New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-17
Elected Head Of Commit
tee Which Will Make
Fina! Decisions
Would Exempt Police
DR.. Goldwater Thinks 1t I'm
wise to Force Them and
Students Into Army

Charles z. Hughes, chairman of the
district appeal board for this city,
stands forth to-day as the dominant
personal factor in the state draft.
By vote of representatives of his own
and outside boards, assembled here
yesterday in conference, a great meas
ure of the power which Mr.. Hughes
Yields locally was extended north to
the Canadian line and west to the
lakes.
A controlling committee Of fourteen
was appointed at the meeting TO inter
pref and apply the selective service
regulations so that action by all the
boards throughout the state may be
uniform on industrial claims and ap
peals from the lower jurisdictions.
Elected head of this committee, Mr..
Hughes will have about the final say
concerning who shall be held liable to
military service and who shall not.
Will Weigh Industrial Value
1t will be his duty to draw the fine
liability dividing line which the au-
thors of the regulations, in the nature
of things, could not draw; TO de-
termine, after all the others have had
their chance to air an opinion, whether
this mans industrial value or that
mans domestic responsibilities are big
enough TO make it better that he stick
to his civilian last.
Questions which came Immediately
before the district board cxemptors
when they went into session in the
rooms of the City Bar Association at
AZ West Forty-fourth Street, gave evil
% "A IVA lo,4 "a fta &c
which ere working, with patriotic aim,
to save students in professional schools
and the policemen and firemen of New
York City from the draft.
Dr. S. s. Goldwater, former Health
Commissioner and a member of the city
district board, pointed out that the
CONSUMPTION Of medical students before
graduation would be, if nothing worse,
unwise.
Meier Steinbrink, a Brooklyn mem
Der of the board, took the same stand
in behalf Of students Of dentistry and
engineering, for whom there is no ex-
emption provision in the regulations as
they now stand.
Would Keep Experts at Work
Judge Delehsnty, of the New York
board, followed with a broader sugges-
tion that men engaged in many useful
industries not necessarily specified in
The exemption clauses of the selective
service law might more proftably be
kept out of the trenches. He charac-
terized it as little short of treason"
for a man so engaged to volunteer his
services for war as q soldier. To the
end that skilled men may be conserved
for the factories the judge held that
an inventory OF necessary interests, es-
sentlal 10 the governments active
prosecution Of the war, be made at
once.
On none of these matters did the
meeting appear of one mind. They are
typical of the problems that must be
thrashed out by Mr.. Hughes's commit
tee, and to that body they were re-
ferred. Immediately after adjournment
the committee went into executive SEES
sion, its work for the time being laid
out.
an regard to the non-drafting of
medical students, dental students and
others for whom it is necessary TO re-
main in industrial pursuits" said Mr..
Hughes toward the end Of the session,
ut will probably be inconvenient to put
through special legislation.
Hughes Suggests Course
"The President might make such pro-
visions for the exemption Of classes
mentioned, and commission, as chair
man, the appointed committee to look
into this subject, with view to taking
opportune and appropriate action"
Advance hints as TO the course OF the
committee indicated that the President
be asked, once students in certain pro-
fessional schools are called to the
colors, to detail them to continue their
studies. Thus they could be held ready
TO respond to any emergency call which
might become necessary.
From Police Headquarters came an
announcement at the same time that
Mr.. Hughes had agreed with Commits
sioner Woods in his stand that New
York policemen be exempted. Unless