Weekly journal-miner., 1917-12-12
SECRECY THROWN ABOUTANSWERS
 0F DRAFTEES
INFO. O.RMATION ELECTED BY WAR DEPARTMENT IN QUE STIONNA IRES WILL NOT BE GIVEN ANY PUBLICITY.

The Provost Marshal General au-
 thorizes the following:
 | Many inquiries are reaching State
 selection headquarters as to how far the information contained in the | questionnaires will be available to
 the public. It was recognized by the Provost Marshal General that an in ! justice might be worked to individ-
 uals if all the information elicited
 should be made public, and the fol-
 lowing regulations were carefully drawn to cover this point:
 All records required by these rules and regulations to be filed with and | kept by local and district boards, ad- jutants general, and other persons in
 connection with the registration, ex-
 animation, selection, and mobiliza-
 ton of rcgistrants under the selectivc
 service law, and these regulations
 shall be public records and shall be open during usual business hours for public inspection of any and all per sons.
 Health and Dependency. Provided, however, That the an-
 swers of any registrant concerning
 the condition of his health, mental or
 physical, in response to Series IT of the questions under the head entitled Physical fitness in the question naire, and other evidence and rec ords upon the same subject, and the answers of any rcgistrant to the ques- tions under Series X of the questions under the head entitled Depend ency," in the questionnairc, except the names and addresses of the per sons claimed to be dependent upon such registrant, shall not, without the consent of the rcgistrant, be open to |. inspection by any person other than members of local and district boards examining physicians, members of medical advisory boards, Government appeal agents, and other persons con- nected with the administration of the selcctivc service law and these rules and regulations, and United States attorneys and their assistants, and officials -of such bureaus or depart ments of the United States Govern ment as may be designated by the Secretary of War.
 Penalty for Violations.
 Any person connected with the ad- ministration of the selective service law and these rules and regulations who shall diyulge or impart to any person not entitled under the fore, going paragraph to receive the same, any information contained in a rec ord as to a registrant's physical com dition, or as to his answers concern ing dependency as above provided, shall be guilty of misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be pun ished by imprisonment not to exceed one year.
 The portions of such records as are hcreinbefore held to be confidential shall not, without the consent of the registrant, be produced and publish cd in response to any subpoena or summons of any court, except that they may be so produced and pub lishcd for the purpose of. being used in the prosecution of the registrant, or any person acting in collision with such rcgistrant, for perjury or for any violation of the provisions of the selcctive service law or of these rules and regulations.
 Free Inspection Not Permitted
 Whenever any registrant or other person (except o1f of the classes ot persons named in 'the proviso of the foregoing section II of these rules and regulations) applies to local or district board to inspect any of the records of such boards, such regis trant or other person shall not be permitted to search through such rec ords, but it shall be the duty of mem- bcrs or clerks of local and district boards and other persons having the custody of such records, to discover, open, and point out to the reglstrant or other person, the portion of the record containing the information rc> qucstcd by such person so applying, subject to the limitations as to dis closures provided in the foregoing section II.
 Claim for Deferred Classification.
 The Government has thrown an, other difficulty in the way of those who are seeking deferred classifica- ton by requiring each local board to note a recommendation on the back of every qucstionnaire which contains such a claim. Heretofore the claim was made by the registrant without let or hindrancc on the part of the local board, but rule B provides:
 If claim is made for deferred on the ground of en- in industry or agriculture Whether there be any other claim or loD, the local board shall in all cases udorsc upon the questionable, in the place provided (p. 16), its recommen- lation as to the merits of such claim md its finding as to any fact bear ng on such claim as it desires to nave considered in support of such recommendation"