Evening star., 1945-09-03
Army Volunteer
Bill Is Shaped;
Points Reduced
Discharge Credits
Put OF 80; Age
Lowered to s.
Ey the Associated Press.

Ey the Associated Press
Legislation aimed at bringing
more volunteers into the Army
and thereby enabling a cut in
draft calls took shape rapidly in
the House Military Affairs Com
mittee today following Army an
nouncement of promised VI day
revision in discharge qualifica-
tions.
Leaders hope to have it ready for
House consideration this week. 1t
would provide added inducements
for continued service in the armed
forces to increase the number of VOL
unteers and permit further cuts in
selective service inductions.
The new Army plan provided:
l. Recomputation of all points to
include credits as of VI day. This
will boost all figures, since they have
been on a We day MAY 12) basis
until now.
Points Cut to so.
2. Reduction from IS to 30 in the
number of the points needed for dis
charge of men.
3. Cutting from 80 to IS the dis
charge age for enlisted men with
two years of service.
4. Reduction from "A to Al in the
points needed for discharge Of
WACS.
S. Discharges on the new basis as
fast as TRANSPORTATION and separa-
ton center facilities will allow.
6. A further reduction in the
critical scores as soon as the pool
Iof eligible high-point personnel
runs low.
Members of Congress, however,
agree on the need of continuing the
draft for several months to insure
adequate military power and Mill
tary Affairs Committee members
reported the projected inducement
legislation would not be affected by
the new Army plan.
The inducement program has
been Endorsed by the Army, Navy
and Military Affairs Subcommit-
tee. Legal experts are rushing work
to get it in legislative language.
Continues Overseas Bonus.
1t includes such provisions as Cd
continuation of the 20 per cent pay
bonus for overseas duty, (2) extern
sion of all GI Bill of Rights benefits
to those re-enlisting, (3) transpor-
tatlon home and 90-day furloughs
| for men who will re-enlist, "a re-
vised re-enlistment bonuses, (5)
choice between a quarters allow
ance and dependency allowance
and 60 immediate mastering out
payments for re-enlistees.
| Chairman May said the full Mill.
tary Affairs Committee will meet to-
morrow to consider the matter. He
! added he hoped a measure could be
approved and ready for introduce
ton Wednesday when Congress re-
convenes.
| Mr.. May said in a radio broad.
cast last night he favored continue
alton of the draft for the present"
in order to provide replacements
for men with long combat expert
ence
The Army promised further cuts
in point scores as transportation
facilities from Europe and the
Pacific become available. The per-
sonnel discharged under the new
standards will occupy all space in
homeward bound ships and planes,
the Army said.
One Point Omitted.
The announcement made no men,
ton of one other revision promised
by top officials last week in testi-
mony before the committee. At
present no man with rs points is
shipped overseas. They said then
that when the points were cut this
figure would be reduced to so.
The only exceptions among en-
listed men who must remain in the
Army regardless of their point scores
are those trained in three highly
technical skills which are consid-
cred essential. These are: Ortho-
pedic mechanic, transmitter attend
ant (flxed station) and electroen-
cephalographic (brain wave reading
equipment) specialist.
| A War Department official told
the committee last week there are
only about 500 men in these groups.
Meanwhile, Senator McCarran,
Democrat. of Nevada, asked whether
the War Department is making any
check on how many men now in
the Army would volunteer for fur
ther service. He sent Secretary of
War Stimson letter asking a series
of questions about policy as to Army
personnel.
Senator McCarran asked Mr..
Stimson for specific answers" to his
questions and told him they were
representative of the queries coming
to him and other members of Con-
gress "in countless numbers"
The letter, made public by the
Senator's Office, asked:
Il. What steps are being taken
by the War Department to ascertain
specifically how many men now in
uniform would choose. voluntarily.
to remain in the service?
q. What specific efforts are being
made by the War Department to as
(see DRAFT, Page A-25