Evening star., 1948-07-22
More Enlisting
|0f 1S-Year-0Ids
'UrgedbyGurney
Services Quickly Fill
Quotas. Causing Move
To Revise Droft Law
By Robert K. WoIsh

Draft officials, nationally and
in the District, today aimed at
October / as the probable time
for first inductions, while other
Government authorities consid-
cred asking Congress next week
to allow more 18-year-old
youths to enlist for one-year
service.
Washington recruiting stations
yesterday accepted 13 18-year-old
for the Army, for the Air Force,
l3 for the Navy and for the Ma
rine Corps after processing more
than 100
The Army and Air Force recruit
ing station, at 403 Tenth street
NV, had another 10 applicants
soon after it opened today. Navy
and Marine Corps applicants
dropped off to three at each office
in the recruiting center, at Four
teenth street and Pennsylvania
avenue NV,
FIRST Contingent Leaves.
The first contingent of 18-year-
old Army enlistees left for Fort Dix,
N. j., at II o'clock this morning.
Five of the youths accepted yester-
DAY made up the group. Air Force
recruiting officers announced they
had formally enlisted only two of
the seven accepted yesterday. The
others will be on a waiting list until
the full quota of 10 is enlisted by
August 81.
The Marines already have filled
their quota of four for that period
and the Navy can take only six
more. although it has not yet
formally enlisted those accepted yes
terday. The Army expects to fill
its quota of 81 by August 81 but will
take men only at the rate of about
20 week until that time.
Broadening of Act. Studied.
The 18-year-olds turned out In
such numbers on the first day for
voluntary enlistments throughout
the country that Chairman Gurney
of the Senate Armed Services Com
mittee asked Secretary of Defense
Forrestal for his views on possible
broadening of that provision of the
Draft Act.
The law permits only 161 900 en-
listments of that kind. Those 18-
year-old enlistees would not be liable
to the draft for 81 months service
when they become 49, Reports from
recruiting stations indicated the
armed forces will have no difficulty
in getting 16l, 900 such enlistments.
Appointment of william e. Leahy,
Washington attorney, as District
selective service director, formally
set in motion the machinery for
registering men 18 through 25 be-
ginning August 80 here.
Personnel to Be Named.
The number and personnel Of
District boards and the location of
registration places will be announced
probably Monday, following approval
by the President, Frank d. Norton,
chief clerk Of the District system,
said. The District, he said, is for
tunate in being able to form an
organization to be made up mostly
of board members and clerical en-
ployes who served in similar posts
during the war. This work was we'll
under way today at the directors
new offices at 1901 D street NV.
Mr. Leahy, whose appointment by
President Truman was announced
late yesterday by Maj. Gen. Lewis
B. Hershey, national selective service
director, headed the District draft
organization during the war.
The District probably will have
fewer than the Is local boards that
operated here during the war. Some
of them, it was indicated, may have
only three instead of five members.
Although the registration by age
groups, beginning August 80, will
be smaller than the first registra-
ton here in 1910, when the age
range was greater, officials indicated
that Washington will have one OF
the biggest jobs. This is because
many men Is through Is will reg
lister here but designate their homes
elsewhere. This will necessitate
sending such data to other boards
throughout the United States.
School Buildings Used.
Most of the registration places
will be In school buildings and, ac-
cording to present plans, some Of
the boards may have as many as
eight or 10 registration places. Sub
sequent registration of men who
become 1S probably will be at local
board Offices.
The Maryland draft organization
was outlined today by Col Henry
tSee DRAFT, Page A-6D
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