Evening star., 1945-01-18
10 Speed
ServiceMeasure
Meets Setback
Hearings Reopened
For Views on Farm
Labor Situation

WA n VA -bC-uA al tCu lSSlSldtlUI1,
on which President Roosevelt
urged speedy action yesterday,
ran into unexpected delay today
when the House Military Affairs
Committee decided to reopen the
hearings on farm phases of the
labor situation.
Chairman May announced the
committee would meet this after
noon to hear War Food Administra-
tor Marvin Jones and Edward A.
O'Neal, head of the American Farm
Bureau Federation.
This move was regarded as rec
ognltlon by the committee of the
strength of the farm bloc in Con-
gress, which has been concerned
over the recent directive sent out
to selective service boards to review
agricultural deferments, in view of
the need for stepping up military
inductions during the next six
months.
Will Resume Closed Session.
Mr.. May said the committee will
resume closed sessions in an effort to
get out a bill as soon as the farm
officials are heard.
Chairman May had said earlier
that the committee hoped to reach
agreement on the limited national
service proposal by nightfall and
clear the way for actual House con-
sideration by the middle of next
week.
Still to be threshed out behind
closed doors are such vexlng matters
as what age groups should be af-
fected by the legislation, what pen
altles should be imposed on vio-
lators, what union rights should be
protected or waived in the proposed
shifting Of draft-deferred men from
nonessential to essential jobs.
Speed Held Essential.
But there was almost unanimous
agreement as the committee COM
pleted more than a week of public
hearings yesterday that some form
OF action is imperative Immediately.
\ That the committee intended to
lose little time acting was indicated
after the President, Gen. George C.
Marshall, Army chief of staff. and
Admiral Ernest j. King, commander
in chief of the United States feet,
reduced to writing their requests for
action.
The urgent need" for legislation
has not lessened, but has increased,
since the sending of my message" to
Congress on January 6, the Presi-
dent wrote Mr.. May.
A trend toward increased place
ment of manpower in the last two
weeks unquestionably was due, the
/ President said, to the belief that
Congress contemplated prompt ac-
ton"
And, he added, this trend will be
reversed by reports now current in
the press that congressional action
is likely to be delayed"
President Indorses May Bill.
While not complete national
service act, Mr.. Roosevelt wrote, Mr..
Mays bill which the committee has
under study will go far to secure
the effective employment in the war
effort" Of all draft registrants be-
tween 1S and As.
The President thus indorsed the
May bill, leaving to Congress the
matter of detail but stressing the
need for speed.
"As the United Nations enter upon
truly total offense against their
enemies, it is vital that total Of
tense should not slacken because of
any less than total mobilization of
our manpower on the home 'front.'"
he added.
The President said the men on
the fighting front should be assured
that they cannot exhaust the sup
plies we are sending them" and OUR
enemies should know that there will
be no slackening of our total offense
until they lay down their arms"
To add force to his plea, the Pres
ident sent Chairman May a joint let
ter from Gen. Marshall and Ad-
miral King stressing the need for
minimum of 100000 additional in
duStrial workers IF our urgent needs
are to be met"
Requirements Emphasized.
The officers underscored the
"acute need" for young and vigorous
Army and Navy requirements, a
need which Undersecretary of War
Patterson had told the committee
would approximate 100000 men by
July l.
Personnel losses sustained by the
Army in the past two months have
taxed the replacement system
to the breaking point" the heads
of the fighting forces wrote. THE
(See MANPOWER, Page A-4)
||FHe Discovered