Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-08
HOOVER URGES LIMIT ON ARMY IN 1913
Declares Nation
Needs Million
More Workers

War Will Lost Three
Years or More, Former
President Predicts
Herbert Hoover declared today
"the size Of the Army must be
modif1ed-at least for the imme-
date period of 1943," and the
armed forces should supply some
Of 100000 additional workers
he said the Nation needed in
farming and metal and oil in
dustries.
Mr.. Hoover envisaged at least
three more years of war but oh.
served:
Time runs In our favor. We do
not therefore need try to do every
thing all at once. The knockout
blow to Germany can be delivered
more certainly in 1914 than in l943.
ut is serious consideration that
we might break the back of our
people on the home front and start
internal degeneration, such as Is
now the fate of Germany. We
should not imperial 1t by doing too
much too fast ="
tThe House Military Affairs Com.
mittee Is considering a. bill to re-
strict the size OF the Army. In addi-
ton, several Senators, including
Thomas Of Oklahoma and Bankhead
Of Alabama, Democrats, have been
discussing the ACCESSIBILITY of limit
ing appropriations in order to hold
down the number Of men in the
Army and Navy
Remarking that the armed forces
intend to have more than II 900 900
members by the end of 1913, the for
mer President told press confer.
ence, following his appearance be.
fore a Senate Appropriations sub.
mittee:
II we attempt too much on the
military side, we may commit the
fatal error of overstrain on the home
front and thus damage our efiec-
tiveness In ultimate victory.
There is limit to our capaci-
ties. great Is they are, and In our
planning We must at least prepare
for long war.
Including the defeat Of Japan,
we must envisage 1t least three more
years OF war, and q prudent nation
would possibly envisase i've years."
| Offers Ssstestiona
Mr.. Hoover made these sugges-
tons for reaching the 1000, 900
! figure:
mo doubt part OF the number
required could be women, If prop.
erly trained Part could be obtained
from Mexico. Part BY the Army
taking care Of peak loads in ground
crops and part by ftxlouehing men
who have had considerable military
experience, to 60 back to the farms
until some emergency might require
their return to military service"
Mr.. Hoover told newsmen that at
the end Of 1912. American exports
OF food were just about so per
cent Of what we exported in the
first year Of the last war"
Il do not have the full informa-
ton upon which the shipping bot.
tleneck can be estimated, but from
such information Is / have, 1t does
not seem that 1t Is necessary to
call up all of those II 900 600 men
in l943, either to provide the men
that can be shipped, or to be trained
for 1874. Nor do we have to man
ufacture munitions faster than can
pass the shipping bottleneck to our
armies and to our allies and to
provide reserves against 1874"
Mr.. Hoover proposed that study
be given to revision "of our whole
program of national production and
supply based on the bottleneck
limitation"
TT is possible" he continued, that
this would reduce the financial as
well as the mineral, the agricul-
tural, the food and other home
front strains. In any event.. we
must have more labor in these fields
If we are to maintain all national
strength.
Time In Our Favor.
Such a program might not meet
the views of the generals or adj !
mirals. who, OF necessity, look ofdy
to the maximum military activity.
but 1t is serious consideration that
we might break the back OF our
people on the home front and start
internal degeneration, such as Is
now the fate of Germany. We
should not imperil 1t by doing too
much too fast, especially when time
runs in our favor"
I'VE must be prepared for enough
manpower to meet the crisis when
peace comes" Mr.. Hoover said.
And now is the time to prepare for
that crisis"
AS for farm production, Mr.. Hoo.
yer said American agriculture Ger
tainly cannot make the grade UNI
less it has larger manpower sup
ply-if we are going to produce more
in l943 than in 1912, we certainly
can't do it with less labor than last
year."
He estimated that oil production
now is deficient about 100000 bar
rels a day and predicted that hg-
ure would be increased to 500 900
by the end Of the year.
But the greatest stimulant on
earth for production" he added, is
little more price"
Mr.. Hoover said farm employ
ment dropped from nearly o000, 600
workers last year to between 5000.
600 and 5000, 900 at present.
Ring Around Axis.
Mr.. Hoover said that the United
Nations nov have = ring around
the European Axis and the jap
anese" and predicted that both Ger.
many and Italy have passed their
zenith and are steadily degenerating
on both the military and home
'front.'"
Japan" he said in q statement,
cannot grow stronger; she Is losing
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