The record. (Greenville, Ky.) 1899-1???, 1917-11-15
=.
AUTO ROADS IN
NATIONAL. Defense
Highways Near Coasts Of
Greatest Benefit.
CARRIERS FOR AMMUNITION

Roads to Be Of Military Value S9ouIos
Be Constructed Everywhere That
Considerable Population, Agrioul2 2urais
Manufacturing, Trading or M;s.ing.
Has Its Habitaton.
Numerous instances might be cited
to show the effect roads or tnciI alb
GCnce had on campaigns in the civil
war, although their Importance was
infinitely less than now. when the au-
tomobile threatens 10 drive even the
world famous army mule into oblivion.
writes Major a. A. Fries. u. 5. A., in
the New York World. it is the auto
mobile, with its speed and carrying
power, and the wonderful flcXibility
Of an army using it that make roads
so vitally Important in war today. i
railroad must be provided with side
tracks. turntables ana yards, which
for n huge business such as var, mus!
be very large and take time ard great
quantities Of material in building. Not
SO with automobiles. where cycry foot
of highway, unless in deep cut oI
Eli, is side track where machines
may unload and turn around. Further
more, i'll dry weather almost any field
can be used Cor unloading and loading
The machines so as not to congast the
roads at the place where men and Ela,
terialG are needed
The answer to the question where
roads should be. constructed to be of
military value is-every that n
Considerable pODUlatiOn-a gricuItural
manufacturing. trading or nining-cx-
lists. In any great war we shall have
TO marshal ili of our resources. just as
the European nations arc doing at the
present time. Every product of our
soil or factories will be called upon for
use. and roads will be required or
which to carry them to the placeG
here needed. Fine roads along 0ur
c, Asts and land boundaries will be, of
most iui media re- hepefit anti sli6lilt'
he of the best and widest since they
will have to bear the heaviest ant
most concentrated traffic There are
number of roads proposed or actually
under construction that come under
this head. Such are the Pacific high
way. along or near the Pacific coast
from Seattle TO San DieGo: the Yellow
stone trail along the northern bound
ary from the vicinity of the great lakes
to the Columbia river, and the Lincoln
highway across the north central part
of the United States.
While highways intended primarily
for military purposes should be located
near our boundaries, they must not ba
SO near that they can be easily raiGen
or captured by small bodies of the en-
emy and thus likely to be of use only
To him and not to us. Ali roads farther
inland and parallel to the border roads
Will be of very great value as feeders
To those nearer the borders. Along
these interior roads men and supplies
may be moEed long distances without
fear of interruption or observation by
the enemy ;tnd thus contribute greatly
TO the element of surprise so essential
10 victory il nearly all cases. There
must be crossroads at reasonably close
intervals to enable the traffic Oh intericE
lines to leave them and cross to those
places near the border where needed.
During mobilization and the early
stages of the war there will be many
and rapid movements of large bodies
of troops iIcre roads and automobiles
Bill be deciding factors, for, as every
body know; from The progress of the
5yar ju Europe, tie one who gets the
start has 81 enormous advantage that
yil cost the other side many times the
,.yiHjD1l loss "a overcome Tatpr In fIla
beginning OF ] campaign. when move,
anents are rapid and there is little op-
portunity t. intrench, three inch guns
and shrapnoI will DC very largely used
but Just as S2On as there is time to Ill
french there will re an opportunity fol
tlhe larger gins to come up to fire higl
explosive shells to drive the enemy out
Of his intrnIched positions. This may
l,e called ti42 second or trench warfare
stage OF tl!H campaign, when hundreds
On Thousand; OF rounds Of high cXplo
give shells will he required for every
Ewenty-tive miles Of battle front. II
all these operations the number of au
fomobiies required will be tremendous
but with H,s vast number in genera
use and bet;.& I>Sanufactured every day
it is incOncpiyablc tl3t there ever vii
be a shorfa 90 after the 4rst confusion
is over.