The Washington herald., 1918-08-19
DRAFT WORRIES.
new YORK men
Holland Shows Many I'm
portant Business Firms
Will Be Broken Up.

new draft law making the ages
from IS to as. inclusive. the basis
of the draft. has occasioned a
great deal of concern and some con-
fusion.
The wonder Is how this new law
Is to affect partnerships, profess
sional employment and the men who
are engaged in various industries
which are by themselves presum-
ably not to be classed as essentials.
In New York city there are many
law firms the partners in which are
men under forty-five years of age.
Some Of these have been success
fully established for fifteen or
twenty years.
II the partners who are under
forty-six are to pe included in the
draft, as presumably they may be,
this undoubtedly will lead to the
dissolution of the firms and pos,
sioly to considerable impairment or
disarrangement of business.
According to reports received
from Washington, farmers. school
teachers and clergymen are to be
exempted. Presumably also the men
Who are employed in important in
dustries will be tentatively exempt
ed. at least. but the question Is what
VIII be the effect OF the law IL Con-
sress enacts 1t. upon office en-
ployes.
For instance. in one of the largest
OF American Industries there Is an
onieer who receives a large salary
in payment Of his responsible work
in an important department OF that
industry.
He Is forty-two years or age. He
Is director in corporations some
OF which are occupied in furnishing
the government with greatly need
ed material. yet he is not an indus
tial worker and he is inclined to
think that the draft board may,
after he has registered. compel him
to enter service OF one kind or an
other under the government.
A Serious Matter.
Yet IL this oficer were to be drafted
into service his loss to the company
would be a serious matter. He is
a very high expert upon certain finan-
cial subjects. There are few who
are competent to do the work which
he has SO successfully performed for
some years.
Reports from Washington intimate
that the President, to whom discre-
tionary power will be given, will not
call upon the men who are between
is and q unless the war be pro-
longed and the services Of these men
are needed. II the President so acts,
then he must turn at once to the
men who are in excess of 81 years
of age and under a.
Undoubtedly the effect OF the pro-
posed draft would be seriously felt
in all lines OF business. Neyerthe-
less. the government hopes so to
put this law into operation as not
TO enforce undue hardships. Already
some Of the business men in New
York. and 1t Is understood in other
parts Of the country. are preparing
to volunteer or to enter service be-
fore being drafted. feeling that there
may be some advantage in doing
this.
Curtaii-nent of Industry.
In some departments of industry
the curtailment of labor is already
producing serious results. That is
understood to be true of the rapid
transit system of New York, because
more and more Of the employees are
being tempted to munition plants and
shipyards. partly because OF better
wages and partly because they can
in that way escape some Of the pro-
visions Of the new draft law.
This has been followed by a pecu-
liar result. Just as the new rapid
transit system of New York, the
largest OF its kind in the world, capa-
BILE Of handling several million pas
sengers day, Is completed, there
comes information that the advan-
TaRaa Thus CainaA flraI, =
paired by reason OF the departure of
the employees, who have been TEMPT
ed to accept employment in NUM-
tion factories and shipyards This
has made 1t necessary not only to re-
duce the number of trains, some of
which were expected to run on a min
ute headway, but also to reduce the
number Of cars upon each train.
II Is one Of the most gratifying of
the incidents associated with the
prospective enactment Of the new
draft law that no one hears any COM
plant nor Of any disposition to shirk
the responsibility. but there does nat
SralIy enough arise the question of
how industries or transportation ia
cIlities and other business life can
be readjusted so as fairly well to meet
the new conditions which will arise.
"nSe EnrnerS share.
Following the example set by the
United States Steel Corporation, the
standard Oil Company of New Jersey
and the Western Union Telegraph
Company have increased the wages
of their employees by 10 per cent. The
United States Steel Corporation will
have to make only two or three in
creases at this rate to be able to re-
port that II has within four years in
creased the wages paid its employees
by 100 per cent.
When Walter C. Teagle began his
service less than a year ago as
president of the Standard Oil Com
pany of New Jersey, one of the
first things he did was to ask the
employees to send representatives
who would share in a dinner with
officers of the corporation. These
representatives were chosen. The
dinner took place and at 1t an
nouncement was made that 1t was
the purpose OF the company to
maintain and increase the spirit of
cooperation between the company
and its employees.
Furthermore. President Teagle
announced that he was firmly of the
opinion that the employees should
share in any prosperity which the
lsompany secured Therefore a care