Evening star., 1917-11-10
ASKS INFORMATION
ON DRAF TED MEN
Gen. CroWder Requests Dis
trict Boards to Furnish CON-
pIete Data About Selects.
DIVIDED INTO CLASSES

Local boards of the District were
called upon today by Provost Marshal
General Crowder to furnish the War
Department within a specified time
complete data as to all the men in the
National Capita! who have been reg
istered in the draft.
The information is necessary. it is
stated. "for learning how the system
has worked and how 1t may be i'm
proved for future drafts"
Schedules of the time allowed local
boards for the completion of their
compilations is given. Boards having
fewer than 1000 registrants are al
lowed three days; boards having 1000
to 5000 registrants, six days; boards
having 1901 to 5000 registrants. ten
days. and boards having 5000 or more
registrants. two weeks.
Practically all the boards of the Dis
trict have between 1000 and 5000 reg
istrants. and therefore will be allowed
six days to complete the work asked
of them. Draft division No. 2. with
more than 1000 registrants. will be
Request Causes Surprise.
Draft officials were surprised today
by the receipt OF the letter from Gen.
Crowder. and the accompanying forms
which they are to fill out for the War
Department. The suddenness of the
notice. and the comparatively brief
time allowed for the com pilations. were
subjects of comment. but officials said
that they would start at once on the
work. and felt sure that they could
comply with the request.
In general terms, all the registrants
of the District of Columbia are to be
divided into three classes. The regis
tratfon cards are to be divided into
three piles as follows:
Pile l-Registered, but not called.
Pile 2-Called. but not accepted.
Pile 3-Called and accepted.
Information Of Registrants Sought.
Information is to be given concern
ing the registrants Of these three
groups as to marriage. citizenship and
alienage and nationality.
The cards which will go into pile l."
registered but not called. will be fur
ther sorted to determine the occupation
Of the men whom the cards represent
The first step in the process, which
to separate the entire mass of registra-
tion cards in the hands of a local board
into two parts by laying aside all the
cards of persons not yet called
The process of marking code num-
bers for the occupations is the only
dif1cult process in the whole compila-
ton, the instructions issued to the To-
cal board members state. And yet II
is not more difficult than the work OF
the census bureau. for the occupation
code is merely an adaptation of the list
used in the thirteenth census t1s10>."
The letter of Gen. Crowder to the
members of the local boards follows:
Gen. Crowder's Letter.
THE nation awaits to learn the facts
are found in your records. and nowhere
else.
""The Congress expects-and rightly
that this Information will be available
at the next session. The task Of sup
plying that Information must be de-
volved upon you. for nowhere else is
| that information available.
| Personally. my dominant sentiment
| is that no labor except what is abso-
1utely unavoidable should be asked OF
| energy, your enormous sacrifices, have
made an unexcelled record of efficiency
The nation knows this and Is proud OF
| It, But the labor giving this informa-
| tton 4S aD6Olutoiy uHdVoludule w
must both face this.
ut can and shall be kept down to the
minimum that Is necessary for the
present purpose. History will some day
| write the record Of what you have
done, with all its details. But for the
| present we shall merely get together
the Information necessary for learning
i how the system has worked and how i,
| may be improved for future drafts.
IT call upon you. therefore. to per
form this further patriotic task. and a:
| promptly as possible.
Instructions Also Sent.
| "with this letter are sent to yo,
! comics of instructions for compiling
/ data with the summary sheets or
which the data are to be entered. Pre-
the originals direct to the provost mar
| shaI general at Washington. by regis
| tered mail
| to the assistants now in your employ
or, If that Is not feasible. to specia
| volunteer assistants appointed by yol
| for the purpose.
"1t is believed that patriotic men ant
women of intelligence can be found fol
] the purpose in every area. 1t Is sug
! aested that principals and teachers O
high schools will be available every
Where, and that, in most areas, col
lege professors, other teachers, law
yers, clergymen, members of the coun
| ell Of defense and other capable citt
zeus can readily be drawn upon. Tn,
work can be done OF evenings. Eacl
person can be asked to contribute
evenings for one or two weeks. or TO
ten days as may be needed. The mum
| ber called upon should be, say. from
five to ten in all, for an area OF 2,5O
registrants. more or fewer. according