Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-07-09
PATRIOTIC YOUNG
MEN OF DEFERRED
GLASSES MAY ENLIST

The next contingent Of men called I'M
der the selective service law will leave
Augusta for Camp Devens on Friday,
July IS. Local Board for Div No. Of
Kennebec county has been directed to
entrain on that day SO men physically
qualified for general military service.
This call will exhaust all available men
in Glass /, including all who have been
deferred on account of being engaged
in agricultural pursuits.
An opportunity is now given to men
who have been placed in deferred class
20 voluntarily enter the service by
waving deferred classification provided
they present themselves before the local
board within the next few days. Any
registrant in deferred class who is
found physically qualified will be per-
mitted to go with the other Kennebec
boys on July %.
Chairman Plaisted said Monday that
there were many young men who have
repeatedly stated that they were only
waiting until their country really need
ed them to come forward and enlist
voluntarily. They need wait no longer
for the call has now come" said ex-
Gov. Plaisted. GLASS l has been ex-
hausted and it will be much better for
these patriotic young men to come for
ward now that they can do so volunta-
rily than to wait until they have been
reclassihed and placed in Glass l and
thereby subject themselves to the draft.
This will be the only opportunity
for voluntarily enlistments that will be
offered for some time, as next month
the new registrants of the class of 1918
will be available and the August call
will be filled by the young men who
have become q years of age between
June 5, 1917, and June ), 1915 there being
200 of these new registrants within the
jurisdiction of the local board
Il hope that many young men be-
tween the ages of q and 81 within the
jurisdiction of the board will present
themselves at once at the Office of the
local board where they will receive their
physical examination and, if physically
qualified. as many as possible will be
indicted into the service of the country
on the 26th of fully.
Another feature that makes it more
desira Bile to enlist at once is that the
chances of promotion are now very
rapid on account of the fact that many
new companies will be organized. Not
only non-corlmissioned officers are
chosen from the ranks but at present
all the commissioned officers are select
ed from among the enlisted men, GER
tain number from each organization
being selected to attend the officers
training camps from which the officers
of the new army will be appointed.
Through the War Risk Insurance
Bureau the army insures all its SOL
diers in amounts ranging from $1,000 TO
$4,000 al such a small premium that
there is hardly a soldier in the United
States army today that does not carry
$4,000 worth of government insurance.
The bureau also has charge of for
warding the monthly family allowances
to soldiers dependents, and the govern
ment has made very liberal provisions
for the dependents of men in the SER
vice. In addition to his pay, which va
res from $50 to $S1 month, soldiers
wife is allowed SIS a month toward her
support; if the soldier has wife and
child she gets S25 a month; a wife and
two children $3.50 a month and S. add-
tional for every other child. The SOL
der hmselm if obliged to contribute at
least SIS per month in addition to the
amount given by the government from
his pay"