DRAWING THE LOTS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2919, 3 November 1916, Page 8

DRAWING THE LOTS

CONSCRIPTION BALLOT PRECAUTIONS AGAINST FRAUD AN INGENIOUS SYSTEM

The method to be followed in the conduct of ballot for the selection of men to fill up future drafts of Reinforcements has now been definitely decided upon, and gazetted. The method which appears to be a very ingenious one was devised by the Government Statistician, Mr. Malcolm Eraser.

The Expeditionary Force Reserve is enrolled in two divisions at present, and in the meantime the chief concern is with the first division, consisting chiefly of single men. "Of these there are approximately 80,000. 'l'ho roll consists of tho personal schedules sent in by reservists themselves; sorted and classified. They are arranged in a series of numbered drawers, tlio first division schedules being contained in 233 drawers numbered consecutively. Every drawer contains 500 cards, but in order that new nilnies might be added the drawers were filled in the first instance with 400 schedules and' 100 blank cards. Never is the number of cards in any drawer allowed to fall below COO. If a schedule is taken out it is replaced by a blank, and if a nfcw schedule is put in a blank is taken out. The schedules are arranged in strict alphabetical order. They are not numbered consecutively because this would' have made it impossible to insert new schedules in their proper' places without serious disorganiaton. Every drawer is divided off into compartments of ten schedules, each by tho insertion of blue cardboard slips bearing the tens numbers, \which show clearly above the level of the other cards in flie drawer. The numbers arc 10, 20, 30 and so on to 500. This makes it possible to sort out, say, number ,238 without counting the schedules in the drawer from 1 to 238, a procedure which would ho very laborious, and one likely to be productive of error.

The ballot will bo conducted bv the Government Statistician, and a Magistrato, to bo nominated by tlie Minister;, or Defence,and' tlie statistician may havo such, attendance as may.be necesSa -!7 f? r ,tho work. -Tlie attendants will all bo women. .The only males engaged m tho conduct of tha ballot will ho tho Magistrate and tho statistician. The Ballot.; The most obvious method that would occur to anyone of conducting a ballot v ould bo to have a marble for every card m tho rogister, but this would nieau SO,IKJU marbles, and it would bo impossiblo to carry on a balMt by such a slow ami laborious procedure. Tho schcmo devised will be quite as fair and precisely 233 times as fast in working. there will bo two drums of marbles. Ono to bo called tho "card drum' will contain 500 marbles, one' for every card in a drawer. Tho othento be called tho ''drawer drum" will contain 233 marbles, ono for every drawer. a Tho drawer drum is used once only in evey ballot. It is used' to determine the <jrdor in which the drawers are f placed out on the tables, and this order is important, for a- reason to bo .explained later. As every marble is drawn from tho'drum., the corresponding drawer is taken from its and ranged in thp row, tho process containing until aIL tho marbles aro drawn, by wbich time all the drawers will be set out in position, in open view of tho Magistrate and tho Statistician. Then, begins the ballot for names. On this occasion there aro 500 marblcß from which to draw. Let it bo supposed that tho first marble drawn is 213. Tho number is called, and the attendants will by a method prescribed which makes it impossible for them to read the names on tho schedules, selcct tho 213 schedulo in every drawer, aild reverso it froni its horizontal to a vortical I position. If number 213 happens to 1 bo a blank in a drawer the procedure is tho same. Tho effect of this reversing tho position of the cards is to expose one end of them to tho view of .the supervisors, and on this end is stamped in a clear bold typo a.number, tho number of the recruiting district in which the reservist resides. 1 There are 21 recruiting districts in all. Now the magistrate begins his work. He may require men only for two or three districts. If, a card shows a number for ■ a district, the quota of which is already full, he simply turns the card down to its placo again. It can never be drawn again in this ballot, because its corresponding marble has been .taken from the drum. He will take out, replacing by blanks, all thoso schedules showing tho numbers of the districts for. which there are shortages. These removed cards are thoso of the men on whom the lot has fallen, and the cards are put in a special receptacle, and there classified according to their district numbers. When tho magistrate has examined all the 233 drawers, a very simple and rapid process, another marble is drawn from the card drum, and the same procedure is repoated. 1 The procedure continues until all the required numbers have been obtained. It may be that for ono district only five names are necessary. As soon as five cards are drawn from that district no more are drawn, and cards showing that number are thereafter restored to their - places without being removed. Supposing when only five names are required for, say, No. 7 district, and the first or second and third draw exposes eight numbers 7, the magistrate takes only the first five in the order of the drawers as Tanged out. This is the reason why it is necessary to fix the order of the drawers by lot, for if the simple consecutivo numbers of the drawers were the of arrangement, tho lot would be unfair. The men with names commencing "A" would run more risk of being chosen than men with names _ commencing "S," for instance. It will bo a very simple matter for a responsible attendant or the magistrate himself to keep watch over the schedules withdrawn from their drawers and count those for every district. So it can bo known in a second bow many men are drawn for, say, No. 7 distriot, and how many have .yet to bo drawn. As soon as the required numbers are complete for every district that ballot is complete. Strict System of Check. Tlie schedules taken out are not returned to their cabinets again. They liayo been replaced by blanks, on wbich are noted certain particulars.

A very strict procedure is followed with regard to tho removal of these cards from their drawers. No card may bo removed without a book entry, and if a card were removed wrongfully, its absence would at onco ho discovered, and it would also he possible to discover the guilty person who had removed it. Tho chances of any man at the ballot are not altered by his card being put in its wrong place. It would not even bo possible for a cheating attendant to help a man by memorising his number and deliberately making a wrong count, picking up the next card to ( it, if his number should bo called. Fraud might he perpetrated in this way, but there are considerable chances that such an attempt would fail, because tho position of a card may often be changed a place or two . by the insertion of now

schedules, or the change of the position of blank cards. After the ballot the Statistician and tlio Magistrate furnish to the Minister a certified list of the men on whom the lot has fallen. It will then be the duty of the Commandant to call these men up for service.