Evening star., 1942-08-20
1-BClass Eliminated ,
With Men 10 Go
In IA or AT
Reclossificotion Of Those
With Minor Physical
Defects to Sturt Soon

Defects to Stort Soon
Thousands of men with minor
physical defects face Army in
duction within the next few
months under a selective service
order today eliminating class 1-B
Decision on whether the men will
be inducted for limited or full mill
tary service will be left to the Army
This order eliminated the sep
arate 1-B quota under which a
small number Of men were taken
into the Army this month. The
new regulation becomes effective
today, but wholesale reclassihca-
ton of limited servicemen will be
started throughout the country on
September /.
Local boards were instructed to
reclassify no more than fourth
of the present Glass 1-B men each
month, completing the reclassifica-
ton by January /, 1943.
Call of Married Men Delayed.
The effect of abolishing the l-B
classification and allowing local
boards to send as high as fourth
Of the class to induction stations
each month will be to postpone for
some time the induction of single
men with dependents and married
men who faced Army service as
soon as the dwindling supply of
la men now on local board rolls
was exhausted.
In the District, this postponement
may be for as long as two months,
local officials estimated. Large scale
induction of 1-B men probably will
not be possible for about six weeks
here, allowing the usual time for
processing.
The reclassif1cation procedure re-
quires that local boards place regis
trants not believed totally disquali-
fed for military service into Glass
Ia pending examination at Army
induction stations. Those men who
are obviously physically disqualified
will be given the Glass 4-F status by
their local board, or If they have
passed the local board examination
will be put in Class 4-F If rejected
by the Army.
The new order will mean not only
that LIB men will 60 into the Army
much faster than on the small 1-B
quota, but also that one phase OF
the present induction procedure will
be abandoned.
Cautioned on Deferment Policies.
When the War Department an
nounced 1t would accept a limited
number of 1-B men under a separate
quota last month, 1t explained that
local boards would go back to the
beginning Of their order lists and
send 1-B men with ow-order num-
bers first At the same time, it was
explained that men sent as la men,
but found to have minor physical
defects, would be rejected by the
Army until their number was
reached on the 1-B lists. The new
order automatically eliminates this
procedure. In the future, men sent
as 1T men and found to have
physical defects will be taken into
the Army for limited service at the
time or will be definitely rejected as
4-F men.
Men previously put in 1-B, were
those who had fewer than 10 fingers,
or were partially blind or deaf.
Their wholesale induction into the
Army is expected to release for COM
bat duty almost an equal number of
physically qualified men now on desk
Jobs.
Local boards were cautioned by
national headquarters that in re-
Classifying 1-B men they should give
full consideration to national poll
cies governing deferments for de-
pendency and occupation. 1t was
pointed out that, while local boards
did not put men in 1-B who had
other possibilities for deferment,
their status may have changed since
they were originally classified.
Conscientious objectors heretofore
classified in 1-B-O, If fit for limited
service in nom -combatant units, or
in Class 4-E-LS, If At for limited
service In civilian work camps, now
will be classified in Class LAO, If
At for non -combatant military serv-
ice, or IN Class 4-E, If At for induc-
ton into work camps. Those physl-
cally unfit will be classified in 4-F.