Evening star., 1943-08-30
Federal Draft Policy
0verstepped by Fly,
Inquiry Counsel Says
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was asked did not fall in that cate
CORY.
According to Mr. Reilly. list of
1869 employees in II categories of
radio and engineering work was
submitted to the President in De-
cember, 1912, and the White House
cut that list to 218.
List Included Deferred Men.
On objection by Charles R. Denny,
attorney for the FEC, Mr.. Reilly
agreed that the 1,069 included all
employees in the II classes of work,
including those above military age
and others already deferred on
other than occupational grounds.
While the hearing was in prog
ress, the FEC issued statement
to show that total deferments on
occupational grounds, "in the true
sense is 27l" and that at the same
time more than 300 of the COM
missions employees are serving in
the armed forces.
Mr.. Fly said the Cox Committee
deliberately distorted the true pic
ture"
over 80 per cent of the employees
whose deferment was sought by the
commission are skilled communica-
tions engineers engaged in work in
connection with the Nations tele-
phone, telegraph and radio opera
tions; these men If employed in
comparable work in private industry
would be automatically deferred" :"
the statement said.
Because we have been able to re-
place lawyers, accountants and ad-
ministrative personnel, no employe
in these groups has been deferred !"
At the outset of the hearing, Rep
resentative Miller, Republican, of
Missouri, presiding in the absence
of Chairman Cox, questioned the
necessity for withholding the names
in specific cases, but finally agreed
to the suggestion of Mr.. Reilly to
identify them by numbers only to
avoid any injustice in the event of
possible errors in the record.
W. SdSCS DlStuSSCu.
To support his claim that many
OF the employees for the commission
asked deferment did not have the
irreplaceable background mentioned
In the President memorandum, Mr..
Reilly had Harvey Walker, commit
tee investigator, give an outline of
Sc cases.
According to Mr.. Walker. Al were
men who had gained radio exper-
ience in the Army or Maritime Com
mission before going to the FEC
and one was former stock ex-
change clerk.
Mr., Reilly said the employments
Of the other "a just before appoint
ment in the FEC were as follows:
One was butter maker for nine
months; one a glove cutter for 10
months; another a barber and an
other a bee raiser.
At, this point, Mr.. Denny broke in
to assert that the man listed as
butter maker also held three radio
licenses and that the barber also
held radio license.
LlSt is C0ntlnuen.
Continuing the list, Mr.. Reilly said
they included a carpenter, a motion
picture operator, sheet metal
worker, a clerk and bookkeeper,
a baker, student, jewelry modeler,
coal mine pumper. laborer, electric
tester. shipping clerk, solderers D.
blue printer, musician, candy fac
tory cook, clothing salesman, and
a lumber jack. 4.ssS.,,.
Mr.. Reilly also presented a specific
case in which he said the commits
sion sought deferment for 27-
year-old single man with no de-
pendents whose record indicated 1ia
years in high school and a home
study course in radio, who held an
amateur radio license. Counsel for
the FEC accented, however, that
this man had been a radio operator
for 13 years and had passed the
Civil Service test for the several
promotions he received after joining
the commission.
Representative Miller had de-
clared earlier that IF there is any
man now in bombproof Govern
ment position and hiding from mill
tary service" the country should
know it.
He said he saw no reason for
Withholding names in cases where
there is positive proof of deferment
without justification. but suggested
names be avoided where there Is
eny doubt