Catoctin clarion., 1917-10-25
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1917.
Five Classes Fo' Draftees
Remaining 100000 Will Be
Ranked In Order OF Their
Eligibility.

ing change in the machine OF the
selective draft, based on division OF
the 100000 remaining registrants
into five classes in order OF their
eligibility for military service, was
announced today by Provost Marshall
General Crowder. Details of the plan,
which has been approved by Presl-
dent Wilson, are not disclosed. 1T
is calculated, however, to do away
with virtually all the complicated
machinery of the first draft and to
make the operations OF the local
boards hereafter little more than rub
ber stamp proceedings.
The plan was worked out at con-
ferences with local and district board
officials and approved by the various
State authorities. Its chief features
are that every registered man will
know his exact position and be able
to arrange his affairs accordingly and
that no man deemed necessary in any
important industry or needed at
home to support his family will be
called to the colors unless the mill
tary situation is desperate.
Provost Marshal-General Crowder
issued this statement:
with the completion of the draft
of the first army of 6S7 900 men, a
new system will be installed for the
creation of succeeding armies which
will greatly lessen the labors OF the
local and district boards. So far has
this been accomplished that it is be-
lieved that under the new system 81
per cent. of the work will be elimi-
mated, while the forms to be used
will not exceed 20 in number as COM
pared with approximate 1872 forms
which the present system requires.
along with the reduction of labor
there will be provided system which
will classify each one of the 5000,
600 men who have not yet been in.
Quoted into military service, and each
man will have been given his place
in the national scheme Of defense.
"To do this it has been determined
to obtain from each man complete
information of character which will
definitely fix his economic worth as
compared with his fellow registrant,
and from the information thus OBJ
tanned to place him in one of the five
classes, each to be called as the need
arises.
"The method of obtaining this in
formation is through QUESTIONABLE +,
a series of questions calculated to pro-
duce the information desired. This
document will be mailed to every
registrant not yet in service, on day
to be fixed, seven days being given
to each registrant to complete and re-
turn the same. Every opportunity
will be offered to each man to COM
plete his QUESTIONABLE fully and with
out error.
''The local board will then examine
each QUESTIONABLE and assign each
registrant to one of the five classes.
"These classes will be based upon
every conceivable condition, from the
family or occupational standpoint,
that should properly be advanced by
a man desiring to be excused from
military duty. Class one will be the
first called for physical examination
and service and when it is exhausted,
if the nation s needs are such to make
it necessary, class two will follow and
thus each man registered will ulti-
mately take his place if needed.
Every opportunity for appeal
from such classification by the local
board has been retained and perfect