Evening star., 1944-01-03
Draft Appeal Board
To Ignore Decisions
OF Local Bodies
Review of Deferments
Scheduled to Sturt
Jonuory 10

The District Appeal Board will
ignore local board discussions and
start from scratch in deciding
whether the thousands of men
working in Washington but deferred
by draft boards elsewhere should
continue to be deferred, a District
draft spokesman said today.
Under the draft measure approved
last month. all deferment cases OF
we're registered in one area anc
working elsewhere must be reviewed
by the Appeal Board where they
work. but in the District it will be
no rubber stamp procedure" the
draft officials said.
Beginning January 10, the District
Appeal Board-probably enlarged
by several new panels-will start
acting on cases. Local boards were
given a month from December 10
to send the cases to the Appeal
Board with jurisdiction over the
area of the mans work, but few
cases have been sent in so far, it
was said.
Although Congress specified that
occupational deferments be reviewed
to see if they were justified, the
cases Of men deferred on grounds of
hardship, as conscientious objectors
or for other reasons will also come
up for review.
Procedure Outlined.
Under the old procedure, when the
appeal board considered the cases
Of men who appealed from the de-
cisions of local boards in other areas.
the appeal board frequently reversed
the decisions of the local boards and
granted the deferments.
1t was pointed out, however, that
usually these appeals were we'll
founded. For instance, public util-
tiles employer would find that a
worker might be deefrred by a Dis
trict board, but another worker, do
ing the same job. would be denied
deferment by board in another
State where the critical shortage of
labor in a particular field here was
not known. The employer would
transfer the case on appeal to WASH
ington and the appeal was fire.
quently granted,
But the type of cases are differ
ent now" the draft official said.
previously, employers had good
reason for appealing. Now we're
going to get everything to review
cases Of fathers and nonfathers.
good cases and doubtful ones"
Board Is Tough"
The appeal board is known to be
tough on hardship cases, perhaps
more strict than in some other
areas. 1t is considered fairly liberal
in granting occupational defer
ments, particularly to fathers, but
so are most draft boards now.
Generally. it was said, the appeal
board will use this yardstick:
To continue to be deferred for oc-
cupational reasons the man must
hold an essential job in an essential
activity. He must be in a shortage
occupation and not replaceable. His
replaceability is judged by his train
ing, skill and experience.
The appeal board will not stick
to the jobs listed nationally as
critical or individually essential
The draft official said all jobs could
not be included on that list, par
ticularly ones that might be critical
here.
Case Is Cited.
If man has been running lathe
for six months and is a bona fide
father his chances of having his
occupational deferment approved by
the appeal board are very good.
The policy would be to leave him at
his job. On the other hand, a nom
father with only six months expert
ence would probably wind up in Ia.
The draft Official said he thought
the new review procedure would
make for mere uniformity. Two
men, working side by side in a plant
but registered in different States,
will be treated alike, under the new
procedure, he said.
After the appeal board reviews
the cases of all men now holding
occupational deferments granted by
boards outside this area, it will have
to consider all new deferments
granted under the same circum-
stances within 10 days after the
men are given their deferments.