By the Numbers

The files of draft-dodging cases were growing mightily in the Department of Justice; but it was nothing to get excited about. One reason was that the induction rate was rising swiftly to 12,000 a day (roughly equal to the strength of one armored division). Another was that in the rush for men, Selective Service was now reporting the carelessly delinquent, along with those who really meant to refuse military service.

There was no indication that real draft dodging was on the rise. Selective Service figures last week showed that since the draft began only 11,730 real cases of draft dodging had been reported. In these, 4,023 dodgers were convicted, sent off to prison.

Up to Feb. 10, Selective Service had also classified more than 6,000 as conscientious objectors, sent them to labor camps. But not all who claimed to be conscientious objectors got off that way. Some were put on trial; 1,241 were sent to prison.

Fifty-three percent of these convictions were of Jehovah's Witnesses, the sect which contends that all its members are ministers of the Gospel. About 8% were what Selective Service calls "rationalists," i.e., men who based their objection on what they had figured out for themselves and not out of religious teaching.

Most exotic group of convicted objectors (7%) were Negro "Moslems," who discard their "slave names" when they embrace their new religion and presently get new ones (like John Jones Bey) from Mecca. Their reason for refusal to serve was simple: In Mecca, war has not been declared.

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