Evening star., 1940-12-14
State Draft Officials
Are Warned MOTTO
Railroad Volunteers
Conference Told Men
Must Be Fit and Fill
Non Dependent Status

Fewer volunteers and more men
drafted under the impartial process
of selective service were in prospect
today as State and national officials
Of the Selective Service System
closed sessions which have been in
progress here since Thursday.
State directors were advised by
the national officers to strive for
stricter compliance with the spirit.
as well as the rules. of selective
service.
While the law allows men 10 VOL
unteer with their local draft boards
to serve their year at once. and
there is no intention of interfering
with this provision, the series of
conferences brought the suggestion
from high Army and selective serv-
ice officers that men be scrutinized
more carefully-physically, morally
and economically-before being sent
to induction centers, whether they
are volunteers or registrants whose
numbers have been reached. Some
boards, it was explained, have been
inclined to railroad" volunteers.
Some Rejected Previously.
Some volunteers sent to the Army
as eligible, it was pointed out, pre-
viously were rejected when they
tried to enlist in some branch of the
regular Service-for various reasons,
perhaps physical, perhaps because
they had dependents or were con-
ciG
unteers neglected to explain to their
draft boards that they had been
rejected. But the Army uncovered
the same defects and had to send
them home and get replacements.
Volunteers should be discouraged,
unless they comply with all the re-
| quirements of Selective service, the
State directors were told. This
means that they have no dependents
and are not necessary" men in
some industry or commerce of i'm
portance to their country or COM
munity.
Some apparent discrepancies in
| the number of men to be furnished
for the draft by States of approxi-
mately equal population are due,
officials said today, to the require
ment that each State provide pro-
portionately equal shares of the
armed forces.
| Quota Differences Explained.
Thus, 1t was explained, State
which has contributed large num-
Der of men to the Army, Navy and
Marine Corps exclusive of the oper-
alton of the draft law, naturally has
a smaller draft quota than that of
another State in the same popula-
ton bracket which was not so well
represented in the military forces.
Massachusetts, and Michigan were
cited as typifying how the rule
works.
Massachusetts,. with smaller pop
ulation from Michigan. was credited
with having contributed approx
mately 4l,000 men to the armed
forces, in contrast to Michigan's
29,941. AS a result. officials ex-
planned, Michigan's net draft quota
the number Of men it will be called
on to draft by next June 15-was
| fixed tentatively at 1922. The
Massachusetts quota was 20 ,556-less
than half that Of Michigan.
Discussing the quota question In a
broadcast address last night. Mai.
Ben Howell, chief of the Selective
Service Systems manpower divi-
sion, hkened each local draft boards
gross quota to bank account made
up of men in the area under a
boards supervision who are eligible
for military service.
Credit for Those in Service.
Each account. Maj. Howell said is
reduced by the number Of men
which that area already has fur
nlshed to the armed services. The
balance is known as the net quota.
An informal question-and- answer
| session, during which the State Of
flcials exchanged experience and
sought information from national
officers, was held yesterday after
noon. The closing event on the pro-
gram this morning was an inspec-
ton by the visitors of national head
quarters at Twenty-first and c
streets NV.
Approximately 125 directors and
other State officials attended the
meeting, the first such conference
since selective service began. As
semblies were held at the War De-
partment and section meetings at
! Selective servire headnuarters