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Show 1 H RULE Gdli ! THE DNFlffi OF imen The San Francisco Examiner says: Determination of the government not to place the burden of support upon a man's family by calling him to the col ors Is evidenced in a telegram received receiv-ed by Warren Olney Jr., chairman of the federal district draft board for San Francisco and Alameda counties, from Adjutant General J. J. Borreo. The latter lat-ter quotes from a telegram received from Enoch H. Crowder, provost marshal mar-shal general. Borree says: i The following extract from telegram iv- received by this office todav from pro- i f vost marshal general is transmitted to ; you for your information and guid- ance: "As stated in paragraph 1 of j compiled rulings No, 10, the ability, readiness nnd willingness of the parents par-ents of either the wife or husband to support the husband's dependent family fam-ily during his absence Is not to be construed con-strued as grounds for refusing a dis-y dis-y charge where the family at the time of the summons of the head thereof and prior thereto were and have been mainly dependent upon his labor for support. "The 'ready, able and willing rule'l r applies only to the case of a husband who as a matter of fact is not dependent depend-ent upon himself. While this office will not address Itself to any particular case or decide or make alecislon on any such case pending in a local or district board, the answer to your question ques-tion 'is fact parents or relatives are ready or willing to support wife ground for denying claims for discharge because be-cause of her dependency, when In fact she has been in past actually supported support-ed by husband by his earnings?' is 'no.' " Support of Family. In other mords, a man's father or his father-in-law shall not be required to support a drafted man's family, even though well able to do so, in order that the drafted man may be sent to the front. The operation of this ruling Is Illustrated Illus-trated by the action of the federal draft board at San Rafael, which has granted grant-ed exemption to Samuel Leonard Abbott Ab-bott Jr., whose father-in-law, A. W. Foster, is a San Francisco millionaire. million-aire. A comprehensive new plan for ap plying the army selective draft, which would take first only men without dependents de-pendents and of no particular value to war industries, and establish various grades of dependency and Industrial value from which future drafts would be made strictly on the selective basis, ba-sis, has been worked out tentatively by the provost marshal general's office qnd discussed "with the president. The plan, it was learned today, was submitted recently to a conference of civilians who directed exemption board activities in a number of states and received re-ceived the endorsement of most of them, who are now discussing the proposed pro-posed plan with their state governors. It is proposed to formulate in each local draft district a table of all registrants, regis-trants, placing each in a column denoting denot-ing his dependents and Industrial value In the war's prosecution. For instance, horizontal columns or classifications will be based on dependency. Men with no dependents would be placed In the first class, those with dependent distant relatives in the second class, those with wives in the third class, those with wife and one child in the fourth, and so on. According to Merit. Similarly me vertical columns might represent "certain industries arranged according to their respective merit as war necessities. Industrial classes under un-der consideration in this connection arc farmers, shipyard employes, munition muni-tion workers, railway and transportation transporta-tion employes, miners, steel plant and motor industry workmen, and certain other individual plants or Industry branches to bo designated from time to time by the president of the" war department as temporarily essential. The latter classification might include plants making military clothing, harness har-ness and first-aid materials, or professions, profes-sions, such as chemists and other scientific men more needed for war research re-search than to carry arms. Thus the table with horizontal dependency de-pendency classifications and vertical Industrial classifications would hold a place for each registrant In accordance with his dependency or industrial claim. In selecting men for examination, examina-tion, boards would first take all men physically fit, having neither dependents depend-ents nor value in essential war indus tries. When this class was exhausted, draft authorities would draw on the classes having the slightest dependency depend-ency claims and the least value in essential es-sential industries. Theoretically, tho draft would work down through the ta-blo ta-blo to tho classes with most dependents depend-ents and highest industrial value. No Class Evemptedt No class would be exempted as such but the valuable men woulcr be placed so that they would not be called until tho need for soldiers became more urgent ur-gent and all the less essential classes were exhausted. The plan involves a determination by the government of what industrlos are the most valuable, and this Is giving giv-ing officials considerable difficulty. Farmers organizations, shipping board officials and shipbuilders, munition makers, railroad heads, coal operators and many others are insisting on tho prime Importance of their own employes em-ployes in civil work. It is understood the entire program will be made known as soon as it is completed and approved by President Wilson to allay the anxiety prevailing throughout many industries over the next draft, which had"l)een planned for as early as December before the new plan was proposed, but which now may bo delayed. Officers Working Out Plan. A committee of officers in the provost pro-vost marshal general's office Is at work on technicalities of the plan, which has been outlined only In a general way to Secretary Baker and the president. The proposed plan would meet President Pres-ident Wilson's objection to class exemptions. ex-emptions. On the other hand, it is claimed, it would successfully prevent the drawing of men Into the army who are needed more In., the industries or in agriculture and would avoid mistakes of Great Britain eai'ly in the war, when coal mines and war industries were depleted de-pleted of skilled workers for the sake of swelling tho first expeditionary force. It also will give each man a more or less definite place in the liability liabil-ity list and set his mind at rest as to when he might be summoned for service. serv-ice. The scheme contemplates immediate examination of all men registered, but this course depends on an appropriation appropria-tion which can not be obtained until congress convenes in December. Advocates Ad-vocates of the plan point out, however, that It might be put into operations for even a single increment of a million men and could be extended down the present liability lists as fast as funds were made available. War department officials explain that the program is far from complete, but say that some such classification system seems Imperative for future draft calls. |
