Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-03-26
War Department BUSHES Work
of Putting Men in Shape
For Service Here


come soon to Hawaii are being trained
!. By Uncle Sam in the camp at North
4 Island Is, told In an interesting man.
ner in an article appearing In the Los
] Angeles Times Of March IL, as fol-
lows:
Uncle Sam Is swiftly and quietly
Frightening up the eyes Of the army
At the North Island government ayta-
ton school, where short time ago
there were a dozen airplanes in com
mission. there are now 40 up-to-date
/ Martin and Curtiss tractors and two
steel battleplanes busy as a swarm
!, OF bees. And by March Is there will
be about 100 OF the aircraft circling
San Diego Bay. For the war depart
ment has issued orders that aviators
are to be trained with all speed, and
officers expect any day to receive or
ders that will send 10 Hawaii and the
Canal Zone air fleets to aggregate 100
! capable craft.
Il Capt. H. II. Arnold was ordered from
i San Diego to Panama February l. and
!. Capt. J. T. Curry Is on his way from
/; North Island to Honolulu. 1t Is un-
derstood In military circles that these
officers will prepare at once for the
reception and organization OF the aer.
ial defense fleets.
/ Meantime, In anticipation OF the ex-
pected orders, North Island Is scene
OF tremendous activity every day. u
I IS not unusual to see as many as 10
sirpianes-for we have no aeroplanes
In the army now-circling about In
4 the morning, as students are being
/ trained. Each week three or four
i carloads Of new airplanes arrive at
4 the school, and every day new stud.
ents appear to take up the rigorous
routine. There are now 81 students
In training. and the school has a ca
pacity OF so. which is TO be enlarged.
!. Connected with the school, ALSO are
/ 70 officers and $40 enlisted men
! about twice as many as six months
ago.
Lsfpe Expenditures
The signal for increased activity IN
army aviation was given last October,
when congress made $13,0OO.OO0 avail
able for this branch of service. Huge
sums have been expended since then,
and are being expended now. Win
the North Island air fleet much en-
larged, more orders for machines are
being placed, and 434 airplanes anq
seaplanes, including every type OF mil
itarv aircraft manufactured tn the
country. are now being built for the
government. The capacity Of the ma
chine shops at North Island has been
doubled. Quarters for the enlisted men
have been much enlarged. New rules
for eDeedine up the training have been
adopted. The school has been put ON
4 practical war footing; all visitors
must pass guard and none are al
lowed beyond certain point, particu.
larly in the vicinity Of the hangers ana
repair shops.
I OF the 81 students now In training
the most advanced class, ten Officers,
viii take the graduation tests. known
a. the Junior military aviators test,
fhis week. The ordeal will include o.
mile cross-country jaunts. Another
class OF q. dozen men will take the y.
N. A tests about the second week IN
/. April. These will probably De as
signed to the Sixth and Seventh Aero
seuadrons-the two now being organ
/ lied for duty at the canal and IN ma
It's a case Of get up early and work
hard for the men in training at North
leland. The students are required TO
INV from $50 o'clock until 1l:5O
H O'Clock IN the morning. These stu
n dents now use two landing places. and
! third viii shortly be arranged at the
n site az the old Curtiss school, which
n viii mean that the whole Of North
III 1890 ain he vfven over TO the men