Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1917-12-19


plishments and future of the selective
draft system, Provost Marshal General
Crowder makes some very pungent re-
marks, which should be read by all
who expect to be called upon for SER
vice in the next few weeks.
Class /.
In Glass I we shall have, in every
community, Immediately available for
military service single men and a few
married men whose removal will not
disturb the reasonably adequate sup
port Of their dependents. In the in
dustrial and agricultural aspect, we
shall have segregated into this class,
men who have not especially fitted
themselves for industrial or agricul-
tural pursuits so tina tour only insur-
sion into the labor supply will affect
but a small percentage of unskilled
labor.
Glass II.
"In Glass II we find men who can be
taken without disturbing the support
Ct any dependent and, as / shall pres
emily show you, if the necessity of
drawing on Glass II arrives, we must
demand even from agriculture and in
dustry an adjustment to replace a
small percentage of skilled labor af-
fected by the draft-men who, while
occupying no pivotal or important po-
sition, can serve industry or agricul-
ture better than unskillcd men.
Should the pinch of military neces-
sity increase beyind Glass II it would
mean that the nation would have to
begin to commit itself to hardship and
to an adjustment in agriculture and in
dustry TO meet the paramount ne
cessity,
Glass III.
I'VE take in Glass III a very small
class Of persons upon whom others are
dependent for support, but we do not
break up the closest and most sacred
of the family relationship. We also
invade the field of agriculture and in
dustry 20 the extent of ticking, in the
small percentage aft c+e7 men who
have specialized themse'-~ or who
occupy rather pivotal pc rs.
Glass ~.
In Class ~ we find the men whom
we shall take as a last resort Before
that class is reached it is perfectly
safe to say that by the addition of
other classes as to age, say those who
have attained 81 since registration day
and perhaps adding the classes of 1&
and 19 and 20 years old, men, we shall
have included twosor three million men
in our available list, and thus have
Glass V comprises the field of alb
solute exempts.
The Field Of Labor.
There is one thought that I mus
impress to eradicate On erroneous view
that may be taken of this classafiea-
ton:
1--WE are dealing in the field of labor
supply. Presuming that labor supply
of industry and agriculture comprises
h <~f1C En
assuming, for the purpose of this eX-
position, that there are 100000 men
of each of these ages, we are DEALING
with thirty-two classes, appurtenant to
agriculture and to the various indus
tries. The draft affects ten thirty sec
onds of this supply or only about 81
per cent. Therefore turning TO Glass II
where we find skilled farm labor there
it does not mean that when Class IT
is exhausted all skilled farm laborers
will have been taken. From these fig
ures, it would seem TO mean that 81
per cent of all skilled farm labor will
have been taken. Put even this fig
ure is misleading Without the def
mite statistics that the present draft
will eventually afford can say, think.
that within this class of skilled lab
orers at least 60 per cent of these.
Must Give Man Power.
10 raise an army COMPRISING hun
dreds- Of thousands of men necessitates
an inroad into the man mower of the
nation. We are committed to this war
and we ought to fie'at it in the most eff
fective fashion possible to us The ne
cessity Of raising on arvov is para =
mQSlnt The decrease in labor supply
must be adinsted IN some way other
than nv shutting off recruitment That
il can be adjusted there is no question.
We see what England has done what
France has done, and most of all what
Germany has done The problem is
not to maintain the labor supply of
agriculture and of every industry in
tact, 1t is to make the withdrawal of
men in the most scientific manner
possible I think we have done that
and that what is offered here is the
basis for a nice balance between our
two necessities. I feel that we can go no
further. There are those who say that
we must win this war in the economic
field with an inference that the rails
ing of an army is a side issue. I say
70 you that with any greater inroads