Local citizens must decide fates
(Continued from page 1)
Sitting next to the chairman was an elderly man who had served 15 years on the board. He too had never been in the military and was a farmer before he retired.
The third member, also a retired farmer, had no service record either. The fourth member's case was the same.
Only the fifth had been a member of the armed forces, a soldier in World War I. He was black, a hopeful sign for draft boards, in which blacks are sorely underrepresented.
Following his discharge, he had worked in the Civil Service until his retirement. He and the other members before him had been on the board $ 1 \frac{1}{2} $ years.
The board clerk took the lead in answering most of the questions while the members themselves were content to listen.
Liberal with II-S
"They're very liberal with student deferments," she said, "and have never denied a II-S to anyone who has been qualified. They usually determine each case on its individual merit."
Occupational deferments, she said, are decided in the same manner, although there are fewer guidelines for boards to follow.
"Mathematics and science teachers normally get good breaks," the board chairman said, "but others — for example, coaches—don't."
Were many farm deferments awarded?
"Very few," the clerk replied. "Since these men have been on the board, a smaller number of farm deferments has been given than at any time since I came here (in 1952)."
The board had 7,213 registrants, 3,089 of which were over the draft age of liability. 351 were classified I-A or I-A-O (consciious objector available for noncombatant military service only).
Only one registrant was in the I-O category (consciious objector available only for civilian work).
College deferments totaled 314, while 672 held hardship deferments.
Asked why they chose to serve on the draft board, the clerk said, "They want to give service to their community, state and nation."
Little to do
"That's true," said the black member, who has a son in the Army. "especially when you get to the point most of us are at now. We're retired and we have little else to do."
The Kansan interviewed a single member of a different board in his business office—a farm implements store on Main Street. His town has a population of about 1,000 and serves a predominantly rural county of
16 KANSAN Dec. 17 1969
more than 11,000.
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He has lived in the county all his life and has owned the implements store for 20 years.
"I was appointed seven or eight years ago when a board member resigned," he said. "The county commissioner asked me to do it, and I agreed."
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"They were really in a bind when they came to me. Aparently people to take the job are hard to find." he said.
He did not know any other circumstances of his nomination. His military service was in
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Army Air Corps during World War II.
No basis
"We had one kid who worked his way through college, had a pregnant wife and was having a hell of a time. But there was just no basis for giving him an agricultural deferment, as he wanted. He was lucky enough, though, to get a physical deferment later," he said.
He said the board attempts to give students lenient treatment. Although the Selective Service regulations require a student in a four-year course of study to complete one-fourth of his education each year, the board often relaxes the rule.
On the other hand, the board grants occupational deferments to almost all teachers.
would work a hardship on the schools," the board member said. "Should a principal write us that the teacher is difficult to replace, we'll defer him." In this county, that's usually the case."
If we took all the teachers, it
"If a student appears to be doing his best but still flunks too many hours to complete one-fourth of his education, we'll continue his II-A deferment. That depends, of course, on whether the school will take him back."
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