New Britain herald., 1918-06-05
COMPARAT|VELYFEW
YOUTHS REGISTERED
Only 240 Enrolled Up to 1 O'clock
This Afternoon
MANY ALREADY ENLISTED
First Estimate of Draft Boards was
That There Would Be About 700,
But this Number Now Seems to Be
iOI,

The> registration Of young men who
have become 21 years of age since
June Of last year has proceeded
smoothly in both the first and second
districts today although in neither
district does the number Of registrants
appear to approximate the estimated
number. Originally the draft board
officials estimated that between 700
and 500 men would register, but at
1 o'clock today, after the registra-
ton booths had been open six hours,
including the busy noon hour only
abut 240 had registered in the entire
city.
The registration places will be
open until o'clock tonight. The
second district registrars are in the
corridor of city hall on the second
floor, while the first district board
has quarters in Skritulsky's block on
Broad street and on the top floor of
city hall. The second district COM
prises the second, fourth and sixth
wards, while the first, third and fifth
Warders are in the first district AL
though the mum Der of registrants
who had appeared up to 1 o'clock was
surprisingly small, it is possible that
this evening there will be a big rush
inaslnuch a many of the, young men
are employed at factories where they
work on a bonus system and would
prefer not to break in on their work
ing hours and thereby forefeit their
bonus. Also, there are a very large
number of young men who are now
2 years of age who have enlisted
voluntarily before the call for regis
tration came and such man are not
required to register
Only a Few Aliens.
In the first district Chairman A. f.
Corbin stated that in the fifth ward
about half Of the total number OF
registrants are aliens, but in the
other wards the percentage Of aliens
| is low. In the second district there
| are comparatively few aliens being
! registered and a large majority of
those who are not full f1edged citizens
| have at least taken out their first
| papers. There are isolated cases
| however, of aliens both friendly and
| enemy. One young man who regis
| tered today only recently arrived in
| this country from Sweden Anothe er
| has lately arrived here from Italy and
| although the registrants are not ques-
| toned as to their ideas of war this
/ man expressed a keen determination
to fight under the flag Of America. At
l o'clock about 1885 men had re-
| gistered in the entire first district
while in the second district the count
was los. Chairman Corbn of the
! first district expressed some surprise
| at the figures, but would not venture
an opinion as to what the total would
! be, although he did say that prey
| iously he had joined with other Off
cials in expecting a new class of about
700. In the second district about 200
/ more, or a total Of 800 men, is ex-
| pected before the office closes.
Anticipating a call from the gov
| ernment shortly, which will classify
the new registrants along industrial
grounds, the second district board to.
day had each registrant fill out ar
industrial qualification" card which
will he used later This system wa.
not carried out in the first district
| however.