Evening star., 1942-08-24

suit OF incom-
petent handling -
OF the selective David Lawrence.
service system.
Without overall planning and in
the same helter-s -skelter way that
raw materials have been maldistrib-
uted, so, also, there is about to
begin the biggest maldistribution of
all-manpower.
Millions of Americans, married
men with or without children, many
Of them 40 to As years old, key en-
ployes needed to make or supervise
the making of guns and tanks and
planes and ships, are about to be
taken out of the industrial organ
ization, and assigned to jobs in the
Army that willingly would have been
taken by citizens who already have
volunteered, but are not given a
chance to serve in the capacities
for which they are best qualified.
Lack Of Planning.
Evidence OF the lack of planning
Is to be found in the offhand manner
In which national policies affecting
the operations of the draft law are
being issued. Speeches and state
ments from selective service head
quarters say one thing and local
draft boards often say another.
Employers who are working night
and day trying to cope with almost
insuperable problems of personnel In
stretching management energies to
the utmost will find at the end of
the next six months that their or
ganizations have been seriously
drained of competent personnel and
that there is no redress.
When the fiasco happened-and
unless there Is q change soon 1t
surely will happen just as the War
Production Board muddle was pre-
dicted and now has materialized-
efforts will be made to camouflage
the reasons for the mess. It will
be conveniently blamed on military
necessity" The real reason will be
administrative stupidity.
Accepted In Good Faith.
Thus, many employers are due
for their biggest disillusionment
when they try to get occupational
deferments for their key men.
Many Of these employers accepted
in good faith the formal statements
widely circulated that they would
have . chance to argue the case
OF key employees before local draft
boards. But 1t develops now that
nowhere in the regulations are
there any rights granted to an en-
ployer.
He, Of course, can file written
data at certain times In the pro-
cedure but he has no right at any
time to personal audience with
the local draft board. These boards
may give him hearing but the
regulations are so phrased as to
make it discretionary rather than
mandatory. Some OF the draft
boards, giving one excuse or another,
are rejecting requests for defer
ment and Immediately issuing
orders for induction so that there
Is no opportunity for any one to
60 before them and explain the
value Of key employees. State di-
rectors already are refusing to
intervene.
There is another disillusionment
coming when employers try to get
employees back who, through i'm
proper procedure, have enormously
been inducted into the Army. Un-
less the selectee himself signs the
request for release, 1t cannot be
given any consideration. The selec-
tee may not wish to be placed in
the position Of asking to be released
from military service and, if he
takes that attitude, there is nothing
In the regulations which permits
the employer to take the initiative
or file any papers whatsoever.
Employer Is Helpless.
Once an order for induction is
issued-and these things come sud-
denly and often without warming
the employer Is absolutely helpless
Last week grave injustice was
perpetrated by the selective service
headquarters when 1t violated thu
spirit Of its own regulation, if not
the letter. 1t ordered all 1-E
registrants reclassif1ed into IA. L
cautioned local boards that 6
registrant's occupational classifica
ton should be reviewed, but 1t made