The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1919-04-25
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 Dlstress-Bonus
Given to DISCHARGED Men.

WashingtOn.-The 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.
sumo that all the selected service men
vice during the war were removed
from their home communities at 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 at 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.
This would be an ideal condition,
but 1t Is based on an utterly absurd
hypothesis. The selected service men
were not all indicted into the service
at n time. Nor did the conditions
of labor. and industry remain un-
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been withdrawn be traced, could 1t
be discovered whether the job re-
manned open to him or whether AS
Job had been filled by B; could 1t be
definitely ascertained that B left a
job which remains open to A; 1t
might be possible, were these return
ing men SO many spare parts Of q
machine, to assign each returning man
q definite job. But they are not spare
parts of a 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 q
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 well as those Of the govern
ment must be jealousy guarded, the
use of local draft boards for the entire
rehabilitation Of the army would.
among other things, involve the fol-
lowing: Necessary commissioned and
enlisted personnel for the preparation
of all records of each nan discharged
for the reception, storing, are and
shipment of all government equipment
turned In by him /; for his physical ex.
animation and final payment. There
would also be needed facilities fol-
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
1t would be required to do. About
1850 local draft boards would have to
be provided with this necessary per
sonnet and other facilities mentioned