The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-07-19
HOW UNCLE SAM
! IS To CONDUCT
GREAT LOTTERY
Provost Marshal General Makes
Clear Every Detail of Draft
ing for Army
EACH NUMBER DRAWN TO
REPRESENT BIG SERIES
If Is Selected Will Represent
Each Numeral So Ending
Up to 10,025

Washington, D. c., July 19.-Ten
million. men are registered in the Uni
ted States for war service-6S7,000 are
needed in the first call for the nation
al army. Who shall go first?
This question is asked and the
method by which it is to be answered
was outlined by Provost Marshal Gen
eral Crowder in an explanation issued
today of the great drawing about to
be held in Washington. The scheme
evolved is so simple that the drawing
of one set of /, 900 numbers and an
other of II will fix with absolute
equality of chance the order in which
every one of the 10,00O,O0O registrants
shall report to his local board for ex.
animation and subsequent exemption,
discharge or acceptance for military
service.
Average Exemption.
Since the average exemption dis
trict registration is 5000 and there
are 4,557 districts, the average num-
Der of men listed with each operation
Of the drawing machinery will be
about 10000.
General Crowder announced also
that local boards will be instructed
to call 200 per cent of their quota at
the first call to provide, for probable
exemptions That means that 1,374,0O0
men will be notified to appear for ex-
animation within the next few days.
If more are necessary they will be
called for as needed by the local
boards in the order provided for in
the drawing.
In some districts the 100 per cent
allowance for exemption may be too
large,iand in others too small, but the
local boards will be instructed to con-
tinue calling for men until the district
quota is filled. Each state governor
is now alloting to his districts their
respective portions of the states
quota.
In each of the 1857 exemption dis
txitts among. which the ten million
f4gistra ton cards have been divided,
the cards have been given serial num-
bers The number Of registrants in
each district varies from about 1885
in the smallest to more than 10000
in the largest, so that the serial num-
bers to be dealt with in the drawing
range from 1 to between nine and
ten thousand.
In order to reduce the mechanical
process and make it possible for the
900 numbers drawn to reach every
man in every district, so-called mas
ter key has been devised. This will
be obtained by drawing slips num-
bered from naught to nine, which will
be listed in the order they are drawn
to form the key.
Manner Of Application.
Then will begin the drawing of the
numbers one to one thousand, For
the district with not more than 1000
registrants there will be no problem
to determine the order of appearance
before the exemption board. The
number drawn first will fix the man
whose card bears that serial number
as the first to appear before his board.
In the district with only 1856 regis
trants, the 1856 will be on the table
for appearance in the order in which
their numbers are drawn, and when
higher than that appears, the
district, of course, will not be al
fected.
Application of the master key
makes it possible to apply fairly each
of the 1000 numbers drawn to dis.
tricts with more than one thousand
registrants. AS number is drawn, it
will be added to each of the thousand
in excess of 1000 in each district.
In his explanation of the process
and of the reason for fixing the order
of liability for all of the men when
only $4,000 are needed, General
says:
Order Of Examination.
'The order of examination.
"If we were dealing with the ancient
draft, we should take every fourteenth
man. We are not conscripting. We
ire selecting for military service those
whose civil service can best be spared.
Continued on Page Eight)