Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-10-23
Draft Law
'Favori+es'
Under Fire
Each Board Suits S e {
in Making Selections
BY PAUL MALL0N

act Is inefficient and the man.
power situation is in a muddle.
Amazing instances of stupid
draftings made by local boards
have been accumulated in little
noticed congressional hearings.
General Marshall told of finding
in a North Carolina hospital a
recent draftee As years old with
angina.
An irreplaceable mechanic Of
six years experience in a vital
war industry was drafted be-
cause he was only recently mar
ried while married book
keeper in the same office was
left on a job which could be
easily filled by a woman.
Every time Draft Director
Hershey makes spec ch
prophesying that further heavy
Withdrawals of manpower will
be made for the army single
men or even married men in de-
Tense industries run out and en-
list TO obtain preferred posi-
tionS.
But the local boards pay less
attention apparently TO General
Hershey's orders. Each has its
own localized problem and acts
in its own individual way.
1t is apparent the draft law
does not make sense.
NOV the Tolan committee OF
~ the House has come for
ward with report recon-
mending that the situation be
cured by establishing a new
overall governmental agency,
an Office of War Mobilization.
Apparently it wants this man
power agency vastly organized
on a regional. district and local
office level" but would leave to
it the details of working out the
problem. All il wants the new
board for is to remove the con-
tentions between existing agen-
cies. which il sharply criticizeS.
From what Mr.. Roosevelt
said. il appears the administra-
ton will come along next week
with a program from the labor
management advisory commit
tee. which works under Man
powerer McNutt, who thinks a
compulsory draft is the solu-
ton.
These expressions Of Mr..
Tolan'S committee, Mr.. RooSe-
welt and Mr.. McNutt drew the
attention Of the country. But,
while they were speaking. a
small war materials manufac-
turer from Milwaukee, appeared
in some obscurity before the
Senate labor committee, and
suggested what seems TO be
palmer analysis of the problem
and simpler solution.
THE manufacturers point was
Il that this is problem of in
dividuals. and no fair or efficient
overall regulations can remedy
II. 1t was in his factory that
the mechanic was drafted and
the bookkeeper left on.
He said further. that he had
spent year hunting a cost ac-
countant. without whom his
business could not be efficiently
operated. but as soon as the man
was broken in. he was drafted.
The Importance of each man
TO this business, varied not alone
on his job as mechanic, ac-
countant or bookkeeper, but on
basis of experience.
THERE are about $4,000 per-
Il sons in his area, he testified,
but only 100000 could be CLASH
fed as a gross workers pool
from which to seek replace
mentS, while New York and De-
troit could draw on millions.
His problem is the whole prob
lem. His experience shows that
any efficient management of
manpOwer must5 consider the
specific condition of the indi-
vidual worker, and the specific
need OF the individual plant, the
individual locality.
No two are alike. Obviously.
no regulations can be drawn up
in Washington which will solve
all fairly and efficiently.
To get at il. there must be a
thorough investigation of each
individual case by a competent
government agent. Each draft
board must have at its disposal
a staff which can ascertain fact.
not from complicated question:
naire, but by personal inquiry.
THERE are vast governmental
Il agencies already flung on a
regional, district and local
office level around the country
tsocial security, public health,
National Youth Administration,
agriculture. with its count V
agents. many others
On individual plant problems,
there are regional. district and
local engineers of the War Pro-
duction Board and the Office Of
Price Administration, who could
size up individual manpower
problems without additional cost
TO the taxpayers.
Some congressional testimony
suggests this is being done in
Britain. The system Of district
quotas and overall national
regulations is reinforced thcre