The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-11-02
C0NSCRIPTI0nOF
LABOR IS NEAR
Bureau With Sweeping AUTHOR
.ty Being Considered.
SELEC1iVi LAW GIVES POWER
Must "Meet P:u>-ian Efficiency With
American Ell &C >ifeness," General
Crowder Urges.

Washington, Nov. "A central la
Contemplating adm ms ration, with
powers as sweeping rs nose welded
by Mr.. Hoover in the fed admin.Stra-
lion, and separate from the labor de-
)artment at Washington is being earn
astly considered by high government
Jfficials here as practic- de under the
-erns of the selective draft act.
The power already lc3g in the
presidents hands. and nee Ing no fur
ther act of congress, is prc"ided in the
seiective service army bill, by a sec
ton which authorizes the pre- dent to
exempt from military drill ana fight.
ing and to
Draft for partial military service
persons engaged in the in
dustries. including agriculture, found
to be necessary to the maintenance Of
The military establishment, CT the eff
fective operation of the mill a~y fore.
es. or the maintenance Of NJ tional in
terest during the emergency"
The need of decorating this power
through some specially created tnstru-
mentality, apart from the department.
Of labor, was recently emph sized by
one of the best qualified Trftish ex-
perts en- labor questions arising from
the war He urged:
"By all means preserve TIE func-
lions of the department Of labor,
which are specially adapted for de-
tense of the rights and interests Of
labor. But in very special sense the
government has now become an en-
ployer of labor, and its interests as
an employer should be looked out for.
It would be distinctly unwise to vest
IN a department of which the prime
function is that of defending labor in
terests the employing power of the
government"
This advice, proceeding from the
experienced practice Of Great Britain
has had weight, and members of the
council of national defense. of which
Secretary Baker is chairman, are
carefully considering the plan of a
new ACKNOWLEDGMENT administrator
with regional commissions for the diff
ferent centers Of the country. organ
ized on the same principle as that IN
DERIVING the federal reserve banking
system. with its regional banks.
First, however, it has become neces-
sary to redraft the regulations under
the selective service army act, and
the publication of new rules on Oc-
tober %, in which the selective fea-
ture of the draft became first appar-
ent. was accompanied by this apology
by Brigadier General Enoch H. Crow
der, provost marshal of the United
States army.
1--WE have hacked the first instru-
ment Of our arms out with broadax
because we had no time for greater
refinements. The selectiye nrincin,t
must be carried out to its logical con-
clusion.
1--WE must meet Prussian efficiency
with American effectiveness"
The first selection of $4,000 men
was almost a blanket draft: on the
plea of lack of time to make it really
selective, men were taken off the7
ARMS and from the mines and fac
tories and centerS OF business VIM
ought not to have been taken, but
who should have stood back of the
armies in the field in order to see that
hey should get everything they need,
and that the people of the country
we're sustained in the meantime.
The new rules, with their eXemp-
ion of skilled industrial and farm Ia
oorers, and of necessary artifcers or
yorkmen in arsenals, arm0ries and
navy yards-Chairman Hurley, Of the
shipping board, is now aiding in the
movement to exempt men in the yards
constructing new merchant ships
open the way for a selective draft 10
he industries under the proposed fed
,ral employment administration.