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Show uxor FIBS LKTMI DF BBSFJLITS Approval Thought to Remove Re-move Last Obstacle to Plan of Provost Marshal Mar-shal Crowder. By WINDER E. HARRIS, International News Service Staff Correspondent. WASHINGTON, June IS. The draft age limits will be extended probably to IS and 45. S-ecretary of War Baker has been persuaded that this step is necessary. neces-sary. He announced today that he will approve any change in the selective draft act necessary to raise an army of the required size. American and allied military leaders now are convinced that the United States must place an army of at least 5,000,000 men in the field if victory is to be won. This will be possible with the proposed extension of the age limits. Secretary Baker was won over to the plan at a conference with Provost Marshal Mar-shal General Crowder. The secretary's approval removes the last obstacle in the path of the army general staff's move to bring the proposal before congress at an early date. It is possible the question will not come up until late in the fall, but it is believed favorable action by congress will be obtained before the close of this year. The approval of Secretary Baker is taken to indicate a similar attitude by President Wilson. The war department, therefore, is convinced that congress will enact the necessary legislation without lengthy debate. General CruwTler has favored an extension ex-tension of the draft age for several months. No official action looking to a revision in the law was taken, however, because Secretary Baker opposed the proposed pro-posed extension. Difference of Opinion. There has been some division of opinion opin-ion as to whether the ages should be extended for the purpose of bringing under un-der government control labor needed for war industries or whether the draft system sys-tem should be developed solely to produce pro-duce more fighting men. General Crowder believes the extension necessary for both purposes. When General Crowder is called upon for an official opinion he will recommend that the new limits be from IS to 45, it is understood. The draft machine has been made ready to take care of the additional task. The change in draft ages is necessitated necessi-tated by the tremendous lnun made on class 1 during the past several months, when calls far exceeding original estimates esti-mates were made. Not more than 750,000 additional fighting men are expected to be secured by the registration of the 21- j (Continued on Page Fourteen.) 1 to L'", i;o'!i i:K:!(!.-;p.i:-, he wo:ild cxncci lo 'iii-r.;.-:-ii f,.:l' reM of rh- mm ho'.u'r-c-n IS -ju n l-e put inHrri'-d, it is est iri!H -!, Vhll'- 77 "-- f.:nr. or r.hr; lili 1 n I Y "!. 1 L I and 47, urn icrtl to he tr ; : - rri . -J . TlK; nuriilx-r of .single ii!;(i-.-5 t.ot.'.vr-en .'! ! (id l.i, i lien-Tort, it :. ;j-' L--i! to ik-'',,'27,,412, ik-'',,'27,,412, an 'I I r wei:ii IS and -1) tii.:re should by l','J'Io,o-.l. Army of 6,500,000. Figuring' on a ba.sis of the pe.','-en'.;,.E'o of ;n.TrJ::uiev.i.s in 1.1 ie iirst rcKi'-iU'ai. ion, ;:tn;ral Crowder would uount on r-.-is-LraUon o!' nen betw-rea 1 and -l. producing pro-ducing 1 '',' fi'liliny men. The to lio r;!,'i.st ration snould produce l,i'H,L-l7 li'hrjti' men. The total number of fj hti nz; men r:;-pvied, r:;-pvied, therefore, urnK-r the jio:o,sd ae limits would be U,5.7,L' ."j. With Uie present pres-ent available total of -J uou. tiie extension ex-tension of the draft a'L-s to IS ;irid !t would aJlo'.v for an enl:i r'rme.ut of the army to more thaji ii,7,-)ii,",-' without dhs-tur)iiii dhs-tur)iiii the industrial, agricultural or domestic do-mestic conditions of the -oi;n:ry. "Trie only explanation nj'.'fc.i.ry lo extend ex-tend the draft a.es," said Senator Chamberlain, Cham-berlain, "it" sirnpiy to amend the .section of Die dra ft act defining thai men . between be-tween i;i and ;ji shall be drawn. "I don't think It is fair that all the youri married men should be taken simply sim-ply because they ere between i and 1. There are hundred1 of tiicrn over ;;u who are available and arc fit specimens. An amendment to, say, 25 years of a '-re would bring about 2, 00,000 ox 3,00u,0lO additional addi-tional men. "I have heard no discussion on the subject in the senate committee and no intimations have come to me from the war d'partment that a change lit contemplated. con-templated. But it would be a yood thim,'." The eon a to com mi t tee seems to favor a change in the a yes. Certain sentimental senti-mental reasons were ured when the draft lav was passed aiinst men from 18 to '11 being: drafted, but the senate appears to have undergone something of a mental change in this respect. While the general trend seems to be more toward raising the draft age than to lowering low-ering it, there are still advocates of making mak-ing 'the minimum limit IS years old, on the theory that above ."1 a man's life begins to be molded and he is engaged In affairs, the disruption of which would cause economic loss. The house was more bitter agairust extension of the draft age last year than was tho aenatc, and it is expected that if any move is made the chance of the opposition will arise in the lower body of congress. BAKER IN Fill OF m DRAFT HIT (Continued from page One.) year-old men, the recombing of the deferred de-ferred classification and shifting to class 1 of registrants who have been married flinco the selective service act was Intro-' Intro-' lI urpri. ; Available fighting men under the pres-; pres-; cnl ago limits are expected to be exhausted ex-hausted about January 1. General l 'row der is an ions to avoid inroads on skilled industrial and skilled farm labor n nd married men with families solely cle-ncndAnt cle-ncndAnt upon their earning power for livelihood. To do this the age limits niihst be. changed, according to a majority of the local draft hoards. ! , Department Policy. ; , The policy of the war department is not i 'o so into class until class i has been i . exhausted in all states. Available while men in class 1 under the original regis-r regis-r ra Hon a 1 ready have been exhausted in Arizona, and arc nearly exhausted in sev-' oral ot her states. These states have compaiM tivcly few negroes on Their lists. This condition would compel an early i n :sion of class 2 and possibly other i i Iff or red classifies t ions unless t he age , limit, were extended. If the ever-increas-i ing shipping facilities permit of heavier ; ! overseas movements of troops and con- , sequent larger draft calls, class 1 may be 'exhausted before January 1. Including June calls, approximately 1 ; l.HOO.noo draft men have been called to ! j the colors. Tho July calls will bring this , number up to nearly 2,000,000. General I t'rowder lias told the senaie military af-! af-! fairs committee that the July calls would ; aggrecr-ate J90,ono. i With the 2.000.000 draft men nnder arms j by the ent of July and the IjiOO.OOO In the regular army and the national guard, ! tho M renglh of the American arniv by i Augu.st 1 will be 3.000,000 men. Another 1.000,000 men can be furnished hv T'.c draft system without necessitating ' an invasion of the deferred classes. Thus, ;- n army larger tha n 4.000.000 is impossible impos-sible without extending the ago limits of ihe draft or iivvading the deferred classes, A registration of 10.US3.249 between the . agos of "1 and -15, both inclusive, is the est i mate of General Crowder. From IS |
