Evening star., 1944-01-04
First Physical Tests
by Local Draft Unit
May Be Dropped
Review Committee Gets
Final Authority to Rule
On Federal Father Stotu.
BY MIRIAM GUTENBERG.

Lhe Federal service mas been revised
again. Federal agency committees
will ask 60-day deferments for the
fathers they would like to hold while
the Review Committee on Govern
ments Deferments decides whether
the men are necessary enough to
warrant a longer deferment. Draft
boards after January Is will resume
calling fathers who don't rate the
60-day deferment.
Under the proposed new medical
ined only at the induction station,
possibly well in advance of actual
induction.
Army and Navy Cooperate.
If the new examination provided
by Congress to give men more of a
chance to wind up their affairs had
been added to the old procedure. the
men might have had to 90 through
three examinations-a thorough ad-
vance examination that would tip
them off on their chances of being
accepted or rejected. the less thor
ough draft board physical and the
final induction examination.
The new procedure may combine
all three examinations. or at least
eliminate the least convincing-the
local board physical
Army and Navy officials have been
working with selective service for
nearly month on the whole medi-
| ro1 f,rnrnlt,ro o,,d Il
expected to 60 into operation by
February l.
Although the preliminary exami-
nation started out to be thorough
one, 1t has changed to a more or
less fleeting inspection. except for
the sociological test to discover those
with venereal diseases. On the av-
erage, less than 10 per cent of the
men have been weeded out at the
hospitals because Of the preliminary
examination.
Induction Paper Expanded.
Under the contemplated arrange
ment, the sociological test would be
given at the induction station and
the men could be actually inducted
at any time thereafter for three
months. Unlike the present ar
rangement. they could not be
sworn in Immediately, since it takes
from five days to week to get the
results of the sociological test.
To prevent the men usually weed
ed out at the hospitals from having
to go to the induction station under
the new arrangement, a separate
procedure may be worked out. A
line has been added to the induction
papers on which a man is asked t.
state whether he has any disquali-
flying handicap. Those who say they
are handicapped-for instance. have
lost an arm or have crippled foot
would be called in by the local board
for an examination and put in 4-F
without going to the induction sta
ton.
There has been agitation for some
time to eliminate the local board
physical which now requires the
services of more than 100 doctors
here and thousands throughout the
country at time when doctors
services are at a premium. The ex-
aminations are given six to eight
times month at six local hospitals.
Spotlights Review Committee.
The latest revision of orders on
the deferment of fathers in the
Federal service puts the Review
Committee on Government defer
ments back into the picture.
Instead of giving deferment COM
mittees within the Government
agencies the final say on whether
or not they should request defer
ment for fathers in the Federal Gov
ernment, the new procedure pro-
vides for the cases to be approved
by the Review Committee just as
are nonfathers.
The procedure was changed. 1t
was explained, because of the OBJ
vious lack of uniformity under the
system of allowing each agency to
act as a private employer.
! In case of fathers whose induc-
ton is coming up in the near future
and whom the agency committees
would like to see deferred, the
agencies will request a 60-day de-
ferment, notifying the draft boards
that the deferment is being requested
in order to give the Review Com
mittee time to act. Thus, the draft
boards will have notice that longer
period of deferment may be re-
quested.
Must Submit Data.
These requests, under the new
instructions, must be made to draft
boards by January Is.
| Meanwhile. the agency commit
tees must submit to the Review
Committee full information on the
job, background and dependents OF
all fathers in the Federal service
for whom deferment is requested or
will be requested in the future.
Chairman Robert Barnett of the
Review Committee explained that
while the agency committees must
act before January Is on fathers
coming up for induction soon. it
should submit a list to the Review
VI OH lolllClS
necessary enough to be deferred
If the Review Committee disap-
proves any cases where a 60-day de-
ferment is in effect, the agency
committees were instructed to notify
the affected draft boards imme-
diately that the requests for defer
ment had been withdrawn.
| Mr.. Barnett said the Review Com
mittee would have to develop a new
set of standards covering the de-
ferment of fathers.
Health Claims in Yeast
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