Arizona republican., 1917-03-04
THOUSANDS OF AUTOS
 IN EVENT IF WAR

There are approximately 4s.000 pri- Nately owned motor cars ready for service in America in ease of any crisis arising which would involve this country.
 These have been offered to the gov ernment through the league of dutoIno- bile blubs which are volunteering com plete memberships to serve the Gnileu States. The plan for the preparation of mobilization of the automobile own CTS of America inaugurated here by the Automobile Club of Southern Cali fornia has borne larger fruit than was even contemplated. and club after club throughout the states is falling into line.
 Endorsements of the plan to put club departments at the disposal of the government in case of war have been received by the secretary of the Auto mobile club here from the states of Texas. Oregon, Kansas, Georgia and Washington.
 Texas. according to letters and tele- grams received Tn Los Angeles, has methodicaily started about the mo- olllZation work under the supervision OI the Dallas Automobile club. which Is reporting regularly to the .Automo-
 d. gIa has volunteered l5,000 automobiles to he mobilized through the Georgia State Automobile association. which has wired the Southern California cluD as follows.
 The Georgia State Automobile as soclation, 15,000 strong. very heartily lndorses the movement towards prep aration for national mobilization Of automobile owners throughout Amer lcsi- We are ready to serve as d base for the mobilization of cars
 From the Automobile club of Seattle. oi Kansas City. Portland ant Dallas. have come similar endorse meats. each offering to serve as base for the mar sh4lilnS of cars and trucks These. clubs are located in some of the most strategic sections of the United States and would be of prime importance at crisis. From H. C. Rramlev. secre tary of the Dallas organization. Sec retary Mitchell has received the fol- lowing report:
 We wish to congratulate the South ern California club or the inception of this meritorious movement and hODs. that it will be eminently successrfI This plan surely deserves the co-opera- lion or every dutoIuoDne oI gsa.ii4....,..,l m. this country. The recollection of the saving of Paris through the time " ald of the private and public auto mobile owners of France, Is d sionS argument in favor of automobile or sanlzatlon preparedness here.
 As the largest automobile club in Iexas. we are taking the liberty of transmitting our indorsement to the other clubs of the state
 This act has resulted in the follow ing word being received from the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce: There Is no automobile club in Forth Worm. put thls organization attempts to per- form the functions of one. We sare strongly in favor of your plan and ex- tend to you our wish 10 cooperate with you"
 William c. Shepherd weIl-knog-n IS an authority on military matters. and Who served as q correspondent in faris during September 1914 when that citv was being marched upon. says: The Galiieni taxicabs. which will take their place in history with the geese that saved Rome, were gathering near Ma poieOn tomb to carry the army of Paris out to the front at Meaux." He might have added that the private owners of automobiles were likewise sending thousands of men to the front in their own cars
 strong argument for the prepara- '''h oi tHc liODiIiHdllOh or automobile owners has been advanced by Mai A A. Fries, corps of engineers. l.. $. A. in which he outlines the importance of good roads and the automobile in nov ing troops, ammunition and supplies along the Pacific coast and from fhe middle west to either coast
 During the mobilization and the early stages of war there will be many and rapid movements of large bodies of troops. he points out, and here auto mobiles and roads viii be decIding fac- tors. for q rapid start very often means victory.
 Tn the second stage. or during the trench-war period, when hundreds of thousand of rounds Of high explosive shells will be required for every twen- ty-five miles of battle front. the num- Der of automobiles required would be enormous,' he says.
 Major Fries predicts that it would be possible to get 200. 900 motor cars together in a weeks time but off, clals of the Automobile Clib of South bss . alifornia state that with the cubs mobilization plan in operation, that is, using the soils of all automo- bile organizations. the feat could be ac- complished in twenty -four hours
 According to army statistics ad- vanced by the major 00,000 machines could transport G00,000 to 800, 900 men l50 to 300 miles Der day if there were sufficient good roads in the war zone. Allowing $50 machines, two abreast. per mile, 1000 men could be delivered where wanted each hour. That is, ap- proximately $500 men per hour for each eight feet width of road surface
 So far as highway bridges are con scerned, if they are built to sustain q fifteen-ton road roller, an army can go over them in safety, he states since an ordinary field gun and some of thu lighter howitzers weigh about four ol five tons.
 1t is pointed out by club officials her, that a call sent out from the head quarters of the organization in Los An gelcs, from each of it's twelve brancl