The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1917-08-18
OFFICIAL Instructions
ON DEPENDENCIES

ADG AI& lC&CNA11A 811 49,
received from the Provost Marshal
General and is hereby published for
the information and guidance Of ali
concerned:
Section 2 Of the Selective Service
Law exempts no person from mill
Ssry service on the ground of de-
pendency. 1t only authorizes the
President to exclude or discharge
from draft those in q status with
respect to persons dependent upon
them for support which renders
their exclusion or discharge advis-
able" The controlling necessity Is
to raise al army II is advisable TO
disturb dependents just as little as
the necessity of raising al army viii
permit. To this end section is of
the regulations was compiled care
fully and after the most earnest con-
sheraton If experience Il TO prove
that the generous conditions pre-
scribed by section is. or any abuse
Of them. viii interfere with the rails
ing Of al army. then il is no longer
advisable TO discharge so wide q class,
and the conditions stated therein
viii have 10 be restricted until an
advisable rule is reached Nothing
has happened to change the belief
that the persons enumerated in sec
tons IL and Is could be discharged
without interfering with the raising
Of an army. but there are indications
that abuses Of section Is may render
its continuance no longer advisable.
Reports are TO the effect that. in
some districts, as high as so per cent
Of persons called before local boards
are fling claims for discharge on the
ground of dependent relatives. Such
a percentage of claims, when viewed
in connection with all available sta
t~istics, indicates beyond question that
advantage is being taken of the pro-
visions of the law and regulation:
which were intended to reduce to 9
minimum the misery at home nor
mally attendant upon war. There il
a moral certainty. in the extrava
gance of this percentage. that hun
dreds of unfounded claims are IN
cluded in these totals.
This state of affairs greatly in
cresses the burden of local board
for, if SO high a percentage of regis
trants claim exemption. only the IN
compromising action Of local board
can prevent a new regulation on In
subject of dependency which shall re
duce discharges for dependency to
far more restricted class and L
very ~necessitous and clearly defines
circumstances In the absence Of
stern repression by local boards o
unmeritorious claims this result j
inevitable since any such percentag
Of exemptions as reports of claim
indicate would nullify the law al
prevent the raising of an army. ]
is thus apparent that the filing o
these improper claims will reac
directly and injurionsly on person
whom the present regulations wer
designed to protect and that th
welfare of persons who have file
bona 6ce claims under the presen
generous clauses Of the regulation
is seriously imperiled by persons VIII
have fled claims without merit. an
that the only protection of person
whose cases are within the meaning
of the present rules lies in the powe
Of local boards to refuse exemption
in every doubtful q It is trn'
that cases of discharge on the groun,
Of dependency r appealed to tn
district board. but this clause il onl,
inserted TO secure uniformity Of &C
ton. District boards are to examin'
these cases to discover departage
from the law. regulations. and rul
ings: and they viii not and canno
open every case on its merits 1t j
in the local boards alone. therefore
that the solution of the difficulty anC
the protection of deserving claimant
lie -