Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-06-16
Senator Riled
ByDeferments
In U. S. Capital
Tydines Tells of 1000
Who Avoided Army
BY DAMON RUNYON

SENATOR TYDINGS OF Mary
~ land, chairman of a special
committee, seeks a checkup on
draft deferments given 1000
young male employees of the gov
eminent. He discloses some sur
prising cases of kids holding nice
jobs in various governmental de-
partments and being deferred on
the ground that they are indis-
pensable.
IT is only fair to state that the
senator admits that on the whole
the deferment privilege has been
judiciously used by most agencies
of the government, his complaint
being that the abuses his special
committee has uncovered are
particularly fragrant.
One genius of n was ap-
pointed year ago to a job pay
ing 81. $50 year and was subse-
quently twice deferred and raised
in salary on the ground that he
was a cog of such value that his
department could scarcely exist
without him.
He is one OF IL personnel Of
f1cers who were granted defer
ment out Of total of az clerical
employees in the one depart
mental unit.
Another chap OF % who was
appointed in 1910 when he was
n Is deemed of such extraordi-
nary value In recruiting stenog-
raphers, economists and junior
administrative personnel that he
has been twice deferred, the
senator citing this case as a
classical example" He indi-
Gates that the favored young
man is from Kansas.
NOW all this hears out the
~ argument with which / have
been boring my readers for
some time that there are a great
many government jobs occupied
by young fellows that should be
turned over to men willing to
serve their country but barred
from combat service by age or
perhaps those slight physical de-
fects that loom very large when
army engineers come upon
them.
These defects may not pre-
vent man from being ~
enormous value in civil life and
may not impair his executive
ability or his spirit Of patriot
ism, but when the examiners
find them they are serious
enough to cost the government
administrative services that pri-
vate employers are glad to re-
ward with fancy salaries.
Meantime, as Senator Tyd-
ings discloses. young fellows OF
draft age are being deferred 10
keep them in jobs that surely
the older men with their greater
experience and judgment could
easily handle. And the mothers
and fathers OF other boys in the
combat lines are given good rea-
son to complain bitterly about
the inequalities of the situation.
IT is true that all men up 10
Il IS have been registered for
possible service and presumably
are now being classified. Per-
haps they will eventually be
called. But the fact remains
that many offers OF service by
men in the higher age brackets
who are eminently qualified TO
discharge the duties of execu-
tive positions have been re-
jected or wholly disregarded
while the kids hang on.
/ do not say that the indis-
pensability of the youngsters is
questionable in every case I'M
der present circumstances. 1t
is quite possible that some could
not be replaced without a de-
partment sustaining severe loss.
but ii seems to me the loss
could be offset TO some extent
by the value OF the young men
to the combat divisions.
The deferment abuses can
scarcely be blamed on the young
men themselves. Much as /
would like to have my readers
think me a brave fellow, / must
confess / am not sure that IL I
were in a safe job and my rela-
tIves or friends had drag enough
10 keep me there, I would be
breaking down doors to escape.
The things of which Senator
Tydings complains go back to
those able TO invoke the de-
ferments and sometimes that is
back beyond even local boards.
Copyright, ls42. by King Features