Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-01-04

lie only IN necessary powers with
which they are vested by the presi-
dents designation of them to perform
the duties that are laid upon them.
They have accomplished the task.
They haye made some mistakes. The
system offers room for Improvement.
"But the great thing they were
called upon to do they have done.
The Wanted efficiency of absolutism
of which the German empire stands
as the aVatar can offer nothing to
compare with it. 1t remains the ulti-
mate test and proof OF the intrinsic
political idead upon which American
institutions of democracy and self
government have been based"
Analyzing the first draft, General
Crowder shows that 9,5S6,50S men
between the ages of 81 and 81 years
registered. Up to late in December
only $50 arrests had been made of
those who sought to evade registration
and of that number 2,263 were re-
/ leased after having registered, and
there remains only 2,095 cases to be
prosecuted. The report declares that
it the final analysis of the records it
will be shown that only 0.00025 per
cent of the men within the draft age
evaded registration.
Few Slackers Found.
A rough figure of So per cent is
given as the number of registrants
who did not appear when called by
arIg fn. ,f,N.,
General Crowder hastens to explain
that most of these men already are
in Europe in the American, British
and FrencI armies. They did not
await the draft processes in their ca
gerness to get into action.
THE final data will undoubtedly
show, General Crowder adds, that
the number of those who finally
failed to appear for examination when
called Is insignificant.
OF the total registration of 9,5S6,-
sos, the number called and examined
was 3,0S2,949 and of these t,057,363
were certified by the boards for mill
tary service. Since the first call was
for only 6s7, 900 men, there now re-
main 31O,636 men awaiting summons
to the mobilization camps.
Physical Condition Improves.
or all men examined, 1915 or
ZJ.7 per cent were rejected for physi-
cal reasons. That, II is pointed out,
shows an encouraging improvement
IN the physical condition of the young
men of the nation since civil war days,
for at that time the draft authorities
rejected 32 per cent Of all men called
on physical grounds.
About one-half of all men called,
or 1850, $40, claimed exemption. The
claims of IS per cent of these were
granted, showing in the opinion Of
officials, that very few fraudulent
claims were filed. OF those exempted.
a per cent were released because of
dependent relatives, 20 per cent be-
cause they claimed alien birth and
nationality; and only per cent on vo-
cational grounds. Less than 1 per
cent of the exemptions were granted
to religious objectors or to those NOR
ally unfit. The figures are 3,SS7 ex-
empted because of religious belief,
their exemption extending only to re.
lease from participating in actual
combat, and 2,001 rejected for moral
unttness. The majority of the latter
were convicts now in prison.
Gives Total Cost Figures.
The total cost of the first draft ex-
elusive of the cost of the provost mar
shal generals office here, was s5.211.-
965.
This amount has been refunded to
the states by the federal government
1t represents an average cost of s4.93
per man accepted for military service.
ana with the provost marshal gener-
ais expenses included, SIS per man,
against a cost of $24.4S per voluntary
recruit in 1914; $19.t4 in 1915 and
S2S.95 in the first nine months of
l"l' Prior to the draft act during
the civil war, the cost per man was
$34 and after the draft was en-
forced, about 1884.
In discussing the feature of the
draft General Crowder says the first
duty is to provide an adequate army.
Economic considerations must be re-
garded in selecting the men, he saws,
hut not at the expense of an efficient
fighting force Viewed beside the ef-
forts Germany and Austria have nut
forth to place man-power in the field,
he adds, lit little becomes us to en-
phasize above whisper as a substan-