Evening star., 1942-06-07
Most Of Deferments
For Federal Workers
Are Held Justified
Abuses Found in Probe
Stick Out Like Sore
Thumb, Tydines Says

The report of an investigation Of
draft deferments among Govern
ment employees, conducted by spe-
cial Senate committee, stated yester-
day that while, on the whole, the
privilege had not been abused, some
elaring instances of unjustifled
avoidance of military service were
found
The committee, headed by Senator
Tydings, Democrat, of Maryland,
named to inquire into conditions in
the executive branch of the Govern
ment, reported on this phase of its
investigation:
There have been frequent ru-
mors that mass deferments from
ed and granted to a large number
of Government employees We have
investigated this matter throughout
all the Government departments
and agencies. 1t has been rather
heartening revelation to find that on
the whole the privilege of request
ing and granting deferments from
military service to personnel in the
National Government has not been
abused. 1t is true that in some
agencies large number of employees
have been deferred from the draft,
but when the committee scrutinized
the reason for these deferments 1t
has been found generally that they
were warranted in most cases.
Examines of Abuses
However, this is not to say there
have not been a number of abuses.
The abuses we have found stick out
like a sore thumb against the rec
ord of most governmental agencies
which have been confronted with
the loss of valuable manpower."
The committee cited among ex-
amples of highly questionable de-
ferments" one department in which
IL men were located in one admins
trative unit.
The unit" the committee ex-
planned, has total of only AZ cleri-
cal employees, but % per cent of the
employees of this unit are defer
ments. These deferments would
have been understandable if they
were professional employees, occu-
pied directly on war work, but such
is not the case. Officially these de-
ferments are known as personnel
officers How the deferment of
these co-called personnel officers
can be claimed or granted because
they are indispensable, rare or
scarce is incomprehenSible. To say
that the work of this group is so
demanding and requires such un-
usual abilities is ridiculous"
The committee added: Let us see
what background these men have
which qualities them for one Of the
'hallowed' positions. Here is Mr..
x, 81 years old, appointed in June,
l94l, at salary of $l,620 per an
mum. Nine months later he had
become such an expert in the field
of personnel procedural surveys
that he was promoted and his SAL
ary raised $1,000 a year. Further,
four months after his appointment
he had become such an indispens-
able cog in the administration of
this department that it was nee
essary to have him deferred, and six
months later, not being able to re-
place this highly indispensable 81
year-old expert, it was necessary to
obtain a further deferment. That
was the claim of the department
for which he worked.
Not Even College Graduate.
This seems to us clearly an abuse
of the deferment privilege. Here
is a young man who has just at
tanned his 22d anniversary; he is
not even a college graduate, which
is unusual; he has never been en-
ployed other than as student be-
fore entering the Government serv-
ic. Keep in mind that his
department has existed for many,
many years. Are there no older
employees in this department who
had more than one years expert
ence and at least the equivalent of
education to carry on the work that
this young man of prime military
age is performing? The department
alleged there were none"
And the committee further cited:
"Mr. Y is employed in this same
department and in the same ad-
miniStrative unit. He is % years
young; was appointed in November
1910, at the age of 81, and by May,
l941, he had become such an ex-
pert In the recruiting of stenogra-
pliers, economists and junior ad-
ninistrative personnel that he was
so indispensable he had to be de-
ferred; in March. 1912, he had con-
tinued to increase his eXpertness
and enhance his indispensa bility to
the extent that he was again de-
ferred. Possibly his local board in
Kansas has the impression that the
Government of the United States
would collapse without his expert
ness in recruiting stenographers.
Two other instances, almost
Identical, were given. The commit
tee. commenting on one, that of a
23-year-old expert" said: The
reasons for his deferment must have
left his draft board in California
with the impression that the agen-
cy, of cabinet rank and many years
existence in the Government struc-
ture, would surely collapse should
he have to shoulder a gun"
Another agency" the committee
added. which has been ordered by
the War Production Board to cease
using critical materials, thereby in