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Manpower Muddle Bungling in the Operation of the Draft Is Most Discouraging Aspect of War By DAVID LAWRENCE. The most discouraging aspect of the war is the manpower muddle in the United States. It is discouraging because it is sc unnecessary. With all the experience gained in the World War, and with all the knowledge to be derived from the operation of conscription in other countries for the last several" decades, the American bungling is inexcusable and indefensible. Congress and the President, In general, and the War Depart ment, In par ticular, are re sponsible for the mess. Since time immemori al, it has been the custom to select troops for an army by age classifications. It is obvious that a boy of 22 or 25 makes a better soldier than a man of 35 or over, and yet for many months the Army was inducting men in their late thirties. The waste presented by this in difference to age classifications has repeatedly been called to the at tention of the War Department, and finally Gen. Marshall himself publicly said the older men were not standing the physical strain. r n si major ivusiaKe. But this is only one of several blunders. The first major mistake was the misleading claim made on behalf of “selective service,” that citizens would be selected on the basis of their usefulness and that this was better than a volunteer system. It was assumed that key men would not be allowed to vol unteeer from industry but would be selected. The Navy and War Departments, however, for a long time failed to keep this promise—the volunteer system was permitted to operate along with the selective service method. Executives of aircraft com panies told the Government re peatedly, but in vain, that they were more troubled by the tendency of their valuable workers for vol unteer and thus disrupt industrial organizations than the denial of requests for occupational defer ments. Another mistake, of course, was the blanket deferment of agricul tural workers, and for this the Con gress and political pressure are re sponsible. It is impossible to raise an Army if whole groups are de ferred for any reason disconnected from the war. Thus the question as between fathers and nonfathers has a sentimental argument back of it, but not a military justification. selection Dy strength. As a matter of fact, in many re spects married men make better officers and soldiers than unmarried men—they are more settled and better poised and take their respon sibilities and duties more seriously than do the unmarried. Pressure from Congress brought up the father and nonfather distinction. It never would have been raised by the War Department itself because there is only one way to select troops and that’s on the basis of their physical strength and temperament. Unfortunately, this was not the basis used. Indeed, boys under 30 were permitted occupational defer ments in the early months of the war, when employers should have been forced to employ older persons. Only now, after the war is two years and three months under way and the draft law is more than three years old, the instructions are going forth to local draft boards to re strict deferments of boys from 18 to 26 years of age. Gen. Hershey has said he didn’t have the authority to make age classifications. But he is doing it new. He has really had all the authority he needed, but somebody’s faulty theory as to how to select an army influenced Gen. Hershey. Indeed, it is a mysterious fact that no congressional committee has ever delved deeply enough into the whole selective sendee problem to find out who actually made the haphazard rules and policies under which man power has been selected. Buck Passed Around. The buck has been passed all around. For a time the alibi was that the War Manpower Commission and the Selective Service system had divided authority; the Presi dent transferred Selective Service to WMC; then Congress stepped in and gave Gen. Hershey the full power. To what extent was he hamstrung by others? To what extent did he or his staff ignore past experience? The subject presents an interest ing basis for careful examination. Even if it revealed situations now Robert H. McNeill Elected New President ot SAR Robert H. McNeill has been elected president of the Sons of the Amer ican Revolution at a meeting in the Mayflower* Hotel. Other officers are Benjamin D. Hill, jr„ senior vice president; Charles Delmar, second vice presi dent; Robert S. Lamb, third vice president; James G. Hoyt, secre tary; Frank S. How’ell, jr., assistant secretary; Robert F. Howard, treas urer; Dr. Clifton P. Clark, regis trar; Clark B. Cumings, assistant registrar; Robert D. Brinker, his torian; John F. Little, librarian, and the Rev. Samuel M. Croft, chaplain. Elected to the Board of Man agement for the period ending April 19. 1947, were VV. W Badgley, Wade H. Cooper, Selden M. Ely, John P. Hains and McDonald Miller. Fran cis M. Hoffheins. the retiring presi dent, was named a trustee. too late to be remedied, it might also reveal to the parents of the 18-year-olds and the families oi fathers just why the present mud dle has arisen. But mostly some one in the Government ought to clarify’ the manpower muddle so that many of the persons with plans for the other fellow to be drafted will understand that you have got to get troops from somewhere to fight a war. (Reproduction Rights Reserved.) Haskin's Answers to Questions A reamer can get the answef to any question of fact by writing The Eve ning Star Information Bureau, Fred S™: J Haskin. director. Washington, D. c. p.ease Inclose stamp for retuin postage BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. How many tax bills have there been during the present adminis tration?—M. E. B. A. Since March 4, 1933, there have been 17. Q. Please explain the Signal Corps emblem.—A. E. B. A. The crossed flags in the insigne of the Signal Corps of the Army represent signaling in daytime. The torch represents signaling at night. Q. Who originated the famous question of how many angels could dance upon the point of a needle?— A. R. G. A. It has been attributed to va rious theologians of the Middle Ages, including St. Thomas Aquinas. Isaac Disraeli discusses it in his “Curiosi ties of Literature.” Q. What is the best way to send money to a soldier overseas?— R. N. Y. A. The War Department suggests a postal money order sent by air mail. It can be cashed at any APO. Q. Are members of the Commando units subject to the same regula tions as other Army personnel?— R. D. J. A. The men of the Commando Corps are not housed or fed by the Army and not subject to the same rules as Regular Army men. w now long was the old Madison Square Garden in existence?—T. W. A. It opened June 16, 1890, with a concert and ballet and closed on May 4,1925, after the Terris-Dundee fight. Q. Where was the first- bom son of Catherine of Aragon buried and how much did the burial cost?— E. L. H. A. The infant was buried in West minster Abbey, and the cost of the services approximated 10,000 pounds. Q. How many stars are commonly ised in navigation?—W. E. R. A. There are 55 navigation stars isted in the Nautical Almanac and he Air Almanac. Q. Is King Peter II of Yugoslavia taking an active part in the war?— 3. E. M. A. The young King has taken fly ing instructions and received his RAP wings early this year. Q. Do many persons visit the Washington Monument?—E. R. Y. A. In 1943 visitors numbered 472, 004, less than half the total of 1941. Q. Who was America's first Negro artist?—S. McD. A. Edward M. Bannister of Provi dence, R. I., was the first to achieve distinction as a painter. He spe cialized in marines and landscapes. Edmonia Lewis, of mixed Negro and Italian parentage, was the first sculptor of note. She was born in Boston in 1845 and attracted atten tion by her bust of Robert Gould Shaw, colonel of the first Negro Civil War regiment. WOOLENS Mill-Ends Available For Skirts, Trousers, etc., for Chil dren ond Adults. Capitol Woolen House 81B Btb St. N.W. ME. 8879 Birthday Gifts For Him NECKWEAR ARROW WEMBLEY CHENEY BERKLEY Gift Certificate* of 1.00 or More FREDERICK’S Men’* Wear Store TTZTTe 1435 H ST. N.W. A CCOUHlS 701 H ST. N.E. Now, more than ever, Johnston <fc Murphy Shoes are true, economy The "Garrison" for Long-Term Wear! •Constructed of the finest rr\ leathers, now irreplace oble. Hond - sewn welts M; in black or Army russet. j§i Army Russet \ j|| Snyderf&Litile ; Shoes, J SM.00 1229 G St- NW- B to $25.50. Bm Footwear llnae 1M( g| RM wmn bhr mam nxst mmm amm aamm mm mmm mm ■ ... the LARGEST VARIETY ... of NO POINT FOODS and LOW POINT FOODS We reserve the ritht to limit quantities. Prices herein effective until clos ' ■ r .. -*■ —— “THE BIG SIX” 3509 Georgia Ave. N.W. 6514 Georgia Ave. N.W. V 4555 Wise. Ave. N.W. |\ 15th and H Streets N.E. I\ 15th & R. I. Ave. NJE. 1850 Wilson Blvd., Arl. II The “Little Seventh” W 5518 Conn. Ave. N.W. |y Fresh Fruits and f Vegetables Only ALL SEVEN STORES OPEN 9 AM. to 9 P.M. Saturdays Until 10 PM. ___ _—-—--1 .m. rmTn.TnmivrnT.-.vmtYmrxiw.VAWAV.'AVMVmv.'iW.VAVIV.V.VfVAWmwmV.WA CAMPBELLS 10y2-oz. ^^kTTT| CHICKEN Vcans U ” ^ ^ # CHICKEN SALAD FANCY 7 oz TUX A {&"/ <ii> oo CRISCO Vegetable Shortening 1-lb. jar (5 pts.) 24c PANCAKE SYRUP <%'£■ 16c BRAN FLAKES Post’s 8-oz.pkg. 9c MAYONNAISE AuntN,uu; 16ja°r'26c HI-HO CRACKERS j £ 23c PEANUT BUTTERPeterPon 23c MARMALADE Gold%£Zvtst2£ 2Sc APPLE BUTTER Musselmans 24c (/ pts.) FRESH CORN OFF THE COB £^12.oz.£^ MBLETSia25 LIBBY'S ROSEDALE SWEET No.2 PEAS AS 27 AUNT NELLIE'S FANCY iVo.2 TOMAToSaiJ JUNKET RENNET POWDERS Vanilla—C hocolate Maple—Orange— Lemon—Raspberry TOMA TOESsu.£2quMj 3 25c : PEAS rntkrlmm 2 ?l%i'Z)25c /on D \] DelMaix y No. 2 cans \ L UKL\ Golden Crushed * (ipts.ea.) *OC ASPARAGUS *2.7 %]£ 29c ! ASPARAGUS tScnn %V,r,41c | TOMATO PASTE ««• *%;,?, 3c j TOMATO SOUP cr",Z “HZ’; 10c \ t ■L-,, J<& SIX DELICIOUS FLAVORS A~* r i B JELL-O » 6 | NESTLE’S UEVEREADY” w J COCOA ®? *511 ARMOUR’StfREADY-TO-EAT” 12-oz. Vr TREET " J5 COFFEE KITCHEN QUEEN 2 Z 41c AUNT NELLIE’S 2 Z 45c Custom Ground at Time of Purchase COFFEE n GiaH‘ . 2 Glh Drip or Regular boxes INSTANT COFFEE B’"\"“°" 27c J74 oz. jar COFFFF Beech-nut . 1Ar ^ u r run Drip 0r Resular lb. jar 61 c GRAPEFRUIT SujH",jZ‘F*‘ 46(30Zpt™H26c TENDERONI vnn camp's 2 h'°z- 15c pkgs. 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