Evening star., 1944-03-26
New Druft Proqrum


New Droft Program
With the decision to effect a
sweeping and immediate draft re-
classification of young men now
holding occupational deferments,
the manpower situation has become
much less tangled and confused than
it has been for some weeks past.
Under the new setup, all youths
under 26 years of age who are
in a deferred status will be called at
once for pre-induction physical ex-
aminations. Only small percent
age of them are likely to be retained
in industry as irreplaceable, the Sc
lections in this respect being made
by the interagency committee just
formed under Chairman McNutt of
the War Manpower Commission.
Although the structure of the new
committee seems more or less hydra
headed and unwieldy, its creation,
together with the decision to limit
reclassification for the time being to
the under-26 age group, serves at
least to clarity policy and give better
direction to it. A twofold problem is
involved: First, the pressing need Of
our armed forces for manpower, and
second, the desirability of filling that
need with youth. With the most
critical phases of the war about to
begin, the Army and Navy are seri-
ously behind schedule in building up
to planned strength, the current de-
f1clency in draft quotas being ap-
proximately 100000 men. At the
same time, as has been graphically
demonstrated by such battles as the
one still raging at Casino, this is a
young mans struggle in which it
has become almost imperative to fill
the front-line ranks with tough and
resilient fighters under 80. prefer
ably under 26-the younger the bet
ter.
Accordingly, as the new draft pro-
gram implies, if a choice must be
made between letting production de-
cline IN some categories and putting
more youth in service, then the
youth must be put in service and the
production allowed to suffer. The
actual prosecution of the war, in
otner words, has first priority, and
that is why the finger of selective
service now points where it does.
All together, in industry and agricul-
ture, there are in the neighborhood
OF 100000 deferred nonfathers under
20, all OF whom now face the prospect
OF reclassification, with the exception
OF those considered Indispensable in
industries designated as SUPER
critlcal' and those in farm Jobs who
meet minimum productive stand
ards.
But this prospect still leaves manv
questions unanswered. What will
happen, for example, if key men are
taken from an industry not now
deemed "Supercritical" but which
may become that few months
hence as a result of some unfore-
seen development in the war? And
what guarantee is there that the
man who is deferred because of his
essentiality in "supercriticaI" in
dustry will not later leave that in
dustry to go into one that is not so
important? And can a review of
agricultural deferments, with large
scale reclassif1cation, be safely car
rled out without ACCOMPANYING
action to insure that there will be
no dangerous shortage of farm
labor?
In connection with the whole de-
ferment policy, in short, it seems
vital that steps be taken to provide
requirements and to control labor
turnover, which when it is allowed
to run wild can do as much damage
to production as the worst strikes.
Perhaps the solution will have to
be found in a modified National
Service Act, or some carefully de-
vised and well-directed program
designed to make much more ef-
1ectlve use Of our available man
power. The President himself has
made 1t clear that something of this
sort Is necessary, and it is to be
hoped that he will assume vigorous
leadership in speeding up action