Evening star., 1943-10-05

OCCupatlOnal defermentS, but vii
/ continue TO fight the Taft plan t
divide fathers into three age group.
and call all the young men first.
Marshall Opposes Taft Bin.
Senator Hill produced a letter YES
terday afternoon from Gen. Georct
c. Marshall, chief Of staff, Callin.
the Taft age-2rOup plan "unsounC
and not In the best military interest.
Gen. Marshall wrote, in part:
If SCleCtlVe service is required (
furnish the Army only those 'mel
under 30 wears Of age during the re.
manned OF this year and those owe,
50 next wear, L would appear tina
the younger men must. of necessity
DC placed in service units in ordcl
that those units Will be ready wher
required. The older men will ther
be received in large concentrations
and must therefore be trained a,
battle replacCment,.
Such an arrangement appears
unsound and not in the best military
interest. since the only pool from
which battle casualty rcplacements
could be secured, il Senator Taft's
proposed amendment is enacted into
law, would be from the category OF
mHn older than so years and those
later becoming I8. Also, il Woulc
appear unfair to the older men anC
to the service 10 50 time their in
duC5ICu as to force the majority
into combat units as loss replace
monts.
The Army must meet its person
mel requirements on schedule. anC
this cannot be done if the Army Is
required to rcshuffe and refrain per-
SCNncl because it has not received a
fair and average CrOss-SeCtiOn Of age
and physical condition"
Taft Calls Reasons "Ridiculous."
The letter aroused Senator TAFT
who charged the program appeared
TO DC to draft now the older fathers
who have established themselves IN
a business or profession, and send
them "ln service units to dig bitches
in Italy, He called the chief OF
Staff'S reasons for opposing his
amendment ridiculous.
Another high light OF Yesterday S
debate was the statement Of Sen
atOr Hill that more fathers probably
Will have to be taken between Jan
uarv and July, 1914, if the Navy is
10 gel the % 0O0 mon It wants each
month during that period, Hereto
fore the debate has rcvOlved around
The taking of 446 900 fathers between
now and January.
Senator Wheeler said ne had been
told at least 100000 more fathers
would be taken in 1914. Senator
TAT. who thus far has opposed a
fat ban on the calling of fathers,
said that If we are going on the
assumption we will have to break
up 100000 homes. then maybe we
better hold up the whole thing until
We can have a new survey on the
manpOWer problem
Government Employees Defended.
During Yesterdays debate Senator
Hi. denied there is any basis in
fact or figures" for the charge heard
earlier in the debate that Govern
ment bureaus are "a haven for draft
dodgers He cited the figures made
public last week, showing 1887
ocCupatlonal deferments in the
Government throughout the com-
try and showed that the bulk of
these are civilian positions in the
Army, Navy and War Shipping Ad-
mlnlstratiOn. The charge, he said
was unfair to thousands of hard
working Government employees.
Senator Johnson. Democrat, of
Colorado joined in the debate to as
5ert that the greatest Wastrels in
the most WaSteful nation of all his
,orV are the military overlords of
the Army and Navy" He charged
they are wasting the natural re-
sources and manpoWer of the Ma
ton.