The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-06-05

including Boy Scouts and suffragists who were admitted that they might hand every registered man a copy of President Wilson's war proclamation.
 When the registration booths open ed there were crowds in double line which was formed by order of the military authorities and kept by the police and guards which were posted on every entrance and exit.
 Both a guard patrol and a relief were in the buildings, the latter held in abeyance to any emergency call. Although several rounds of ball car fridge were issued to the officers in command of squads no necessity for guns being loaded was found.
 All applicants were courteous1y sent to the proper entrance, formed into line and sent directly into the registration rooms where they were directed to interpreter-registrars speaking the various languages. The appearance of so many Syrians. Chinese and Italian-speaking persons in some districts amazed those in charge for it wasn't known whether they realized the seriousness of the call.
 At the Seventh district 300 persons waited outside the doors at their opening. A force of 1 5 registrars was swamped, some of the militia tempor- arily being assigned to the work until additional registrars were found by the police commissioners. At noon- time today it had been estimated that 1,500 registered in that district.
 Some difficulty. was found in finding an Albanian interpreter but 15 were registered before noon time in that language. .
 In some cases registrars failed to have St1e foreign-speaking persons sign census blanks. These were placed in charge of militiamen detail- ed to the homes and places of busi- ness of the applicants and they were returned under military guard for the purpose.
 A military line was established at 10 o'clock which permitted no person to leave the registration room unless in possession of a pass or otherwise wouched for and this difficulty was solved.
 | B, At noontime today, Col. Wilson, mayor of Bridgeport, began round of the registration offices Adju- tant General Cole, head of the Ma. tional Guard in Connecticut, also deputized Major F. J. Adams of the Sanitary Detachment, c. N. G., to ob- serve the conduct of the Home Guard officers and men at the various posts. It is believed that this first actual work will be taken as a criterion in ]. National Guird circles to determine the fitness of the Home Guard for regular duty in plants and along rail- road lines and bridges.
 The Boy Scouts were instrumental in solving many minor problems by | running errands for officers in charge of the work.
 There was a lul1 in the business of | the town clerks office today after the l day before registration rush for mar riage licenses. Some 30 odd couples | were hit by Cupid's arrow yesterday and procured licenses to wed. | At noon today the registration was proceeding all over the country with out report of disturbance of untoward incident of any kind
 | No resistance had been reported in the hill counties of the South, where organized resistance had been therat- ened. nor in the large cities where or iganized propaganda had been active,
 There was nothing at noon to show whether the registration was being evaded, to any extent, but officials were confident that the returns would show that evasion is negligible. | The first word of trouble at the reg istration booths reached the depart meth of justice at 12:3O D. m. in a dis patch announcing the arrest of a mar in Providence, R. T., on a charge ot interfering with registration. The re. port gave no details and department officials said they inferred that the
 man was probably trying to persuade others not to register.
 Registration for Hawaii and Alaska Twill be arranged later While an an. proximate report of the results of the registration may be published in the morning papers tomorrow, it will bt several days before the complete re- turns can be assembled.
 The war department has instrs1ctef precinct and county officials not tt 1 transmit any incomplete returns tt the governors of their states. It will therefore, be @ o'clock tonight before the first precinct return in the easterr states is complete, and it will be mid night, Eastern time, before the ore l cincts are closed on the Pacific slope | Then, more time must elapse whil, these returns are transmitted to tn, state capitals. The governors hay. been instructed not to transmit an, part returns of their state to the de partment, but to hold all returns fo complete report. That will cause an other delay The complete returns fo any county will be available for loca public knowledge; the complete re 1 turns for state will be available fo 1 public knowledge first at state cap tita1 and then in Washington.