The sun., 1917-07-20
MEN IN FRANTIC
DRAFT QUERIES
Search for UnObtainable Serial
Numbers Irritates New
Workers.

New York city was officially reported
ready for the draft at 6 rs o'clock last
night. and little later Adjt-Gen
Stotesbury telegraphed to Washington
that all the exemption boards in the
State had finished their preliminary
work and had sent their quota OF num-
bered registration cards to Albany and
the names and numbers of the men reg
istered to the War Department.
The highest number in the State is as
signed to some man in Niagara county.
II IL 7,543. the largest registration in
single exemption district
Although the exemptors in this city
have done themselves proud by inces-
SAINT sleepless toll in the past few days
and have finally bFbught the city under
the wire in time to have the drawing
take place to-day, If that is the final de-
cision. the confusion into which the men
who may be drafted have been thrown
is by no means abated. In district after
district 1t was reported last night that
It was virtually impossible for those who
are registered to fnd out their serial
numbers
Lists Are Not Alphabetical.
As soon as a local board has finished
numbering It's cards 1t is required TO post
a list of all names and numbers In It's
headquarters, so that any person may
drop in and ascertain the number that
has been given him.
The original regulations sent to the
boards said nothing about making the
list alphabetical a copy of the list sent
to Washington, arranged according TO
serial numbers without regard to the
| alphabet was deemed sufficient.
As it dawned upon the authorities
! that il was going to be something OF a
task for a man to hunt through several
| thousand names for his own, later
! rule was adopted directing the boards
| to post n alphabetical list. Some of the
! boards which finished their work early
| have done this. Others which have had
plenty OF time to alphabetize the names
have not done so. A still larger grouT
Has had no time to do anything except
number the cards and prepare the serla
lumber list.
The result is that in some headquar'
ters the registrant can find his namt
easily. in some he can do 1t by patient
search and in many no lists have beer
posted at all.
Responsibility Is Up 10 Men.
The registered man Is requested by
the Government to go to the headquar
ters of his local board and ascertain hi:
number so that he may know after tn,
drawing IL he is among those called
for examination, The responsibility Il
put upon him. In discharging it yester
day he often encountered conditions lik
these:
On the wall of the board headquarter
-
nary commercial letter size Hundred
of men were all trying to scan tn,
sheets at once. They had no means o
knowing whether their numbers wer
low or high They had to start at tn
beginning of the unalphabetized list an
race through the names until they cam
to their own. That took time. Other
were waiting hot and impatient. Son.
headquarters were so crowded at
o'clock last night that not another ma
could squeeze in.
Here's another sample: Board 105, l
Public School Sc. at 351 West 1St
street, is working in room which Nigh
possibly hold fifty men comfortabl.
e When a reporter for THE SUN called h
E found nearly three hundred men tuggin
4 and clawing at one another for a chanc
to reach n certain desk.
At this desk were two copies of tn
/ serial list of numbers and names with
out alphabetical order, Each copy cor
sisted of 112 typewriter pages.
List "AvaiInble TO Public"
II was available to the public" bt
> the fraction OF the public which got
chance to look at either list last nlgl
was negligible.
n From time to time the bewldere
- xybn Icfa alya
! thought that knowledge of their seri
number before this morning was in
| peratlve, found the heat If the crowd,
room so overpowering that thu
ewarmed outside for air. The boaI
chairman did his best to explain that
y they would all come back to-day tn,
, would find more lists for inspection.
that 30 hard pressed had the boa,
r been in its struggle to finish numberil
the cards that 1t had time to verify on
; the two lists that were visible,
Up at the headquarters of board 4
10 1s2d street and Wadsworth avenue.
o lot of men were clamorlng for peek
y a district list. but were told that no
It would be ready until 8 o'clock to-nigl
g. Similar reports were received from 9th
"a partB of the city In addition to trout
Is over the lists there was no end OF co
D fusion over the addresses of exempti
3 boards, although all have been pu
lished,
Three Paid Clerks QuIt Work.
,h A few days ago Washington rotlf
ya the boards that n they could not 8
~ volunteers they could pay clerks
IN maximum OF $3.50 each a day, Yest'
ed day Philip ], McCook, director of
to Mayors committee, notified the boar
in that after the cards were numbered a
It. ---
Continued on Second Pa0e.