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Rep. Burr Harrison
Discusses Draft Law
Rep. Burr P. Harrison has asked Major General Lewis B. Hershey,. national selective service director,, what he has done, or intends to do, about Insuring compliance with the Harrison Amendment to the draft law. Which provides that local draft boards are to consider whether there is a national surplus of an agricultural commodity when passing on farm deferment applications.
The amendment, sponsored by. the Seventh District Representative the House and cleared by the Senate with, the active support of Senator Harry F. Byrd, ranking member of the Committee on Armed Services, was a part of .the draft extension legislation signed into law by President Eisenhower on June St).
Mr.! Harrison said he was surprised by a news article quoting a “spokesman" for General Hen* shey’s office to the effect that there had been no new directive on agricultural deferments. Mr, Harrison implied that it was about time something was done to make certain local draft boards a observed the policy set forth in the Harrison Amendment as approved by Congress and Mr. Eisenhower. His letter to General Hershey follows:
In a news article in the Richmond News Leader of September 8, 1955 dealing primarily with the position of Senator A, Willis Robertson of Virginia on agricultural deferments and release of inductees after one years of service, I read with considerable surprise the following passage r "A.UV.
“Major-General Lewis B. Hershey, director of selective service, was not in Washington today, but a Selective Service System spokesman said ‘there have been no instructions to local boards which tie their hands in dealing with agricultural deferments,’ the Associated Press reported.
“The spokesman said there hhs been no special directive on deferment of farm youths other than the establishment of the criteria that such youths must be “necessary to the farm, and can’t be replaced.’ ’’
In the news article, Senator Robertson was quoted, to part, as stating:
“The Congress did not pass any law prohibiting deferment from the draft because of urgent need i a firm,”
This certainly is the case, the enator Robertson also could have a ted that to the contrary, the (ingress, to the session concluded st month, took affirmative rtion to override the edicts df irtain selective service officials at draft boards should not look ivorably on deferment applicaona when there was a national irplus of the agricultural eomodity
involved. . _ ■
I refer to Sec. 101 (d) of Pubt Law 118 of the 84th Congress, hich amends the Universal MOiiry Training and Berries Act to rovide: ■ 'j | /■' “
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