Evening star., 1944-04-18
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tello subcommittee that legislation
was needed to control labor turn
over. War Manpower Chief Paul ".
McNutt, however, said no legislation
was necessary.
The committee directed Mr.. Cos
tello's group to have q report ON its
manpower hearings ready by Thurs
day when the full committee will
meet again.
3,oe0. .0eo Now 4-F.
The Costello committee had pre-
viously recommended that the
armed services and selectiye service
make plans to utilize the services Of
all 4-Fs able to werk.
Legislation to force Az holders
Of nonessential jobs into army labor
battalions had been under consider
alton by the Costello group.
Selective service officials have es-
timated there are about 5000; 900
men classified as 4-F. rejected for
military service because of disabili-
ties.
Many of these, Mr.. May said, are
now in essential work and many
others are willing to take war-in-
portant jobs when they find them.
Committee members pointed out
that under existing authority, selec-
tive service may call upy4-Fs for
re-examination and induct for
limited service any who might de-
cline to take war or essential civilian
Jobs.
The action of the committee re-
suited Ia sidetracking, at least for
the present, the bill Of Representa-
tive Luce, Republican. !. of Connecti-
cut to establish special work corps
composed Of AZ nonfathers.
Stims0n Explains Army Stand.
The Stimson statement gave the
first War Department explanation
OF why selective service suddenly
was forced to apply the brakes" to
draft calls, with the result that men
had to be sent home from induction
stations.
At the same time, Mr.. Stimson dis
closed that the Army's May call for
men has been revised downward
from 1000 to rs 900 men and that q
minimum Of 100000 more men must
go into the Army before the end of
the year to keep the Army at its
present peak strength.
CAryASorxy Ctf,,,eNy, o;%aI 4H,a,~
problems in making manpower esti-
mates.
l. It requires about month to get
a correct figure on the number of
soldiers in the Army.
2. The Army must place its draft
calls with selective service 60 days
in advance.
3. The Army must estimate its
losses for four months after any
particular draft call since the men
inducted in any one month require
at least four months training be-
fore they become ready as replace
ments.
I'm short" he said, "a complicated
estimate based on only one certain
figure must stand up after a time
lag Of seven months"
Explains Development.
He gave this explanation of the
sudden halt on inductions of most
older men earlier this month:
In January, the War Department
estimated that 1t could not reach
its strength of 100000 until May.
In February, it was felt that re-
quired strength could not be reached
before April and probably not
until May /.
Meanwhile, steadily decreasing
losses and suddenly improved de-
liveries" of men from draft boards
during the last week In March car
ried the Army beyond its required
strength by April l.
THE true picture did not come
into focus until April s." Mr.. Stim-
son declared. 1--WE Immediately asked
selective service for a reduction
in deliveries in April and revised
our May call downward from 110, 900
to $4,000. This demand to apply the
brakes very suddenly presented q
difficult problem for selective service
undeniably"
Mr.. Stimson also commented that,
while variation Of 100000 be-
tween estimated and subsequent ac-
tual strength appears very large in
a newspaper headline, it is less than
2 per cent Of the total strength Of
the Army"
In explaining why the Army sud-
denly focused on younger men, the
Secretary said the average age of
inductees was rising alarmingly"
early this year.
If the principal source was to be
the father group-in which the av-
erage age is reported to be about 80
many OF the men being inducted
would not be suitable for combat, ,
he said.
The first demand in future man.
power requirements, Mr. Stimson
also made clear, is that we obtain
FOR physical contact with the enemy
enough of the kind of men we need
TO do the job. Final victory makes
this demand upon us, final victory
depends on satisfying this demand
above all others"
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