Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1918-09-18
100000 Names Are Added to
100000 Already
Enrolled.
STATEMENT BY CROWDER
Provost Marshal General Says Great
Problem Now is to Classify Regis
trants Justly and
Wisely.


ances from every section of the coun-
try that the registration of America 5
millions of men between the ages Of
eighteen and twenty-one and thirty
two to forty five, inclusive, had been
accomplished with precision, Provost
Marshal General Crowder turned his
attention to the great task of classify
ing this vast army.
Thirteen million names, approXi-
mately, have now been added to the
100000 already registered, making
a total man-power census of about a.,
100000
The great problem now, General
Crowder said, is TO classify the regis
trants justly and wisely both for the
welfare of the army and for the eco
nomic and industrial good of the ma
ton. In this connection General Crow
der issued statement regarding mon
productive occupations" and ''nOnpri-
GRITTY INDUSTRIES
Crowder Explains Lists.
"An erroneous impression" General
Crowder said, sis current that the
nonproductive list of occupations con-
tanned in the provost marshal generals
work or fight regulation of last May
corresponds to the group of industries
omitted from the preference list an
nOunced by the chairman of the war
industries board on September 9.
Because the former list was brief
(only five classes of occupationS),
while the latter group is very large
Cncluding all inc sstries except the ~
priority classes enumerated), and be-
cause the announcement of September
8 stated that the preference list is
the basis for industrial exemption
from the draft some persons have
formed the impression that the small
list of five 'nOnprOductive' occupations
has suddenly been enlarged by the pro-
vost marshal general to include the eX-
tensive group of industries omitted by
the chairman of the war industries.
Corrects Wrong impression.
This impression is so erroneous
and misleading that it calls for prompt
reputation The 'nonproductive' list
of five classified occupations has not
been enlarged, and it will not be en-
larged without the amplest and most
explicit notice.
IAN industry omitted from that list
is in the position of not being entitled
TO a priority privilege. The relation
OF that list to the selective service
system is that an industry included
in it is thereby recommended to the
district boards as being a necessary
industry, and tthe district boards may
take advantage of that recommends
ton in determining whether an indiS-
pensable man in such an industry
should be placed in a deferred class
on that ground.
Chance to Change Jobs.
"But there are, of course, many
scores, perhaps hundreds, of industries
not positively essential to the war pro-
gram nor to the maintenance of ma
tional interest during the emergency.
In those industries are, or will be, mil
lions of registrants deferred on
grounds of dependency, and many 9TH
ers in class l without deferment.
"At this point the work or fight
order comes into play, but only few
classes of comprehensive in alex
pressly enumerated in that order, and
to q relatively small number Of indi-
viduals.
Among this extensive and unlisted
group of 'nonpriority' industries 1t
finds a few which it designates as
'nonproductive.' The policy involved
is that those men of draft age would
serve the country best by getting out
of those occupations, either into the
military forces or into some other oc-
cupation.
"Thus the war industries beard is
concerned merely with strengthening
the priority position Of limited num-
Der of industries at the top of the
scale, so to speak, In relation to war
needs; while the provost marshal gen.
erals regulation is concerned mainly
with Strengthening the army by TAX
ing the registrants who choose to stay
in q small number of occupations at
the bottom of the scale"