Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-09-05
CROWDER CALLS ON
NATION TO SPEED
Up REGISTRATION
Wants to Induct Many New
Men in Service by
October.
QUESTIONABLE FILLING
HASTE is ALSO URGED
General Hopes That Thirteen NIL
lion Men Will Be classified
by January 1.

Provost Marshal General Grower
today called upon the nation for
speed in every process of the forth
coming registration, drawing and
classification of men under the new
man-power act. in order that men of
the new registration may be inducted
into the military service of the United
States. beginning in October.
Gen. Crowder. talking to newspaper
men this afternoon. called upon local
boards of the. nation to get the lists
OF registered men completed with
serial numbers so that his office might
have the national list by the Saturday
following registration day.
Registrars Urged to Haste.
Fegistrants are called upon to take as
little time as possible in filling out the
questionnaires. which will be given out
foiiowlng registration at the discretion
or local boards. Gen. Crowder made
plain that no questionnaires will be
gwen out to registrsnts on registration
day.
Complete classification of the 1S.0OO.-
oeO men by January / is the hope of
Gen. Crowder, although 100 days will
De allowed the boards to complete this
gigantic task
me great national drawing at the
Caplfoi will take place between five and
ten days following the sending to The
provost marshal general Of complete
rJ -
drawing will be held by October >.
age groups of registrants who will
oe called first in the draft have not
yet been announced, Gen. Crowder
said.
Gen. Crowder's Statement.
Urging speed and more speed in the
work before the nation under the
man-power act. Gen. Crowder said:
The necessity of filing the Octo-
Der requisitions. either in part or in
whole. ont of the effectives to be OBJ
talned under the new registration
makes 1t necessary to look forward to
substantial speeding up in the work
OF the local boards at that stage of
the operation. and. indeed. from the
very beginning of the task. 1t is i'm
perative that the work of the boards
proceed much faster than a year ago
In every possible way steps will be
taken to make it possible for this
speed to be attained.
Wants Lists Hurried.
THE entry of the serial numbers on
the regiStra ton cards and the mailing
Of The lists of those names with their
attached numbers to the adjutants
general of the states and the provost
marshal general is one of the first
points at which special efforts for
speed can be made.
The fixing of the serial numbers
can hardly take more than two or
three days i'll the largest boards, but
making up list containing each
name with it's serial number was
process which in June. 1917, occupied
nearly. the whole of the month after
June .. the day of registration. 1t
will be impossible to look forward to
such long-drawn-out process in
this instance.
The compilation of this list cannot
be dispensed with, because the pos
session of this list in duplicate by the
adJutant in the state and by the pro-
vost marshal general affords the only
guarantee against the change of
serial number on card. after the
drawing of the numbers at Washing
ton. which might be made by local
board disposed to favor or endanger
an individual registrant in respect to
the order of his liability.
Therefore. it is impossible TO pro-
ceed with the drawing at Washington
until all these lists have been pre-
pared and have been mailed through
out the Union. 1t is hoped that all To-
cal boards will appreciate the abso-
lutte urgency of condensing the prepa-
rations of this list in the shortest pos
sible time. and it is hoped that this
period will reach not more than ten
days a the most in any board.
Questionnaires Come Next.
THE next stage in the speeding-up
process will consist in sending out
the questionnafres to registrants as
promptly as possible. BY the plan for
merly obtained the queStionnaires
This limitation will no longer apply.
The local board will be at liberty to
send out the Questionnaires in such
quantities and at such rates as seems
feasible to each board. the-general
principle being to send them out as
speedily as the registrants can utilize
them.
ITO a like extent. it is imperative
:llat the preparation of Questionnaires
by registrants be speeded up as n.H.h
as possible in order that the work of
classification may be proceeded with
as promptly as possible after the reg
istration takes place. To that end
the newspapers would be aiding us
considerably IL they would urge local
boards to get in touch with the legal
advisory boards and have the latter
afford every facility in the way of
advice and assistance to registrants
in the preparation of the question:
naireS.
This means also that the regis
trants should do their part in the
speeding up and should fill out and
return their questionnaires to the
local boards without waiting for the
time limit of seven days allowed by
the law. The press is asked to urge
by not taking any more than the
the Questionnaire and return it
promptly.
Previous Process Delayed.
I'm the process of 1917 the ques-
tionnaires were not sent out until
after the drawing had taken place at
Washington. the order numbers an
nounced AMI the boards had entered
naire. If this procedure were followed
in the present instance the question
naires could not be sent out until
twenty-five or thirty days after regis
trarion day. This period of time can
not be lost on this occasion. The ques-
tionnaire will be sent with only the
serial numbers and without the order
numbers. This will enable the regis
trants to devote themselves to the
process of drawing the order numbers,
lo'at'aa'd on ss''s7d fa''.S