Evening star., 1955-07-08
Russell Urges
Reserve Bonus
For Volunteers
Continued From First Page

Continued From First Page
plan will make better reservists
than they will if compelled to re-
port for training periodically
after they are mustered out OF
the regular service.
11-Year Obligation
Under existing law, 17-year-
olds may also join the National
Guard and be deferred from a
draft call as long as they per-
form satisfactory guard service
Although deferred, guardsmen
are still liable to the draft up to
the age of %. which gives them
an overall obligation of II years.
The National Association for
the Advancement of Colored
People. through Clarence Mitch
ell, asked the Senate to include
the amendment which was beat
en- in the House to end segrega-
tion in the National Guard. Seq
regation already has been elm
mated in the regular services.
Guard Raises Objection
Although Senator Russell also
announced an amendment will
be offered to restore the National
Guard to the House bill, the Ma
tional Guard Association told
the committee today it does not
want to be included.
Maj. Gen. Ellard A. Walsh,
president of the association, said
that organization is satisfied
with existing laws relating to the
guard and reserves generally.
He said his organization hopes
the pending bill will prove bene-
ficial to other reserve compon-
ents.
The new reserve program per-
mits teenagers. to volunteer for
six months of training and then
remain in a reserve unit fee
seven and one half years. instead
of waiting until they are drafted
for two years, with four addi-
tional years in the reserves.
Mr.. Mitchell challenged the
claim that the House bill omits
the National Guard. He quoted
Representative Brooks, Demo-
crat of Louisiana, as having told
the House Rules Committee last
week that a boy could be as
signed to the Guard after serving
six months under the new train
ing program.
The Reserve Officers Associa-
tion, through Col. C. M. Boyer.
supported the pending bill, but
urged a return to eight years
as the period of regular and re-
serve obligation.
Boyer Favors Bonus
Col. Boyer joined in the sug-
gestion for a bonus to induce
trained ex-servicemen to sign a
contract to remain in a reserve
unit.
Mr.. Mitchell testified there are
nearly a million colored men of
draft age in the Southern States
which maintain segregation in
their National Guard units. He
said that, aside from the racial
question, he does not see how it
would be practical or desirable
on the basis of arithmetic to
exclude a million men from per-
forming reserve duty in these
guard units.
Senator Russell said he was
making public his bonus pro-
posal today to give defense Off
cials time to study it before they
testify Monday. Meanwhile, the
committee heard another group
of witnesses from outside of the
Government today.
Re-enlistment Bonus
All branches of the regular
armed forces offer re-enlistment
bonuses now to induce men with
special Skills to stay in active
service. But hackers of the Rus
sell plan do not believe the
bonus for ready reserve enlist
ments will compete with re-en-
listments in the Army or Navx.
A Senate official pointed out
that men who sign up for a
second or third enlistment in the
regular services are attracted not
only by the bonus, but by the
increased base pay rate they
have reached. It was explained
that usually the men who re-en-
list in the regular service have
reached a pay grade where the
bonus would be considerably
more than $400.