Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-08-08
When First InCreasement Of
Selective Draft IS Completed
1t Will Add $4,000 to
Present List,
SURPLUS OF 10000 TO
BE RECRUIT RESERVOIR
Reserves Provided for May Be
Called in Increment As
Needed, So As to Avoid Too
Great Labor Famine.
Esr MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wterl

| washington, Aug. Provost Mar
/ shall General Crowder and his as
sistants are at work on the final set
| of regulations to be promulgated this
week to complete the organization of
the selectiVe draft war army. They
will govern actual mobilization of the
men selected
Statements issued today by the war
| department show that preliminary fig
ures place the total force of national
guard taken into the federal service
| August 5, at 1908 officers and 49,
! S34 men. Another statement showed
that 1907 war volunteers have been
i recruited for the regular service since
| April /, leaving only about 1000
vacancies in the regulars at war
strength.
About 725.OOO Under Arms.
These figures mean tnat approx
| imately $4,000 men are now under
arms exclusive of the navy and marine
corps, to be supplemented within the
next few weeks by $4,000 raised un-
der the selective draft bill. OF the
latter number about 100000 will COM
! pose the third great element Of the
| war army, the national army, and the
remainder will go to fill up the reg
ulars and the guard and their re-
serves.
The mobilization regulationsh will
show hnst the @safted ii re tc be
assigned Already the war depart
ment has received countless appiica-
tions fhrom men certain to be called in
the first increment of the draft forces
for assignment to some particular arm
or brance of the service.
Effort to Meet Wishes.
Where a man has been summoned
by his local board for physical ex-
animation no method exists whereby
he may enlist in the regulars and
have his service count on the home
quota. 1t is probable, however, that
some effort will be made to meet the
wishes of the drafted men in this re-
gard, as far as possible when they are
nobiliZed. 1t can be done only to a
limited extent as the regulars and
guards, as shown by today's state
ment, are practically filled.
The war department. has taken over
recruiting for the national guard as
well as the regulars, the entire guard
having now become a part of the army
of the United States and having no
connection with the states. Today's
statement says that about half the
men applying for enlistment are with
In the draft ages. Those accepted
will count as credits on subsequent
quotas of their districts.
Want All Men Possible.
The statement lays stress, however,
on the fact that the country wants
all the men it can get who can he
spared at home.
The national guard statement shows
that only the number of men short
of the 419,S34 figure, shown by
checking the muster rolls by depart
ment commanders and rejection of
any found unfit, will be taken from
the draft forces for the guard serv-
ice. The recruiting services expects
to fill the regular army 10 full war
strength tomorrow or next day, so
that there probably will be u surplus
of $1,000 or more men when the full
900 of the first increment of the
national army is assembled.
In addition, recruiting throughout
the country viii supplement the ex-
cess, all men who volunteer going
into the regulars or the national guard
or into the reserve after full war
strength is reached.
Great Recruit Reservoir.
1t is regarded as likely that the
mobilization regulations soon to be
issued will show that the surplus of
drafted men is to be used as re-
eruit reservoir and that all the men
will be put under training as quickly
as possible. A recruit depot will be
esta blished in France, from which
regiments at the front will be KEEP,
filled up, drafts of men from the main
recruit depot in this country being
sent over to this distribution center
as needed. In the same way, sick or
wounded men will be returned to the
front when recovered and a steady
flow of recruits to maintain active
regiments at top fighting efficiency
will be provided in this way.
May Summon as Needed.
The only hint of the probable
method of mobilization of drafted men
lies in a recent ruling of General
lCrowder which shows that the adjutant
general may summon the quotas of
the districts in increments. Division
of each quota into five equal parts
| is suggested, each part to be called
lup separately as needed.
Under this arrangement 1t would be
possible to call at once the men to
form the new national army and to
summon later those who are to COM
pose the reserves for all elements of
the army. Men temporarily needed
in harvest fields or elsewhere could
be classified by local boards into these
later increments to meet emergency
situations in their districts without
delaying organization of new forces.