The midland journal., 1917-07-20
WILL DRAW TEN
MILLION SAME DAY
Each Man to Know Order in
Which He is Liable to Draft.
AK Err ANNOUNCES PROGRAM
First Number Drawn In Washington
To Represent First Four Thou
sand To Appear Before Ex-
emption Boards.

Washington.-Drawi of lots for
the selective draft not only will deter
mine what men are to be called to the
colors in the first war army, but Will
show in what order the others regis
tered will be liable for service when
later armies are organized.
A plan of drawing will be followed
under which a definite place in the
waiting lists will be given every one
of the millions who registered. Those
standing at tne head of the list in each
county or city district will be called
first before the exemption boards, and
then the obligation will pass on down
the line as long as men are needed.
This does not mean that separate
name or number will be drawn for
every one of the country's 9,SOOOOO
registrants. In fact, every number
drawn, under the theory Of the plan,
will represent more than 1000 men,
one for each of the registration dis
tricts.
1t is estimated that so per cent. of
the men examined will be exempted or
fail to pass the physical examination
so that more than a million men prob
ably will appear before the boards be-
fore the $4,000 or more wanted on the
first call are obtained.
Outline Of Plan.
Details of the system have not been
made public, but an outline of its pr1n-
cipal features follows:
Every registration board has num-
bered the cards in it's possession in
red ink, beginning at No. / and con-
tinuing to a number corresponding
with the total in the district.
At the drawing numbers will be used
ranging from No. up to number cor
responding to the total in the largest
district of the country.
The first number drawn will deter
mine what man in each district is to
be taken first. If it be No. 10, for ex-
ample, it will mean that the man in
each district holding local card No, 10
will be called for examination before
any of the other men in that district.
The second number drawn will de-
termine what man in each district is
to be taken second, and so on as long
as men are needed. Those not needed
for the first war army will retain their
positions on the lists and these posi-
tions will determine the order of theif
liability when they are needed.
Numbers Posted.
The drawing will be public and each
number will be announced as 1t is
drawn. At the Offices of most local
exemption boards the red ink numbers
of the registrants already are posted,
so that registrants may inform them
selves beforehand of their respective
numbers. If they do, as soon as word
of the drawing comes they will know
in just what order of liability they
stand.
Obviously there will be high num-
bers drawn for which there are no cor
responding registrants in small dis
tricts The smallest district in the
country is understood to have but 1877
registrants and the largest about 1000
Whenever number beyond the total
in any given district comes out it will
operate as a blank for that district.
Thus, if the theory works out evenly
the larger district will be constantly
assessed in excess of the small, on a
pro rata basis corresponding to their
size.
Drawing Week OF July %.
The drawing will probably be held
during the week of July %, according
to present indications. Only "a states
have completed the organization of
their exemption boards and the post
ing of red ink numbers. The drawing
cannot be held until all states are COM
plete so that no juggling of numbers
win be possible.