MAIL TRIBUNE, McdforJ, Ortgen, WeJntsJay, OcfcUr 8, 1
Far-Reaching Changes May Be iVOade En EDraft and Reserve Training Laws
By LOUIS CASSELS
UPI Correspondent
Washington-flTD-Arithmetic
and pubilc opinion may lead
Congress to make far-reach-
1 W'fc r I ml changes
- next year in
the nation's
draft and re
serve training
laws.
Unless the
world situa
tion takes a
turn for the
I worse, these
iouis (Jassei changes are
likely to be in the direction
of easing the military obliga
tion which now hangs over
the heads of millions of young
men between the ages of I8V2
and 26.
The draft and reserve laws
are due to expire on June 30,
1959. This means they will
automatically come up for re
view soon after the new Con
gress meets in January. While
a simple extension of the pres
ent laws is possible, there are
at least two good reasons for
believing that Congress will
favor substantial revisions.
The first reason is simple
arithmetic, which shows that
the population of draft-age
youths is growing steadily
while the manpower require
ments of the armed forces
have declined.
In 1955, when the present
draft and reserve laws were
enacted, the number of youths
reaching the threshhold age
of I8V2 totalled about 1,100,
000 a year. Now the postwar
baby boom is beginning to be
reflected in the late-teen age
groups. Next year more than
1,200,000 youths will reach
the age of 18V. In 1960, the
figure will rise to 1,300,000.
And by 1965, it will jump to
nearly 2,000,000 a year.
Emphasis on Mobility
The armed forces mean
while are putting more em
phasis on mobility and atomic
firepower, r less emphasis on
sheer numbers of men in uni
form, in 1955, the armed
forces took in about 600,000
civilian youths through vol
untary enlistments, reserve
call-ups and the draft, to
maintain their strength at the
authorized level of 2,600,000
men. In 1958, the figure is
fewer than 450,000.
Congress knew when it en
acted the 1955 laws that the
number of youths entering
the draft-age pool each year
would be substantially larger
than the number drawn out
of it for active service. But
it assumed that up to 250,000
youths a year would enroll
for the special six-months re
serve training course provid
ed as an altenative to the
draft. This drain-off from the
manpower pool, when added
to the number of youths dis
qualified for military service,
was supposed to bring the
manpower situation roughly
into "balance."
If these assumptions had
been borne out jn fact, the
1955 laws would have been
truly "universal" in the sense
that every qualified youth
would sooner or later have
seen military service.
But the assumptions have
not been borne out. Because
of budget limitations which
Congress itself imposed on the
size of ready reserve units
drawing drill pay, the armed
forces have never taken more
than 100,000 youths a year
into the six-months training
course. This year, they are
taking in only about 50,000.
and deferment policies have
taken up some of the slack.
Fathers are, forall practical
purposes, draft-proof, and de
ferments are granted to those
who wish to continue their
education, provided they are
making a satisfactory school
record.
In theory, anyone who gets
a deferment remains draft
liable until he reaches his
35th birthday. But by execu
tive order, no one over 26
may be called until all the
younger eligibles have been
taken.
How many youths are es
caping military service alto
gether under these laws and
regulations? It i virtually im
possible to arrive at a specific
figure because Selective .Ser
vice records are not set up
to answer that particular
question. But a study by the
of Harvard, both of whom ar
gue that the right way to fill
military manpower needs in
peacetime is to raise military
pay to the point where it will
Ford Foundation's Fund for (attract enough career volun-
the Kepublic concluded thatjteers.
exemptions and deferments
"have been so greatly inflated
that more than one half of
all young men will never see
any military service under the
present application of
laws."
And this brings up the sec
ond reason why Congress is
likely to consider a major
overhaul o f draft - reserve
laws. Public opinion is begin
ning to react against a peace
time conscription system
which many people regard as
blatantly unfair.
What alternatives will Con
gress consider?
Obvious Possibility
Abolishing the draft out
right is one possibility. It is
supported by such prominent
persons as Ralph J. Cordiner,
president of General Electric
Co., and Prof. J. K. Galbraith
But any such proposal will
run into stiff opposition from
defense officials. They con
tend that the draft is needed,
not only for the 120,000 in-
the ductees it brings in each year,
but also for the much larger
number of youths who en
list volutarily.
Another solution would be
to return to the 1940 draft
aw, under which men were
"Selected" for service by lot.
Supporters of this idea say
that if only one youth out of
two is actually needed for ser
vice, it would be fairer to
FASCINATING WORK
London -(UPD- An advertise
ment in the personal column
of The Times today offered
"m eager pay, fascinating
work." It was seeking a choir
master for Wormwood Scrubs
prison.
make the choice by lot that to
maintain the present system
under which service is sup
posedly "universal" but ac
tually is universal only for
those who can't find a way
of ducking it.
Backers in Pentagon
A third plan, which has
some backers in the Pentagon',
is to adopt the system used
in many European countries.
A youth becomes eligible for
military service at a certain
age say 18 and remains
liable for call for a fixed per
iod of one or two years. If
he isn't chosen for service
during that time (by lot or
otherwise), he is henceforth
exempt.
A fourth alternative is to
make national service truly
universal. Every youth, ex
cept the comparitively few
who are grossly handicapped
physically or mentally, would
be inducted as soon as he
reached the prescribed age
and would be assigned to
some kind of training or ser
vice for a period of, say, one
year. If a youth were not
physically capable of combat
infantry training, he might be
used to type records. One who
could not read the instructions
in a training manual might
still be very useful In the mess
hall.
We Giv.
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FOR COUGHS, CHEST COIDS, ACUTE BRONCHITIS
3 BIG BAYS . . . THURSDAY-FRIDAY-SATURDAY .
Ladies' Goals
Special Purchase! Regular 27.95 and
32.95 long coats in sizes 8 to 18. Colors
are black, red, tan, light grey, charcoal,
blue, and aqua. On sale for 3 days only.
$1A00
80 Square Percales
49c Yd. Value
Famous name brands in our regular 49c
yd. 80 - square percales. Fancy fall
printed patterns.
3 $1.00
"Real Form" Girdles
Values to $3.98
White girdles in the non-run crepe Su
zette weave. Will NOT run under any
circumstances. Sizes small, medium,
large, X large.
$
2.00
Men's Hickory Work Shirts
$2.49 Value
Hickory stripe work shirts, with double
back yoke.
Sizes 14 to 15 Only
$
2.00
Men's Suede Leather Jackets
$18.95 Value
Light tan color only. Milium linings,
knit collar, cuffs and waist band.
$
15.00
Men's Sweat Shirts
Regular $1.69 Value
Buy now! You save 69c. White or light
grey, random fleece lined sweat shirts.
All sizes.
$1.00
Ladies' Car Goals
Water repellent poplin car coats. ...
Warm, quilted linings, large shawl col
lars. Sizes 12 to 18, in black, red, and
beige.
Brushed Rayon Suitings
$1.98 Yd. Value
45 inch width brushed rayon suitings.
Looks like wool. New fall patterns.
Very special for this sale only
ooc $irv5
Jf.lft and IV
99
Yd.
Orion Mix Blankets
$7.95 Value
Washable orlon mix blankets with as
sorted floral design.
Sizes 72 x 84
$
5.00
Athletic Sox
59c Value
White Athletic Sox. English rib knit
tops. Thick and absorbent. Sizes 10,
11, and 12.
21.00
Boys' Sweat Shirts
Size 6 to 16
Fleece lined round neck sweat shirts.
Comes in red, white, yellow, and blue.
Warm and washable.
Dacron Mix Half Slips
$2.49 Value
White dacron and cotton mix Vz slips.
Fancy, lace trimmed bottoms. Sizes
small, medium, and large.
$
2.00
Nylon and Cotton Bras
White nylon and cotton bras. Famous
name brand. Sizes 32 to 38. In A and
B cup size.
1.00
Ladies' Plisse Crepe Pajamas
$2.98 Value
Fancy printed patterns or plain colors
in washable cotton plisse crepe pajamas.
No ironing required.
2.00
Corduroy Yardage
$1.19 Yd. Value
Fine quality pinwale corduroy yardage.
Ten assorted colors.
36 Inches Wide
89
Yd.
Part Wool Boot Sox
59c Value
For 12" or higher. Part wool boot sox.
Medium grey random color. Regular
standard foot size.
2 Pair $1. 00
98
Boys' White Tee Shirts
59c Value
White, short sleeve cotton Tee shirts.
Sizes 6, 8, and 10 only. Take them
away.
'21.00
Red Hunting Hals
$1.49 Value
A very special buy. Red felt hunting
hats. Sizes 6 to IVz. Buy now for
only
1.00
Plaid Flannel Shirts
$2.98 Value
Warm, washable flannel shirts. Beau
tiful new fall plaids. All sizes. A red
hot special.
1.99
BEDSPREADS
$5.95 Value
Heavy woven cotton Bates type bed
spreads, or wavy baby chenille type
bedspreads. Mostly double bed size.
$
3.00
Woolen Yardage
Val. to $3.98 Yd.
Washable, 60 inches wide, woolen- yard
age. Plain colors, plaids, and fancy
tweedy mixes. Your choice
2yards$5.00
Ladies' Hand Bags
$2.98 Value
Closing out one group of handbags. As
sorted styles and colors in plastic, calf,
suedes and leathers.
2.00
plus tax
Boys' Corduroy Pants
$4.95 Value
Heavy ; weight zipper fly corduroys.
Sizes 6, 8, 10, and 12 only. Assorted
colors.
4.00
White Handkerchiefs
Full cut white cotton men's handker
chiefs. Hemstitched edges. Buy your
supply now for fall and winter.
10. 1.00
Men's Canvas Gloves
25c Value
Red wrist canvas work gloves. Men's
sizes. Very special at this low price.
5 '1.00 '
"Cannon" Pillow Cases
59c Value
First quality, standard size Cannon
brand pillow cases. Sizes 42x36. Spe
cial at
21.00-.
Printed Outing Flannel
Val. to 49c Yd.
Fancy new fall prints in 36-inch wide
outing flannel. This is an exceptionally
good buy.
3 $1.00
Ladies' Nylon Hose
$1.35 Value
Closing out some Famous Name brands,
first quality nylon hose. Sheer 60 gauge,
15 denier. Assorted sizes and colors.
1.00
Boys' Striped Tee Shirts
$1.25 Value
Only sizes 6 and 12. Fancy stripes,
round neck, short sleeve models. Your
choice
$
1.00
Men's Nylon Jackets
Regular $5.95
AU nylon washable jackets. Lay back
collar. Zip front. Comes in white, navy
and light blue.
$
5.00
BOYS' CAR COATS
Quilt lined car coats with hoods. Entirely washable. Comes
in red or beige.
Sizes 4 to 7... ..............4.79
Sizes 8 to 12.... ...5.95
5S7 fleas
-
CHILDREN'S HOUSE SLIPPERS
$1.98 Values
Closing out one group of boys' and girls' soft soled house
slippers. Broken sizes 11 to 3 . . . Your m lk
choice I iUU
lJ