Evening star., 1942-12-27
WAVES Are Replacing
Procurement Office
Enlisted Men
Administrative Officers
Nay Be Replaced Later;
More Women Needed

WAVES already have begun to
infiltrate in to the Naval Reserve
Officer Procurement Station here
and are being assigned to work
which has been done by enlisted
men. The men are needed in combat
areas and aboard ships, and as
quickly as qualified WAVES COM
plete training they will be sent here
to replace them.
Assignment of the WAVES, it
vas explained. does not mean an
increase in the complement of the
local Offices. Each WAVE assigned
here will release an enlisted man
for combat duty. While at present
shifts are being made only in en-
listed branches, it is possible that
as soon as WAVES officer schools
begin turning out a number of stu
dents, they will be assigned to ad
ministrative jobs now held by line
officers.
Need WAVES Recruits.
Much of this program depends on
the success of the procurement
Offices in interesting women in the
WAVES services. The Washington
Office has not been very successful
80 far. Although some are enlist
ing, thousands more are needed.
There is no assurance that those
who enlist in particular area Will
serve there. The prospect OF being
transferred to other areas in the
continental United States-WAVES
are limited to duty in this coun-
try-probably is one of the main
reasons why WAVES enlistments
here are slowing down. Procure
ment officers said they believed that
In the case of Government en-
ployes many would consider
WAVES service if they could be as
sured that they would be left on
duty here.
Educational requirements for
WAVES are higher than those for
persons doing the same type of work
in civil service. There is posi-
bility that the present standards of
education will be lowered if it ap-
pears to be impossible to obtain the
number of recruits needed.
New Waiver Law.
The new act, which permits the
Navy to waive certain physical de-
fects In accepting officers for lin
tied duty, is expected to increase ap-
plications for the various branches.
There had been a halt in this class
Of application for some time because
of ruling that men taken into the
service with a physical defect could
be retired with all benefits for an
aggravation of that defect. The
new law precludes any claim for
physical defect which was waived
when the man entered the service
There are hundreds of applica-
tions in the files, made by men well
qualified to perform some partic-
ular task, but rejected because of
physical defects. Many of these are
expected to renew the applications,
and in the case of those who do not,
1t is likely that procurement officers
will contact them to tell them of
the change in the law. In the ma
jority of these cases, the applicants
have been willing to waive all claims
In order to enter the service.
Many responses were received to
the appeal last week for men with
construction experience to apply for
commissions and warrants in the
service. but in most cases the men
were either too old or were physi-
cally disqualified. Applicants must
be engineers or must have had con-
siderable experience in actual con-
struction work, particularly as FORE
men of construction crews. The lat
ter need not be college men, but
they must have had an excellent
employment background.
In an effort to get these men 1t
was announced the minimum eye
requirements of 20-20ths have been
reduced.