Milford chronicle., 1951-03-02
OUR MANPowER PROBLEM

OOE6 MANI wv Eh EGObLEM
''The relatively low proportion of front
line power in the U. S. military forces is at
tracing more and more attention" says an
article in U. S. News and World Report.
Congress is on the Warpath over it. Con-
gressmen want to know why more divisions
cannot be made up of messengers, chauffeurs
who drive generals, coal shOVelers, men in
service units of one kind or another Mem
bers of Congress !. are beginning to ask
whether the armed services are wasting man
power while demanding more of il"
The cruX of the problem can be express
ed with a simple set of figures. In the Soviet
army, there are nine men in supporting jobs
for every 10 men in combat divisions. In
the American army, by contrast, 26 men are
now used in support units for each 10 men in
combat divisions. PrOpOrtiOnately, in other
words, the Russians have lot more gun
carriers than we have
Military men have an answer for this.
Russia's supply routes are far shorter than
ours. Secretary Marshall has said, "Our
greatest drain is in these long hours we are
involved in, and the fact that all our policy
is built on fighting outside this country.
The SOviets have nothing like that at al"
This is a geographical fact about which moth
ing can be done.
Moreover, there are certain great differ
ences between the u. S. and SOviety forces
which explain, to some extent at least, the
heavy disparity in the relationship of service
troops to fighting troops For one thing, our
forces employ much more complex mechan-
ical equipment, which naturally requires
great many men to maintain and repair it.
Too, by comparison with the Russian sol
dier, the American soldier is much better
cared for, and lives much more comfortable
life. u. S. authorities have been informed,
according to U. S. News, that casualty and
personnel records are not kept for Russian
soldiers below the rank of captain When one
is killed or wounded, that is the end of the
matter, and the family never learns what
happened from the government. By our
standards, the Russian medical service is
cruel and primitive. Apparently the serious
ly sick and wounded are simply regarded
as a needless drain on the army and are left
to die. The American army'S record in this
respect has been magnificent. The most
strenuous efforts are given to rescUing those
who are incapacitated, and 98.5 per cent of
all who reach hospitals live.
So it goes, down long list of differences.
Even so, says u. S. News, "The upshOt of it
is likely to be that Congress will tell the gem
erals that they must squeeze more front
line troops from the man power they already
have and the man power they expect to get
This problem, of course, is just one phase
of the general military man power problem.
The present pool of draft eligibles will be
pretty close to dry before very long The
army wants authority to draft 18-year Olds,
but Congress, apparently disturbed by let
ters from the constituents, is chary Of this.
1T also doesn't want to take veterans even
those Of very short service 1t wants many
4-I1's to be inducted-but here the army is
opposed. The Reserves are complaining of
unfair treatment and discrimination, and
this too has awakened Congressional inter-
est and sympathy. A firm solution to the
man power issue-industrial as well as mill
tary-seerns to lie well in the future.
FEDERAL CONTROLS INEFFECTIVE
AS BARRIER TO GROWING INITIATION
Although the government has imposed
price and wage controls, the American public
should not be misled into believing that such
controls are an effective measure against
infation-our Number One Enemy short of
war itself
Wage and price controls i'm World War
II did no more than temporarily hide the in
flation resulting from deficit financing The
people paid for it then in black market prices,
and are continuing to pay for it now with CO.
cent dollars. American industry has pledged
all Of its familities and ingenuity to meet the
productive needs of the present emergency.
However, the fact stands out that imitation
can 0e nalCe0s not Oy 0lrecC price and wage
controls, but by pay-as-We-go taxation for
mobilization; government economy in. nom
defense spending, curDs on credit, and above
all greater and greater productivity
to keep the Armed Services supplied with
everything that is needed, and to help bring
the supply Of goods into balance with pur-
chasing power. Wage and price controls
reach only the symptoms Of imitation, not the