Evening star., 1945-02-15
May Calls House Unit
To Draft Nurse Bill
lin Executive Session
BY CARTER BROOKE JONES.

Chairman May summoned the
House Military Affairs Committee
to meet at 10 am. today to con-
slider in executive session legisla-
ton to draft nurses for the armed
forces. He hoped to report out q
bill before the end of the week.
Two weeks OF hearings on how
to meet the urgent need Of the
Army for 5000 nurses and of the
Navy for 1000 were closed late yes
terday.
The final witness, Maj. Edna B
Groppe, nurse assignment officer in
the surgeon generals Office, point
ed out that while the goal of the
Army was for total of 10000
nurses before June /, ''it would not
be surprising, depending upon the
events of the war, that even more
might be required"
She added that "the need is real
and the need is now" and said:
1T can't be met without the aid
of legislation providing for selective
service of nurses" .
Maj. Groppe told the committee
For three years we have been tell
ing the public that the Army need.
more nurses, the reason being that
not until the month of April, 1914
had we reached the authorized CELL
ing"
Hospital Units without Nurses.
From then until December, 1914
Army nursing was adequate, she ex-
planned, but in that month it was
necessary to send IL hospital units
overseas without any nurses be-
cause there were none in United
States military hospitals who could
be spared 1t had been made known
April 20. 1914, she recalled, that the
ceiling would have to be raised from
10000 to $4,000, but up to the END
of the year the net gain was slightly
over 1000.
In January, 1945, despite the furry
of activity over the Presidents ap.
peal for more nurses, Maj. Groppe
said, only 1,050 were commissioned
only 80 more than in November
1914.
She saw no chance of obtaining
the $4,000 now needed without 9
law inducing those available.
Representative Rogers, Republi-
can, of Massachusetts,, who intro
duced draft bill, commented tc
the committee: ''It seems to me the
nurses are somewhat divided amone
themselves as to the best means OF
getting the nurses. The quickest
method is by draft. I can see nc
other way of protecting our service
men and women and more ade-
quately protecting civilians at the
same time"
Mrs. Rogers felt certain, she said
that women would accept a draf,
as patriotically as our men have.
She thought selective service, the
agency designated in her bill, woulC
be in the best position to find the
type of nurses the Army wanted anc
at the same time see that nurses ii,
essential civilian places were de.
ferred.
Ovcroptimism Blamed.
Representative Judd, Republican
of Minnesota, physician, testifying
blamed the psychology of public
overoptimism and not the nurses fol-
the falling on in recruiting and the
critical shortage which the armed
forces faced. Congress, he conceded
was partly to blame.
"We must recreate the phychology
Of war to bring about the results We
want he said.
Mr.. Judd opposed a draft excep:
as last resort. If the committee
feels such legislation is necessary, he
added, 1t should. If possible, be con-
ditional. with provision for it to be
placed in effect only II there were
not enough volunteers In a certain
period.
Representative Pace, Democrat, oi
Georgia, also . witness, said ne die
not appear to oppose the bill, but K
point out that the Army could get /
large number Of nurses II 1t w0ule