The record., 1917-09-06

Be Constructed Everywhere That a
Considerable Population. Agricultural,
Manufacturing, Trading or Mis,ing,
Has It's Hahitation.
Numerous instances might he cited
to show the effect roads or tnciT alb
Scnce had Oh campaigns in the civil
infinitely less than now. when the au-
tomObile threstenS TO drive even the
world famous army mule into oblivion.
writes Ma jor y. y. Fries. l.. = A.. In
the New York World. it is the auto
mobile. with its speed anG carrying
power. and the wonderful hcXibilty
Of an army using it that make reads
SO vitality important in war today \
railroad must be provided with side
tracks. turntables and yards, which
for a huge business such as war, mus.
be very large and tn Ike time and great
quantities Of material in Eui ding. No;
so with automobiles. where every foot
Of Il highway. unless in deep cut or
| till. is Il side track where machines
may unload and turn around. Further
more. in dry weather almost any field
can be used for unloading and loading
! the machines 50 as not to cOngeSt the
roads at the place where mon and ma
! terials are needed.
The answer to the question where
roads should be constructed to be OF
military value is-evcrywhcre that Il
! considerable population-agr icGltural
! manufacturing trading Or mining--CX
| ISIS III any great war we shall have
! 10 marshal all Of our resources, just Us
! the European nations are doing at the
| present time. Every product Of oul
! sell or factories will be called upon fnI
| use, and roads will be required on
which to carry them to the places
| where needed. Fine roads along ouI
| coasts and land boundaries will he OF
the most immediate benefit and should
| be Of the best and widest since they
will have to bear the heaviest and
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
arg from the vicinity Of the great lakes
to the Columbia river. and the Lincoln
| highway across the north central part
of tue United States
While highways intended primarily
for military purposes should be located
/ near our bollnliarics, ttiiiicy tn1st not BIG
SO near that they can be easily raideA
OF captured by small bodies Of tue en-
envy and thus likely to be Of use only
to him and not to us. All 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 mon and supplies
may Bs iI0vcd long distances without
fear Of interruption! Of observation by
the enemy and thus contribute greatly
to the element of surprise SO essential
to victory III nearly all cases There
must be crossroads ut reasonably close
intervals to enable the traffic on interior
lines to l6lye 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. Here roads and automobiles
will be deciding factors. for. as every
body knows from the progress of the
war in Europe, the one who gets the
start has all enormous advantage that
will cost the other side many times the
| i.rin oil Incc 70 IN, Ia
beginning Of u campaign. when move
n1eats are rapid and. there is little OPP
portunitS to satrpncl, three inch guns
and shrapnel Will De very largely used.
but just as soon as there Is time to in
trench there will be an opportunity for
the larger guns to come up TO fire high
explosive shells to drive the enemy out
Of bis i4tfeAched positions. This may
be called the secu,l3 az trench warfare
stage of the campaign, when hundreds
of thousands of rounds Of high eXplo
sive shells will be required for every
Twenty-Five miles OF battle front. In
all tilesa operations the number Of au
tom0biles FRGHifel will be tremendous.
but with tie vast HHiAbpr ~ general
use and being manufactured every day
it Is Uncomfortable that there ever will
be Il shortage after the first confusion
is over.