The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-09-13
100000 Names Are Added to
100000 Already
Enrolled.
Statement BY CROWDER
Provost Marshal General Says Great
Problem Now Is to Classify Regls-
trants Justly and
Wisely.

aHceS from every section or the cOlln-
try that the registration of America s
millions of men between the ages Of
eighteen and twenty-one and thirty
two to forty-f1ve, inclusive, had been
accomplished with precision, Provost
Marshal General Crowder turned his
attention to the great task of classify
ing this vast army.
Thirteen million names, approx
mately, have now been added to the
100000 already registered, making
a total man-power census of about a.
100000.
The great problem now, General
Crowder said, Is to classify the regis
trants justly and wisely both for the
welfare Of the army and for the eco
nomic and industrial good Of the ma
ton. IL this connection General Crow
der issued statement regarding mon
productive occupations" and "nonpri-
ority industries"
Crowder Explains Lists.
"An erroneous impression" General
CrOwder said, 'is current that the
noIproductive list Of occupations con-
tanned In the provost marshal generals
work Or fight regulation Of last May
corresponds to the group Of industries
omitted from the preference, list an
nOunced by the chairman Of the war
industries board on September 8.
Because the former list was brief
(only five classes of occupattons),
while the latter group 10 very large
(including all industries except the 70
priority classes enumerated), and be-
cause the announcement of September
8 stated that the preference list Is
the basis for Industrial exemption
from the draft some persons have
formed the impression that the small
list OF Ave 'nOnproductive' occupations
has suddenly been enlarged by the pro-
vost marshal general to include the ex-
tensive group of industries omitted by
the chairman of the war industries.
Corrects Wrong Impression.
"This impression Is so erroneous
and misleading that it calls for prompt
reputation. The 'nonproductive' list
Of FIVE classified occupations has not
been enlarged, and it will not be en-
!arged without the amplest and most
explicit notice.
"An industry omitted from that list
IL in the position of not being entitled
to priority privilege. The relation
Of that list to the selective service
system Is that an industry included
in it is thereby recommended to the
district boards as being a necessary
Industry, and the district boards may
take advantage of that recommends
ton In determining whether an indis-
pensahle man in such an industry
should be placed In deferred class
on that ground.
Chance to Change Jobs.
"But there are, Of course, many
scores, perhaps hundreds, Of industries
not positively essential to the war pro-
gram nor to the maintenance Of ma
tiona1 interest during the emergency.
In those industries are, or will be, mil
lions Of registrants deferred on
grounds Of dependency, and many 9TH
ers in class 1 without deferment.
AT this point the work or fight
order comes into play, but only few
classes of occupations-fve In alex.
pressly enumerated in that order, and
to a relatively small number Of indt.
viduals.
Among this extensive and uRlisted
group Of 'nonpriority' Industries, II
finds a few which it designates as
'nonproductive' The policy involved
is that those men Of draft age would
serve the country best by getting out
of those occupations either into the
military forces or into some other oc-
cupation.
"Thus the war industries board "a
concerned merely with Strengthening
the priority position of a limited num-
ber of Industries at the top of the
scale, so to speak, III relation to war
needs; while the provost marshal gen
erals regulation Is concerned mainly
with strengthening the army by TAX
ing the registrants who choose to stay
in a small number Of occupations at
the bottom of the SCALE"
Over 1000, 900 Register in N. Y.
New York, Sept. 13.-More than l..
100000 men between the ages OF
eighteen and forty-six registered here
today for military service, far exceed,
ing the number predicted by draft Of
f1cials. Members Of the French Brit
ish and Italian missions who were in
the city. by special permission wers
permitted to enroll at the Office Of
Draft Director Martin Conboy.
100000 Register IN Chicago.
Chicago, Sept: 19.-More than 100.