Show J Shortcomings Of The Draft This year Congress has several several several sev sev- eral hot potatoes to handle One of the very hottest is Selective tive Service The present draft law which is widely criticized as unfair in fn several of Its as aspects aspects aspects as- as and applications expires July 1 1 IMPROVING THE SYSTEM In a nation as large as ours probably no military draft law can be fully equitable or orbe be ad administered administered administered ad- ad ministered with complete im im- im- im partiality The present law has proved workable over a long v span of years In its essentials it Is the same system used during during dur dur- ing world war II However until the past couple couple couple cou cou- of years when our greatly great great- ly expanded military commitment commitment commitment commit commit- ment In Vietnam has focused more attention on the system and its weaknesses there has been no cry for serious and fundamental reforms Last year jear President Johnson appointed a member 20 20 National Nation Nation- al Advisory Commission onSe- onSe Service to study the system tc tern tem m and to suggest specific re re- re for forms ms Also in 1966 a congressional congressional congressional study commission headed headed headed head head- ed by retired General Mark W. W Clark was given the task of or making recommendations for changes in the law to the House Armed Services Committee STUDENT DEFERMENTS Agree Agreement ment Is pretty general In In and out of or Congress Congress on on the need for changes in the draft law But there Is no agreement at all on what reforms Im Improvements improvements improvements im- im or alternatives to the draft are possible and feas feas- ible One point on which there are dramatic differences of or opinion is the thorny question of or student deferments As it stands now gets through high school and manages to get accepted at col college college college col- col lege is safe from the draft so long as his liis grades are good And if It he wants to go on to graduate school hell he'll be safe there too Thus present Selective ServIce Service Service ice policy seems to favor professional pro apro- students allowing them to postpone military service service ice until they reach an age where they are much less likely to be called at all OR COMPULSORY CUl NATIONAL SERVICE 4 Gen Clarks Clark's commission recommends continuing student deferments but only until the youth is 24 years old or has re received received re- re cei ved his liis bachelors bachelor's degree whichever comes first Postgraduate Postgraduate Postgraduate Post Post- graduate students would be de deferred deferred deterred de- de only if they were training in professions considered es essential essential essential es- es to national security Some people argue that the only way out o of the student de ferment impasse is to Institute universal military training with no exemptions This Idea makes sense and Is worth serious consideration consideration consideration con con- but the nation Is not yet ready to adopt it Defense Secretary McNamara McNamara McNamara mara and anthropologist Margaret Margaret Mar Mar- garet Mead are among those who advocate compulsory na national national national na- na s service e r vi c e whereby all young people girls as well as boys would be required to register at age 18 for a two- two year draft Registrants co could u I d state a preference between military service a hitch in the Peace Corps or participation In other another such federal programs as might be established by Congress Chances o of enactment o of such a proposal this year however are slim IMPACT ACT ON TILE THE ECONOMY tY Congress now has less than four months to decide what to do I If it cant can't agree by the end of or June the present draft law will have to tobe be extended And it would certainly be much wiser to extend extend extend ex ex- ex- ex tend it than to amend it hastily or scrap It in favor of or a program program program pro pro- gram providing for youth regi regi- Meanwhile we must live In a world sharply divided by different different differ differ- ent ideologies and by different concepts of or what is right and what is wrong Clearly we must have a strong military system with all the manpower requirements requirements requirements require require- ments that implies This fact should spur us to devise devi and fai fairer draft Whose a befi r on civil life hn am and on the Oct act will be as constructive sable sible as os i 0 of i |