WHAT IT MEANS . . .
Post-War
Compulsory
Training
(By Robert M. Farrington}
A strong indication of what
kind of a world we expect to live
in after the war should pop out
of the discussion over compul
sory military training in peace
time.
Representative Andrew J. May
(D-Ky) has promised to intro
duce a bill when Congress recon
vened recently, requiring every
able-bodied male between 17 and
21 to take a year’s military
training.
The fate of such a bill would
attract great interest both here
and abroad as unmistakable evi
dence of whether the United
States intends to be prepared to
fight again if necessary or is go
ing to lapse into the pacifist role
she adopted after the last war.
Following the Armistice in
1918, similar bills were prepared
but strong pacifist sentiment
sweeping the country foredoom
ed them to failure. With the war
won and 3,000 miles of ocean pro
tecting us from Europe’s prob
lem’s, people felt a big Army was
unnecessary, that the peace was
permanent.
Super-bombers that can fly
half a carload of bombs across
the Atlantic and return without
refueling are almost here. Gen
eral Arnold has revealed, and the
protection from aggression once
afforded by our oceanmoat has
been blasted forever by their
development.
In the peace that will follow
this war, Americans will have
to decide whether to strip down
their military machine and build
another should war come again,
or maintain some part of that
machine so as not to be caught
napping in case of another sneak
attack such as Pearl Harbor.
Since it has been proven that
given the time, America can build
a mighty and invincible Army,
future wars would very likely
start with sudden, devastating
and unexpected enemy attacks
from the air on our key cities so
as to paralyze our effort before
it began.
About 1,000,000 youths a year
would have to take military
training as soon as they left high
school under May’s plan. They
would be in the Army a year, but
could keep up their studies so as
to go right into college without
difficulty hen their time was
up. Under this program a reserve
of 10,000,000 men could be built
up in 10 or 15 years, to be quick
ly mobilized for service if nec
essary.
This reserve would do away
with the alternative of a huge
standing Army which has never
appealed to unmilitaristic Amer
ica. May believes that a regular
Army of 500,000 (double the
1939 strength) would be enough.
Nearly every country in Eu
rope and South America had some
form of compulsory military
service before the war. Switzer
land’s, system offers an example
of how a small army can be ex
panded rapidly. All men from
18 to 60 are subject to between 88
and 102 days of military train
ing. There are few exceptions
and those excused or rejected pay
certain taxes in lieu of service.
After the first year’s service,
the men are called up for 11
days annually for seven years,
then go on the reserves.
Normally 46,000 men are being
trained in the Swiss military es
tablishment. When war broke
out 650,000 men were mobilized.
Whether May’s plan succeeds
or fails will not in itself point
to the post-war path the United
States intends to follow. The dis- i
cussion, however, will smoke out
public sentiment and afford a
key as to whether in the middle
of one war, people are ready to
contemplate its successor.
NEW PIANOS
FOR YANKS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A
new type piano containing only
35 pounds of metal is being pro
cured by the Quartermaster
Corps for troops in the U. S. and
overseas.
The saving in metal con
forms to the WPB order limiting
the amount to 10 per cent of the
weight of the instrument. About
150 pounds of metal per instru
ment is eliminated through the
use of plywood. The piano is
less than 5 feet high has a 73
oote keyboard.
NOTHING TOO GOOD
FOR THE MARINES
GUADALCANAL (AP) — Ma
rines here are sporting elabor
ate cigarette holders which they
have made from bamboo.
They cut the hollow stems to
the desired length, whittle a
mouthpiece out and presto—an
attractive green holder.
Some of the Leathernecks have
made “filter type holders” by
pushing a cigarette into the tube
to absonbe the nicotine.
-:- j
BULLETS AND BIBLES \
WASHINGTON (AP) — By a
curious incongruity, the War De
partment finds the covers for
pistols exactly fit army Bibles.
They have been adopted by the
Chaplains Corps as standard pro
1 tection. The covers are made of
a pliable, transparent, water
proof film known as vinyl, and
are buyoant enough to float the
books.
The original homeland of mom- I
malian life is believed to be the
, high central plateau of Asia.
About 29 per cent of the U. S.
milk supply for 1942 was used
to make creamery butter.
AP Features
AMERICA'S PLAYGROUNDS are more impor
tant than ever in wartime, but supervision and
training are necessary to defeat the "7th
column"—carelessness which causes accidents
warns George D. Butler, of the National Re
creation Association. Here he outlines some
playground "Don'ts" for children.
- -—. - >
4f
_
This accident could have been avoided if
children had followed sane safety rules.
Johnny's riding for a fall as Mary pushes I
him higher and higher. Fun, but dangerous. I
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