Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-10-03
Draft Lottery Is Set
5 to 10 Days
After Registration
Plans Are Rushed
To Move First Group
To Comp Nov. IS
BY CARTER BROOKE JONES.

BY CARTER BROOKE JONES.
Plans for holding the national
lottery to determine the order in
which men will be drafted for Army
service within five to ten days after
registration day. october Is, and
for making "a substantial number"
ready to go into training by Novem-
Der Is were revealed today at selec-
tive service headquarters.
These plans for swift beginning
of the program, which is to give
the country an Army of well over
100000 at the end of a year. we're
disclosed by Maj. Ben r. Howell.
in charge of man power at head
quarters, as the War Department
indicated it would want start on
the draft perhaps $4,000
men-in November
Maj. Howell explained at a press
conference that the tentative sched-
ule calls for holding the lottery with
in a week or less after registration,
and. even allowing for unexpected
delays, it should take place within
10 days at the outside.
Before the lottery car be held the
highest serial numbers in each State
and the District of Columbia must
have been received by national
headquarters so that every number
may be included when the capsules
are drawn out of the bowl.
To Rush Classification.
Local draft boards will be in
structed to rush the classification of
the first contingents crawn as soon
as the lottery is completed. Thus
start on the country's biggest peace
time training program will be under
way in less than six weeks. if the
plans of Washington officials are
carried out.
This policy of wasting no time in
getting selective service launched
was made known as officials pointed
that any willful obstl uction of the
draft law, such as refusal to register
or counseling others IT, ignore reg
istration day, Is a violation of the
law. punishable by five years i'm
prisonment or $1,000" fine, or both.
Care Is Urged.
Selective service headquarters
pointed out that men registering
must use the utmost care when
giving their addresses to registration
officials to prevent possible violation
of the law
For the purpose of registration,
it was explained, home is the place
where the registrant lives at the
time of registration" The state
ment added:
Many persons who work and live
in one State. but maintain a legal
address in another have indicated TO
selectiye service officials that they
plan to give their legal address IS
their place of residence when they
register. This practice may lead to
widespread confusion and in some
instances cause registrantS to be
considered delinquent and in viola
ton of the act
Local boards. it was explained, will
mail to regiStrants notices of claSsl-
flcation, directions to appear for
physical examinations and other
orders. Such mailing will be con-
sidered due notice to registrants
whether they actually receive the
notices or not" Failure to receive
notice will not excuse a registrant
from complying with an. order.
II was emphasized that a man
should register the address where he
is receiving his mail regardless of
what place he regards as his perm
anent or legal residence.
Reports from some sections of
the country that opponents of the
draft planned meetings of protest.
at which refusal to register and
boycott were to be urged, brought
from draft headquarters the re-
minder that any who knowingly
counsel, aid or abet others to evade
registration are subject to the maxi
mum penalty.
officials also cited provisions Of
the Selective service law exempting
conscientious directors from train
ing for combat service. directing
their assignment to other work i'm
portant to the country.
But conscientious DIRECTORS, and
every other man between the daft
ages of 81 and SO, must register, it
was pointed out.
While the Government has no de-
sire to interfere with the religious
tenets or moral scruples of citizens.
spokesman said, refusal to regis
ter is a violation of the law and
to urge others, at meeting or
otherwise, not to register or to OBJ
struct the law in other ways I'M
doubtedly could be held conspiracy
to violate the Selective Service Act.
1t was emphasized that selective
service headquarters has nothing to
do with prosecuting those who evade
or f1out the law This is up to the
regular Federal law enforcement
agencies, it was pointed out, though
undoubtedly local boards and others
concerned will turn over to the F. B.
I. or the United States attorneys
any evidence of violations which
may reach them.
With registration day, october l6.
less than two weeks off, selective
service officials were hoping to have
ready by the end of the week tenta-
tive quotas of the number of men
each State and the District of
Columbia will be expected to furnish
for the first increment of 100000.