Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-11-11
Draft Will Give
Consideration
To Professions
Effort Will Be Made
To Protect Welfare
OF Community
By CARTER BROOKE JONES.

By CARTER BROOKE JONES.
Lawyers, physicians, dentists and
other professional men and pro-
prietors Of one-man businesses must
be considered for military training
under the draft law, though every
effort will be made to protect the
welfare of the community when 1t
seems to be affected by the loss Of
their services, DR.. c. A. Dykstra. dl-
rector of selective service, said to-
day.
In answer to many inquiries con-
corning occupational deferment Of
professional men, the director en-
phasized that these men cannot,
under the law, be considered as a
class, but each case must be dealt
with individually by the local draft
board involved. He added:
The test is the welfare of the
Nation and the community Al
though individual hardships should
be dealt with in each case with the
greatest consideration, sacrifices are
expected of every one and the fact
that a little more sacrifice is asked
of some than of others is inevitable
Takes Case I'm Point.
DR.. Dykstra pointed out: THE
hard cases arise where the COM
munities which these individuals
serve have several similar services.
For example, take the case of
young dentist who has just been
graduated from school and has gore
into debt in order TO purchase equip
nent necessary to his profession.
There are several other dentists
serving the same community more
or less satisfactorily. The question
arises-is such person eligible for
deferment by reason of his occupa-
ton?
obviously good case of disrup-
ton to the economy or society Of
the community cannot be made. The
hardship here is not to the COM
munity, but TO the individual"
The director also cited the in
stance of the young lawyer who
has acquired his first two or three
clients and may find himself with
out those clients when he returns
from training camp and who has
no employer to hold job for him.
Such man, in DR.. Dykstra's opin-
ion, 'is probably making a greater
sacrifice than the garage mechanic
whose job will be waiting for him
upon his return and who has no
individual clients or customers TO
lose"
But DR.. Dykstra gave this measur0
of encouragement to doctors an
dentists who may be drafted:
They will very likely find them
selves practicing their profession
in the Army, and this experience
will be equivalent to practicing in
large clinic and will be of inval-
liable benefit to them"
This would mean the medical men
would receive commissions In their
fields.
In all cases where professional
men or those in business for them
selves are drafted DR.. Dykstra said,
their boards should give them ample
time to wind up their affairs before
reporting to induction centers. But,
he added, in the case of such a
registrant:
1T must be clearly understood
that if his number has been called.
he should be indicted for training
if he is otherwise eligible"
Stronger Case for Deferment.
Where the doctor or dentist or
lawyer is the sole man in his profess
sion serving an area, "a much
stronger case for deferment" could
be made before the local board, DR..
Dykstra explained.
The board could, in this instance.
continue granting the deferment
until such time as the community
will not be completely deprived Of
such service"
deferred on occupational grounds
by the selective service law. The
act, however, defers members of
Congress and other public officials.
Legislation is pending in Congress
to amend the law by allowing in
duction of physicians and dentists
only if they are assigned to practice
their professions.
While the swiftly expanding Army
will need many more doctors and
dentists, and a large number of
young practitioners are expected to
apply for commissions, this will pose
the same problem from a different
angle 1t will not be the policy of
the military authorities to strip
any neighborhood of medical or
dental services and care will be
used to determine the situation sur
rounding these volunteers.
Many professional men will not
have to plead their vacations to OBJ
tain deferment-they have depend
entS
The proprietor of one-man COM
mercial establishment probably will
be able to make a good argument for
deferment if he has the only busi-
ness of the kind in the vicinity
provided the board considers it Of
some value to the community.