The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-04-04

ANCO eA4AA CooC4AVAdl
industries, this is a tempting re-
serve on which to draw. Also, II
offers Congress q convenient SUBJ
stitute for the Austin Wadsworth
compulsory servcice law proposal.
Thus far the armed services have
successfully fought of all pressure
for lowering their physical stand
ards, and when you look at the rea-
sons for the rejection Of these 81
49,, 900 men, it isn't hard to see
why. Broadly there are three prin-
cipal reasons for mans classified.
ton as 4-F.
Physical and mental defects ac-
count for 2,565, 400, or TAT per cent.
Educational or mental deficiency,
including only those men who have
failed to meet minimum intelli-
gence standards from June /, 1943
on, account for 472,200, or 1877 per
cent.
Manifestly disqualifying defects,
such as having only one arm or one
yleg or being deformed, 1851 200, or
10.5 per cent.
Other non-medical defects &C.
count for $4,000, or IL per cent.
HERE ARE THE FIGURES
Further breaking down the ply
steal and mental deferments as to
cause, Selective Service presents
these figures:
Mental disease, 497, 300, or 14.5 per
cent; venereal disease, 1928, 800, or
SO per cent; musculoskeletal, 252,-
300, or IA; cardiovascular, 219, 200,
or ga; hernia, 202, 400, or SO; neu-
Biological, 186,100, or 5.4; bad eyes,
49,, 1000, or 5.3; bad ears, 131 ZOO, or
3.8; tuberculosis. 89,100, or 80;
under or overweight, $500, 20;
lungs, $4,000, OFF IT.; feet, 40,5O0,
or IL; abdominal viscera, $4,000, or
IL.
All other causes, including kidney
and urinary trouble, insufficient
teeth, varicose veins, nose trouble,
skin disease, hemorrhoids, bad blood
or infectious disease, each Of which
amounts to per cent or less Of the
total, account for 270,500, or 7.8 per
cent.
Now what kind of mobile labor
force would these men make?
A lot Of them have already found
essential jobs that they can and are
doing. The number of 4-F's not now
on essential jobs is estimated by
War Manpower Commissioner Paul
v. McNutt at $4,000 and by
Undersecretary Of War Robert Pat
terson at 100000. These are prob
ably the worts cases-the men who
are least employable, through no
fault Of their own, but through
their misfortune of bad health or
phyhical disability. Trying to round
up the other $500, 900 4-F's to Gre
ate mobile war labor force would
conceivably dislocate men who have
already found iiche that they can
fill.
SHOULD GOVERNMENT
SHOULDER RESPONSIBILITY
There is good reason for not
wanting to take these 4-F"s into the
Army or Navy. Once thees men
were indicted into the services. the
government would be responsible
for them for life, the same as any
Oe~ASA VIVA NAAS' 4NO"p ~ OI1C OCIVlCCS
discover physical deficiency within a
reasonable time after induction, a
man may be discharged before he
becomes public responsibility
Maybe it Is the public's responsible
ity to care for its physically handi-
capped, but is it the Job Of the
Army and Navy to care for them?
Undersecretary Patterson recon-
mends legislation making 1t clear
that ATS in labor units should not
be eligible for veterans benefits
But why not? If a man Is drafted
and showed around from one lob to
another in labor battalion. why
isn't he in an army, even If he gets
civilian rates of pay? And even the
undersecretary agrees such men
should have government insurance
IN case of disability incurred on
the job. All men being physically
or mentally handicapped to begin
with, such disabilities would I'M
questionably be tremendous.