Evening star., 1942-08-27


zens as to inequitable treatment by
some draft boards comes from the
confusing statements issued officially
In Washington which seem to be-
wilder the local boards. Here is an
excerpt of a letter from an out
standing lawyer in Michigan who
serves as a Government appeal
agent for the local boards in his
county. He writes:
II agree with you that there is
great deal of confusion and con-
siderable ineff1ciency and even un-
fairness in the working out of the
selective service system. will
ask you to consider certain elements
in the selective service law and
regulations which, it seems to me,
are bound to produce the very effects
OF which you complain. If my posi-
ton is correct, and I believe it is,
then the fault lies not with the local
boards, but, with the entire selective
service system, and particularly the
national headquarters. -.
II would further call your atten-
ton to the fact that your statement
that the statements and news re-
leases from national headquarters
are well-balanced' is only half the
truth. The rest of the truth is that
these statements, news releases and
'directives' are merely general state
ments, which are constantly being
modified or even nullified by subse-
suent statements.
Inconsistencies Frequent.
For instance, national headquar-
ters issues q directive that in classi-
flying married men the board must
not forget that the principal purpose
OF selective service is to get men
for the Army. In a week or two
another directive will come out
which will instruct the local boards
that although the prime purpose OF
selective service is to obtain men
for the Army, the local board must
not induct married men If to do so
will. In their Judgment, work a
hardship on dependents or tend to
break down the family system.
TN another two or three weeks a
subsequent directive will come out
about class III classification, offer
ing further general advice about the
same, but being really inconsistent
In terms with directives I and II.
And 50 1t goes. The result is the
local board does the best it can with
each case.
TN regard to deferment for in
dustries connected with national
defense, there has never been any
sensible or workable program laio
down by national headquarters. Fol
instance, the board has before it the
case Of an employe in an airplant
valve factory working entirely fol
the Government. Let us say the
employe is a drill tender. The
board knows without any informa.
ton from headquarters that gooe
machinists are very scarce. How.
ever. in the case of boy just ou
OF high school, with no previous
training, who is now making 81
week to turn a machine off an,
on so many times minute, is he al
essential man in that Industry"
From the chairman of a loca
draft board in Iowa comes thi
written comment:
Definitely it is not the fault o
local boards if news releases do ne
correspond with regulations. w
have realized this from the begin
ming and we have pleaded wit
those in authority for more specif
instructions and less unreliabl
press releases. Would you chare
against the local boards as q fau
Of theirs if the Office of the nations
director enters into an agreemer
to defer certain men of a certai
faith and at the same time fails
inform local boards of such clar
destine arrangements? . W
should at least place the blan
where 1t belongs"
From Charleston, w. Va, com
this comment:
About q year ago my son was
the middle Of the first semester