Show Babson's ij AUTHENTIC STATEMENT Rarer W Bab Special to THE VERNAL EXPRESS SHORTCOMINGS OF THE DRAFT Babson Park Mass This year Congress has several hot potatoes to handle One of the very hottest Is Selective Service The present draft law which is widely criticized as unfair in several of its aspects and applications expires July 1 Improving The System In a nation as large as ours probably no military draft law can be fully equitable or be administered with complete im partiality The present law has proved workable over a along along long span of ye years rs In I its es- es esse es se it is the same system that that was used during World War II 11 However until the past couple of years when our greatly expanded military commitment in Vietnam has focused more attention on the system and its there has been no cry for ser ious taus and fundamental reforms Last y year ur President Johnson appointed a member 20 Nation Nation- National al Advisory Commission on Selective Service to study the system and to suggest reforms Also in 1966 a con con- congressional gressional study commission headed by retired General Mark W Clark was given the task for Cor changes In the law to the House Armed Services Commit t tee e Student Deferments A Agreement is pretty general in and out of Congress on the need for chan changes es in the draft law But there is no agree agree- agreement ment at all on what reforms Improvements or alternatives to the draft are possible and feasible One point on which there are dramatic differences of opinion is the thorny question of student deferments As It stands now any boy who gets high school and manages to get accepted at coll college ge is safe from Crom the draft so long as his grades are good And if he wants to go on to graduate school hell he'll be safe there too Thus present Select Select- live lye Service policy seems to favor professional students I allowing them to no mil mil- military service until they reach an ap ace where they are arc much less likely to be called at nil all or Compulsory National Service Gen Gln Clarks Clark's commission re commends continuing student nt deferments but only until the youth is 24 years old or has reo re- calved his bachelors bachelor's degree whichever comps comes first Post Post- Postgraduate graduate students would be de- de deferred only If they were train log Ing In professions considered es to national security Some people argue that the only way out of the student deferment impasse Is to tute universal military training with no exemptions This idea makes sense and is worth ser sous lous consideration but the na lion tion is not yet ready to adopt it Defense Secretary ara and anthropologist Margar et Mead are among those who advocate compulsory national service whereby all young pea pea- i pie girls as well as boys boys- would be required to register at age 18 for a two year draft Re could state a prefer l c enel ence between military service a hitch In the Peace Corps or participation In other such fed fed- federal eral programs as might be es by Congress Chances of enactment of such a proposal his year year however are sUm slim Impact on the Economy Congress now nosy has less than four months to decide what to toGO toco GO co If It cant can't agree by the end of June the present draft dmn law lawwill lawwill will have to be extended And it would certainly be much wis wis- wis wiser er to extend it than to amend it hastily or scrap It In Cavor favor of a program providing for youth regimentation Meanwhile we e must live In a world sharply divided by differ cot ent ideologies and by different rent concepts of what is right and what I is wrong Clearly we must mustI have a strong military system I with all the manpower require L meats ments that implies This fact should spur us to divise a better and fairer draft whose impact on civil life md and on the economy will be as constructive as pos pas sible |