Evening star., 1944-04-09
.DistrictDeIays
Induction Of All
Men Over 26
New NotioroI Ruling
Seeks Processing
Of Younger Group
BY MIRIAM OTTENBERG.

1llutSOlOii VA GIL vi dLO CIls1DlSS
who have passed their 26th
birthday was suspended tenn
porarily in the District last night
following orders from national
selective service headquarters
postponing induction of men %
and over who are making a
contribution to essential agricul-
ture, war production or war
supporting activities"
Virginia also halted inductions Of
all men in the affected age group,
but the Associated Press reported
that Col. Henry C. Stanwood, Mary
lands selective service director,
described the order as of no particu-
lar significance to mis- State.
The national poStponement, it
was announced, will continue in
effect until State selective service
directors are satisfied that process
ing men for induction in the 18-to-
26 age group has been 'substan-
tally accomplished. National head
quarters spokesmen said it was i'm
possible to estimate how long it
would take to clear the draft board
rolls of younger r!en.
Problem Arises.
The move to sl3eed younger men
into uniform Immediately raised a
question about the sate of the men
under 26 whose 'deferment now is
being considered BY the Inter-sgency
Committee headed by War Man.
power Chief McNa5t and organized
to decide which : activities, plants
and individual ysung men are so
important to thE war effort that
deferment is wa ranted.
While selectivt service has pro-
vided for Stat, selective service
directors to apraov deferment re-
quests until thef1lter-agency Com
mittee acts, sehne State directors
have preferrei to wait for an
official guide.a syarning that the
younger men will be .inducted if
the Inter-agenc5 Committee fails to
act in time.
An Office of war Information Of
dcial, however said he was au-
thorized by WMC and Selective
Service to anro,ance that a list will
be provided in, a. day or two to guide
the draft boards in determining the
critical essenttality" of men under
26. The list. it was said, will be
substantially that to be provided
by the interagancy committee" The
committee holds its next meeting
Tuesday.
District headquarters explained
it was suspehding induction of all
the Older men until it can deter
mine which one are making con-
tribution to th' war effort.
U. S. workess' Status Unclear.
How GOVERNMENT workers will
fare under thfs postponement order
is yet to be decided. A national
spokesman SAID the older men in
Government work should be de-
ferred becaus' they were in an es-
sentlaI actitlty but District
spokesman said he questioned
whether an elevator operator in a
Government, office building could be
considered as contributing to the
war effort.
The move however, will result in
longer sEay it was believed, for
Governments workers recently de-
MED defeftnent by the Puryear
committee The 60-day deferment
granted these men expired March 81.
The nat.or al order temporarily
freezing TIE older men in es-
Sential work was issued at the re-
quest of the Army and Navy, both Of
which told S:lective service that tbs
demand for .younger men is greater
than the racessity of Immediately
filling the ,llduction calls for older
men, natiGElal draft headquarters
said
Draft bdArGs not only were given
authority s. short cut current calls
for men gu also previous instruc-
tions to Sd ply sufficient additional
AAI1AA w lls1 Itp NllOA lCtSCS III CdI
calls were reSCinded.
O!3er Men Get Aid.
Nationa headquarters instructed
the boar65 to postpone the process
ing for i;dGction of the older men
who area contributing to essential
agricultleal, war production or war
supportisg activities even though
such ms have been found accept
able fcy military service or have
been ol%ered to report for induction
or prefFduction physical examina-
ton
The distractions specified that men
who resched their 26th birthday by
March "a, 1914. were to be counted
in the i5roup whose induction could
be postponed
On other points. however the in
(Spe DRAFT Page A-6)