Milford chronicle., 1918-05-31
ALL men OF DRAFT AGE
MUST DO USEFUL WORK
Only Alternative to Change OF Occu-
patton for Many Is Military Ser
Yice-Clerks Affected.


ment to the selective service regula-
tions announced by Provost Marshal
General Crowder.
Not only idlers. but draft regis
trants engaged in what are held to be
nOn-useful occupations are to be hail
ed before local boards and given the
choice of q new job or the army.
Baseball players, as we'll as Jock
eys, professional golfers and other
professional spOrtsmen, Gen. Crowder
said today. will be affected by the reg
ulations, if strictly enforced. He said
he did not desire to make specific rul-
1ngs at this time and would make rul-
lngs only when cases come to him
from local boards after July 1st.
Theatrical performers were except
ed from the regulations at the direc-
non OF Secretary OF War Baker who
Is said to feel that the people cannot
DO without all amusement in war
time and that other amusements could |
be dispensed with more readily.
Gamblers, race-track and bucket |
shop attendants and fortune tellers |
head the list, but those Who will be |
reached by the new regulations also |
include walters and bartenders, the |
atre usheTs and attendants, passenger |
elevator operators and other attend |
ants OF clubs, hotels, stores, ETC., do
mestics and clerks in stores.
Deferred classification granted on |
account OF dependents. will be disre-
sarded entirely in applying the rule. A /
man may be at the bottom OF Class One
or even in Class Four, but il he fails
within the regulation and refuses to take
useduI employment he will be given a
new number in Glass One that will send
him into the military service forthwith.
Local boards are authorized TO use dis
cretion only where they find that en-
forced change OF employment would re-
suit in disprOportionate hardship upon
his dependents.
Surprisingly Drastic.
II had been known for some time that
some form Of work or fight plan had
been submitted to President Wilson, but
there had been no intimatiOn that it had
been 50 far reaching in scope. Both the
military officers and Department Of La
Dor officials believe It will go a long way
to solving the labor problem for farmers.
and munition makers, and
will end, for the present at least talk
Of conscrption OF labor.
The statement Of the Provost Marshall
General says:
This regulation provides that after
y uAg A6A any IEElHLLduL WHO is IQunQ Dy
q local board to be a habitual loafer, or
not engaged in some useful occupation.
shall be summoned before the board.
given a chance to explain, and in the
absence Of a satisfactory eplanaton, 10
be inducted into the military service OF
The United States.
"Any local board will be authorized to {
take action, whether it has original jur-
Of the registrant or not. in 9TH
room in Chicago may be held to answer ;
70 a local board in Chicago, even though ..
le may have registered in New York and
lived there most Of his life
Vacations Not ldleness.
The statement further says
Temporary absences from regular en- {
1loyment not TO exceed one week. unless :
such temporary absences are habtual /
md frequent, shall not be considered as j
dleness. Regular vacations will not be -;
considered as absences in this connec- .
ion.
THE regulation throws a further safe {
suard around men not usefully employed {
~ providing that where there are COM {
,elling domestic circumstances that c
would not permit change Of employment r
" the registrant without disproportion-
tie hardship to his dependents. or where
change from non-useful to useful en- :
,lOyment or occupation would necessi-
ate a removal Of the registrant or his &
amily, local boards may give considera-
ion TO the circumstances. The regula
ion further provides that, whore such
change Of employment would compel
he night employment Of women under ,
circumstances which a board might
leem not suitable for employment Of a
women, the board may take such cir f
umstances into consideration in making a
Is decision" A
Nation Must Be Effective. =
Explaining the new regulation, Gem
raj Crowder said IN part:
''The war has 50 far disorganized the p
ormal adjustment Of industrial man v
over as to prevent the enormous in n
ustrial output and additional organiza- d
lon necessary to success. a
There is a popular demand for or
anization OF man-power but no direct Il
raft could be imposed at present Z
steps TO prohibit ldleness and nom h
Rective occupation viii be welcomed by 8,
ur people. S,
I'VE shall give the idlers and men not q
nectively employed the choice between
Hillary service and effective employ
lent. Every man, in the draft age at o.
asst, must work or fight.
This Is not alone war Of military
ianouvre. It is a deadly contest OF in
lSLFleH ana meGualIG5s 1tlAAAetAlg must
ot be thought Of as merely possessing
n army, we must think Of her as being a
n army-an army in which every fact 81
~ and loom in the empire IS a recog- d
lied part in a complete machine, run Ia
Ing night and day at terrific speed. We 81
iust make Of ourselves the same sort T
effective machine. a,
1T is enough to ask what would hap =,
sn Il every man IN the nation would a
i'm his hand 70 effective work. We III
Just make ourselves effective. We must
-ganize for the future. We must make y
ast Withdrawals for the army and i'm
ediately close up the ranks Of industry
ehind the gap with an accelerating pro- ri
uction Of every useful thing In neces- in
ny measure. How Is this to be done2 ia
he answer is plain. The first step to- -
ard the solution OF the difficulty is to ~
-ohib8t engagement by abie-bodied men -
the field Of hurtful employment idle III
ess or Intellectual employment, and thus ne
duce and persuade the vast wasted r
ycess into useful fields. tr