Evening star., 1943-09-18
Senate Defers Debate
On Fathers Draft Ban;
Bill Loses Support
partial teTt of Baruch Manpouer
Report on Page A-13)
By ]. A, O'LEARY.

Reluctance to override the
judgment Of military leaders in
wartime is losing votes for the
Wheeler bill to postpone the
drafting of fathers, it was re-
liably indicated today, as the
Senate put off debate on the is
sue until Tuesday. ar
Meanwhile, Bernard M. Baruch.
adviser to War Mobilization Director
Byrnes, has been invited to appear
before joint meeting of the House
and Senate Military Affairs Com
mittees Monday to elaborate on his
recommendations for overcoming
labor shortages in war industries,
which ties in closely with the issue
Of who should be drafted.
The first reaction at the Capitol
was favorable to the Baruch sug-
gestion for the voluntary pooling of
workers in shortage areas, and CIV
ing the producers of the most es-
sential equipment first call The
plan Is being tried out now in the
West Coast area, and the results
there will be watched closely by
members of Congress who have been
anxious to avoid legislation for the
compulsory assignment of labor.
Problems Now Merged.
The manpoWer and draft prob
lens have become virtually one, be-
cause officials are warning Congress
that if fathers in nonessential jobs
are not called for military service,
the alternative would be to take
men out of war production.
Mr.. Baruch joined in this view
when he said in his report that to
exempt fathers as a group and go
deeper into the ranks of occupa-
tional deferments would be to "in-
vite serious retarding of war pro-
duction." 4r a.
During the Military Affairs Com
mittee hearings, Senators have ex-
plored the possibility of meeting
the draft calls without fathers by
lowering health standards and TAX
Says Minimum Reached.
The committed was told yester-
day, however, by Brig. Gen. Charles
C. Hillman of the Army's Surgeon
Generals Office that standards have
been lowered in some respects and
that the Army has felt for some
time that the minimum has been
reached. He also testified that "as
you 60 up from 35, men decline in
efficiency for military service"
1t. Col. Francis v. Keesling, leg
islative officer for selective service,
reported to the committee yester-
day that, as of August Is, there were
only 112,399 Government employees
of draft age deferred solely because
of their Federal employment. The
Government has total of l,840, 900
male employees. The deferment fig
ures we're confined to those between
18 and 81, inclusive, because those
are the only ones who would over
wise be called
Of the total deferred within those
ages, 36,7O4 are in the Navy Depart
ment and 28,812 in the War Depart
ment.
Along with Mr.. Baruch, the joint
committee meeting Monday morn
ing is expected to hear Gen. George
c. Marshall, Army chief of staff, sum
up the military point of view ON the
father-draft question. Mayor F. H.
La Guardia of New York also is
slated to testify.
Selective Service officials pointed
out today that fathers, who have
been left in Glass 3-A up to now be-
cause there has been no need to de-
termine what other classification
they might be entitled to. will have
at least four hurdles to clear before
they are inducted.
First, some of them undoubtedly
will fall into Sd as hardship cases.
Others may be given occupational
deferment, as essential workers.
Then will come the local boards
preliminary physical checkup, and
last, the Army examination.