Evening star., 1951-04-08
More Changes Likely
When House Resumes
Debate on Draft Bill
By ]. A. O'Leory

CHAIRMAN vlnSOn OF LQe f1OuSel
Armed Services Committee hopes
to get the draft bill through the
House by the end of this week.
When debate Is resumed Tues
day the measure will run into a
variety of amendments, however,
affecting the long-range UNIVERSAL
military training program, the
administrations proposed new
system for deferring college stu
dents, and an effort to require
congressional approval before anyl
more American troops could. be
sent to Western Europe.
Although some House members
will try to separate UNIT entirely
from the pending draft measure,
Mr.. Vinson believes the House
will retain the framework for al
universal training system, with AMI
amendment under which it would
not go into operation unless Con-
gress subsequently passed a con-
current resolution.
Watered-Down Version Likely.
The Armed Services Committee
will meet tomorrow morning to go
over the revised UNIT plan, and
is expected to approve the wa
tered-down version.
At the same time the commit
tee probably will review the fight
which has developed to hold apti-
tude tests as an additional method
of deferring college students from
the draft.
Representative Kilday, Demo-
crat. Of Texas. will offer an
amendment to kill the new apti-
sude-test program, which has run
into strong opposition in Congress.
The Kilday amendment would
continue the Presidents power to|
grant educational defermentS, but
would prohibit use Of any national
test to qualify men for deferment.
McGrath Sees Confusion.
A Selective Service bulletin
issued last August allows local
boards to defer students in the
upper half of their classes. Presi-
dent Truman recently issued an
executive order under which Sc
lective Service has been planning
to offer the aptitude tests to be
held late in May and June for
students seeking deferment for the
next academic year. Capitol Hill
observers believe the House will
accept the Kilday ban on these
nationwide tests.
Meanwhile, Commissioner of
Education Earl j. McGrath said
confusion" has characterized cur
rent discussion Of student defer
ments.
Subject to Late Call.
His statement read in part:
First, men deferred for college
study will be subject to induction
when they graduate-a fact that
is frequently forgotten.
Secondly, the number of draft
eligible students now in college is
relatively small because of the
presence of veterans. 4-Fs and
ROTC enrollees in the student
body.
Thirdly, the recent executive
order establishing q Nationwide
test as one basis for consideration
for student deferment is q tenn
porary measure, designed to deal
with the immediate situation while
permanent legislation is under de-
bate.
"The basis on which students
are to be deferred has been widely
interpreted by some as meaning
that college men could escape the
obligation Of military service. AS
I understand it. deferment does
not constitute escape from mill
tary service but, rather, is merely
means of postponing the induc-
ton of students until they have
completed their studies. The gen.
eral rule will be that man will
serve his tour of military duty on
completing his studies"
Two-thirds Now Exempt.
Mr.. McGrath estimated that
more than two-thirds of the men
now in college are either World
War II veterans, enrollees in ROTC
or physically unfit for military
service. Of the remaining third,
large percentage are under draft
induction age. he said. He esti-
mated that if those now in COL
1ege and subject to the draft were
to be indicted, the number would
probably be under 100000.
Mr.. McGrath defended the de-
ferment plan against charges that
1t is undemocratic, but suggested
the opportunities for higher edu-
cation must be made more gen.
orally available.