Evening star., 1948-07-20
Draft Registration Starts Aug. 80;
Nine Age Groups to Be Listed by
Sept. 49, Beginning With Oldest
Truman Issues
Proclamation
ToGovernors
By the Associuied Press

a proclamation calling for the
draft registration to start Au-
gust 80.
On that date, persons born in
1922 after August 80 will register.
The proclamation also fixes the
following dates for the registration
of other youths between the ages of
18 through 25:
l. Persons born in the year 1928:
August 81 and September /.
2. Persons born in the year 1924:
September 2 and September 3.
3. Persons born in the year 1925
September or September 7.
4. Persons born in the year 1926:
September SO
5. Persons born in the year 1927:
September L0-l1.
6. Persons born in the year 1923:
September 1914
7. Persons born in the year 1929 :
September 1915.
8. Persons born in 1880 before
September 10: September 17-18.
Youths born on or after September
1880, under the proclamation, will
be registered on the day they are
13 years old or within five days
thereafter.
No Time Set for InductionS.
The Presidents proclamation
called on the Governors of each of
the States and the territories of
Alaska Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the
Virgin Islands and the commission
ers of the District of Columbia to
comply with the drafting program
to accomplish effective and COM
plete registration
The proclamation said a person
covered by the draft may register
after the day or days fixed for his
registration in case he is prevented
from registering by circum-
stances beyond his control" or be-
cause he is out of the country.
There was nothing in the procla-
nation to indicate when actual in
ductions into the armed services will
begin. BY law, the draft can't start
until September %. That is 80 DAYS
after Mr.. Truman signed the selec-
tive service act.
First Call to be Fairly Small.
Secretary of the Army Royal said
recently the first call will be "rela-
lively small and that later induc-
tions will be geared to the number
of voluntary enlistments.
Mr.. Royal estimated that an aver
age of 10000 men a month will be
needed.
Meanwhile, there we're indications
that selective service officials may
make their first draft call on 25-
year-olds-who otherwise would be
ineligible after one more birthday.
Mai. Gen. Lewis B. Hershey, Sc
lective service director during World
War II, made that known Yesterday
as he was sworn in as head of the
new draft Setup.
The draft law passed by Congress
last month requires men l8 through
25 to register, although none can
be drafted until reaching 49, Gen.
Hershey told news conference
after the swearing-in ceremony:
There has been quite little dis
cussion of starting with the. older
ones first"
Decision Not Made.
He added that the actual decision
on who will be called first has not
been made.
Eighteen-year-old can avoid the
draft by enlisting for one year and
then serving for longer period in
the reserves. Such enlistmentS will
be accepted starting tomorrow.
Some 1000 registration places will
be used, the general said. as COM
pared with 10000 used before
World War II. He added that 49,
100000 draft and registration cards
have been prepared. The first reg
istration is expected to total $780,
900 with several thousand more
men to be listed each month after
that.
Not Enough Enlistments.
Gen. Hershey told reporters he
personally believes the Nation can
not maintain a force of the size
required through voluntary enlist
ment.
The reason we have the Selec-
tive Service Act now is that even
raising military pay and other
measures did not produce the re-
quired number of men," Gen. Her
sney said.
Asked about talk of civil disobedi-
ence among Negroes in protest
against segregation in the armed
forces, Gen. Hershey said enforce
ment of the draft law is a matter
for the Justice Department.
Some Negro leaders have urged
Negroes to refuse to register or ac-
cept draft calls, or serve on draft
boards.
Gen. Hershey was sworn in by
Justice Bennett Champ Clark of the
United States Court of Appeals.
SeismoIoqists Record