Evening star., 1944-05-02
Virginia Boards Hear
Calls 10 Men Over Is
Can Wait 7 Months

of draft calls being filled by men
under 26 for the next two months
or more were voiced today by
draft officials in Virginia and
|Chicago, although some States,
including Maryland, are now
Idrafting some men over 26.
In Chicago. Col. Harris P. Ralston.
in charge of occupational defer
ments for Illinois selective service.
was quoted by the Associated Press
as reporting 1,075.000 men under 26
can be drafted during the last nine
months of 1914. He said about
175, 900 men over rs would have to
be called.
Also on the optimistic side was a
notice sent to Virginia draft boards
by Col. Mills Neal, Virginia selec-
tive service director, saying general
induction of men over Is would not
have to be resumed in Virginia until
July.
Since mid-April the only men over
Is called in Virginia have been VOL
unteers, delinquents and men who
have left farm jobs.
May Last for Three Months.
Col. Neal said he believed there
were sufficient men under 26 avail
able to fill May. June and probably
July calls. He explained he had
been very tough" in recommending
occupational deferments for men
under 26 and had approved only a
small percentage of the requests.
At the same time, he advised draft
boards to review the cases of men
80 years and over who are now in
IA to determine if they are en-
titled to occupational deferments
under recent draft changes.
District selective service also said
today that Washington men over
Is, except for volunteers and de-
linquents, will not be called until
the supply Of men under 26 has
been exhausted. District headquar-
ters expects to know soon how large
q supply of younger men will be
available for induction.
Follows Rules Closely.
In Maryland, however, Col. Henry
C. Stanwood, Maryland selective
service director, explained he was
following the letter of the regula-
tions and had instructed draft
boards to induct men over rs who
are not contributing to the war
effort. -,..
To assure himself that draft boards
are not being over-generous about
postponing inductions, he disclosed,
he ras required that the boards
send him lists of the names and oc-
cupations of every man whose in
duction has been postponed.
A check of nearby draft boards
revealed, however, that the boards
are differing on their Interpretation
of which men are contributing to
the war effort.
The chairman of one nearby board
said the only men over Is being
drafted from his board were men
whose occupations appeared on the
long abandoned list of non-defer-
rable Observation-Disclosures por-
ters, hairdressers, etc.
More Liberal for Men Near 80.
Another nearby board reported
that unless the men are directly tied
up in the war effort they are being
drafted. A board member said, how
ever, that the board is more liberal
in postponing the induction of men
near SO than those under 80. The
board said that 1t had been given
specific instructions from State
headquarters in the cases Of two
lawyers. One, nearing SO, was in
private practice, although some Of
his clients were in war production.
The other, about "a, was in q Gov
ernment agency engaged in war con-
struction. The induction of the lat
ter was postponed. The former was
ordered to 60.
Col. Ralston announced that the
problem of which men over % should
be deferred will be discussed Friday
at a meeting of State directors here.
$4,000 short" for Year.
Addressing Chamber of Com
merce group, Col Ralston said:
Military manpower requirements
OF the Nation for the remainder of
1914 are 1885 900 men. OF the
1899 ,2l3 men under 26 available on
April l, selective service estimates
LOTS 900 will be indicted by the
end of the year.
"Of the $4,000 men who must be
obtained elsewhere 1875 900 will come
from youths who become 18 years
old. leaving deficit of 175,0OO,
which must be obtained from those
past 26."
Col. Ralston said Army and Navy
officials have taken losses into con-