
they can stand heavy wear and tear.
The Improvement Of the present Islam
roads Is to consist in bringing them up
10 the most modern type of construc.
tion-smooth, hard, durable and strong.
The extension is to consist in even
tually laying out a network of such
modern rDads on the island.
The purpose in each case is to make
every main road and important branch
road on Oahu adaptable to the expedi.
tiOus movement of heavy artillery.
This mobile ordnance of large caliber
will be depended on as the chief de.
Tense of the Islands.
Network Of Roads
~ 10 IoooBhiLou ny Jne war uepdrJ-
msnt that any attack on the Islands
would be concentrated on Oahu, with
its all.imPortant harbor facilities, and
consequently the most important points
TO defend are Pearl Harbor and Homo.
lulu harbOr, both from frontal and rear
attack. 1t is with this purpose in
mind that every inch Of the coast line
is to be made impregnable, not only by
?, roo inu"us line OF fortresses around
the Island, but by a network of perfect
motor roads capable at all times of
hsrriug thr arid snA continued move.
ment OF heavy artillery on motors
Oahu's shores, in the words of the
civilian, are to be defended by movable
fn-ts.
< In this connection, it is pointed out
that the only motor drawn regiment in
the United States army is one of the
artillery units Of the Hawaiian divi,
sion.