Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-10-19

and good roads are being developed at
rapid rate as part of the defense
strategy for Oahu, Gen. Robert K.
Evans, commanding the Hawaiian de-
partment, told an audience of bust.
meeting of the Chamber of Commerce,
which proved of absorbing interest
from the standpoint of military plans.
Gen. Evans suggested that the
chamber, as a patriotic act, help the
war department secure land here to
accommodate a full division of troops
-21 900 men of all branches of the
service.
The generals brief and informal
talk, together with discussion, by an
swers to questions and discussion By
members, is given herewith from the
chambers stenographic report:
President Smith: Referring to that
portion of the secretary's report in
reference to military roads and steps
to be taken to further that end, Brig
Gen. R. K Evans, commander of the
Hawaiian department of the United
States army, will state his ideas On
the subject" -. ) -@,= .....
Gen. Evans: "You all know that
since the passage of the National De
tense Act the army has been largely
increased and that the garrison of Ha-
waii is now definitely fixed with three
brigades of infantry, artillery, regl-
ment of cavalry and regiment OF
engineers. The 9th Regiment CT
Field Artillery has forty seven-inch
guns which are going to be hauled
around by motor transportation.
I'm this connection it may interest
you to know that we must have land.
We have 1000 men here and they are
cramped for room. Here private
property is so sacred that if a soldier
goes on it he has a charge Of tres
pass brought against him. In some
countries soldiers run free, but" here
we have to own land for our soldiers
to exercise on, so we must have more
land. II we march from Schofield 20
Waimanalo, there is no camping
ground for the men and they would
have to sleep in the road and take
chances on an automobile running
over them. We getting land we
must arrange for full accommodations
for the full regiments. Ny lnstrac.
tions were to send in report or
necessary lands for the DIVISION ana
the plan is that the government pro-
poses to get land by an exchange OF
public lands. ,~~.. - ......" y r.. =.
"At Fort Shafter we are so crowded
the infantry cannot drill Mr.. Damon
has been very kind and allowed the
soldiers TO drill on Red Hill | hope
to get a tract of land on Red Hlil.
The artillery is all going to be at
Schofield. Two brigades of infantry
and artillery at Schofield. Now, we
must have roads. The county road is
the only one we have. | expect TO
get q tract OF land at Waimanalo. We
must have target range for infantry
and we must have land that troops
can maneuver on, and We must have
additional land at Schofield. We can
not shoot there at some places with
out shooting on some private prop
erty, SO we are going to try to buy
a. piece of land there. 49,.
Plans for Roads ....-
$50 much for land Now as 10
roads. ] am trying to get camping
places 10 or Is miles apart so troops
can march around and camp where
nobody can drive them off. There
are two roads that the engineer has
made survey of. One is from Dia-
mond Head around to Waimanalo
and another from the county road be-
hind Pearl Harbor ever to the artil- !
lery post. The roads now are some :
times impossible. Those are the first
two roads The engineers have coE-
pleted a survey and the estimate is
about 100000, and the war depart
ment will ask that much. In addition
we must have a system of strategic
roads. We know where an enemy
might land and there are not so many
places on which they could land, but
if they came on the west coast We
must get soldiers over there before |
they get ashore. On Kolekole Pass
we must have roads. They should |
be six inches thick and made of con-
crete and should be wide enough for |
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