Evening star., 1943-08-05
M-Day Deferment
OF Plane Workers ON
West Coast Ordered


ment survey into the tangled
manpower problems of West
Coast aircraft plants, Selective
Service Director Lewis B. Her
shey has authorized a 60-day
stay Of induction for West Coast
aircraft workers, national selec-
tive service announced today.
The moratorium on drafting air.
craft workers will be at the discre-
ton OF local boards, but it was said
that most of the 250,00O single and
childless married men now working
in the aircraft plants of Oregon,
Washington and California will be
affected.
Some of the men may not even
have been classified in IA or 2-B
for occupational reasons, 1t was said
The 60-day stay will affect mostly
men coming off replacement sched-
ules who were due for immediate
induction.
Order Follows Army Complaint.
The order followed a complaint
from the War Department, it was
said, that plants could not main
tain or increase production because
OF the rapid labor turnover. Selec-
tive service, officials said, agreed to
help out the plants by holding up
the induction of men until the
plants could straighten out their
manpower problems.
Robert E. Gross, president of the
Lockheed Aircraft Corp, appealed
yesterday to House military affairs
subcommittee now holding hearings
on the West Coast for a Government
decision on whether airplanes or
soldiers are needed from aircraft
plants" The committee Is investi-
eating the effect of the draft on war
plants.
Congress may also have to decide
in the near future the wisdom of
drafting fathers. Senator Wheeler,
Democrat, of Montana, who has
consistently fought the father draft,
said he would ask Congress to re-
turn Immediately to Washington to
deal with selective service unless
War Manpower Chief McNutt mod
ifled his order to induct pre- Pearl
Harbor fathers after October /.
Wheeler to Press Demand.
Senator Wheeler told the AS
sociated Press in Bolton, Mont, that
he would telegraph Mr.. McNutt In
Washington today demanding that
the order be rescinded. Should Mr..
McNutt refuse, the Montanan said,
he would telegraph Senate Majority
Leader Barkley and House Majority
Leader Mccormack, requesting them
to reconvene Congress Immediately
to override the plan by legislation.
"A decent respect for the opinion
OF the legislative branch of our Gov
ernment," Senator Wheeler said,
would prompt postponement of this
decision until the Senate reconvenes
next month"
In announcing the father draft,
regardless Of the age of the father
or the number OF his children, Mr..
McNutt indicated that both the
War Production Board and the War
Departments manpower division
had protested against the draining
of OF men with skills needed In war
plants. even at the cost of drafting
fathers.
Costello Sees Complica tiOns.
After learning of the 60-day draft
moratorium for West Coast aircraft
workers, Chairman Costello of the
House Military Affairs Subcommittee
expressed belief that blanket defer
ment of aircraft workers will create
complications in other industries"
Moreover he added, unless an
adjustment of draft quotas is also
made, the period of deferment will
create a backlog on October l which
will make the number OF fathers to
be drafted much greater"
The West Coast draft boards have
been authorized to go short on filling
their calls If necessary to hold up
induction of the aircraft workers.
They cannot touch pre-Pearl Harbor
fathers until October. Selective
service officials said that when
boards go short, they must make up
their losses in later calls.
The pressure to keep essential
workers in the plants but not cali
fathers, was described by Mr.. Nc
Mutt as trying to eat your cake and
have it, too"