The Lubbock avalanche. (Lubbock, Tex.) 1909-1922, 1918-10-03
HOW THE TRADE TEST
EXAMINATION PROCEEDS

Auto man, truck man, repair msn,
bluff,
Typist man. every man, now must
prove his stuff.
When our Uncle Samuel became
so enraged at the doings Of the Huns
that he felt himself forced to exterm-
mate them, he invoked the assistance
of the selective draft because he
wanted each to be placed where he
could "lay on with the greatest ef-
feet. There we're thousand and one
things to be done before the Stars
and Stripes could float over the pal
ace at Berlin, and to expedite the
expedition Uncle decided to select the
specialists instead Of shutting his eyes
and picking out a random the indi-
viduals for each particular duty
speed" has been the watchword
from the start yet there has been add
ed "but not at the expense of GER
tainty," to complete the fighting slo-
gan.
From the very first, men called in
the draft were sorted and each placed
at the work for which a cursory ex-
animation showed him to be best
adapted Gradually the sorting pro-
cess has been improved until now it
is reaching the perfection point at
Camp Travis The last piece Of inn
proved machinery installed at this
great receiving camp has been patent
ed under the name Of TRADE Test
Board"
This is just exactly what its name
implies. When the recruit starts
punching the clock at this mammoth
soldier factory he is quizzed at length
concerning his civil life with a view
of finding in just what department
he will be of greatest service Not
infrequently a recruit, who, before
being summoned to the colors was ac-
customed to earn livelihood by pi-
loting a grocery flivver, informs the
board that he is a truck driver And
Just as frequently one who has spent
a few months studying the Hunt and
Pick" system Of typewriting records
himself as a typist; or the youngster
who once fastened few loose nuts
on a rafting Ford declares himself
to be an auto mechanic Uncle Sam
was fooled some times by such when
he was badly in need of some one
who could deliver the goods Now
he has added the trade test board to
his plant and its function is to find
out by actual experiment whether the
recruit is what he pretends to be
On August 81 there came &c Camp
Travis by order of the War Depart
ment, Representatives of the commit
tee Of classification Of the Army
Trade Test Board They had long
been identified with this service and
two sergeants had recently completed
a course Of instruction in the same
work. IN ten days they had installed
the trade test board here and the Of
ficers went on the next camp leaving
he local work in the hands of the
two sergeants and their assistants
And since their coming, hundreds Of
recruits have been run through the
plant, the efficient being sifted from
the inefficient
AT present the schedule calls for
tests in some three score and ten
subjects; soon il is expected 10 en-
brace one hundred While Il scope
.s large 70 is centcring Us efforts
right now on truck and auto drivers
auto mechanics, typists and electric
ANS At the factory, located in wha.
once was used as mess hall for the
gorlmen who built Camp Travis, the
is grinding daily
As the recruit enters the door he
5 registered and given a score card
upon which his record is TO be entered
rs he passes through the mill AS
signed TO one Of thirty-fivc booths he