Evening star., 1942-04-29
Army, Draft Officials
Indorse AIIotments
To Soldiers Families
Would Permit Induction
Of Some Now Deferred
For Dependency, They Soy
By J. A. OLEARY.

wal Ocpdi eilicut dllu oClCSUANC
Service spokesman today recon-
mended Federal payments to de-
pendents of service men, thereby
making possible the induction of
some men who otherwise would
be deferred for dependency.
Mai. William S. Richards gave the
War Departments Endorsement to
the bill of Senator johnson. Demo-
crat, of Colorado. in testifying at
Senate Military Affairs Subcommit-
tee hearing. The measure provides
for payment of $40 a month to a
wife and $40 for each child, with
varying amounts for other de-
pendentS.
Maj. Richards said the War De-
partment does not plan to use any
more men with dependents than is
absolutely necessary, but believes
the magnitude of the emergency
will require taking them to some
extent.
Higher Than World War.
He said the department holds no
bill, but believes they are reason
able, and higher than were paid
in the World War.
Urges Compulsory Allotments.
Maj. Francis V. Keesling, jr.,
speaking for the Selective Service
System, recommended that the al
lotments be compulsory in the case
Of wife and children. He made no
recommendation as to the amounts
Approximately IS per cent of all
draft registrants are in class 3,
because of dependency, hs said.
Pointing out that among the mil
lions of men in class 3, there are
differences in the degree of de-
pendency and in the relationship of
the dependents, he said considera-
ton has been given to the advis-
ability of further distinguishing be-
tween the registrants now in class 3
by creating subdivisions within that
class.
In planning" he continued, "it
should be decided whether a regis
trant who is supporting a dependent
mother, and who has larger order
number in his local board than
another registrant Of the same
board who is supporting a wife and
children, should be inducted before
such other registrant.
"In other words, decision must be
made as to what type of registrants
will be drawn upon first when, as
and If the regiStrants already CLASH
fled in IA on the basis of present
policies are exhausted"
Would Abolish Class 3.
Maj. Keesling testified that 'ff the
effect of the allotment and allow
ance legislation will be to remove
dependency, then Glass will be
abolished entirely and the regis
trants now in that class will have
to be reclassifled and would be
treated the same as registrants who
have no wives or children. Under
such circumstances, married men
and single men would be inducted
in the order of their order numbers
and without regard to family ties"
Senator johnson, author OF the
bill, did not agree. however, that Its
effect would be to eliminate the
question of dependency. He said he
thought 1t would still be up to the
draft boards to determine whether
a mans dependency obligations were
such that he could be drafted on
the basis of the allowances his
family would get under the bill
The bill also requires the soldier
to send home $40 a month to a
wife and IS additional II he has
other dependents. 1t is based on
final enactment of another bill rails
ing the base pay of the enlisted
man.
The measure, doubling the $21
basic pay of enlisted men and in
creasing the compensation of all the
men in the ranks up to and includ-
| ing second ieutenants, was ap-
proved late yesterday by a House
Military Affairs Subcommittee.
The full Military Affairs Commit
tee tackled the legislation today,
with every likelihood that it would
press for House passage either late
this week or early next week The
bill was passed unanimously month
ago by the Senate.