The sun., 1918-11-21
THE DRAFT BOARDS: THEIR
WORK AND PAY.
Tho Director Of the Draft for This
City Disposes Of False Notions
About the Boards Compensation.

About the Boards Compensation.
To THE EDITOR OF THE suN--Sir. The
letter signed ''X." in your issue OF Mo-
vember II, purporting to state a good
reason why the local boards should not
handle the rehabilitation of indicted
men. requires attention. principally be-
cause Of the misstatements that 1t con-
tains.
First OF all. there are actually 1855
local boards in the United States, and
| therefore the average registration Of
each board Is considerably less than the
| computation made by your correspon-
dent would indicate.
In the next place each local board
member is not being paid at the rate
Of $50 month for each thousand reg
| istrants in his district. The compensa-
| ton of local board members Is nxed
by Section 1876 Of the Selecttve Service
Regulations. Such compensation is at
the rate of 81 an hour for each hour
| that tho member is actually present at
the board and wholly engaged in the
duties prescribed by the regulations for
members of local boards A maximum
| compensation Is provided for by this
| section, and 80 far from the average
compensation OF board members being
$3.50 a month or f1,o50 for a board Of
three members. no member. no matter
what the registration of the board Is,
can receive in excess OF 5000 a month,
| or 5000 for a board of three members.
Needless to say, therefore. the COM
pensation. being thus limited. does not
involve a monthly expenditure of S3.-
10000 or anything like 1t.
The advisability of having the local
boards handle the matter of demobiliza-
ton and the manner in which they can
cooperate with the Department Of Labor
as to the employment phase of the sit
uation, and with the military authorl-
ties regarding tho actual discharge and
with the War Risk Insurance Bureau
respecting the determination of the
amount of allotments and allowances
and disability incurred In the service.
are all quite adequately set forth in
letter which was published in the New
York Times in the issue of November
II, 1918, from Mr.. Henry w. Taft, chair
man of the War Committee Of the Bar
OF the. City of New York, and having
pointed out the errors in your corre-
spondent's letter and made reference to
Mr.. Taft's communication, would close
were 1t not for the fact that your anony-
nous correspondent has quite gratui-
tously insulted by insinuation the MEM
hers OF local boards in suggesting that It
took the 'lure Of Treasury voucher to
make their efforts count"
From February to October of this
year the members OF local boards re-
ceived no compensation. From Novem-
Der 10. 1917. to February I. 1918, those
who did receive any compensation were
very inadequately paid. Prior to that
time the amount of their compensation
was not equal TO that receiyed by
skilled laborer. Those who could afford
to contribute their services without be-
ing paid for such services have worked
throughout the draft without receiving
a penny.
All OF these men constituted that won
derful army making machine the Sc
lective service system, according to Lord
Northcliffe one OF the miracles Of the
great war. Against the criticism of
your anonymous correspondent. who is
40 incorrectly informed as to the facts
respecting the compensation Of local
boards. I quote the following from the
letter Of Major-General E. H. Crowder.
Provost Marshal General TO Senator
Chamberlain, declining promotion to the
rank OF Lieutenant-Generai:
Forty-eight States and three Territorial
headquarters and nearly 5000 local and
district boards. with an aggregate MEM
bership of nearly $4,000 citizens. assisted
,A,.,s hos In
every Jurisdiction. have cooperated with
the national headquarters eficienuy and
honorably. and many without componsa-
ton, in the superb team work which has
produced the gratifying results attained
under the selective service law. Those re-
suits embrace the registration OF more
than Io,5oo.ooo citizens and their classi-
hcation for military service. and the en-
trainment OF the nearly 100000 men
now serving with the colors. BY August
OF this year this latter number will be
approximately 1900. 900. and by the close
OF the year. II expected acquisitions are
received. the aggregate will approach
5000, 900. OF the members OF these boards
Il may be truly said that when the selec-
tive service system which they administer
ceases TO function eflciently TO produce
the military and to conserve the Industrial
man power, we shall bo in fair way to
lose this war I have long entertained the
view that something ought to be done to
recognise publicly and emphaticslly the
enormous sacrifices these citizens have
made in bestowing the continuous and ex-
hausting service that has been indispensa-
BILE in carrying the administrative burden
OF the selectiye service system. The dim
Guilty has been in devisng a suitable re-
ward. nationwide in its application and
acceptable generally TO those who have so
participated At the risk OF being re-
Garded ungrateful TO the proposers OF
this provision. cannot bring myself to be
satisfied that my own consclentiously per-
formed share in discharging that duty
so long as the far greater share of these
other builders OF the National Army re-
mains without public and distinguished
acknowledgment in the records OF Con-
gress
These men. my fellow workers. their
tolls their sacrifices and their achieve
ments, are next to my heart On this
subject / frankly confess to deep SEN
timent--I hope that dt will not be reck-
oned 49, sentmentality sentiment
which would not receive unalloyed sat
isfaction from tho bestowal OF any honor,
however generous. that Is personal TO my
self only.
This letter was written July 5. 1918,
and summarizes their record OF accom-N
plishment up TO that time From that
date until notifications were stopped
tho work OF the boards was even heav-
Ter. In the month of August alone 4O0,-
900 or more men were sent to camps.
ANY efforts to belittle the work OF these