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Show EMPLOYERS JJAVE DUTY MOULD HELP IN WORK OF CLASSIFYING THE NEW ' REGISTRANTS. Poln'ng out the duty of employers of labor In assuming n proper sharo of responsibility for tho classification of new registrants under the sclcctlvo service net, n communication from Provost Pro-vost Marshal General 'Crowdcr tins been mndo public. The points emphasized empha-sized are us follows: I havo noticed, In the general expressions ex-pressions of tho public nttltudo which reach this ofllcd, two frequent features which lead mo to the present comments. com-ments. Ono of theso fenturcs Is the belief thnt tho process of awarding deferred de-ferred clnsslllcntlon to n registrant requires re-quires merely tho filling out of tho questionnaire, and thnt tho sclcctlvo scrvlco bonrds will percclvo tho pro priety of making tho deferment, witn-out witn-out tho assistance furnished by tho registrant's formnl claim Indicating tho deferment desired. Tho other feature fea-ture Is the employer's fulluro to real-Izo real-Izo his responsibility to Intervene In aiding tho board's determination, and therefore to Inform himself fully on alt the considerations which' should affect tho decision ns to deferment. 1. As to tho first mentioned belief, It must bo pointed out that If It wero universally acted upon, the process of classification would bo seriously hampered ham-pered and delayed. Someone must In-dlcnto In-dlcnto that tho Individual case, Is ono which should nrrest tho special attention atten-tion of tho hoards In respect to tho registrant's reg-istrant's occupational Btatus. Thu boards do not possess a superhuman omnlsccncc. Boards Will Make Examination. The boards will do all that they pos-tlbly pos-tlbly can, op their pwn Inltlntlve, to reach a Just decision by n ctftnplcto ex-nmlnntlon ex-nmlnntlon of tho questionnaire, oven whero no claim Is expressly mndo. A registrant Is therefore nt liberty, If ho sees fit, to trust to tho scrutiny of tho bonrds to discover tho necessity for his deferment. Nevertheless, tho bonrds will wcl-coma wcl-coma and will need nil the old that can ho furnished by tho Indication of n clnlm niniln for deferment. 2. Why should tho employer, or other oth-er third person, In such enscs, mnko tho clnlm? Recnuse tho employer In this situation represents the nation, becntiKO (In tho statutory phrase) "tho mnlntcnnnco of tho military establishment es-tablishment or of nntlonnl Interest during tho emergency" requires thnt some well-ndvlscd third person should look nfter tbnt natlonnl Interest, which tho registrant himself may not hnvo Jujfllclcntly Considered. Iflt l8-ofton .fargtiten, that 0"V"feA tlvo draft Is only ono element In Huh depletion of n particular.. Industry's man-power. A second nnd largo clement cle-ment Is found In tho voluntury with-dniwnls with-dniwnls for enlistment ; how largo tills Is mny be seen from tho clrcumstnnca thnt tho total Inductions by draft have reached sorao 2,000,000, while tho total enlistments In army and nnvy amount to somo 1,400,000 nearly threo-qunr-ters ns mnny. A third clement, very Inrge, but unknown ns to Its preclso extent, has been tho transfer of Inhor power from ono Industry to another, namely. Into tho distinctively wnr Industries In-dustries offering tho Inducements of higher wages. How relatively small, In actual effect, has been tho effect of tho selective draft Is seen In tho fart thnt, for all tho occupations represented represent-ed In tho 8,700,000 classified regis-fronts regis-fronts of January, 1018, .the pprccn-tnge pprccn-tnge of tho entlro Industrial population popula-tion represented by tho .class 1 registrants regis-trants amounted to only 0 per cent, It ran us low ns 3 per cent for somo occupations, oc-cupations, nnd correspondingly higher for somo other occupations; but tho nntlonnl nvcrngo wns only 0 per cent. Any notnbly lnrger depletion In particular partic-ular Industries must therefore hnvo been duo, partly to enlistments, nnd In probably greater degree, to voluntnry transfers Into other Industries. Must Remember Nation's Needs. Theso other Influences lire therefore to bo kept In mind by employers nnd others, In weighing tho question whether wheth-er tho best solution, In tho natlonnl Interest, Is to nsjc for tho dofennenf of Individuals or groups of men. Such deferments mny assist tlio Immediate situation In the particular establishment; establish-ment; but they merely forco the army and tho nnvy to seek elsewhere for tho same number of men thus deferred. Tho qunntltntlvo needs of the military forces aro known nnd Imperative; Im-perative; nnd nny given qunntlty of deferments will ultimately have to bo inado up by the depletion of some other occupation. Thus It becomes tho employer's duty to consider theso aspects of deferment, In seeking that solution of his own problem which best comports with tho nntlonnl Interest. The keynote of purposo for all of us ought to bo, und I nm sure will be, that wise and profoundly significant phrnso In the act of congress under which wo operate, "tho maintenance 'of tho military establishment or tho effective operation of tho military forces or tho maintenance of national Interest during tho emergency. |
