The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-05-24
Baseball Players, Theater, Club
Employees and Clerks to
Get Rifles.
CROWDER IN DRASTIC EDICT
Sweeping Amendment to SeIective
Service Regulations to Make Ma
tion Efficient in War May Solve
Great Labor Problems for
Farmers and Ship
builders.

Washington, May 24-The war de-
partment issued a statement regarding
baseball players and other professional
spOrtSmen, which said: mo ruling as
to whether baseball players or per-
sons engaged in golf, tennis or any
other sport come under the regulations
regarding idlers and nOneSSential pur-
suits will be made until a specific case
has been appealed to the provost mar
shal generals office"
Washington, May 24.-Every man
of draft age must either work or fight
after July 1, under a drastic amend
ment to the selective service regula-
tfOns announced by General CrOwder,
provost marshal general. Not only
idlers, but all draft registrants engaged
in what are held to be nonuseful oc-
equations are to be hailed before local
boards and given the choice of new
job or the army.
Local Boards to Decide.
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, thea
ter ushers and attendants, passenger
elevator operators and other attend
ants Of clubs, hotels, stores, ETC., do
mestics and clerks in stores.
Deferred classification granted on
Of
garded entirely in applying the rule.
A man may be at the bottom of class
/, or even in class 4, but if he falls
within the regulation and refuses to
take useful employment he will be
given new number in class l that
will send him into the military service
forthwith. Local boards are authorized
to use discretion only where they fine
that enforced change of employment
would result in disproportiOnate hard
ship upon his dependents.
May Solve the Labor Problem.
1t has been known for some time
that some form of "wOrk-orfght" plan
has been submitted to President Will
son, but there has been no intimatton
that 1T was so far reaching in its scope.
Both the military authorities and de-
partment of labor officials believe that
it will go a long way toward solving
the labor problem for farmers, ship
builders and munition makers and will
end for the present at least, talk of
conscriptiOn of labor. The announce
ment gives notice significantly that
the list of nonuseful occupations will
be extended from time to time as ne-
cessity requires.
The statement sf the provost
marshal generals Office is as follows
provost Marshal General Crowder
today announced an amendment to the
selective service regulations which
deals With the great question of com
pelling men not engaged in useful
occupation Immediately to apply them
selves to some form of labor contrib
uting to the general good. The idler.
too, will find himself confronted with
the alternative of finding suitable EN-
ployment Or entering the army.
"This regulation provides that after
July 1, any registrant who is found
by local board to be a habitual idler
or not engaged in some useful occupa-
ton shall be summoned before the
board, given chance to explain and
in the absence of a satisfactory expla-
nation, to be inducted into the
military service of the United States
How 1t Would Work in Chicago.
ANY local board will be authorized
to take action, whether it has al
original Jurisdiction of the registranl
or not in other words, any man loaf
ing around poolroom in Chicago may
be held to answer to a Chicago board
even though he may have registered
in New York and lived there most OF
his life.
THE regulations which apply to idle
registrants will be deemed ;c at.ply
also TO gamblers of all descriptioI
and employees and attendants OF
bucket shops and race tracks. for.
tune tellers, clairyoyants, palmists and
the like, who for the purpose of the
regulations shall be considered as
idlers
New Rule Is Sweeping.
1.-The new regulation will also affect
the following classes:
"(a) Persons engaged In the serving
of food and drink, or either, In public
places, Including hotels and social
clubs.
"(b) Passenger elevator operators
and attendants, doormen. footmen and