The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1918-03-28

during the present emergency in agri-
culture are needed. These furloughs
will be granted after consideration of
the circumstances of the individual
case in which they arise and when the
military situation is such that they can
be granted without too great disrup-
ton and disorganization of the Army or
of any particular organization of the
Army.
AS to further means to protect agri-
culture a new regulation has been pro-
mulgated authorizing agricultural
students in their senior year in land
grant colleges to enlist in the Enlisted
Reserve Corps of the Qusrtermaster'
Department provided their class stand
ing is such as to place them in the upper
third of their class. By this means it
will be possible to defer the draft call
OF such young men in order to enable
them to perfect themselves as agrIcul-
turalists and thereafter to protect them
in suc1 services as it may seem that
( they should perform in the best in
terests of the Nation.
The whole industrial and agricultural
situation is being subjected to very
comprehensive study in order to dis
cover any means that may be taken to
protect and augment the labor supply
appurtenant to industry and agriculture
without precluding the prompt and
orderly progress of our military plans.
1t is confidently believed that great
progress can be made along this line
and that more effective measures than
any yet devised can be put into opera
ton to attain the desired end 1t must
be emphasized that this is a war of
mechanics. The need of the several
armed forces for men highly skilled in
technical and mechanical pursuits is
greater than in any former war. Yet
this need for specially skilled men finds
the nation under a necessity for in
creasing its production in almost every
line of industry. Withdrawals of men
from industry must be made and these
Withdrawals must take men who might
otherwise be deferred on account of
their special qualifications and skill.
The necessary numbers of such skilled
men will be obtained in one of three
ways. First, men already in the mill
tary service who have such special
skill will be taken from the line regi-
ments and assigned to the staff organi-
cations and departments where their
skill is needed. Second, men classified
by the Selection Boards, even though
they may have been placed IN deferred
classification, Will be withdrawn with
great care and particularly from the
industries of the Nation for special SER
vice in staff corps and departments.
Third, young men of draft age with
certain educational qualifications will
be indicted into the service and sent to
universities, colleges, and technical and
secondary schools to be instructed in
technical arts until they have acquired
such proficiency as will justify their
assignment to the special units that are
being organized in considerable num-
bers.
In accordance with this plan, the
Provost Marshal General has already
called upon the States for some 10000
skilled artisans and, will shortly call
upon the States for 10000 young men,
graduates of grammar schools, who will
be sent before the first of April to
various technical and other schools
throughout the United States for a
two months course of training. Regu-
larly thereafter, an increasing stream
of selected men will be sent through
educational and other training institu-
tons for this purpose.
To sum up, it may be said that there
will be no sudden withdrawal of great
numbers of men from the ranks of in
dustry and agriculture during the com
/ ing summer but that men will be drawn
in relatively small groups throughout
the year in such way as to create the
least possible interference with industry
and agriculture. Men in deferred
classes as we'll as men in Class will be
selected in small numbers either on &C.
count of their special technical qualif-
cations or for the purpose of sending
them to schools where they will be
given an opportunity to acquire such
qualifications.
/ 0ur StOcLx