The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-01-09
DO DRAFTED MEN
WANT TO LEARN?
Registrants of keokuk Who Wish to
Get Into Signal Corps Of
Army viii Have
Opportunity.
MEETING THIS WEEK
Time and Place viii be Announced
Later When Arrangements
Are Made for
Session.
MEETING THIS WEEK

Drafted men who wish to enter
the signal corps branch OF the army,
or who wish to talk over the service
in this line, will have an opportunity
the latter part of this week, when
the drafted men of Keokuk are 1nVlt-
ed to attend public meeting for this
purpose. The time and place OF meet
ing will be announced through Inc
Gate City Thursday.
Thousands of telegraph operators
will be required by the slSnaE corps
in the next and succeeding calls Oh
the draft. In order to insure that
these men will be available, 1t is I'M
portant that educational institutions
and civic organizations throughout
the nation formulate plans whereoy
men registered for draft, II technlcal-
iy inclined, may have an opportunity
to secure training in telegraphy ue
signed to qualify them as candidates
for service in the signal corps whea
called to cantonment camps through
the regular operation or the uralt.
AS a patriotic duty, school boards,
colleges. universities and other tech
nical institutions. the Young Mems
Christian association, civic organlza-
lions and industrial plants are being
wide educational campaign
The plan to institute telegraph
classes for registered men has al
ready taken deep root IN numerous
cities throughout the central depart
ment. Night and day classes nave
been organized and are operating
successfully. Remarkable results
have been attained in the city OF Chi
cago, where large Industrial organ
cations, through patriotic ferVor and
desire to aid their employees In
gaining admission to high class,
technical branch of the army, nave
organized classes and are carrying on
this work in a very efficient manner
at their own expense. The board OF
education of the city of Chicago Is
cooperating in this work to the ex-
tent of supplying instructors where
ever required. The Chicago board OF
trade has equipped and is conducting
at their own expense one of the
most thoroughly organized schools in
the United States, their present en-
rollment approximating four hundred
registered men.
High Class Men.
The men who. are enrolled in these
classes should be high class men,
technically inclined, because of the
very confidential nature of the work
of the signal corps and should be
physically qualified for army service.
Enrolment in the classes organized
under this plan will not affect the
standing of the men in the draft. The
classes are planned to equip regis
tered men with a knowledge Of tele-
graphy that will enable them, when
called to cantonment camps through
the regular operation of the draft.
to apply for placement In the s1gnat
corps.
The signal corps is that branch OF
the army which is responsible for
transmission of information by the
various operating units Of the army
and is, therefore, most important
unit in the successful movement OF
armies in the field. Without an Ell
ficient signal corps effective move
ment of troops in the field would be
practically impossible.
The personnel of the signal corps
includes a large proportion of non
commissioned officers and, therefore,