Evening star., 1943-02-06

House Committee Opens
Hearings Next Week on
Bill to Block PIon
BY the Associated Press.
The War Manpower Commis-
sion's plan to draft fathers OF
families unless they switch from
mon essential" jobs to more es-
sential occupations has encoun-
tered strenuous opposition In the
House.
Members of the Military Affairs
Committee moved yesterday to block
the program. and Chairman May
announced that hearings are sched-
uled for next week on bill by
Representative Kilday, Democrat. Of
Texas to give deferment priorities
to men with dependents and to put
draft quotas on a State basis. Under
this procedure. all eligible men IN
State who are without dependents
would have to be drafted before
heads of families could be called.
Would Defer Farm Hands.
simultaneously. Chairman Fulmer
of the House Agriculture Commit
tee drafted a bill to compel the de-
ferment of bona fide farm workers
and to make men in uniform avail
able for agricultural work In re-
gions where there are shortages Of
labor.
The Kilday bill is similar to legis-
lation written by the House into
the teen-age draft bill last year, but
stricken out in conference.
It would set up four categories
and make 1t mandatory for draft
boards to follow them in filhng
quotas In the first category would
be men without dependents; In the
second, men with collateral depend
ents, such as mothers. fathers, sis
ters or brothers: in the third. mar
ried men without children. but
maintaining bona fide family re.
lationship In their homes; in the
fourth. men with children and main.
tanning bona fide family relation.
ship in the home. ~
Marriages to Be Considered.
Tt. bill provides that marriages,
to be taken into consideration In de-
termining deferment status. must
have occurred before December 7.
194l, the day of the bombing of Pearl
Harbor. or prior to the time when
induction was imminent.
To protect men whose marriages
took place while they were beyond
the then existing maximum draft
age, the oill declares such marriages
to be bona fide and not contracted
to avade military service. This pro-
vision, Mr.. Kilday said, would take
care of men who were married be-
fore the draft age was boosted to IS
years.
Mr.. May predicted prompt COM
mittee action on Mr.. Kilday's pro-
posal and recalled that In q report
on the teen-age draft bill last year
the committee went on record in
this manner on the subject of draft
ing fathers, regardless of their occu.
patton.
Committee Stand.
Your committee believes that It
would be injurious to the welfare Of
our country to have local draft
boards feel that men with families
can be freely inducted into the
armed services. There is certainly
a genuine social reason for preserv.
ing established families"
That, the Kentuckian added, is
still the committees feeling.
Mr. Kilday's bill would prohibit
the induction. within a State, Of any
man in higher-numbered category
until all eligible men in the lower
categories in that State had been
called. Under existing procedure,
he contended, fathers are being
drafted In some States In which
there are available single men or
married men without children.
Another member of Mr.. Mays
committee, Representative Harness.
Republican, of Indiana, described
the recent War Manpower Commis-
sion order as another fragrant as
sumption Of authority not specifical-
ly granted by Congress"
Mr.. Fulmer described his bill on
farm labor deferment as recognition
Of the maxim that IAN Army fights
on its stomach" It would grant
automatic deferment until January
/, 1914, to any one engaged in any
capacity in the production Of any
agricultural commodity"
Soldiers for Farm Work.
Any one who performed farm work
during 1912. and since has been In
Quoted, would be put on inactive
duty and made available for farm
work until next January l.. Men in
the armed forces would be made
available for farm work, in regions
where there is farm labor short
age. on application of local county
farm agents to the commanding
officer Of the nearest military or
naval post.
Farmers receiving the benefit Of
labor from the armed forces would
be required to pay to the Govern
ment the prevailing rate for the
service.
UNLESS the serious labor shorage
on the farm is taken care of
promptly" Mr.. Fulmer said. "the
Army of 1894 will have to fight on
an empty stomach"