Evening star., 1942-10-13
Druft
Continued From First Page.)


ing the bill saturday.
Chairman May said the committee
would not consider pending draft
legislation, but would take UP a new
bill, drafted by him, to provide that
no l8 or 19-year-old inductee be
put into combat service without
having had IL months Of training.
Mr.. May said he would cooperate
fully with President Roosevelt and
with Secretary Stimson.
Mr.. Stimson said in his request
to the committee that it was a
military axiom" that members of
the 18 and 19-year group ARE pc
culiarly adapted to military train
ing"
Their response to leadership,
their recovery from fatigue, their
enthusiasm or fair for soldering,
are exceptional as compared with
older age groups he added.
THE simple fact is he said, they
are better soldiers and never before
in its history has the American Ma
ton more urgently needed excep-
tional soldiers"
Mr.. Stimson said the induction of
the 18 and l9-year- r-olds would be
less likely to disrupt industry, agri-
culture, other essential wartime civil
pursuits and domestic relationships
than to- build the Army from the
other end of the age categories.
He said he had no objection to a
provision of the bill introduced by
Representative Wadsworth, Repub-
lican, of New York to defer from i'm
mediate induction youths of 18 and
l9 called to the colors during the
second half of an academic wear
The deferment would end at the
conclusion of the academic year.
He and other War Department
ofncials, the Secretary informed the
committee, would readily testify be-
lore the committee as to the needs
Tor drafting the younger men. But
ne stressed, the testimony should
be given behind closed doors.
Half of Registrants Available.
1t was his considered opinion, he
said, AS we'll as that of nv CHIEF
military advisers, that contineencie,
now foreseeable make it imperative
that the pool of available militar,
manpower be still further widened ,
Selectlve service headquarter.
said, meanwhile, that youths who
have reached the age of 18 since
last June 80 would not be subject
to draft until another general reg.
istration is held, even if the mini.
mum age for military service is low.
cred to include them.
Some 2,250,0OO who were l8 or Il
at the time were put on the lists ir
the last general registration, JUNE
50, said Draft Director Lewis B
Hershey, and official statistics indi.
cate about 100000 have reached |,
since then.
Mr.. Hershey estimated that per.
haps less than half the 2,25O.0O Il
and l9 year olds registered in JUNE
would be available for drafting il
the minimum draft age were low.
cred from 20 to 10 years because
OF heavy voluntary enlistments anc
physical defects.
furthermore, the Army has in.
creased considerably the vigor OF it.
recruiting campaign among ls ane
10 year olds.
Mr.. HerShey's statement indicated
that induction of the group in thos,
age brackets would mean a new SUD.
ply OF manpower sufficient to fiji
Army quotas for about three month.
and postpone induction Of married
men with children at least that long
Figures made public by Senate,
Taft, Republican, of Ohio after con.
sultation with selective service ON.
clals, showed some 1900, 900 youths
or 100000 month, would attain tn,
age OF 10 during 1943, and advance.
ments to l8 would proceed at abou
the same rate.
Representative Kean, Republican
OF New Jersey released a letter from
the War Department saying tha
older men and those with mino
physical defects soon would be as
| signed to noncombat units to reliev,
young soldiers for combat service
Maj. Gen. j. A. Ulio, adjutant gen
eral, wrote that physically qualified
men between As and so were beiny
accepted for service command dutie
and that men between so and s.
with previous military training ais,
would be enlisted.
Mr.. Kean had suggested that mel
between 40 and 55 be recruited TO
such inactive service as mannin,
searchlight batteries and anti-air
craft for home defense.