Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1918-01-02
REST men FIRST DRAFT
WAIT NEXT CALL
The Classification Must be Completed
and New Lists Made Before
Group is Summoned.
MEN WILL NOT BE
CALLED UNTIL FEB. Il
This New Order Has Been Sent Out
by Provost Marshal CrOwder
to Governors of all
States.

Washington, Dec. 31.-Drafted
men Included in the first quota but
not yet sent to training camps will
delay their departure at least until
Feb Is. BY that time the new CLASH
fication will be il effect and some OF
those now awaiting the summons
may find themselves released, while
others far down on the list will be
substituted.
This is the substance of an order
of far-reaching effect which has just
been sent by Provost Marshal Crow
der to governors Of all states.
Text of Message.
Crowder's message follows:
1T has been decided there will be
no more formal call for deferred per-
centages of the present quota be-
fore Feb. Is. While boards should,
until they have enough men finally
classified in class one, send forward
promptly men selected under the old
regulations to make up deficiencies
in calls already made, the result OF
this decision will be that we shall be
able to give the benefit Of the new
ssification system to all men whose
order numbers are SO late as to place
them within deferred percentages OF
the present call.
Calls will, however, be made
very shortly under the provisions or
section 149 for the special class OF
men there mentioned.
For the sake of composing the
public mind for the convenience OF
regstrants, this Information ought to
be given wide dissemination.
The section referred to, No. 149,
relates to the induction Into mill
tary service of technical and other
experts and of registrants highly
skilled il some special line of work.
Lack of clothing and equipment, as
emphasized in the pending congress
s;onal investigation and in the re-
ports of Surgeon General Gorgas on
health conditions at training camps,
is the cause of the order. 1t COM
plies with Surgeon General Gorgas
request that no more men be sent to
the camps until there are ample ac-
commodations and clothing.
Changes N Lists.
The order does not mean that the
remaining percentage of men in the
first draft will be held for the pro-
spective second draft. The delay IL
the departure for the training camps,
however, means that the classifica-
ton, which it was expected would not
become effective until the time OF
the second draft, will be operative
earlier and will cause wholesale
changes in the lists as made up for
remaining percentage of the first
draft.
In most of the states from 90 TO .
per cent of the first quota have al
ready reached the training camps
The remaining 25 to 80 per cent have
been selected under the original sys-
tenn and are practically under or
ders expecting to be called at any
time. Under the latest orders these
men must await the re-classiticaton
before they will know whether their
names will remain in the first quota.
Single Men go First.
So far as single men without de-
pendents. who would fall under
class / in the new system, are con
cerned, they would be certain to re-
main in the list of selected men.
Married men with dependents VINO
failed to obtain exemption, and work
men of favored classes, such as ship
ward employees, are likely to be drop
ned, as the system places them IN
lower classification. Farm employees
also have a good chance for temper
airy exemption.
Affects Many Thousand Mem
The questioaaires are now peihs
sent to all registered men VINO are
not actually in the training camps.
AS rapidly as these are filled out the
local exemption boards will make up
tho new lists. Substitutions will De
| g. 49, dafarrad narcpntage.