The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-10-01

A AA V ksASSSAA' in lie a t e q strength of the Army is above foul million men, but hints have beer dropped that by the end of 194; there must be some 10 million ner in service. The labor supply now being inadequate for the demand what will it be when these addi. tional six million men are inductedi But the problem of the loca draft boards Is where they will fine the six million. Their dif1cultiei become apparent only when you look at the list of skilled laborerI whom the draft boards have beer ordered not to touch. It coveri more than a thousand trades ane it must make the job of the loca boards seem almost impossible.
 This list of necessary men serve. to explain why the local draft boards have been forced to reclassi. fy many of their registrants up- wards, why the Army is taking quotas of up to 10 per cent Hitter. ates, up to per cent venereal dis eased, men who are physically handicapped, childless men, men with dependents.
 A SCATTERED LIST
 The list of occupational defer ments must be dug out of the near ly 45O memoranda which Nationa, Selective Service headquarters hal issued. Since April, 1922, these ex. emptions have been issued in the form of occupational bulletins, oi which there are now q. Since its creation, War Manpower Commis- sion has been issuing directives tt Selective Service headquarters fo1 these occupational deferments, but before that every government agency took a hand in trying tc tell the Selective Service where tc lay of.
 The first request for defermentl came from the labor unions back in February, 1941, when they asked that their business agents be given the same consideration as employ CTS. Tn quick order after that came exemptions for men working on na- tion defense projects outside the U S., for doctors, internes, medica, students, dentists, osteopaths, vet erinarianS, for students. for men ir the FBI, for certain other key fed- eral, state and local government employees.
 The list grew = gradually before the United States actually declared war, much more rapidly thereafter There were 30 essential industries listed in one Selective Service memo to state directors, including mer employed in the production of ships aircraft, ordnance, ammunition farm products. food, lumber, coal metals, machinery, chemicals, rub. Der, leather, textiles, apparel, trans. portaticn equipment, packaging communication equipment, power. GROWS AND GROWS
 When the issuance of Occupa. tional bulletins was begun in April 1922, the list broadened. War De- partment requested exemption fol civilian pilots. The surgeon gen. era laSked exemption for comnlis- stoned officers of the Public Health Service. Navy asked for exemption of marine pilots. Bureau of Mines asked for coal miners. Office oi Transportation asked for railway transport workers. Maritime Com. mission asked for shipbuilders Shipping Administration for watei transport workers. The Power Go ordinator for all workers in electric power generation and distribution The National Roster of Scientific and Specialized Personnel for ac- countants, chemists, economists, 1; kinds of engineers, mathematicians meteorologists. naval architects physicists, psychologists and statis' tianS.
 When the WING took over. i tried to bring order out of this by issuing new directives on wha local draft boards should considel essential industries, and then thu list really grew. In no occupa' tional bulletins 1t has inspired. ex emptions have been asked b, WING for approximately these 50 trades in metallic and non metallic mining: 30 professions ii flying school instruction, 15I trades in aircraft production: IT trades in petroleum, natural gal and gasoline drilling and refining | l5O trades in the snlelting, mining and rolling of metals: air ferr! pilots; all agricultural workers SO trades in forestry and lumber ing; 50 trades in food processing | industries, and over 400 trades 1T all branches of the rail. water alas air transportation industries. One moral of this is not tha there are over a thousand ready made holes through which thu draft law may be dodged. An other moral is that the nianpowel people are going to have to gel busy and train enough woneE and unslkilled workers to permi these deferred men to ply theil trades in the army.