Evening star., 1942-06-21
American Man Power
Now to Be Enlisted
By ODen L. Scott.

4WO QGClolUllS "a flLdl 10
millions of American men now have
been taken. One decision is to step up
the rate of increase in the size Of the
American Army and Air Force. The
other is to alter the basis for determin-
ing who shall and who shall not be
drafted
The first plan had been to build an
Army of 2,500000 men by the end OF
1912. That plan then was expanded to
call for an Army of 3,600,000 in the same
period Now it is expanded again to
provide an Army of $500 900 men. The
Army Air Force apparently is to be in
addition to this force. Then, for ls43,
there is an announced intention to in
crease the Army and Air Force to
5000 900 or more.
There are in the United States ap-
proximately 2s,e0o 900 men between the
ages of 18 and 49, During the next l8
months. one out of every three men in
this group. on the basis of announced
plans, will be in the service of the
Army, Air Force or Navy. Inasmuch as
nearly go per cent of these men are
married, 1t can be seen that the days
are numbered when American forces can
be recruited from the ranks of unmarried
men and men without any dependents.
This results In problem of selection.
The problem Is to determine which men
with dependents, or which married men
should be called first.
Congress, with concurrence of the Sc
lective service system now has laid down
a set of principles which will guide local
draft boards In making selections when
the time comes for drafting men with
dependents. These principles are backed
up with a new plan for allotments from
the pay of men in service to their de-
pendents. In word. the groundwork is
laid for building a mass Army, with all
of American manpower on call.
Here occurs the first question Of choice
among groups of men.
Many draft boards are on the verge Of
running out of their supply of unmarried
men and men without any dependents.
This means that a decision must be made
elJlleI 10 dlucuu bllt III dII law III
to open the ranks of $500 900 youths of
18 and 10. years to draft boards for Sc
lection. or to start to draw upon men
with dependents and without means of
supporting those dependents.
PRESIDENT Roosevelt has decided. for the
time being not to ask Congress to lower
the draft age. The result is that draft
boards soon will be forced to start to
take men who have been deferred from
service on the ground that they were
supporting other people. This result, in
turn. lends great importance to the
principles that are to guide local boards
in making their selections.
First to 60 will be unmarried men who
have been making contributions of less
than $50 a month to mothers and faith
ers. aunts and uncles and cousins Al
lotmentS from the pay of these men when
in the service will take care of de-
pendents. Next to go will be unmarried
men who have been paying more than
$50 to dependents. Draft boards will
determine whether these dependents can
obtain a reasonable subsistence" from
pay allotments and other sources of in
come. If they cannot, the unmarried
men still will be subject to service be-
fore married men are called.
1t is expected that enough men will
classes so that no important number of
married men will be called for six or
eight months at least. If during that
time the draft age is lowered, married
men will be deferred still longer For
purposes of classification. men who are
divorced or who do not live with their
families, will be classed as unmarried
and subject to service. A widower sup
porting children, will be classed as a
married man.
Under the draft law, as amended, local
draft boards will be instructed to take
married men only after the supply of
unmarried men is exhausted. The mar
to December 8, 194l.
When the time comes to draft married
men, as it will this year or next, the
intent is that men without children shall
be taken before men with children are
called upon to serve. The selective serv-
ice system may set up subclassiflcations
in the ranks of men with children. taking
those with one child before those with
two or more children.
Emphasis in drafting men is to be
placed upon the family status rather
than wholly upon the financial status of
men subject to call
However, there will remain a measur-
ing stick of financial dependency as well
For instance, the married man with i'm
portant financial obligations to meet.
with insurance premiums and taxes and
| debts to take care of may be deferred
longer than the man with few financial
ties. The purpose, in all cases, is to
cause as little disruption in families as
| possible. This means that in families
where wife is working or has worked
or can work, there would be less OF q
chance of deferment than in a family
where a wife is not well or is tied down
with small children.
Then comes the question of service for
age groups. AS matters now stand, the
Army Is taking men as they come in the
age ranges from 20 through A. There
is no present attempt to take younger
men first and to defer men over So or
over 40. All take their chances. It is
true. nonetheless, that relatively few
| older men are being or are likely to be
called because a large proportion have
| physical defects or have families with