The Clayton news. (Clayton, N.M.) 19??-1954, 1917-10-20
new PLAN FOR NEXT ARMY DRAFT BEING FORMULATED
BY THE PROVOST MARSHAL AND WAR DEPARTMENT

hensive plan for applying the army Sc
only men without dependents and of no |
particular value to war industries. and |
establish various grades of dependency |
and Industrial value from which future |
= sfts would be made strictly on the |
seiective basis, has been worked out
tentatively by the provost marshal gem |
erafs office and discussed with the |
president. The plan, Il was learned to- |
day, was submitted recently to a con- |
ference of civilians who directed eX
emptlon board activities in a number
OF states and received the Endorsement
OF most of them who are now discuss
ing the proposed plan with their state
governors
Il is proposed to formulate in each
local draft district table OF all reg
istrants. placing each In a column de-
noting it's dependents and industrial
value In the wars prosecution
Rated on Dependencies
For Instance. horizontal columns or
'clAssifications would be based on de-
tendency. Men with no dependents
would be placed in the first class. those
with dependent distant relatives in the
second class. those with wife In the
third class those with wife and one
child in the fourth. and so on.
Similarly xhe vertical columns might
represent certain industries arranged
according 70 their respective merit as
war necessities. Industrial classes un-
der consideration In this connection
are farmer. ship yard employees. muni
roI Nd ira ~
ton employees miners. steel plant and
MOTOR industry workmen, and certain
other individual plants or industry
branches to be designated from time to
time BY the president or the war de-
paytment as temporarily essential.
Plants Making Supplies
The latter classification might in
clude plants making military clothing,
harness, first aid materials. or profess
.sions. such as chemits and other scien-
tihc men more needed for war research
work than to carry arms
Thus the table with horizontal de-
peDdency classifications and vertical In
dustrial olasslfications would hold a
place for each registrant in accordance
with his dependency or industrial
value claim.
men
boards would first take all men phys
ically tit, having neither dependents
nor value in essential war Industries.
When this clnss was exhausted. draft
authorities would draw on the classes
having the slightest dependency claims
and the least value in essential indus
tries. Theoretically, the draft would
work down through the table, to the
classes with most dependents and high
est Industrial value.
No Class Exemption
No class would be exempted as such
but the valuable men would be placed
50 that they would not be called unit
the need for soldiers became more ur
gent and all the less essential classes
were exhausted.
The plan involves Il determination b!
,~-tae government of what industries ar,
the most valuable. and this is gIvlnl
officials considerable difficulty. Farm
ers' organizations, shipping board OF
ficials and shipbuilders, munitlon max
ers. railroad heads, coal operators ant
many others are insisting on the prim
Importance of their own employees il
civil work
Il IL understood the entire program
n viii be made known as soon as II /
completed and approved by Presiden
Wilson, 10 allay the anxiety prevailing
thruout many Industries over the mex
draft. which had been planned for a
earlv as December before the new pla
wsa proposed. but which now may h
DELAYED.
work ON TechnicnIitIes
\ committee Of officers In the pro
Vost marshal generals office is q
work on technicallties of the plaI
which has been outlined only in a gen
eral way to Secretary Baker and tn
president
The proposed plan would meet Pres
ident wilson's objections to class e1
emptIons on the other hand. IL
claimed, 1t would successfully preveI
the drawing OF men into the army VII
are needed more in the Industries or
agriculture and would avoid mistake
of Great Britain early in the WI
when coal mines and war industri'
:. were depleted OF skilled workers q
2 the sake OF swelling the first exp
ditlonaryl force. II also would gi'
each man more or less definite pla
in the liability list and set his mil
At rest as TO when he might be sur