The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1918-01-10

| analysis Oh lHe leCol Us ~ VIII w
shown that only O.00026 per cent. of
the men within draft age evaded reg
istration.
Eager to Serve.
A rough figure of So per cent. is
given as the number of registrants
who failed to appear when called by
their local boards for exemption, but
Gen. Crowder hastens to explain that
most Of these men already are in
Europe in the American, British and
French armies. They did not await
the draft process in their eagerness
to get into action.
"The final data will undoubtedly
show" Gen Crowder adds, that the
number of those who willfully failed
to appear for examination when call
ed is insignificant
Of the total registration of g.
5S6,50S the number called and ex-
amined was 3,OS2,949 and of these
1,O57,363 were certified by the
boards for military service. Since
the first call was only for $4,000
men there now remains 370,363 men
awaiting summons to the mobiliza-
ton camps.
Reiections 23.7 Per Cent.
Of all men examined 730,756, or
23.7 per cent. were rejected for ply
sical reasons That, it is pointed
out, shows an encouraging improve
| ment in the physical condition of the
| young men of the nation since civil
| war days, for at that time the draft
authorities rejected 80 per cent. of
all men called on physical grounds.
About one-half of all men called,
or 1,56O,57O, claimed exemption. The
claims Of 7S per cent. of these were
granted, showing in the opinion If
officials that very few fraudulent
claims were fled Of those exemp-
| ed, "A per cent. we're released be-
cause of dependent relative, 20 per
| cent. because they claimed alien birth
and nationality, and only 6 per cent.
| on vocational grounds. Less than l
| per cent. of the exemptions were
| granted to religious objectors or to
those morally unfit. The figures are
1887 exempted because of religious
belief, their exemption extending
only to release from participation in
actual combat; and 2,001 rejected
for moral unfitness. The majority
of the latter were convicts now in
prison.
| Cost of First Draft.
The total cost of the first draft ex-
elusive of the provost marshal gen.
erals office here was s5,221,965.
This amount has been refunded to the
States by the federal government. 1t
represents an average cost of S4.93
per man accepted for military service
and with the provost marshal gen.
erals expense included SIS per man
against a cost of s24.4S per volun-
tary recruit in 1914; 1914 in 1915,
and s28.95 in the first nine months
of 1917. Prior to the Draft Act
during the civil war the cost per
man was about $34 and after the
draft was enforced, about 1884.
In discussing the future of the
draft, Gen. Crowder takes occasion
to say that the first duty is to pro-
vide an adequate army. Economic
considerations must be regarded in
selecting men, he says, but not at the
expense of an efficient fighting force.
Viewed beside the efforts Germany
and Austria have put forth to place
man power in the field, he added, lit
little becomes us to emphasize above
a whisper as a substantial national
problem anything we have yet been
called upon to do
Striking Results.
Tables accompanying the report
show many striking results for the
draft. Take the total of 1,243,801
aliens registered; it is shown that of
the 457,713 called up for examina-
ton, 76,545 were certified for mill
tary service, having voluntarily waiv-
ed their rights to exemption as aliens
and in effect volunteer for the battle
for democracy. Even of the $751;
16s exempted, 40 per cent. went out
on other grounds than their alien
status.
| There was evidently some variation
of practice among the States on the
question of exempting married men
A total of 163,115 married men have
: been certified for service. In Missis
sippi the board held SO per cent Of