The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1918-09-24
Farmers And The Draft

& Under the rules of the war depart
ment for executing the new draft law,
special provision is made for informing
the district boards in regard to farm.
labor requirement.in order that neces-
sary food production may be main
tanned, says statement issued by the
Department of Agriculture. The state
ment continues:
In the new draft the district boards
are charged with the duty OF putting
into deferred classes those persons who
are more likely to further the war by
remaining in civilian comprehension
by entering the Army. Accordingly,
I three advisers are to be elected for each
district board-one for agriculture, one
for labor, and one for other occupations.
The agricultural adviser will be .ap-
pointed by the board upon the
recommendation of the Secretary of
Agriculture. The advisers are not
members of the board but may, when
invited, attend its meetings.
The duties of the agriculture adviser
will be to furnish to the board facts
relative to farm-labor requirments, not
only Of his own district, but of the
whole country. He should be the
repository of all facts having relation
TO the deferment of agricultural
workers, whether these be necessary
farm laborers, managers or operators.
lie will be expected to advise the
district boards as to the shortage or
surplus of necessary farm workers for
any given district, as well as for the
entire nation, Such information will
be supplied to the advisers by the
department of Agriculture. This will
make it possible to have necessary
workers transferred from districts in
which they may not be necessary to
other districts in which they are sorely
needed.
The adviser may also concern him
self with individual cases that come
before the district board. He will
have the right under certain condi-
tions. to examine the questionnaires
and other records in the files of the
local board for the purpose OF ascer-
tanning whether persons entitled to
deferred classification have actually
claimed it. In case he finds the names
OF such registrants he may file for
them claim for deferred classification
with the district board, which, in turn
may require the local board to certify
the QUESTIONABLE and record of any
such registrants for consideration.
Reasonable time will be given for the
purpose of obtaining information and
supplying the affidavits required. If
local board determines to consider a
case for deferred classification because
registrant is engaged in necessary
occupation, Notwithstanding no claim
for deferred classification on that
ground has been made, it shall endorse
the recommendation on the question.
aire of the registrant and forward it to
the district board having jurisdiction.
The district board will thereupon con-
slider the case and proceed to classify
the fegistrant, Notwithstanding the
fact that no claim for deferred CLASH.
fication by or in respect OF the regis
trant has been made.
A further duty with which the ad-
wiser is charged is to confer with the
employers of necessary farm workers
and to instruct them as to their right
under the regulations to file claim
for deferred classification in respect of
any registrant who has failed or refus-
ed to file claim for deferred classifi
cation in his own behalf. This in the
opinion of the War Department, is a
very important matter. The apparent
injustice of placing many registrants
in Class is often due to the fact that
employers have failed to make claims
for deferred classification on behalf of
necessary workers. 1t is to avoid
repetition of this trouble that farmers
should see that all of their necessary
employees, whether sons or other
laborers, of draft age, have made for
them just claims for deferred classifl-
cation