The Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1918-1919, 1919-04-24
Chief of Staff Says Home Folks
Do Not Understand
Methods.
Big PROBLEMS TO solve
Why the Old Draft Boards Could Not
Be Used-Provision Supplied for
All Those in Distress-Bonus
Given to Discharged Men.

Washington.-Th war department
authorizes the following statement
from the office of the chief of staff:
The present system of demobiliZa-
ton does not seem to be understood
by the people Of the country. AS a
fundamental starting point, let us as
slime that all the selected service men
who have been indicted into the SER
vice during the war were removed
from their home communities Mt one
time, and that upon their departure,
and until their return conditions of
labor and industry did not change in
the slightest respect in any portion
OF the country. Again let us assume
that the conditions of labor and in
dustry having remained exactly the
same, all these selected service men
were returned ut the same moment to
the inches previously held by them in
civil life. Under such assumptions
the entire operation would have been
performed without the slightest jar to
the Industrial conditions of the coun-
try.
liio Noihu ne tII lttitl COIlulllOIl.
but it is based on an utterly absurd
hypothesis. The selected service men
We're not all indicted into the service
ut one time. Nor did the conditions
of labor and industry remain I'M
changed after their departure from
their home districts.
Tremendous Problem.
Could the history OF each particular
job from which employed men had
been withdrawn be traced could it
be discovered whether the Job re-
manned open to him or whether AS
job Ind been filled by B; could 1t be
definitely ascertained that b left a
job which remains open to A; it
might be possible, We're these return
in, men so many spare parts of a
machine, to assign each returning man
definite job. But they are not spare
parts of machine. They are human
beings, Influenced on the one hand by
home ties, and on the other by vary
ing desires and ambitions; and if no
positions which they want are imme.
diately open to them, they. as well as
the original unemployed, must be grad
ually absorbed in the industrial life of
the nation.
This, then, is the tremendous prob
lem that confronts us-to return to Il
country whose digestion for labor is
not now of the best hundreds of thou
sands of men without employment, not
forgetting that they and their families
deserve the grateful thanks of the ma
ton, and remaining keenly aware that
their patriotism and sacrifice demand
that they be given every possible rec
ignition and favor.
Certain Specific Laws.
AS certain specific laws govern the
discharge Of soldiers, and their inter-
ests as we'll rs those of the govern
ment must be jealousy guarded, the
use of local draft boards for the entire
demoDiliZation Of the army would,
among other things, involve the fol-
lowing: Necessary commissioned and
enlisted personnel for the preparation
OF all records of each man discharged:
for the reception, storing, care and
shipment of all government equipment
turned in by him; for his physical ex-
animation and final payment. There
would also be needed facilities for
housing and feeding men, including
hospital treatment, while awaiting dis
charge.
The machinery necessary at each
one of the local draft boards would de-
pend upon the amount of work which
it would be required to do. About
4,6SO local draft boards would have to
he provided with this necessary per-
'onnel and other facilities mentioned