Evening star., 1941-08-11

had asked e.CtenStOn OF One-yeuT
service period on grounds Army
,UouId be disrupted by automatic
release OF Se[ecteeS, ReSerDtSts
and National GuardSmen under
legislation passed in 1910. OPP
ponentS argued SerUice extension
mould break contract" 1Uith citi-
zen soldiers and that country 1raS
not endangered to degree pic
tured by administration.
b the Associated Press.
House administration leaders,
faced with a stiff fight, decided
today to make every concession
necessary to obtain approval OF
legislation authorizing President
Roosevelt to extend service for the
rank and file of the Army beyond
the present statutory limits.
The first important votes on the
bill were delayed at least until to-
morrow, however, when Speaker
Ravburn announced that the House
would meet only briefly and then
adjourn out of respect to Repre-
sentative Rutherford of Pennsyl-
vania, who died yesterday.
Although the outlook was beSet
by some uncertainties, the Army
meanwhile apparently had decided
to count on ultimate passage of the
measure and to risk its present
troop dispositions accordingly.
Gen. George C. Marshall, chief
of staff, testified a month ago that
if the bill did not pass by August
l outpost garrisons would have to
be impaired by the withdrawal of
units containing men whose service
was about to expire.
Officials said, however, that they
knew of no orders relieving Ma
tional Guard units in Hawaii which
Gen. Marshall said would have to
be issued by the August deadline
If these units were to be demobilized
/. before expiration of their years
duty.
Trial Vote Near.
In the absence of an official eX-
PLANTATION, it was assumed that the
orders had been withheld in the
expectation that the legislation, now
close to a final vote in the House,
would be approved shortly.
Should the extension be rejected,
the War Department might be faced
with an embarrassing emergency,
on the basis of Gen. MarShalls
testimony last month. BY his esti-
mates, the time already may have
expired in which it would be pos
slble to relieve and demobilize the
units serving in the offshore posts
before their original years service
Is completed on September 16.
The arrival of the August / dead
line faced the War Department"with
a dilemma, military men said. Were
the orders issued relieving the
Hawaii and Alaska regiments, and
Congress subsequently approved ex-
tension OF service, there would be a
needless use of shipping vitally
needed for other purposes. The
other horn of the dilemma involved
Withholding the orders at the risk
that Congress would refuse any
service extension.
Better Prospects Seen.
Administration leaders in the
House thought that prospects for
approval had improved somewhat
over the week end, due largely to
the hints of close collaboration
between Vichy and Germany. Some
believed that this development
would make votes for the bill.
Unwilling to take any chances,
however, administration supporters
indicated their readiness to accept
something less than the pending
House measure which would pro-
vide an indefinite extension of Serv-
ice for all selectees, National
Guardsmen, Reservists and the en-
listed Regulars.
The Presidents legislative lieuten-
ants said privately that they would
extension, if that was necessary to
attract a controlling bloc of score
or more of votes. An 18 months ex-
tension was what the Senate voted
last week.
All factions agreed that final votes
on all amendment proposals and the
bill would be close and would find
all but perhaps IS Republicans op-
posing any extension of service of
selectees.
Republicans Stand Firm.
Republicans insisted that they
would not compromise. Representa-
tive Short. Republican, of Missouri,
leader of the minority party opposi-
ton, said that a 6, II or 18 months
extension of service was not the
question-"it's whether we should
break with the selectees at all"
He said the Republican effort
would be directed to limiting the ex-
tension only to National Guardsmen
and Reservists.
In stating the Army's case for ex-
tending the service of all troops,
Gen. Marshall several weeks ago
mentioned both Hawaii and Alaska
as outposts with National Guard
units nearing the end of their one
year service and said they would
have to be relieved this month.
LAS the anti-aircraft regiment in
Hawaii will complete its II months
of service about the end of August,
it must be relieved from duty in
Hawaii about the middle of August"
Gen. Marshall told the Senate Mill
tary Affairs Committee. ITO effect
this relief, a unit must leave the
United States about the first OF
August"
The same situation applies to
Alaska, where National Guard unit
will have to be relieved about Au-
gust l. he added.
Complete plans to demobilize the
National Guardsmen were drafted
months ago. No known move to put
them in effect has thus far been
made.
The most urgent decision involves
5000 officers and men of the Ma
tional Guard, who were mustered
into service last September 16. Weeks
more time is available to decide
about tho celectaeS tho fret of u,bor,