Railways laid, Addis Ababa expanded its boundary more to southward. 20th-century Pre-Italian occupation (1916–1935) Ras Tafari, later became Emperor Haile Selassie had a considerable influence in the city after his appointment in 1917. He raised awareness for modernization by distributing wealth to emerging class. Gebrehiwot Baykedagn started occupying the major administrative division post, as he ruled as inspector of Addis Ababa—Djibouti railway in 1916, which also connects Addis Ababa with French Somaliland port of Djibouti. By 1926 and 1927, Addis Ababa saw economic revolution, a surplus of coffee production was growing as a result of capital accumulation. In addition, the bourgeoisie benefited the city with large income of goods. They constructed new, stone-fitted house with imported European furniture and an importation of latest automobile, and expansion of banks across the locales. Total register automobiles were 76 in 1926, and summed up to 578 in 1930. Road transportation were very unpopular to the city and the country until the opening of Addis Ababa—Djihour Ridge, about 97 miles northward in the direction of Dessie. This road was considered the longest continuous motor route, which initially connecting Italian occupied Assab in Eritrea and Addis Ababa via Dessie as accorded to Italo-Ethiopian Treaty of 1928. The highway were very important to French owned railway of Djibouti because of freight rate were very high caused by lack of competition, and believed that considerable amount of cargo would be increase between Ethiopia and Assab. Significant merchants of Addis Ababa were received by Tafari Mekonnen on 18 November 1929, to deal with road extension. The government's Gazette newspaper highlighted road expansion frequently and published through French weekly newspaper. After crowned as Emperor, Haile Selassie issued with propelling further development of infrastructures such as importing power lines and telephone, and erecting several monuments. During Italian occupation (1936–1941) On 5 May 1936, Italian troops occupied Addis Ababa during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, making it the capital of Italian East Africa. Addis Ababa was governed by the Italian Governors of Addis Ababa from 1936 to 1941. In those five years the Italian government made many improvements to the city, from the construction of hospitals and roads to the creation of stadiums like the Addis Ababa Stadium. The war of aggression resulted heavy aerial bombardment of the city, and along with future chartered Dire Dawa; the use of chemical weapons such as mustard gas constituted the Italian atrocities. The most lethal