Evening star., 1943-01-09
House Unit May Seek
Shift Of Draft Power
To War Department
Military Affairs Group
!, Considers Reopenine
Of Entire Subject
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
The whole subject of selective
service may be reopened shortly
by the House Military Affairs
Committee in a move to give
draft supervision to the War De-
partment and prevent drafting
OF married men while eligible
single men are available.
Chairman May said today he had
received no proposals either from
the War Department or from selec-
tive service headquarters for draft
law revisions, but added the com
mittee might promote some changes
on its own volition.
Mr.. May said he believed admin
1stration of the draft law should
be placed directly in the War De-
partment instead of under the War
Manpower Commission headed by
Paul V. McNutt. While he does not
plan to draft legislation to this
e1ect, he added, he would support
such a measure if it came before
the committee.
The job of fighting the war and
winning it is in the hands of the
War Department" the Kentuckian
commented. 1T seems to me the
department should have control
over who Is going to be drafted to
do the fighting"
Deferments Listed.
Meanwhile, the Selective Service
Bureau today listed for the guidance
of local boards "a essential occupa-
ttons In repair and hand trade serv-
ices, including automobile mechan-
les and electricians. Registrants
with these occupations may be de-
ferred as necessary men.
The bureau also listed 80 essential
occupations in health and welfare
services and Is in technical, scientific
and management services.
1t was emphasized that the list
ings merely serve as a guide to local
boards and are not blanket defer
ments" of men engaged in the occu-
pations. Local boards must deter
mine that an individual registrant
IS a necessary man before granting
him an occupational deferment.
Last Proposal Failed.
The House committee went on rec
ord last year as favoring a change in
draft regulations to assure defer
rnent of married men, regardless of
their dependency status, as long as
single men were available.
To accomplish this the committee
wrote into the 'teen-age draft bill
an amendment, approved by the
House, to put selective service on
Statewide basis instead of on a
local board footing. The Senate,
however, baked and the amend
ment was killed in conference.
Under its provisions, in effect, no
married men in State would be
drafted until all eligible single men
in the same State had been called.
Likewise, no married men with
children would be inducted until all
eligible married men without chill
dren were in uniform.
VIII be helnLrOOuceO.
In some State, such procedure is
followed now, but in many it is not
and there is no law requiring it.
Representative Kilday, Democrat,
Of Texas, sponsor of the proposal,
said he would introduce it again
Monday, and Mr.. May promised to
support it.
Mr. May said he had received
complaints that frequently married
men necessary for farm or other
civilian work had been inducted
while in adjoining local board areas
there was an untapped pool of single
men who better could be spared to
the Army.
The committee already has before
It half a dozen miscellaneous pro-
posals for service legislation. They
range from bills to continue the
pay of enlisted men for one year
after their discharge, to measures
designed to guarantee employment
in civilian life to every soldier on
his discharge.
Repair Termed Essential.
In its announcement to local
boards the Selective Service Bureau
said the War Manpower Commission
had certified that repair and hand
trade services were essential to the
war effort. This activity was in
terpreted as covering Repair of
vehicles, such as bicycles, motor
cycles, autos, buses, trucks, tires,
l,,,ni 11,iy1 nc.
elevators, radios. refrigeratorS,
clocks, harnesses, tools, stoves, pneu-
matte tube systems, laundry power
equipment: scientific, commercial
and industrial weighing machines;
farm equipment and other industrial
and scientific equipment; black
smithing, armature rewinding, lock-
smithing, repair of roofing, electric,
gas, and plumbing installations in
domestic, commercial and industrial
buildings.
Health and welfare services listed
as essential to the war effort included
offices of physicians, surgeons, den-
fists. oculistS. oSteopaths. Mortuary
services, pediatriStS and veterlnar-
ians; medical and dental labora-
tories; hospitals, nursing services;
institutional care; auxiliary civilian
welfare services to the armed forces;
welfare services to war workers and
their families"
Technical. scientific and manage
ment services included the supply
ing of technical, scientific and man.
agement services to establishments
engaged in war production; union
management negotiation services,
and the publication of technical and
scjentific books and journals"