Evening star., 1945-02-22
General Practice
Nurses 10 Be Called
# Draft Bill Passes
BY CARTER BROOKE JONES

ny Van i EN- DhOOhE JONES
If Congress passes the nurse draft
bill, which has been approved by the
House Military Affairs Committee
and awaits House action, the armed
services will call up not only avail
able graduates of the Cadet Nurse
Corps, but many nurses in general
practice, unless, the legislation is
followed by an unexpected squirt in
voluntary enlistments.
This view was expressed today by
some of the officials most concerned
in finding nurses to relieve the criti-
cal shortage which confronts the
Army in the face of mounting casu-
alties.
While the bill, as reported out by
the committee. requires draft boards
to exhaust their lists of eligible
cadet graduates before inducing
civilian nurses, the number of quail
Ned cadets will fall far short of the
need, it was pointed out.
Set Up by Bolton Act.
The Cadet Nurse Corps was set up
by the Bolton Act only on July /.
l943. 1t was opened to women in
various stages Of their training, but
large proportion of the los 900
students enrolled at the latest tabu-
lation of the United States Public
Health Service were in the first or
second year of their three-year
course.
At the beginning of 1e45, l0,43o
cadets had been graduated. Approx
mately 40 per cent of thee had ap-
piled or been accepted for military
service. About Is per cent of those
who volunteered for the Army or
Navy were rejected for physical dis
ability.
With figures still incomplete, the
cadet graduates for January are
estimated at 800. and there will be
an aa, estimated 1890 graduated in
The Army needs $4,000 nurses
at once to make up a quota of
$4,000 set by Mai. Gen. Norman
T. Kork. the surgeon general. as
the minimum required to take ade-
quate care of the wounded and
sick.
Offered Scholarships
The Public Health Service. nm
Ger the Bolton Act, offers a schoI-
arship to girls accepted for the
Cadet Nurse Corps This means the
girls receive their nursing educa-
ton at Government expense and a
small monthly allowance.
In return, the girls pledge them
selves to remain nurses for the
duration. They do not, however.
have to promise to enter the armed
forces. They agree to 60 into the
Army or Navy or some other Gov
ernment service or else to take
essential civilian positions. The Pro-
eurement and Assignment Service
OF the War Manpower Commission
decides which civilian places are
essential.
Thus a large number of cadet
graduates have remained on ci-
Villain duty. There was talk of
writing into the draft bill a re-
quirement for students in the corns
to sign up for military duty after
graduation. But the committee did
not do this. 1t did, however, exempt
these graduates from the mandate
that draft boards must not cali
nurses classed by Procurement and
assignment as doing essential ci-
villain work.
Will Seek Early Action.
Chairman May Of the House Mill
tary Affairs Committee hopes to 90
before the Rules Committee before
the end of the week to ask that
the draft bill be placed before the
House early next week.
During the first two weeks of
February, Maj. Gen. George r. Lull.
deputy surgeon general of the Army.
reported today l,450 nurses were
commissioned-an increase of sew
eral hundred over the 1,050 commits
stoned in January. But this figure
Is fan short of immediate needs. he
pointed out.
AT this rate of increase" Gen.
Lull added, ''it will take many
months to get sufficient nurses, and
our need is immediate"
The Veterans of Foreign Wars is
urging Congress to authorize a
draft at once, National Comdr.
Jean A. Brunner announced today
The legislation was recommended
by the. VFW National Legislative
Committee.