Evening star., 1945-02-13
NurseUnitbac
Draft Measure
For Women
Educational League
| Huils Plan as Best {
Solution Offered {
By CARTER BROOKE JONES,

~OtdtIOII SIESICu
By CARTER BROOKE JONES.
The National League of Nursing
Education supports in principle
selective service bill for women, with
draft of nurses as the first step,
Miss Anna D. Wolf, secretary of the
organization, told the House Military
Affairs Committee today.
Miss Wolf pointed out that draft
OF nurses would meet military needs
and national service act would
answer civilian necessities.
1T is our conviction" Miss Wolf
explained, that selective service
of nurses would provide for an
equitable distribution of nurses,
Those classified as available and
eligible for military duty would be
required to serve in that capacity
and those classified as essential for
education in civilian services could
be retained"
Fears for Nursing Schools.
Miss Wolf pointed out that there
was not only the urgent need for
military nurses, which had caused
the committee to consider draft leg
islation, but there was danger that
some of the schools of nursing might
have to close because they could not
keep enough instructors.
Miss Katharine Densford. presi.
dent of the American Nurses Asso-
clation, recalled for questioning be-
lore the committee, admitted that
voluntary methods of obtaining
nurses required today for the armed
forces will not work and must be
replaced by some plan with teeth
II draft is to be avoided. She told
the committee last week that the
association favored keeping the vol
unteer system If possible.
Miss Densford told the committee
today that she felt voluntary sys-
tenn could be worked out If there
were time enough to place it in
effect. She estimated that the local
Procurement and Assignment COM
mittees could obtain enough nurses
to make the Army's total $4,000 by
July, though she did not know how
long it would take to bring it up to
10000, the present ceiling set by the
War Department.
Estimates Not Cut Down.
Discussing the War Departments
policy by committee members, Col.
j. A. Hauck of the War Department
lnterposed denial that the Army
ever had ''cut back" the number of
nurses it said it wanted. Up to the
end of April, 1914, he said. the
Medical Corps had slightly under
10000 nurses and had obtained by
voluntary means the number con-
isidered sufficient But when the
ceiling was raised to $4,000, he
added. less than 5000 were procured
during the rest of the year, leaving
a large shortage at the beginning
of 1945.
Col Hauck pointed out that casu-.
alties had been increasing con-
sistly' since D day in France and
the present total of 10000 nurses
required by the Army was based on
the needs at present and those
reasonably anticipated.
Representative Luce, Republican,
of Connecticut, asked Miss Dens-
ford if she did not think it would be
very unfair to draft nurses and not
draft WACS needed as medical
itechnicians. Miss Densford agreed
that it would be.
| Colored Nurses. ,
/ In response to another question
/ by Mrs. Luce, Miss Densford said
she did not feel that the Army had
utilized qualified colored nurses to
the maximum capacity. The wit
ness also said there were some 1000
male nurses in the country who had
not been called to military duty. 8
When committee members got into
discussion over who is at fault in
the shortage of nurses, Chairman
May said he did not think it mat
tered-the main thing was to relieve
the shortage at once. (
? Representative Thomason, Demo-
crat. of Texas questioned whether
there was any solution left except to
draft the nurses since the volun-
tary system appeared to have failed.
! THE voluntary system will not
work as now set up Miss Densford
admitted
Army Must Have Nurses. :
Mr.. Thomason said he thought he
and the witness were in agreement,
that no one wanted to draft any,
body. particularly women, but the
Army had to have the nurses. {
Chairman May hopes to conclude
the hearings and call the commits
tee into executive session to agree
on bill late this week He plans,
as soon as bill is drafted, to ask
the Rules Committee for a special
rule requiring its consideration in
the House within matter of days.
He believes the need is too urgent
to put off the legislation. {
Hearings last week brought q
conflict of testimony over the best
method of relieving the shortage
of nurses, though all witnesses
/ agreed that the situation was crit
| ical and some immediate way
should be found to meet it.
Junior League Head Urges
|T~1o& A,x~@ EsI:.xx