Evening star., 1945-01-04
Use Of 4-Fs Urged
By KiIgore 10 Release
Civilians in Forces
By the Associated Press.


Senator Kilgore. Democrat, of West
Virginia today called for replacement
of civilian Army and Navy employees
with uniformed AIS to halt what he
termed wasting OF manpower."
Contending there are thousands of
such civilian employees who could
better aid the war effort by trans
ferring to industrial jobs, Senator
Kilgore voiced his. views In COM
menting on War Mobilization Di-
rector Byrnes' suggestion for broader
controls over men rejected for mill
tary service.
A member of the Military, Affairs
Committee and of the Senate War
Investigating Committee, Senator
kilgore emphasized that he still is
studying the manpower problem
and may offer specific proposals
later.
Cites Thousands of 4-Fs.
Saying he did not think it would
be fair to draft 4-Fs for war plant
work at military pay rates. the West
Virginian asserted they might better
be put into uniform. to release not
only civilian War and Navy workers
In this country and abroad, but
actual fighting men now holding
down desk jobs.
He cited as an example civilian
service personnel in such places as
England and the Southwest Pacific
and said there are thousands of
4-F's who could replace them.
- Representative Claire Booth Luce,
Republican, of Connecticut yester-
day reintroduced her bill of l943
calling for use of 4Fs in some sort
OF war job capacity.
The CONNECTICUT legislator, who
has just returned. from a tour of
European battle fronts with a
warning that United States forces
are short of infantrymen and ma
terial, said she was prompted to
offer the bill by manpower short
ages. She also declared that the
high command "underestimated
the need" for infantrymen and
supplies.
Local draft boards. were under or
iers, meanwhile, to review the defer
ments of all farm workers in the 18-
through-25 age brackets as the out
growth of yesterdays order by Mr..
Byrnes. However, doubt was ex-
pressed in informed quarters that
many men would be made available
for the armed services by this move.
Approximately 1854 900 men in this
group have been deferred, but it
was conceded by officials that many
must be rated as indispensable" for
farm work. even though draft-ex-
standards are frightened.
and others will be unable to meet
the physical requirements of Army
and Navy.
Selective Service called for the re-
view of deferments last night, a few
hours after Mr.. Byrnes notified
Maj. Gen. Lewis B. Hershey, draft
director, that the youthful agricul-
turalists must be screened in an
effort to get more men for military
duty.
VIA Advises Byrnes.
In letter to Gen. Hershey, Mr..
Byrnes said he had been advised by
War Food Administrator Jones that
food production would not be hurt
by tapping this group for the draft.
At the same time, however, Albert
S. Goss, master of the National
Grange, warned that any wholesale
drafting of deferred farm workers
would seriously hamper food pro-
duction.
A survey showed that about Is, 900
Maryland and Virginia farmers will
be affected by the tightening of
selective service deferments for agri-
cultural workers between 18 and Is.
Col. Mills F. Neal, selective serv-
Ice director in Virginia, said of the
:. 600 farm workers under 26 ap-
5000 are single.
Col. Henry c. Stanwood, Mary
land selective service director, esti-
mated there were about 1000 farm