Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-02-16
NO SH|RKEPS ON PLEA
OF WORKING ON FARMS
Kent County District Exemption
Board Makes an Important Rul-
ing in Respect of This Question.
Special Dispatch to Every Evening

Special Dispatch to Every Evening
Dover, Feb 16.-lThe District Exemp-
tion Board, in session here up till midnight
last night, after considering many cases
sent from Sussex county, among which
were agricultural claims, issued the follow
ing statement, which is vitality important
to those claiming exemptions on the
ground of agricultural pursuits:
''rhe District Board for Delaware,
having in charge the draft classification
on industrial and agricultural cases,
wishes to explain to the citizens Of the
State its policy and Interpretation of the
draft laws where they touch upon the
agricultural interests
| "The problem of maintaining, and
where possible increasing, the products
on the farms is OF such Importance to
| both Delaware and the nation that the
District Board will allow deferred clas-
sihcations, thereby releasing such men
| from the possibility of an early draft, in
| all cases where it is shown, first, that the
| rcgistrant is skilled farmer through
| several years of experience and practical
| work; second, where the reglstrant rs
working on q farm of such size and char
acter of products rs would require the
| active services of all workers reported for
such farms
III registrant so classified in q de-
terred class by the District Board leaves
the farm and undertakes work in some 9th
er line, except for winter period, when
service may not be needed temporarily
upon the farm, then the District Board,
acting under its Interpretation of the
draft laws, proposes TO Immediately re-
classify such registrants in the position
OF unskilled laborers In such new work,
and thereupon will place such rcgistrants
IN class l, subject TO immediate draft.
When a registrant Is working on a
farm, where the District Board decides
that said farm has an excess of labor,
taking into account the tillahle acreage
and class of products on the farm com
pared with the recorded workers upon
the farm, and thereupon places such
registrsnt in class /, the registrant can
secure a review with the opportunity of
securing a deferred classification by
promptly transferring himself to some
other farm deficient in labor In such
case, the registrant should Immediately
advise the District Board OF his change
and ask the District Board for review
to determine whether or not he NAV be
removed from the risk of immediate
draft and placed in deferred classifica-
tion for the benefit of increasing the
agricultural products of the country
When registrant working in some
industry which docs not entitle him to
deferred classification finds himself placed
in class by the District Board, and such
registrant can prove substantial skill in
agricultural work through several years
OF previous experience, and will imme-
diately transfer his services to some farm
deficient In labor, he should promptly re-
port the circumstances to the District
Board and the District Board will there
upon review the case TO determine whether
or not the reglstrant is entitled TO de-
ferred classification.
"All deferred claSsifcations for work
upon the farms of Delaware will be grant
ed and continued so long as the regis
trants are giving active and energetic
service upon the farms TO increase the
quantity of farm products to the ut
most, and all citizens of the State are
under patriotic obligations to report
Immediately TO the District Board of any
cases of farm slackers within the draft |
age.
'FThe national emergency requires one
hundred per cent workers in all vital |
vocations, and the District Board will |
only permit a continuance of. deferred |
FOR farm service in each |
case SO long as each registrant continues |
to do TO the utmost his part on the farm. |
The District Board desires this /
general policy TO be fully understood |
throughout the State of Delaware so that
one of the most vital problems of the
war. namely, the production of food
;tuffs, may be aided to the utmost bv the
proper interpretations of the draft laws
permitted to the District Board in the
conditions explained above"