Evening star., 1940-07-30
Guard Request
Delays Action
|0n Conscription
Senute Committee
To Stort Hearings on
Presidents Appeal
BY J. A. O'LEARY.

By J. A. O'LEARY.
The Senate Military Affairs Com.
mittee postponed final action today
on the compulsory military training
bill and decided to start hearings at
once on the Presidents request for
authority to mobilize the National
Guard.
Just before the committee assem-
bled, Chairman Sheppard revealed
that during his week-end cruise with
President Roosevelt he gained the
definite impression" that Mr..
Roosevelt favors the Burke Wads-
worth training bill in its present
form. Senator Sheppard indicated
the comments of the President were
all favorable.
Although the President referred
in general terms to selective service
legislation in his defense message
of July 10, this was the first init
nation of how he feels toward the
specific pending measure.
Hearings Start This Afternoon.
Announcing that hearings on
mobilization of the National Guard
will start at 2 o'clock this afternoon.
Chairman Sheppard said there is a
possibility the committee may decide
to bring that bill out first, since the
| Army program contemplates get
ting the State militiamen into camp
before the first increment of selec-
| tive service trainees are called out.
The brief executive session of the
Senate committee revealed further
sentiment for narrowing down the
18-to-64 age limits for registration
of the Nations man power.
Senator Austin of Vermont. rank
ing Republican on the committee,
advanced the definite suggestion
that the bill be confined to those be-
tween 81 and 3l-the group the
Army has indicated it would turn
to first.
Senate Majority Leader Barkley
said debate on the military training
bill would not have started until
next Monday even if the committee
had acted today, so that no actual
delay will result from the decision
to have the committee give further
study to the detailed provisions.
Senator Barkley also predicted
that the National Guard mobiliza-
ton bill would be taken up first.
| Meanwhile, Senator Burke. Demo-
crat, of Nebraska, co-author of the
! training bill. said he would have no
objection If Congress wants to
change the registration age limits
to 81 to As, since all of the men for
| active military training would come
from that range in any event.
Byrnes for Compromise.
Senator Byrnes, Democrat. Of
| South Carolina a strong adlninis-
tration supporter, already had tome
out for some compromise on regis
tration age limits, describing the bill
in its present form as too far-reach-
ing. He made it clear. however, he
had not discussed the subject with
| the President.
1 Senator Byrnes said he would
favor limiting the measure to those
likely to be called for Army and
| Navy duty in the near future. AS
/ the bill now stands all men from 81
to As would be liable for military
/ training while those between Is and
81. As and "a, would have to register
for possible assignment to home de-
fense units.
More Time Sought.
After studying the bill last week,
the Senate committee had re-
draft ready for a final vote this
morning, but Chairman Sheppard
explained later that committee
members not present last week
wanted more time to acquaint them
selves with the changes recon-
mended
On the House side, the Military
Affairs Committee began hearing
a long list of additional witnesses,
starting with Right Rev. Msgr. Mi
chael ]. Ready. general secretary
of the National Catholic Welfare
Conference, who suggested that "the
possibility of one-year voluntary
enlistment program should be ex-
hausted before resorting to COM
pulsory one"
He asked also that the exemption
for ordained clergymen be extended
to include seminaries and members
of religious communities.
During the executive session of
the Senate committee several mem
bers also suggested that efforts be
made to strengthen the new pro-
vision written into the bill last week
to safeguard the jobs of men called
from private industry for one year
of training. AS it stands the bill
gives definite assurance of reinstate-
ment to Government employees. In
the case Of private industry, it seeks
to make it an unfair labor prac-
tice for a concern engaged in in
terstate commerce to fail to rehire
a trainee. unless the employers sit
uation has become such as to make
it impossible or unreasonable.
Gen. Marshall to Testify.
Senator Sheppard announced that
Gen. George c. Marshall, Army
chief Of staff. and Maj. Gen. John
F. Williams, head of the National
Guard Bureau, would be the first
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