Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-01-11
Draft Imn1inence for Married
To Be Ruled BY Civilian Shifts
SeIective Service Officials Answer
Sturs Queries on Mooted Points II
BY MIRIAM oTTENBERG.

BY MIRIAM OTTENBERG.
The draft Of fathers In non-es-
sential work ahead of childless mar
ried men viii depend on the sue
cess of plans now being formulated
to transfer those in civilian activi-
ties to war jobs, the War Manpower
Commission said today.
Answering one OF = series Of ques-
lions presented by The Star, the
VINO, in regard to whether family
man with several children would be
called ahead Of . childless married
man II the family man was not In
an essential activity. responded:
THE answer TO this question de-
ponds upon the developments being
formulated now for transfer Of men
from non-essential to essential &C
tivities."
The House Military Affairs Com
inittee last year went on record IN
favor Ct amending selective service
regulations to provide that no mar
ried man With children should be
drafted until al eligible married
men without children were in uni
form.
Representative Kilday, Democrat.
Of Texas said yesterday that he
would introduce the proposal again
tomorrow. Chairman May Of the
House Military Affairs Committee
has promised the measure his sup
port.
Won't Set Specific Date.
In answer to another question the
VINO made it clear that 1t would set
no specific date after which depend
ents would not be counted as such
in the eyes of draft oficials. This
applies to cases before December 8,
1941. Dependents acquired after De-
cember 8 are not considered rs Z
basis for deferment.
ut has been necessary" 1t was
stated, Ito advise the local boards
that they determine whether q reg
istrant's selection was imminent at
the time dependents were acquired.
No specific date has been stated as
q dividing line because many fac
tors controlled and these factors
frequently bore differently upon the
cases of different individuals.
Changes in the law, changes in
the situation of the Nation and
the position Of the registrant in
his local board are some of the
factors. It has always appeared
to the Selective Service System that
the setting of a specific date would
be unfair to more registrants than
the giving of full consideration to
the circumstances of each tndi-
vidual case.
Few Selections Imminent.
Relatively few mems selection
was imminent on october is, 1910.
For instance, those below 81 or
above So would not have q reason
to believe their selection imminent
until a much later date than Oc-
tober 16, 1910. Registrars whose
order numbers were far down the
list when the authorized maximum
for induction through selective
service was 900, 900 would not appear
80 close to induction as, to make
It unreasonable for them to acquire
dependents.
The selection of men who had
been rejected by the armed forces
or who had been determined to be
unqualified physically by their
local boards under the higher phys
ical standards that prevailed be-
fore the war would not be as much
on notice of iynminence Of selection
as those who were classified Ia.
when Congress eliminated those
between % and SO their selection
would certainly appear less immi-
nent than those within the liable
are limits. We have believed that
the Presidents declaration Of I'M
limited emergency in May. 194l,
was notice to great many that
selection was more imminent than
1t had been. AS the war clouds
gathered between then and De-
cember 8, 194l, imminence might
be said to have steadily increased.
Therefore, boards have been ad-
vised to make their determinations
by determining the point at which
any reasonable man, after consid-
ering the national situation and his
own position In his local board,
might consider his selection I'M
minent."
Asked how the differences in
physical and educational standards
between the services would be met
in drafting men for all services.
VINO described the differences as
minor" and said it was anticipated
that through cooperation at the
Joint induction stations now con-
templated the effect of such din
erences would be mirimized.
Declaring that because there has
been a substantial supply Of avail
able men to date all the services
have been able to maintain physical
standards far above those Of any
other country engaged in the war"
the VINO went on to predict that
ut appears inevitable that the sew
eral services will over the next sew
eral months adjust these standards
to permit the inclusion of men with
less physical and educational quail
ifications than has been the policy
in the past"
In answer to other questions,
VINO stated:
/. That the manning table pro-
gram for the orderly withdrawal Of
men from industry into the armed
forces had been designed specifically
to assist war activities and there
fore ut is not felt that activities