Evening star., 1940-12-06
Draft Libera|ity
In Working Wife
Cases Indicated
Conference of Bourd
Officers Generally
Agree on Policy

Preparing to furnish an estimated
400 selectees from Washington in
anticipated January inductions, Dis
trict draft boards today continued
their task of classifying registrants,
with all boards more or less in
agreement on a policy of liberal"
treatment of deferment claims of
married men with working wives.
This liberal attitude does not
mean that all married men will be
given deferment, it was stressed at
a conference at the Mayflower Hotel
yesterday afternoon OF local board
chairmen Government appeal agents
and members of the regiStrants' ad-
visory boards and the Board of APP
peals. What was agreed on, sub
stantially, was that the boards, so
far as is fearsible under the Sc
lective Service Act, will strive to
prevent needless breaking up of
family units in which there is eco
nomic "interdependency" of hus-
band and wife and in which the
calling Of the husband to military
service might lead to mortgage
foreclosures, disruption of leases or
possible dependency and unemploy-
ment of the wife.
Leahy Voices View.
William E. Leahy, chairman of
the Board of Appeals, speaking un-
officially and asserting that he had
not conferred with his board aSSo-
ciates on matters of general policy,
appeared to voice the sentiments of
most of the some rs selective service
officials present when he said:
Il believe that Congress, in en-
acting the Selective Service Act, de-
sired that the Nations social and
economic life should be disturbed
as little as possible
Mr.. Leahy said he thought the
Board of Appeals would be inclined
toward liberal Interpretation of the
act in cases involving husbands and
wives both working yet interdepend-
ent in maintaining their residence.
Brig. Gen. Albert L. Cox, selective
service executive for the District,
who called the meeting and presided,
said he expected the Districts 25
local boards would have to supply
about 400 selectees in January.
Coac NJ E:-oL D,,I.
1T is important that there be
general uniformity in the handling
of deferment and dependency prob
lems," Gen. Cox declared 1T is, of
course, recognized that there can be
no fixed rules in these matters be-
cause there will be such wide vari-
ances in individual cases. Each case
must be considered separately and
decided upon its own merits. But
where basic facts are substantially
the same, cases, in all fairness,
should receive substantially the same
treatment in the different board
areas"
Spencer Gordon, chairman of the
Advisory Board for Registrants,
suggesting an approach" to prob
lens that each board will have to
decide for itself, voiced the belief
that the mere fact that a wife is
employed does not necessarily mean
that she is economically independent,
even though there are no children
to support should the husband be
called away.
Mr.. Gordon cited the case of
husbands and wives employed jointly
in domestic service. Should the
husband be called, in many in
stances the wife would almost Ger
tainly lose her job, since the two
were hired virtually as a family
team, he pointed out.
Consider Teacher Timing
Other situations on which agree
ment appeared to be general in
cluded teachers, who probably will
not pe called until the end of the
school term; working persons who
attend night schools, who most like
ly would not be called until the end
of the school term, provided they
are studying for a degree and at
tend classes several days each
week
Gen. Cox said that he would in
vestigate and inform the local
boards shortly regarding a report
ed Shortage of policemen and fire.
men in the District" and the belief
in some quarters that policemen
and firemen should be given deferred
status for the time being
One board official declared that
he thought the reported shortage"
of policemen and f1remen probably
was due to inadequate funds rather
than absence of good substitutes.
THE civil service" he asserted,
"has plenty of qualified men seek
ing this kind of work, and I know
that it could furnish $50 men to-
morrow if necessary"
Brice Claggett, chairman of Prince
Georges County (MdD local board
No. 2, one of several nearby chair
men present at the session, assured
the Washington boards that, ac-
cording to preliminary studies, all
of the boards would be able to give
"liberal" consideration to deferment
claims of married men and still
have more than enough available
single men to fill quotas up to next
July without working undue hard
ship upon any one.
Final Physical Tests.
Meanwhile, the induction station
for Washington and vicinity, at 458
Indiana avenue NV, today began
final physical checkups of five Dis
trict selectees and two from nearby