The Red Cloud chief., 1918-09-26
EMPLOYERS HAVE DUTY
SHOULD HELP IN WORK OF
CLASSIFYING THE NEW
REGiSTRANTS.

Pointing out the duty of employers
of labor in assuming II proper share
of responsibility for the classification
of new rcgiStrants under the Sclective
service act, II communication from Pro
vost Marshal General CrOWdcr has
been made public. The points cmpha-
sized are as follows:
/ have noticed, In the general ex-
prcSsions of the public attitude which
reach this office, two frequent features
which lead me to the present COM
ments. One OF these features Is the
belief that the process of awarding de-
ferrcd classification Ia Il rcgistraut re-
quircs merely the filling u of the
qucstiOnnaire, and that the sclrCtive
service boards will perceive the pro-
pricty of making the dcfCrment. with
uut the assistance furnished by the
rCgiStrant'S formal claim indicating
the dcfrrmcnt desired. The other fca-
turc Is the employers failure tn real
iZe his responsibility to intervene In
aiding the boards determination. and
W INV w ~ VI lhNlN Wv W.
the considerations which should affect
the decision as to defcrmcnt.
/. As to the first mentioned belief,
II must he pointed out that if II were
universally acted upon, the process OF
classification would be seriously ham
pcrcd and delayed. Someone must in
dictate that the individual case Is one
N,Iiah ghntll nrp.st thn Gnnninl uttnn-
tion of the boards In respect to the reg
istrunt's occupational status. The
boards do not possess n superhuman
omnlsccncc.
Boards viii Make Examination.
The boards will do all that they pos
sibly can. on their own initiative, to
reach n just decision by n complete ex-
animation of the QUESTIONABLE, even
where no claim is expressly made. A
rcglstrnnt is therefore at liberty, II he
sees fit, to trust to the scrutiny of the
boards to discover the necessity for his
defcrmcnt.
Nevertheless, the boards will well
come and will need all the mid that can
he furnished by the indication Of n
claim made for deferment.
2. Why should the employer. or 9TH
or t,ird person, in such cases, make
the claim? Because the employer in
this situation represents h nation,
because lin the statutory phrasc)
"the maintenance of the military cs-
tabliShmcnt or of national interest
during the emergency" requires that
some wcll-adviscd third person should
look after that national interest, which
the registrant himself may not have
sufficiently considered.
II Is often forgotten that the sclec-
tive draft Is only one element In the
depletion OF n particular industry's
man-pOwer. A second and large ele-
mcnt Is found In the voluntary with
drawals for enlistment how large this
Is may be seen from the circumstance
that the total induciions by draft have
reached some 2,OOO,OOO. while the total
enllstments in army and navy amount
to some 1,d00, 000-nearly th~rec-quar-
tiers ms many. A third element, very
large, hut unknown as to Its precise
extent, has been the transfer of labor
power from one industry to another,
namely, into the distlnctivcly war in
duStrieS Offering the Inducements OF
higher wages. How relatively small,
In actual effect, has been the effect Of
the %sclective draft Is seen I'm the fact
that. for all the occupations represent
ed In the S.70O.OOO classified regis
trants of January, 1913. the percen-
tnge of the entire industrial popula-
ton represented by the class l regis
trants amounted to only g per cent. 1t
ran as low as 3 per cent for some oc-
equations, and co~rrespondingly higher
for some other occupations; but the
national average was only 6 per cent.
Any notably larger depletion in partic-
ular industries must therefore have
been due, partly TO enlistmcnts, and In
probably greater degree, 10 voluntary
transfers into other Industries.
Must Remember Nations Needs.
These other Influences are therefore
to be kept In mind by employers and
others, in weighing the question wheth-
or the best solution, In the national
interest. Is to ask for the defermcnt
of individuals or groups Of men. Such
dcfcrments may assist the immediate
situation In the particular establish.
mcnt; but they merely force the army
and the navy to seek elsewhere for the
same number Of men thus deferred,
The cumulative needs of the
military forces are known ana inn
,.npatfpn. and nnu niNnn nrInntitN nf