Evening star., 1943-01-04
Draft E|igib|es
Must Carry
Status Cards
Classification Notice
Also Is Mandatory to
Avoid Penalties

All men in the 18-to-45-age groups
who have been subject to draft reg
tstration for six months or moro
must carry their classification card,
beginning February I, or face ''vigor-
GUS action" from the Justice De-
partment, the Bureau of Selective
Service of the War Manpower Com
mission announced yesterday.
Both the classification card and
the registration certificates must be
in the registrant's possession on his
person after February l or he will
be subject to fine or imprisonment
or both, it was said.
The classification card, usually a
buff -colored piece of cardboard
somewhat smaller than a penny
postcard, is the notice sent to regis
trants by their draft boards inform
ing them of their status in the
draft.
The new requirement is directed
against men believed to be delin-
quent by reason Of failure to keep
in touch with their local boards as
required" 1t was pointed out that
less than three-tenths Of / per cent
Of all registrants are believed to be
delinquent.
Most delinquencies, 1t was be-
lieved, are due to negligence or lack
of understanding Of selective service
regulations. Between 1917 and 1918
about AZ per cent of all registrants
were considered delinquent.
Anticipating that. some registrants
have lost or misplaced their notice
of classification, selective service
has provided for the issuance of
duplicate cards.
The persons sought by selective
service are those required to register
who have failed to do so or whose
registration cards have been lost in
transit to local boards and those
for whom selective service had a
record but who have dropped out of
sight or moved without leaving for
warding addresses. In addition,
there are the persons who have reg
istered, who are in touch with their
local boards but are deliberate,
known violators." Such cases, the
local board instructions said, should
be in the hands of United States
attorneys.
All Cards May Not Be Out.
District selective service head
quarters said it knew all cases of
registrants through the June 80
registration had been reviewed but
it was not sure If all classification
cards had been mailed out to regis
trants. Steps will be taken imme-
diately, 1t was said, to get the cards
out as rapidly as possible.
While national headquarters said
violators are subject to maximum
fine Of $4,000 or five years in prison
or both, it pointed out that the ar
rest or prosecution of violators was
not a function of the selective serv-
ice system, but Of the Justice De-
partment. with the FBI handling
most of the Investigations.
So that each man will comply
with the new requirement, national
headquarters said that:
l. If he is subject to registration
he should be registered and have his
registration certificate in his pos
session.
2. If he belongs to an age group
required to register as long as six
months ago, exclusive of the As to
IS year old group, he should have
his classification card as we'll as his
registration card in his possession,
not later than February /.
Steps for Eligibles to Take.
Those subject to the new require
ment who are not in compliance
with 1t or are not certain whether
they are in compliance, should:
l. Register at the nearest local
board If they have not registered,
and obtain their registration GER
tificate.
2. Go to or write to their local
board if they have not received their
classification card and be certain
that their local board knows their
proper address, where mail will
reach them at all times.
3. If they have received a CLASH
fication card and have lost it, they
should so notify their local boards,
requesting a duplicate.
Any man who is not certain of the
address of his local board should 20
to the nearest local board and ask
that a communication from him be
referred to the board having juris-
diction over the area which he de-
scribed as his place of residence at
the time he registered, national
Headquarters asserted.