Evening star., 1941-12-18
u. 5. May Draft Men
Whose Wives Are
Se|f.Supporting
Military Leaders Inform
Senote 100000 Are
Needed for Army
2y the Associated Press.

needed for Army
BY the Associated Press.
The Government will become
hard-boiled about drafting hus-
bands whose wives are self-support-
f41g. the Senate was told today, as
military leaders made known their
view that this country must have an
Army much larger than 100000
men.
-Four million men isn't an Army
today" Brig. Gen. Wade H. Haislip,
assistant chief of staff for person.
mel, declared to the Senate Military
Committee. The Army will be ex-
panded as rapidly as equipment can
be obtained, he said, without any
set number in view"
A system Of allowances for the
families Of married men inducted
into service was advocated by Brig
Gen. Lewis B. Hershey, director of
the selective service system. He
said the attitude of draft boards to-
ward dependency and hardship
cases must inevitably" become
tighter.
However, about 1000 farm boys
inducted into the Army will be re-
turned to the farm this spring, he
announced, adding that induction
of many farm youths would
threaten vital agricultural produc-
ton.
Allowance Plan Proposed.
The testimony of both officers,
given at closed committee session,
reached the Senate in printed form
today.
Gen. Hershey's proposed system of
allowances would be modelled, he
explained, on the World War prac-
tice of requiring a selectee with de-
pendents to make an allotment from
his pay to support his family, which
the Government matched with an
allowance.
'I think in Preference to- late
marriages" he said, they will not
be problem any more, because we
are going to take them in-I don't
think we can do anything else.
And I submit the Congress will
have to be asked to pass an allow
ance and allotment law-discipline
him, If you will-so that there is
some means of supporting that wife
who may in fact become dependent
upon him ="
He predicted that local boards
would call for service the husbands
Of marriages of convenience" whose
wives earn enough to support them
selves. But the allowance system
will be necessary, he added, because
these boys are going to marry, and
a lot OF them are not marrying to
evade."
Farmers Irreplaceable.
Gen. Hershey said he was going
to run the risk of considerable
criticism this spring by returning
some 1000 people to the soil"
II do not believe the farmers
realize the specialists they are" the
draft director said. He declared
that selective service officials had
difficulty educating Draft Boards to
the fact that because he was just
farmer he was not only important
but he was irreplaceable."
Gen. Hershey said a fiat order
to defer all farmers could not be
made because many men would try
to take advantage of this.
IL.
alone would require 100000 men
before we are through" and de-
clared that the modern motorized
and mechanized Army needed just
as much manpower as the older type
Of force.
5000, 900 In German Army.
Germany has an army 100000
strong, he said, adding that ut is
dangerous to limit the War Depart
ment in a war where we don't know
where it Is going to reach, whether
1t Is going to touch every part Of
the country"
His warning had reference to a re-
port of the House Military Commit
tee that 100000 men would be
available for the Army under expan-
sion legislation.
Gen. Haislip reported the War
Department was planning to greatly
increase the output of our officer
candidate schools" for the expand
ing Army and added that most Of
the new officers would come up from
the ranks.
In building up the Army, Gen.
Haislip said, it was not the intention
to call on specific age groups, but to
obtain a cross section of ages so as
not to disturb the life Of the country
more than necessary.