Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-07-20

evolved l5 so simple that the drawing OF
one set of a thousand numerals and an
other Of eleven will * with absolute
equality Of chance the order In which
every one OF the ten million registrants
shall report to his local board for ex-
animation and subsequent exemption.
discharge or acceptance for military
service.
Since the average exemption district
registration is 5000 and there are
1857 districts. the average number Of
men listed with each operation of the
drawing machinery will be about TO-
200
Cali alsysLsss QUOTA. 81 81
General CfOwder announces also,
that local boards will be instructed to
call 200 per cent OF their quota At the
first call to provide for probable ex-
empdons. That means that 1874 900
men will be notified to appear for eI.
animation within the next few days.
If more are necessary, they will be
called for as needed by the local
boards In the order provided for in
the drawing.
In some districts the 100 per cent al
lowance for exemption may be too
large and in others too small. but the
local boards will be instructed In every
case to continue calling for men un-
til the district quota Is filled. Each
governor is now allotng to his dis
tricts their respective portions of the
states quota.
General Crowder counts upon finish
ing in little more than an hour the en-
tire process which will Ak the order Of
liability for appearance before the
local exemption boards of each man Of
the ten million registered.
METHOD OF DRAWING.
In each Of the 4,557 exemption dis.
tricts among which the ten million reg.
istration cards have been divided. the
cards have been given serial mum bers
The number Of registrants in each dis
trict varies from about 1856 in the
smallest to more than 10, 900 in the Lar.
gest. so that the serial numbers 10 be
dealt with in the drawing range from
to between 5000 and 10000.
In order to reduce the mechanical
process and make 1t possible for the
1000 numbers drawn to reach every
man In every district, so-called mas
ter key has been devised. This will
be obtained by drawing slips numbered
from 0 to 10, which will be LIST
ed in the order they are drawn to form
tho key.
Then will begin the drawing Of the
numbers, | to 1000. For the district
with not more than 1000 registrants
there will be no problem to determine
the order OF appearance before the ex-
emption board. The number drawn
first Will fix the man whose card bears
that serial number as the first to ap-
pear before his board In the district
with only 1S5 registrants, the 1S5 will
be liable for appearance in the order
in which their numbers are drawn. and
when the number higher than that ap-
pears the district Of course will rot
ne affected.
MASTER KEY RULES.
Application of the master key makes
1t possible to apply fairly each Of the
thousand numbers drawn to districts
with more than 900 registrants AS
number is drawn it will be added to
each Of the thousands in excess OF
1000 In each district.
In his explanation Of the process and
OF the reason for fixing the order OF
liability for all Of the men when only
6S7 900 are needed. General Crowder
says:
THE ORDER OF EXEMPTION.
''If we were dealing with the ancient
draft, we should take every fourteenth
man. But we are not conscripting. We
are selecting for military service those
whose civil service can best be spared.
Therefore. the question is not, who
shall go frst'' But. who shall be first
called up for examinationT And what
we must do is to make a list showing
the order of examination.
''Now no one knows how many men
must be examined to yield eS7 900 sol
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