Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-07
SOON TO ANNOUNCE
DATE OF THE DRAFT
Registration Cards Are Com
ing In to Provost Marshal
Generals Office.

Registration cards from the $500 ex-
emption districts of the entire United
States have begun to reach the once
of the provost marshal general. though
the full flood of the duplicate num-
bered cards is not expected to be
reached until Monday. il was learned
today Only eight states and the Dis
trict of columbia have as yet sent the
duplicate numbered lists to the provost
marshal generals office.
Instructions were issued some time
ago that these lists were to be placed
in the hands of the adjutants general
OF the various states by July Z Uodayb
If possible. This left some latitude for
states that might be slow in complet-
ing the work. for which reason II il
not expected the lists for the entire
provost marshal before early next week
at the best
Until all the duplicates are received
here the draft machinery will not be in
working order. and the date for the
calling to the colors cannot be fixed,
though it is hoped the announcement
can be made by the middle Of the COM
ing week.
Manner of Drafting Kept Secret.
Meanwhile the manner in which the
craft will Se executed is secret close
1y guarded by not more than four ar
five persons to whom the plan is
known.
Suggestions for the jury wheel sys-
tenn of drawing have been made. but no
actual confirmation is available. In case
that system is used complete dupli-
cate set of the serial numbers given
the registration cards would be placed
in the wheel. and when one number was
drawn out it would represent the men
in every exemption district whose
registration cards bore the same serial
number. Thus, one number drawn from
the wheel would call to the colors ap
proximately $500 men. or one from each
exemption district in the country. Tn
der this plan only about $50 to zoo num-
bers would have to be drawn from the
wheel in order to call to the colors the
number of men required. estimated by
the Secretary OF War to be between
$4,000 and 100000 men.
However. objection has been urged
to this method, for the reason that il
will be difficult. if not impossible. to
apply the draft fairly under the plan
suggested. Serial numbering of the
registration cards is by exemption dis
tricts. some of which have a number
| of actual registrants far in excess OF
the census bureaus estimates. while in
others the number of men ac.Sally reg
istered fell far below the eyimates.
Thus. some exemption dittricts have
as many as $500 or 5000 registrants
while others have as few 500 to 500
Obviously it would be difficult, it was
| learned today, to find a number on
which to base presumably complete
set of duplicate serial numbers; fur
thermore, districts having a small
number of registered eligibles would
stand at least a fair chance of having
i none of those eligibles drawn. while
districts with registrations heavily in
excess of estimates might furnish more
| than their proportion of numbers drawn
/ from the wheel.
| Members of the provost marshal gem
erals staff today declined to give fur
| Their information of any kind in regard
| to the draft. on the ground that so
| much speculation has already been in
4 dulged in that people throughout the
| country had become thoroughly con-
fused, which has resulted in such a
! mass of correspondence as to swamp
| the office and cause irritating delay
! in the transaction of business relat-
| ing to the actual carrying into ex-
| ecution of the first call TO the colors