Evening star., 1943-09-10
Halt |nductions
Pending Study,
May Proposes
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others for it. He said he thought
the time had come for Congress to
determine whether it is going to let
any agency tell a man where he
must go to work At present, he
added. he is doubtful about it, but
suggested that the whole man.
power situation should be reviewed
by the Army. Navy and ManpoWer
Commission. and if it can't be solved
otherwise. then pass the national
service bill"
Appley Explains Cost Setup.
Mr.. Mays remarks came after
Lawrence A. Appley, executive di-
rector of the War Manpower Com
mission, had explained present ef-
forts to meet the West Coast labor
shortage.
At the same time, 1t. Col. Francis
v. Keesling, chief legislative and
liaison officer for Selective Service,
who testified yesterday that passage
OF bill to halt the drafting of
fathers might hinder the war pro-
gram, qualified that statement today
by explaining that If the high COM
mand should reduce its call for
men, under those circumstances the
Wheeler bill, to postpone father
draft order until January, might
not do any harm.
Because the jurisdiction of Sc
lective service does not extend to the
making Of strategic war plans, can
not make an official prediction as TO
whether the military manpower re-
quirements of the armed forces will
be increased, decreased, or will re-
main the same as result of the
Italian situation" said Col Keesling
That Is matter for the high COM
mand.'
Figures Are Flexible.
"Our estimate that 446 900 fathers
will be needed to fill calls for the
Army and Navy through the end of
this year are, Of course, based on
certain variable factors that We have
assumed would remain constant"
Col. Keesling stated. IF, however,
one of the foremost of these factors,
namely, the size and rate of those
calls, is changed either upward or
downward by changes in war plans
or war plan requirements by the
high command, then to that extent
the 446,000 estimate would be de-
creased or increased accordingly.
Although standing by his testi-
mony yesterday that Congress
should follow a stop, look and
listen" policy by getting all the facts
before acting, the colonel qualified
his original presentation by point
ing out that I'VE are in a flexible
operating position which may be
shifted to meet any possible changes
In requirements"
! Senator Downey said his present
view Of the size of the military
forces Is subject to change if sufi-
cient and persuasive evidence Is pre-
sented by the Government.
100000 Under Arms.
In a carefully worded statement,
however, he declared:
In his testimony, Col Keesling
explained the plans of the Gov
ernment to draft into the armed
services before January approxi-
mately 100000 fathers and indicated
the possibility of corresponding calls
TO increase the size of the Army
and Navy during next year.
Our armed forces now exceed
IL 100000. Adding to this number
the men and women directly work
ing for the military in clerical DO
sitions, in forts and shipyards and
IN the merchant marine and kim
dred categories, we now have close
to 100000 soldiers, sailors and en-
ployes of the Army and Navy.
Our lease-lend commitments to
our Allies will pre-empt the labor of
another six or seven million Ameri-
can workers. If the foregoing obliga-
tions constituted our total burden.
our energy and resources would
prove amply sufficient. But such is
not the case. Beyond our lease
lend goods, our Government is fur
ther committed to policy of pro-
ducing more munitions than all our
Allies and all the Axis nations COM
bined.
Fears Production Breakdown.
"In trucks, tanks, automobiles,
ships, aircraft, ordnance, shells and
explosives, our production is ex-
pected to outrun the rest of the