Marion Progress

'Teen Age' Youths and Women Reduce Chances For Inducting Fathers.

Washington, June 11.-A draft-age father's chances of being inducted into the armed forces before next year appeared today to be about 17 out of 100.

And the chances next year may be even lower unless heavy casualties require unexpectedly large replacements.

Farmer fathers generally will be deferred for occupational reasons, but the outlook for others sums up like this on the basis of latest War Manpower Commission - selective service figures:

Drafting of those with children born before last September 15 is not expected to begin before August 1, and even if it starts then it is unlikely to become general and heavy for another month at least.

There are nearly 6,000,000 draft age (non-farm) fathers--only about 4,000,000 of them at most could be expected to be physically acceptable --and the armed services will take in about 1,500,000 men in all between August 1 and January 1, 1944.

Service Breakdown

Toward making up this 1,500,000 the services get around 70,000 of the 100,000 becoming 18 years old each month, and should net 350,000 from this source from August on, not counting the youths past 18 who were deferred to the end of the school year.

At least 150,000 more inducted will come from the ranks of single or childless married men, in that class and the drafting of fathers increased pressure to get men without children out of the shops and into uniforms.

With 500,000 or more inductees available from other classes, although perhaps twice as many may be called for physical examinations.

The outlook for 1944 naturally is less certain, but if 150,000 men monthly would provide enough replacements for casualties on and off the battlefields-a fair allowance in the eyes of some military men-the draft picture would fill out like this:

To meet the 12-month requirement of 1,800,000 men, there should be about 850,000 youths newly turned 18 plus a sizeable group of childless men with occupational deferments expiring from week to week, leaving a gap of less than one million to be made up by fathers.

In addition, women taken in by the services counts as much toward making up the total strength as do men and, with commanding officers calling for more WAACs, WAVES and SPARS as the women prove their capability, the number of women in uniforms is expected to grow steadily.