The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-06-27
No Snap to Dodge Service for
OccupatiOnal Reasons.
Man Also Must Prove He Is In
dispensable to Industry.
TO DRAFT WAR WORKERS, TOO
Skilled Mechanics as Well as
Soldiers May Be Included.
Men Sole Support of Families
VIII Be Exempted.

Washington. June 27.-The way of
the seeker after exemption from mill
tary service for occupational reasons
is going to be hard.
President Wilson's regulations, to
be issued soon, will provide two strict
checks thereon: First, the claimant
must prove his industry is necessary to
maintenance of the national inter
est" and secondly, the applicant must
prove his service to be virtually in
dispensabl to the industry.
Appellate exemption boards will
scrutiniZe carefully all cases of clerical
workers and farmers before granting
exemption.
In the cases of munitions workers,
miners, ship builders and other work
ers of lines of national interest, there
will be practically no question.
The appellate boards-not the local
groups-will determine the indispen-
stability of the industry and of the
cases the employers affidavit will be
sufficient, the boards will guard
against mere selfish interest on the
employers part and will require in
dividual evidence by the applicant.
Should a man be exempted from
duty by virtue of his occupation, he
cannot maintain this exemption If he
transfers himself to other lines, not
vital to the nations needs.
Draft Heavier Than Expected.
Information emanating from the
White House during the last two days
has led to the belief that the draft
! will be much heavier, eventually, than
has been suspected. Instead of mere
! ly securing men for the army many
will be drafted for other work in con-
nection with the war.
The grounds on which exemptions
will be made became known today.
They follow:
pbvsica1 ipcanacitv CrinDled
| persons if drafted will, of course,
+ have to appear before a medical eX-
aminer. but will be Immediately ex-
cused from service. In the first 625,-
| 900 CONSUMPTION the following physi-
cal ailments will disqualify:
! Heart disease; flat feet; eye diseases
| or arrangements which can not be
| cured by glasses; tuberculosis and
| other chest diseases; cancer; serious
affection of the kidneys or liver; vari-
cose- veins; infectious blood diseases
2. Employment in vital war indus
tries. These include shipbuilding,
munitions making, working in gun
factories, navy yards, oil fields. coal
mines, certain duties in government
departments and certain factory work
! such as uniform making and work on
other army supplies. These latter
eventually will be turned over largely
! to women and the men will be re-
leased for army service.
Religion Prior to March Is, 1917.
| 8. The CONSUMPTION act specifically
| provides exemption for persons of re-
| ligious beliefs opposed to war. To Sc
| cure such exemption, however, a man
| must have been a member of the
faith in question before March
Is, 1917.
4. Men the sole support of fami-
lies.
The exemptions enumerated above
| cover practically the entire field. The
| regulations to be issued by President
| Wilson will be long and will go into
each exemption at length, dealing with
| its various phases, explaining under
which aspects of it exemption will be
granted and under which a claim for
| exemption will not hold. But, broadly
| speaking, there will be few roads open
for any eligible person to escape serv-
| ice, should he be unpatriotic enough
| to wish to.
Soon to Set Date to Begin.
With the publication of the exemp-
ton board today the preliminary
machinery for handling the draft was
almost completed. All that now re-
mains is the publication by the presi-
dent of rules for the boards guidance
and the setting of a day for the draft
The latter will be done within the
next two weeks, according to all in
dications at the White House and the
| 6ar1e y-fr oof,t