Evening star., 1918-06-23
DUTY OF PARENTS
DRAFTLAW ISSUE
Responsibility for Support Of
Daughter Whose Husband Is
Listed PerpIexes.

.'SSSA VJptVACSs
whether or not the parents of the
"lfe OF registrant shall be re-
saroed as sources of support and be
called upon to take care of their
daughter while the son-in-law req
istrant is sent to camp is a question
bothering local boards of the Dis-
trict.
This question has divided local
BOARD members and members of the
legal advisory board working on the
reclassification of registrants into two
factions. 1t is probable that the dis
trict board OF the District of Column
Dia will be called upon to settle the
matter.
The settlement Of this question. af.
lecting thousands of selected man
placed in deferred class 4 A on ac.
count or dependent wife or dependent
wiIe ana children. has been left to
local % boards OF the country by the
onte l: OF the provost marshal general,
Win Win the result that some boards are
ruling one way and other boards dt.
rectly opposite.
variance Of Views.
One faction. IT is understood. bo16.
that the parents of a reeistrant's Il
wire should be called upon To ann
port their daughter and her children.
ana points to ruling Of the provost
29 1917. for their authority,
The other party holds that under no
circumstances should the parents of a
Ieglstrants wife be called upon to
take lack their daughter in order
that the son-in-law may be sent to
war. and points to the selective ser.
their view. I'VE
Many men were called before local
boards last week and asked concern.
ing the means of support available for
their wives. do you think her par
ents would support her?" was a ire
quent question.
Authority Of Boards.
Local boards have authority under
the law to call in the parents Of q
registrants wife and ask them the
question: will you support your
daughter ii her husband is sent to
camp?" If the parents answer yes
the boards have the authority, accord
ing to the holders of one view, to put
the registrant into class /. IL he have
no child, and into class II he has
child.
The ruling Of Provost Marshal Gem
eral Crowder, which is quoted, is as
follows:
subdivision A. class 4. is the resid-
uary class for registrants whose
wives or children are mainly depend
ent on them for support, and this
applies to a widower, whose own chill
drsn are mainly dependent upon him
for support.
eff a registrant has both a wife and
child, but there are such other sources
Of support available that the removal
Of the registrant will not deprive the
support, he is to be placed in subdi-
vision A of class 2.
'Tf a registrant has a wife. but no
children and there are such other
sources of support available that the
removal of the registrant will not
deprive the wife Of reasonably ade-
not being included in any other divi-
sion in the schedule"
Under this ruling some take it that
the parents of q registrants wife may
be called upon to furnish the reason
ably adequate support.
Refer to QUESTIONABLE.
Those who believe that the parents
should not be asked to support their
daughter point to the fact that in the
no questions were asked
as to the ability of the wife's parents
to support her.
They also point to the following
from the selective service regulations:
"In determining whether a claimed
registrant's labor for support the
board will consider all existing or
available reasonably certain sources
Of support other than the labor OF the
excepting only public
charity, and including:
1.-The amount which other persons
(who have or have not hitherto main
ly or partially supported the claimed
and who can reasonably
and justly be expected to do SOY are
able and willing to contribute to the
support Of the claimed dependent dur
cept that where the claimed depend
ent Is the wife or child of the regis
trant, support by persons other than
the registrant shall not be consider
ed" In the regulations the word
mot" is emphasized by capitals.
Scrutiny Of "Rubber Stamp" Work.
Rubber stamp" proceedings got
special scrutiny last week at the
hands Of the lawyers going over the
ana hundreds Of gov
ernment clerks who had been stamped
by heads OF FEDERAL departments az
"fndispensab1e'' have been put in class
1, It is declared that one board took
as many as 100 government clerks
from class 8 and put them into
class 1.
The preliminary work IL practically
completed in the reclassifcatioIi
among the eleven local boards, and
little remains to be done but to get
the reports ready to be made to Pro-
vost Marshal Gen. Crowder by July 1.
Registrants who have been reclassi.
fed will receive notification OF the
same. and. II the reclassification does