The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1917-07-05
EXEMPTION RULES STATED
WITH REGULATIONS OUTLINED
LOCAL BOARDS PREPARE.
War Department Makes Progress
With the Difficult Task of
Finding Officers.

Finding OmcerS.
Washington, June 2.-Preparation
for the mobilization of the first con-
tingent of 625.000 troops of the ma
tional army advanced another step
today when President Wilson pro-
mulgated the regulations to govern
exemptions from military service.
Local and appeal exemption boards
already have been appointed and the
issuance of the regulations will per-
nit them to organize Immediately and
prepare for the concluding phases OF
the task of getting the men under
training for duty in France.
In the order in which they must
come there are three steps in the or
ganization process of the national
army as prescribed by Congress.
They are registration, selective and
exemption. The first step has been
carried through. The regulations is
sued today cover in detail the opera
ton of the third step, exemption.
information concerning the second
step in the series, however, still is
lacking and officials are guarding
closely the method by which selec-
t;o, &c to ho onn1iQ6
Selection Process Later.
The exmption regulations announc-
ed that the boards will be advised of
the selection process later, although
none of the. steps prescribed except
the organization of the boards can be
carried on until the selection machln-
cry has furnished the names of the
men of whose fitness and desirability
for army service the boards are to
judge.
The local boards are directed upon
organization to take over from the
registration precincts the cards and
lists Of the men registered on June 5
and as their first duty to provide a
serial number for each registration
card. This has given support to the
belief that the selection is to be by
number. Reports were current re-
Gently that the selection drawing was
TO be made in Washington.
Call on September I.
Presumably the process of selec-
ton will be announced only a short
time before it is put into operation.
September 1 has been the tentative
date set for calling the 625,OOO of
the first contingent to the colors fer
training.
The exemption process will not
take a great deal OF time. The whole
plan probably can be carried through
in less than thirty days.
While these steps are being carried
out for getting together the men of
the national army, the War Depart
ment is making progress with the
more difficult task of finding officers
for the force. Part of these will
come from the sixteen officers train
ing camps. The first ten thousand of
the forty thousand men at the camps
will 5e selected for commissions in
the first increment of the new army
That IS less than half the number OF
officers necessary. The War De.
partment today approved recommen-
dations of commanders of regular
regiments which will commission
three thousand or more regular nom
commissioned officers to be captains
or lieutenants in the first $4,000 OF
the national army. 1t is understood
that more than fifty men from
each regiment, in addition to those
now at officers training camps, will
be given commissions for the period
of the war.
Work FearleSsly.
In a statement accompanying the
announcement of the registrations,
the President called upon the boards
to do their work fearlessly and i'm
partially and to remember that our
armies at the front will be strength
ened and sustained if they be COM
posed of men free from any sense of
injustice in their mode of selection. y
The statement follows: 'The regu-
lations which l am today causing to
be promulgated, pursuant to the di-
rection of the selective service law.
cover the remaining steps of the plan
for calling into the service of the
United States qualified men from
those who have registered; those
selected as the result of this process
+o contribute with the regular arnV