Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-03-27
Civil Draft
Fears Called
GroundIess
Based on Empty Jobs,
It viii Be Limited
By PAUL MALL0N


Draft Brigadier General Her
Shey has been making a speech
a day about this phase and
others for nearly two weeks.
But he always speaks off his
cuff, never from prepared
manuscript and no Stenographic
notes are kept, at least not at
his headquarters.
There the piecemeal news ac-
counts are pasted in a scrap
book as a record. All these clip
pings show is that General Her
Shey expects a full mobilization
of manpower Quantity and
quality unspecified) for all
kinds of industrial jobs like
wise unSpecified).
INDUSTRY. reading these ac-
Il counts in the papers, has be-
come apprehenSive lest the gov
eminent turn itself into a trans
fer agency TO shift workers, with
implications of SocialiZing. sal
ary-changing, business destroy
ing Tin some lineS). and business
building Tin some linesl.
/ do not believe they are juSti-
fed.
What the officials behind the
draft seem to have in mind is
based on need for the future.
They cannot say what they
will do until the returns show
them what they can do. At
present there is no need for this
tyne of draftee.
But about nine months from
now, they foresee that there will
be a shortage of soldiers of pro-
duction, mainly mechanics. cleo
tricians, craftsmen and machine
operators.
They want TO find out now
what they have available TO
meet such a need.
4 FAIR idea of the needs they
"A expect is furnished by the
QUESTIONABLE TO be distributed
10 the current batch of draft
registrants 1854 and 20-2D.
On that published list. the
citizen is asked TO designate
what previous experience he has
had along a couple of hundred
(moStly mechanically lines.
The upper age brackets in this
class, too, face a call for non
military duty, and eventually all
who are not in military service.
You will not escape just be-
cause you are not mechanically
minded. They plan to invite you
10 run n bus or truck or give
you some simple occupation like
night Waterman in a tank fac
tory if you are not otherwise
fitted and the need develops.
CERTAINLY, however, they
~ will be limited by the num-
Der of empty jobs and in gen.
eral way by aptitudes of the
draftees.
Above all, an act of Congress
will be required to enable any
one TO be drafted for other duty
than in the army. The law is
restricted to that purpose.
My personal impression is that
these obvious limitations will
prevent the effects of industrial
drafting from falling upon a
great number Of people, GER
tainly upon far fewer than the
draft for military service.
A new agency of government
will probably be established for
this man power mobilization. 1t
is not likely to be in charge of
any of those so far mentioned,
Madame Perkins, Sidney Hill
man. General Hershey or Paul
McNutt.
Miss Perkins naturally thinks
ii should be in the labor depart
ment and McNutt has been
working on the assumption it is
question of public welfare.
Varying degrees of conflict
have arisen between these four,
which precludeS the possibility
that any of them will handle il.
MIR. ROOSEVELT is looking
A'A daggerS at the press again.
the sharpest of them being off
the record.
An erroneous report in one
paper that Ambassador Winant
might head the man power
mobilization setup is the only
apparent thing that reused his
interest the wrong way.
But his displeaSure became
known at time when the labor
issue was rising in Congress and
the press.
He leveled off the congress
sional upSwing somewhat by
having his leaders texcept Thur
man Arnold testify there
against labor legislation. but
many sections of the press kept
rising.
Superficial criticisms of Con-
greSs and press can easily be
diSSipated by countcr-pressure.
But if Congress and the press
are rejecting and reporting the
sentiments of a great number
Of people, the criticism cannot
be stopped even if Congress and
the press were subdued.
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ONE YEAR AGO TO-DAY
March II. 1917