Evening star., 1942-10-25
Alterations in Draft
Policy Foreseen
By OWen L. Scott.

The service OUTLOOK LOT mllllOnS OF
men is being changed by shifts OF selec-
tive service policy and by the coming
draft of 1919 year olds.
Lowering of the draft age is to ease
pressure for calling large numbers Of
married men for Army service. At the
same time, however. selective service
obviously is seeking to shift away from
dependency as the deciding factor in
TIE choice of men for the Army. 1t Is
moving toward a policy Of selection
based solely upon the question of where
a man can serve his country best, In
the Army or Navy, or in industry.
Enough single men, without depen-
dents, are available in the United States
in the age groups 18 through A, to
build the Army of 100000 men that
is to be built by the end of 1943. In
cluding the 17-year-olds who become 18
during the next year, there are approxi-
mately 100000 physically fit single men
without any dependents, who are not
classified as necessary men" in industry.
This total is an official estimate of
manpower authorities If single men.
with collateral dependents, are added,
the number rises nearly to 100000, or
enough single men to supply both Army
and Navy needs until the end of 1943.
In the light of this overall supply
of single men there has been much ques-
ton concerning the reason for repeated
statements by Maj. Gen. Lewis B.
Hershey director of selective service,
that it soon is to be necessary to draft
married men on a wholesale basis and
that heavy draft of married men with
children is not far away. Every man
power estimate suggests that-on any
basis of draft deferment for depen-
dency-there will be no actual need to
draft married men with children until
Army-Navy manpower needs reach
about 100000.
New factors admittedly are entering
the draft picture. One of these factors
is the need for as little disturbance as
possible to essential industries. A draft
based solely upon dependency tends to
create some serious problems for war
industries If, however, the draft could
take married men or married men with
children engaged in work that is not
essential to the war, there would be an
easing of pressure on war industries now
workers.
A second factor is that of age. A draft
based upon dependency alone forces the
Army to cut through ell age groups up
to As in obtaining men The desire, how
ever, is to obtain more young men Army
officials insist that young married men
are the Nations best men and constitute
the most satisfactory officer material.
That whole big manpower group now is
almost closed to the Army by draft
standards based upon dependency. Pres
sure is on to change those standards.
A third factor is the growing need for
women workers in industry. II draft
deferment is based upon dependency,
there is strong pressure for wives to
avoid work, thereby enabling their hus-
bands to avoid the TIN cat of draft This
tends to narrow the rumber of women
seeking work to replace men drawn into
service and to fill new jobs that are to
be available in increasing numbers in the
period JUS. ahead t-, -
Those arc rather compelling reasons
for changing the present basis of draft
defernlent. However, the officials con-
cerned appear hesitaEt to state their
reasons and to ask Congress for a clear
cut revision of the existing law The
result is great confusion and resentment
growing up around the country.
Confusion grows from the fact that in
the territory of one craft board there
will be rather large pools of single men,
without dependents, who are not being
called, while in another the call will ex-
tend to single men With dependents or
even to married n2n Under existing
G"aft standards this represents discrim-
ination and tends to create bad feeling.
Even so, rather than alter the basis for
defc-ment, draft officials merely blocked
move in Congress to require uniform call
of men, State by State. Congress wanted
to say that no married man could be
called until all single men in a State
had been called, and that no married
man with children could be called until
all married men without children had
been calico. Selecti9c service blocked
that move.
The resul! is that the present apparent
unfairnes5 is to continue and probably
to grow more apparent once the supply
of 1919 year olds is exhausted.
Lowering of the draft age, at least
te,,, -oriI,, af ol,
tanning men for the Army. There are
few married in this group and relatively
few necessary men IN industry. The
result is that the Army will obtain a
whole age group with relatively few de-
ferments and will obtain the quality of
new men it has been seeking.
Some time in 1943 however, this sup
| ply Of young men will be exhausted and
| selective service will be forced to return
to the policy of trying to find single men,
or of married men without children to
I'LL quotas.
AS to the immediate outlook, there
remain between 100000 and 100000
single men without dependents, and
| physically fit, who are not classified as
necessary men" in industry from whom
draft calls might be filed If there was a
uniform national policy of applying
present standards. That uniform policy
| is not being applied. however, and many
OF these men will continue to be outside
the calls.
Next, it is to take time to classify the
| 1919 year olds and to start including
them in large numbers in the groups of
men being inducted into the Army A