The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-13
Big TURNOUT HERE
FOR ENROLMENT


Continued from First Page.
as early a. o'clock in the morning
when at fully half the registration places
In the city there were men standing
In line waiting for the lists to open.
A. some places. as In those sections
close to Central Park. there would be
only few men. In others In thickiy
settled neighborhoods there were sew
eral hundred men in line.
when the registry doors opened at
O'Clock the business of the day began
to 20 forward in order and with enthu-
stasm, and within two hours Martin
Conboy. director OF the draft for the
city, was receiving reports that regis
trat'on was running ahead OF eSpecta-
tons. both as to the number OF regis
trsnts and the speed with which the
enrolment was being etfec;ed.
At noon Mr.. Conboy was compelled
to assign extra registrars to a humber
OF the registration places on the East
side and in The Bronx. He had already
given a hurry order for the printing OF
$50. 900 extra registration cards, reports
through the morning having Indicated
that the city's draft quota would be
"oversubscribed."
At in the afternoon Mr.. Conboy
made this statement:
Reports from local boards show al
ready that between SO and rs per cent.
OF the estimated number OF men have
registered. Registration ia proceeding
smoothly and rapidly. and II II continues
at the same rate our preliminary esti-
mates will not only be realized but in
many cases greatly exceeded.
"The people OF the city OF New York
have shown that they appreciate to the
utmost the seriousness and Importance
OF the duties they are dlscharging to-
day and have shown that every subse-
Quent requirement made upon them will
be met just as promptly. They appear
to appreciate the necessity OF speed in
the creation OF an army. and the size
Of to-day's registration and the prompt
ness with which II has been accom-
plished prove that the National Army
will be recruited out OF the new draft
ages promptly and speedily"
10000 Absentees Register.
BY noon more than 10000 registration
cards had been received at Mr.. Con-
boys Office from absentees who had an
ticipated their absence from the city
on registration day and arranged in ad-
vance to have their cards get in on time
Although. principally because OF the
difhculty in registering men whose
knowledge of the national language was
limited, registration proceeded more
slowly in some neighborhoods than in
others. II was not reluctant anywhere.
Based on the showing in their own
districts and on their knowledge Of
borough conditions from previous draft
registrations. chairmen OF two of the
most densely populated lower Bronx dis
tricts estimated at 10 o'clock in the
| morning that one-quarter of the men of
The Bronx affected by the new draft law
had registered.
On account OF the anticipated Ian
guase difficulties in The Bronx there
had been made most careful arrange
| ments to take care OF the registration
| there. and the registrars had the as
| sistance OF special corps OF school teach
ers. Interpreters and the police. The re-
| serve corps of registrars and interpre-
tiers were modified for the day at 2720
Third avenue. and automobiles. volun-
! teered by their owners, Nere kept in
| readiness all day to take the extra as
sistants to any place where they might
be required.
| Registration on the lower East Side
started well and was kept moving stead
ily, IL slowly. Here the language diff
Guilty was greatest and the stan of in
terpreters largest. Even so. there was
| no evidence of reluctance, many of the
registrants appearing with members o,
their families who spoke English
nuently. In this section also there was
the largest number OF cases OF fathers
and sons registering together.
At Board 100, on Ludlow street, ! ,o0t
men were counted in line before the lists
opened. At Board IS. Mott street. a
neighborhood sheltering thousands Of
| Italians, there were 700 men in line be,
Tore A NJ. Another 500 men were
counted in front of Public School III, or
Monroe street, and at Public School IS
! Forsyth and Canal streets, 1000 mer
were in line before the registrars opened
their books. The police reserves were
on duty all day at the East Side regis
tration places. II was not necessary
Tor them TO devote any energy TO keep
ing order. but they were able 10 be o.
great assistance to the men who wen
TO write down their names.
| OrientaIs show Patriotism.
Chinatown turned out early and re
paired to the registry in the basemen
OF the Church OF the TRANSPORTATION. OF
Mott street. near the Bowery. Mos
OF the men OF the colony had thei
names down by in the afternoon.
Mohammedan and a Syrian prizes
assisted the registration officials in tn,
public school located at Washington anc
Albany streets. Draft instructions II
that neighborhood. where there Is ;
large Oriental population, had been die
tributed in twenty different languages
Eight hundred registrants presented
themselves az the school before noon.
Meantime in the northern reaches o
the city registration had gone NOR
rapidly. At Board l47, 15eth street an,
St Nicholas avenue. 2.50o registrant
had writtAn ,heir names by nom prac
|, tically the same showing was had a
registration places at 145th street an,
Amsterdam avenue. at two registrie
located in buildings Of the College o
the City of New York and at point
. on the West Side between 150th an,
19lst streets.
IL is obvious To record that registra
, tion places in the Gas House district
In Hell's Kitchen and on San Juan Hi
were busy all day and enrolled thei
men rapidly. since in these neighbor
, hoods English is spoke" II not spokel
{ and the foreign element Is in the minor
: ity.
: Even Yorkville, which has a sub
stantial infusion OF German blood. wen
. joyously to the scratch and registers
l early and fast II was noticeable Their
that the IS and 10 year registrant
were the conspicuously enthusiastic one
, and that the more German their name
, were the more enthusiasm was in evi
! dence This was taken by registrar
: as an indication that the boys had 4
many cases been unable to obtain tn
l consent Of their parents to Their volun
! tary enlistment and welcomed chane
to square the account for their Germa
, ancestrieS
The section OF the West Side betwee