The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1917-08-17
PROVOST MARSHAL SENDS
MORE INSTRUCTIONS HERR

The following telegram has bseu
received from the Provost Marshalfs
General and is hereby published for
the information and guidance Of all
concerned: M
Section OF the Selectivo Ser-iS
vice Law exempts no person from
military service on the ground or
dependency. It only authorizes thex
President to exclude or discharge
from draft "those In a status with
respect to persons dependent upon
them for support which renders their
exclusion or discharge advisable.
The controlling necessity Il to raise
an army. 1t Is advisable to disturb I
dependents Just as little as the me-
cessity of rasiing an army will per- i
nit. To this end section Is OF the
regulations are compiled carefully
and after the most earnest consider
alton. If experience Is to prove that
the generous conditions prescribed
by section is, or any abuse of them.
will interfere with the raising Of
an army, then It is no longer adj
lsvisable to discharge so wide class.
land the conditions stated therein
will have to be restricted until adj
visable rule is reached. Nothing has
happened to change the belief that
the persons enumerated in sections
IN and Is could be discharged with
Tout interfering with the raising OF
Ian army, but there are indications
that abuses of section IS may rem
der it's continuance no longer advts-
able. Reports are to the effect that,
in some districts, as high as 80 per
cent Of persons called before the
local boards are fling claims for
: discharge on the ground of DEEPEN
dent relatives. Such percentage OF
claims, when viewed in connection
with all available statistics, indie
{ ates beyond question that advant-
: age is being TAX n of the provisions
l of the law and regulations which
3 we're intended to reduce to a mini
A mum the misery at home normally
Q Iattendent upon war. There Is moral
t certainty, in the extravagance OF this
!. percentage, that hundreds OF un-
y founded claims are included In these
v totals. This state of affairs greatly
r increases the burden of local boards
l. for, IL SO high prcentage OF regis
d trants claim exemption, only the un
, compromising action OF local Doardi
: can prevent new regulation on tn
l. subject of DEPENDENCY which shall
reduce discharges for dependency Z
o far more restricted class to yer!
'e necessitous and clearly defined CIR
l. stumstances. In the abseice OF
l. stern repression by local boards o
. unmeritorious claims this result y
" inevitable since any such percentag
le of exemption as reports of claims IN
1T dictate would nullify the law and pre-
lie vent the raising of an army. 1t
re thus apparent that the filing OF thes
v improper claims will react directl
and injuriously on persons whom Tn
'e present regulations are designed !
0, protect and thtat the welfare OF pei
sons who have filed boni fide claim
We under the present generous clause
ne of the regulations is seriously impe
re lied by persons who have fled claim
without merit, and that the only pr
ch lection of persons whose cases al
within the meaning Of the preset
" rules lies in the power of local boar'
to refuse exemption In every douh
nd full case It is true that cases OF al
n charge on the ground Of Dependent
are appealed to the district boar
ay but this clause Is only inserted
N secure uniformity Of action. Distri
boards are to examine these cas-
to discover dispartages from the la'
regulations, and rulings; and tn
will not and cannot open every CO
me on its merits. 1t is THE local boar
vas alone, therefore, that the solud
Of thte difficulty and the protects
DDS of deserving claimants lie."