Show ECONOMIC highlights industrial news reviews review at the present time there are slightly more than men in the american army there are more men in the navy and about in the air force that marks an immense change from a few feo years ago when the army was down to around men and the other military branch es were also negligible so far as numbers are concerned but the change that will take place in the future according to current plans will be infinitely greater ana will have an infinitely greater effect on the normal ways of the nation top military men believe that the army will have to toe be increased to men and perhaps still more that the navy will have a personnel of around 2 million and that the air force will also reach the 2 million mark in short if this war continues between 12 and 13 million men will be required for foi military service not all of these men by any means will be combat troops A major army is a world of its own requiring every kind of skill talent craft and profession for each man in the fighting lines there must be several men behind the lines in the departments of supply communication transport etc the same thing is true of the navy and air force but all of these men whether they serve with guns or with tools will be wearing uniforms and all of them will b be e out of civilian life the reasons for planning so vast a military establishment are obvious we must figure on a long war var whose end will be the actual land invasion of axis countries all hope that will not be necessary and that germany and japan will collapse but it would be the height of folly to plan on that we must instead plan on doing it the hard way what will be the effect of this demand for manpower for the military services first it can be stated cate categorically gorl that every man under forty without dependents and without a job which is considered absolutely vital to war effort will be inducted and soon men who are physically unfit of course will be exceptions but men waith relatively minor physical disabilities will be taken and placed in non combat work second congress will probably pass a measure providing for government support of mens dependents there will be considerable debate over this and a great deal of argument concerning how much money should be provided but it I 1 is thought certain that a law will eventually be approved then the millions of men in the 3 A classification fi will gradually be taken the selective service boards have recently been reclassifying men with wives who are self supporting changing them to the 1 A bracket third the registration of older men up to 64 will give the government exhaustive information concerning a reservoir of manpower which is too olar for actual combat but which can be called upon for other necessary duties these men for example could be used for farm labor and for work in war indus tries they could release younger men for the fighting forces if this war goes on long enough it is considered inevitable that the government will decide where when and for how much pay you wil work fourth it is a definite possibility that we will eventually classify and conscript manpower that is already being done on a volunteer basis and in time it may be done on an enforced basis women can drive icara run elevators ser serve as clerks in hops perform many operation in war industry and do a thousand and one other jobs which are now nov being performed by men the military forces need and want what will be left for civilian production civilian life the answer is clear the barest baresi minimum of what is needed if this war lasts ion long enough the drain on our human resources will be as great as in germany england japan or anywhere else the home fires will be kept burning by women by men unfit for military service and by old men then when the war is over the vast jot joo will start of reestablishing life on a peacetime basis in the meantime any man in good health who is not beyond the registration age limits should be prepared tor for sudden disruption of his ebo eto social and domestic life this war is being fought for keeps and all the wealth of the nation human and material alike is dedicated to winning it it this country is at last winning the battle of production we lived up to all our hopes and forecasts but the instruments of |