The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1918-04-05
PRESIDENT RULES
AGAINST ROBINSON
Plea Of Kauai Man For Low
r, Draft Classification st
Turned Down !

Aylmer +. Robinson, son of Aubrey
Robinson, the sugar mngnate of kuu.
al, who an eafed to President Wilson
for low classification in draft service
because Of his allegation Nc was the
sole managing head esfa+ necessary ag.
ricultufal entOI p Use, has lost his case,
the President having decided that he
must be, classified in &c, as "skilled
farmer" ~. b. ..3
The decision of the President reach
ed Capt. H. Gooding Field, seleetive
draft officer for Hawaii, yesterday, and
was communicated t09athe District
Board, which had refused to, sanction
Robinson claim and originally placed
him in Glass 1, subject to the FIRST call
for draftees from the Territory
Despite the extreme effort Of young
Robinson to have the President in
tercede in his behalf, and after having
Francis Gay, Of Kauai, carry his ap-
peal from Kauai to Washington, the
District Boards classification was
merely modified reducing the regis,
trant from Class / to Class 2.
Recent instructions from the provost
marshal generals office at Washington
prohibit any registrants classified in
classes l and from leaving the Ter.
ritOry, and it is assumed from this
that Hawaii's quota of draftees will
be drawn from both classes.
.Robinson's Claim
When draft age. young men first
filed out their questionnaires, Ayimer
Robinson claimed low classification on
the ground of agricultural occupation
asking to be classified in 4 c. He
claimed that he was the sole managing
head of an industrial enterprise which
was necessary to the internal welfare
of the country in time of war.
The Kauai local draft board recon-
mended that Robinson claim be al
lowed, which would, in consequence,
place him in &C, or so far down the
line that he would not be called to
service.
The Territorial District Board de.
MED the claim. The Kauai local board
then requested that the case be recon
sidered, which the district board here
consented to do by a vote of FIVE to
zero. Following this vote the district
board voted to place Robinson in
Class /.
Robinson then decided to appeal to
the President through the provost mar
shall general, at Washington, and
through the proper channels, by way OF
the selective draft headquarters in Ho
nolulu. The matter reached the Presi
dent in due course, and the decision,
as reported from the provost marshal
Office to the selective draft headquar-
tiers here was as follows:
Presidents Decisior
"The decision Of the district board
for the district of Hawaii denying
the claim for deferred classification in
| respect to Aylmer F. Robinson, has
been modified, and the registrant re-.
classified in Glass 2, division c."
This is final, the President having
the last say in a draft appeal.
The decision also takes Mr.. Robin,
son entirely out of the agricultural
category, for exemption purposes, and
merely elassifies him as skilled
| farmer
The progress of the appeal to Wash
ington met with a series of adventures.
Mr. Gay, who is said to have carried
the matter to the national capital,
started for San Francisco on n Matson
steamer. By reason of having to tow
disabled vessel to port, the Matson
steamer returned to Honolulu after
having been within three days sail of
San Francisco. He had to wait for
the sailing of the vessel again and was
considerably delayed in reaching
Washington. The decision of the Pres
ident, however, was not delayed to any
extent.
This is the only appeal from the Ha
waiian Islands which actually went to
Washington, although two others ap
pealed from district board decisions
and said they intended taking their
cases to the Nation 3 executive.