Evening star., 1918-11-23
QUESTIONABLE TO
Be KEPT PRIVATE
New Ruling Prevents Regis
trant and Others From
Examining Document.
RECORDS TO BE SAVED

Rights OF reG1strdntS OF olheI per
sons to see questionnaires were with
drawn today by orders of Provost
Marshal General Crowder to local
draft boards. instructing them that
'after the receipt Of this order no
aeosss shall be given to records of
local boards on the part of any per-
son whatsoever not a board member
or a member of the clerical force
specially authorised thereto by the
board
The order marks the passing of the
right of a registrant to see his own
QUESTIONABLE, or Of any other person
to see any QUESTIONABLE. with the ex-
ception Of the dependency and physii
cal condition questions and answers.
No Information to Be Given Out.
No information concerning the
41estionnaires and other draft rec
ords shall be given out from now on.
except on written instructions of the
provost marshal general. Under no
circumstances whatever, 1T is ordered,
shall local boards withdraw or permit
any one else to withdraw any papers
whatever now in the board files or
hereafter placed In such files.
"A scrupulous observance of the
foregoing rules is essential" Gen.
Crowder stated. Gin order that the
records themselves shall not be witt
ated and in order that the local boards
shall be protected against the impor-
serious charges to which any other
course would lend color and might
give substance.
, How Records Will Be Used.
THE proper and Just administration
of the war risk insurance act and of
future pension laws of the country
will in many cases depend almost ex-
Clusively upon data contained in these
records, which will likewise have a
vital relationship to charges of de-
sertion and delinquency involving the
honor of thousands Of registrants.
"In addition to the foregoing" Gen.
Cfovder concluded, 'it Is from these
records that the history of this war
from them also must come information
Of the last value as to man power in
case Of any future war. For these rea-
sons II is q matter Of the highest
patriotic duty on the part of the whole
board, from which no board member
can escape, to see to 1t that these rec
ords are kept absolutely true and in
Time Gut to Less Than 20 Days.
Local boards of the District today
found the time allotted for the COM
pletion Of all work on questionnaires
and other draft records had been cut
down to less than twenty days. instead
Of the sixty days which the board
members understood they were al
lowed.
the city call for the completion of all
outstanding classification work and all
records by December 9. Board mem
bers expressed the opinion that the
work will be completed here on time.
although the magnitude of the task
is great.
ovan, director of the local draft work.
said. There is no can about tit
will be done by December g."
In addition to the completion of all
classification work on registrants
nineteen to thirty-six years old and
asked by Provost Marshal General
Crowder TO complete their annual re-
port for Incorporation in the annual
report to be submitted to Congress by
Gen. crowder.
Other Work Required.
Nor is this all. The boards are ac-
curately to make out and promptly
submit as Of November 3, the first
monthly report called for in recent in
structions. Local boards then will be
called on for a second monthly re-
port" as of December 8, which is the
date after which no further question
naires from late registrants or others
are to be received.
Immediately upon completion of
their classification work and the rem
dering Of the last of the above re-
ports, the local board records, which
are public records Of the government
of the United States, shall be sealed
up by the chairman of the board by
sealing up the cases in which the rec
ords are fled, and. SO sealed. the rec
ords and cases shall be kept sealed
and intact subject to further orders
from Iorosxosf Marshal C.anaral C-o.uIla.