Evening star., 1942-08-28

Is being ham &za -
died. Other let David Lawrence.
ters from local board members de-
clare that they have not had the
experiences mentioned in previous
dispatches and that there have
been abuses of the occupational de-
ferment formula by employers.
This correspondent believes that
the local board members are trying
to do a constructive job but that
they do not realize how often the
citizen is aggrieved by circum-
stances over which the local draft
boards have no control.
The fact that one local board
drafts married men because its
quota OF single men is used up while
not far away another local board
has so many unmarried men that
even some of these are not called
is something which cannot be
charged to the local draft boards
but to the quota system itself which,
OF course, was done in national
headquarters. The citizen. however,
feels that his Government is dis
eliminating between persons of SIM
liar status.
Law Construed Differently.
While the letters from aggrieved
citizens are numerous, the most
valuable correspondence comes from
persons actually familiar with the
operation Of the system. There is,
for instance, a letter from lawyer
In Wisconsin who served on draft
board in the last war and is at pres
ent one of the legal advisers of the
selectees. He has watched the filling
out of many questionnaires and
claims for occupational deferment.
He writes:
"Out of that experience we can
not help but have seen a great deal
which we thought could be rem
edied. 1t does seem to me that the
draft boards in different counties
have constructed the law differently
and no doubt the State administra-
tive departments of the draft law
have done likewise. :.
''It would further seem to me that
some protection should be given to
people who are needed in defense
work, as an employer who files
Form 42-A with the questionnaire
of the draftee has no notice when
the draft board sends out the classi-
fication card to the man.
Another thing should be made
clear, that If the local board rules
on q legal construction of the act
there should be some place where
the draftee can have some remedy
and the inclosed card will explain
what I mean by this. A draftee
gets this notice of classification. He
makes application within the lc
days to ask for rehearing. the re-
hearing is had, and within the 1C
days after the rehearing, he takes
an appeal.
ITO my surprise, the state de-
partment of the draft boards rule
that at the same time he makes
his application for rehearing, he
must also file his notice of appeal
In other words, within the first II
days-and I think any attorney viii
say from reading of this care
that is a very strained construction
In ordinary practice when an ap
peal is taken in case, the cour
from which the appeal was takel
loses jurisdiction Of the case pend
ing, so how, If he appealed at tn
same time he asked for rehearins
could the board hear somethin
they had no jurisdiction over?
"If Gen. Hershey meant it tina
way, certainly this card should b
reprinted and so state, as it Ger
tainly fooled me and I think If
did that 1t would do so to the aver
age draftee.
Many Boards Swamped.
Another suggestion that I thin
would clarity great deal Of tn
present setup and that is that n
deferment on account of war IN
dustry need should become fin:
until approved by some other al
thority than the local board"
During the last war, Of cours
the district boards were given til
deferment cases and this relieve
the local boards immeasurably.
incidentally, the local boards al
In many instances swamped wit
work. Thus it is reported that tt
classification of men between tt
ages of 35 and As has not been con
pleted in many cities and towr
Just how the Selective Servi
System can function efficiently
the Army can make demands f
this or that group to be induct'
when total figure on the classific
tons is not yet available is a
of a mystery which Is occasionil
concern among those who knt
about it. The classification proce
is expected to be completed in a
other couple mt nths, but when
is announced that quotas are bel
filled with married men, the que
ton will arise whether this is ju
If there are still some unclassifi
single me- \ the group.
The citizen doesn't care to kn
that the regulations provided
this or that technical ruling
only wants to make sure that
Is called when there is necessity
It and that no privilege was grant
to any one else that was not CIV
to him. too.
(Reproduction RiEhts Reserved)