The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-10-19
. Clapper
Errors in Seleeiive
Service Brought Out
Too Many Men of Wrong
Kind Bring Difficulty
Lowering Draft Age One
Hope Of Making Amends
Nv RAYMOND CLAPPER

BY RAYMOND CLAPfEk
wAsHIN6TON--Somewhat dis
turbing facts have come out in the
testimony over lowering the draft
age. They suggest we may have
been weak on the planning night at
the top. They indicate that selec-
tive service has been taking many
of the wrong kind Of men and that
these already have become q h
ability to the army, which Is try
ing to get them back into civil
life.
selective service is more than
two years old. We have had that
time-grsnting that a rush start
had 10 be made-in which to re-
adjust and dovetsil the needs of
the army with requirements Of in
dustry and agriculture, and GER
tainly TO be screening out men who
would be a liability instead of an
asset in service.
Yet General Marshall, chief OF
staff. stood before a senate COM
nittee this week and told about
visiting the army hospital at Fort
Bragg. He was shocked at the
age of the men. One was a good
mechanic, 43 years old, drafted
from the Dodge plant. He is in
the hospital with angina, hernia
and two other ailments. Some Of
the older incapacitated men had
been in the army only few weeks.
General Marshall said such men
were a burden and should have
been kept at their machines. He
said they were not increasing the
army's strength but reducing it,
and that if this continued the
army would have to enlarge It's
hospital facilities before it even
cot into action. He said we have
already had to bring men back
from Australia because they were
tdo old when they were sent out
Secretary Of War Stimson says
too large a percentage of men
over 40 are in the army. The
army is getting too old already.
Brig. Gen. White, assistant chief
of staff, testified that 20 per cent
of the men already indicted are
not fit for other than limited
duties. Twenty per cent of the
present army is $500 men.
These are not complaints Of
typewriter strategists. Those are
the facts stated by the secretary
of war, the chief of staff and mis-
assistants. Anyone interested IN
the war cannot help but have some
questions raised in his mind by
the disclosure Of these facts.
First, insofar as these condi-
tions might be corrected by bring
ing 49, and 19-year-olds into the
army, why are we just getting
around to 1.-TWO years after Sc
lective service was adopted, ana
10 months after Pearl Harbor!
The army has been conscious OF
this situation for a long time ana
has wanted the draft age lower
ed. Why was it only this week
that President Roosevelt finally
gave the green light?
Mr.. Roosevelt has blamed most
of the trouble in Washington on
congressional Investigations, CUB
ordinates who made i'll advised
speeches, and the press and radio.
Are they to blame for this neg
lect, too? Or could it possibly
be that Mr.. White House didn't get
around to it until this week?
Second, does not this condition
show something wrong with the
selective service policy? Defer
ments have been handled by local
draft boards. It is considered the
democratic way to allow ooaro
to pass on the men in It's own
neighborhood. But in practice
board is ordered to produce re-
ouired number of men in a month.
The natural thing is for the board
to produce the required number OF
men without devoting too mucn
time to investigating essential
needs of industry or agriculture
in its area The pressure 70 I'M
quotas also means often that
medical examination is not ade-
quate. The pressure has been Tor
numbers rather than quality.
AS a result some of the work
will have TO be undone. Men VIII
have TO be sent back TO civil me-
General Marshall says.
These questions are important
because it is now being debated
whether manpower ALLEGATION shan
be handled through selective serS-
ice or by some other organiza-
ton. The manpower commission
hasn't done much Of job yet
It is now apparent that selectVe
sa,y;oa hasn't fo,,rd the hest kind
Of screen through which to pass
men. There isn't much time 70
lose. The army VIII be almost
doubled next year. Labor and IN
dustry will need more help mex,
year.
II looks as IL this Is something
that needs more White House at
tention than II seems TO have had