Salt Lake Tribune | 1917-11-22 | Page 11 | New Regulations Cover Deserters

mills " COVER DESERTERS Reaping Rewards by Those Apprehending Slackers Has Been Curtailed. I Xew official instructions relative to the method of handling slackers and deserters de-serters from the national army were received re-ceived at Fort Douglas j-esterday from the war department. ' j Under the new regulations the payment pay-ment of $."0 reward for the apprehension apprehen-sion and delivery to a military post of a deserter from the national army is somewhat curtailed, and thus the expense ex-pense to the government for bringing; slackers to service will be considerably reduced. The new regulations provide that a local draft board must determine whether wheth-er or not the person apprehended is a wilful deserter from the service and only in case the board so determines is the reward payable. Under the old regulations it was only necessary for a police officer or citizen citi-zen to apprehend a person who had failed to respond to the draft call and 1 turn him over to the nearest military ! post in order to collect the $50 reward. In this manner a rich harvest was reaped by peace officers and citizens throughout the country. Under the old rules do questions were asked as to whether the ' deserter" was a wilful deserter or not; it- was sufficient to have proof that he had failed to respond to the draft call. Now it is provided that when a slacker or deserter is apprehended by a police officer or citizen, he must be taken before the local board where he was registered, or if this is impractic-: able, before the nearest local board and j reported to that organization. The board j is required to investigate and deter- mine whether the man is a deliberate deserter or merely failed to respond through circumstances that would not make him a wilful deserter. If the board finds that he is a wilful deserter it is required to issue a certificate certifi-cate to this effect to the arresting of-, ficer. who is then directed to deliver : the deserter and certificate to the nearest near-est military post, where he will be paid his reward and the deserter will be dealt with according to direction from the war department. j In case the deserter is not found to j be a wilful deserter the local board is, directed to send him forward to "his I proper trainina camp for service and: 1 to notif v his own local board to forward j i to the "camp the necessary papers in ; the case. In such eases no reward 1 may be collected.