The average age of persons going into the military is stated as 22. This has been stated by the National Educational Association, and I believe their statistics are quite correct. At the age of 22 a student is generally finishing his undergraduate work and then is considering going on to his graduate work.

It is in very few cases that our student is able to get a deferment to continue with his graduate studies.

College teachers are those who prepare through graduate work and again we are severely limiting what is the greatest need in our country as stated by the President's Commission on Education beyond the high school in their report in 1956, that of college teaching.

In my experience at the University of Wisconsin and from the statistics that were stated in the report to the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, veterans have made a substantial contribution to colleges. They have made a substantial contribution, as I stated before, in their choice of courses, courses which are going to prepare them to fulfill vital needs in our society, scientific work, work in the teaching professions.

In addition, statistics show that veterans tend to get higher grades than nonveterans and I don't think any other criteria has been found yet for measuring the success of a student in college than the grade point average.

It has been my experience as a counsellor in a living unit with some 75 students in the dormitories that the veterans in this dormitory tend to set an example for the undergraduate students, set an example in their work, in activities, set an example in their daily living in the house. They were matured individuals and they were those that I think aided a great many of the undergraduates in their choices of Vocations and in their choice of curriculum.

I think that the Government ought to afford the opportunity for veterans who are making this substantial contribution to continue their education and I feel very strongly that one way that this can be done is through the passage of the bill which is now before you for consideration.

In my prepared text I would like to call your attention to page 4, to the four advantages that we feel that this legislation will have. The adoption of legislation providing educational benefits for veterans as provided in the bill would serve four important purposes.

First: It would help to offset the disadvantages and disturbances in educational and career plans necessarily involved in service in the Armed Forces, and, thereby, would tend to equalize opportunity and reduce inequality between those who do and do not serve.

The previous speaker pointed out the fact that there are inequities in our compulsory system. That is, many are able to escape the draft. In fact, the majority are able to because of student deferments or because of disabilities or because they are fathers and therefore placed further down on those who are called or because they have reached the age of 26 and are so far down on the list that they escape the draft entirely. There are inequities. We feel competitively the young person who goes into the armed services is losing out and we should do our best to try to equalize opportunities.

Second: It would tend to increase enlistments and thereby reduce the need for use of the draft. Since, on the whole, those who will

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choose to enlist will be individuals likely to suffer fewer dislocations and interruptions of plans than those who would otherwise be drafted, this tendency would reduce the harmful effects of compulsory service to minimum.

Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Chairman, if I may interrupt the witness there. You heard, Mr. Hoffman, the first witness, Mr. Burgess?

Mr. HOFFMAN. Yes, I did.

Mr. MITCHELL. The statement you have just made is diametrically in opposition to the one he has made.

Mr. HOFFMAN. It certainly is.

Mr. MITCHELL. Would you like to comment on it any further? Mr. HOFFMAN. I would. When I began my testimony I stated the fact that the association represents college students throughout the country.

In our basic policy declarations, in our consideration of the purpose of education there has been a great deal of discussion as to the relationship between the individual and the Government.

It seems to me that the strength of our entire system of government is the fact that government in this country exists for the individual, government exists to try to increase his opportunities to continue with his education in this case. And that it does not exist as it does in the Soviet Union, the individual does not exist where the government does in the Soviet Union.

In this case, in this specific example that is stated here, I think you are going to find that students who are financially unable to continue their education will enlist, get their service, and then continue going on to college because of the benefits they receive.

One gentleman who testified before the Senate subcommittee stated that perhaps this might be the optimum, this might be what we are hoping for, that is, because the veterans tend to make better grades, because they tend to be more mature individuals and set an example, that we should try to promote people going into the service and then coming out and continuing with their education.

Am I meeting your question?

Mr. MITCHELL. Yes. Thank you, Mr. Hoffman.

Mr. HOFFMAN. Third: it would encourage the education and completion of education of a good number of persons, preparing them to play more valuable roles as citizens.

And I have stated this.

And fourth, it is stated very strongly by the last two gentlemen to address you it would help increase the brainpower of our country, our most neglected asset.

In this case it would be the Government investing in the young people of this country. And as a representative of them I cannot think of any place to better place the investment of the Government.

It has been often stated that the problems which are facing our country today will not be solved by the present generation but are going to have to be solved by the young people of the country, hoping someone will not touch the pushbutton as Mr. Haley stated and we will have complete annihilation. If this is the case that we are going to continue to have our society at all

Mr. MITCHELL. You don't think, Mr. Hoffman, that we should plan our educational program based upon the fact that someone will not, but rather on the fact that it will not be done?

Mr. HOFFMAN. I certainly do. I certainly think we should base our education on the fact that our society is going to continue and this country is going to continue.

Mr. QUIGLEY. Is that the end of your statement, sir?

Mr. HOFFMAN. I would just like to point out that on pages 4, 5, and 6 of the statement are some refutations to some of the statements of opposition, that typical opposition to this bill that were stated in the Senate subcommittee, that were stated on the floor of the Senate, and that have been stated here this morning.

In order not to take more of your time I will just refer you to those pages and state that I think that they are refuted quite aptly on those pages.

Mr. QUIGLEY. Thank you, Mr. Hoffman, for an excellent statement. Mr. GEORGE. Mr. Chairman, I would just like to comment that I feel like you have presented the viewpoint of the modern generation, while Mr. Burgess is a generation behind us.

I wish that we could have had you first so that he could have heard the testimony that you have given us.

I certainly wish you much success in law and I am sure you will be an outstanding lawyer.

Mr. HOFFMAN. Thank you very much, sir.

Mr. GEORGE. One of the best presentations we have had.

Mr. QUIGLEY. The thing that fascinates me about the witness is all the planning, rearranging of his life he did, not to have his education interrupted by the draft and now he is interrupting on his own to carry out his duties and responsibilities as president of this association.

Mr. MITCHELL. I want to joint, Mr. Chairman, with both you and my colleague from Kansas in saying that I think this young man has made a most impressive presentation of his case and I think he will be equally impressive when he is at the bar of the law.

Mr. QUIGLEY. He has, and you have done neither your cause, nor your association, nor yourself anything but good today.

Mr. HOFFMAN. I hope that the statement I have made today will be effective in securing passage of this bill and the signing by the executive branch representative.

Thank you.

Mr. QUIGLEY. We do not want guarantee that in writing.

Mr. GEORGE. We are doing the best we can to see that that happens. Mr. QUIGLEY. This committee will now adjourn until 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.

(Whereupon, at 12:25 p.m., Thursday, March 3, 1960, the committee recessed to reconvene at 10 a.m. Friday, March 4, 1960.)

READJUSTMENT BENEFITS FOR INDIVIDUALS ENTERING THE ARMED SERVICES AFTER JANUARY 31, 1955

The committee met at 10 a.m., pursuant to adjournment, in room 356, Old House Office Building, Hon. James A. Haley presiding. Mr. HALEY. The committee will be in order.

The committee has as its first witness this morning Mr. Reuben Johnson of the National Farmers Union.

Is that correct, sir?

STATEMENT OF REUBEN JOHNSON, NATIONAL FARMERS UNION

Mr. JOHNSON. That is right.

Mr. HALEY. Will you, for the record, state your name, your address, and who you represent? Then you may proceed.

Have you a written statement, by the way?

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. Chairman, I do have a written statement, and I will be very happy to proceed in any way that you see fit. Mr. HALEY. You may proceed as you care to, sir.

Mr. JOHNSON. I am Reuben Johnson, coordinator of legislative services, National Farmers Union, 1404 New York Avenue NW., Washington, D.C. I am here in behalf of the National Farmers Union.

Delegates to the most recent convention of National Farmers Union expressed support for the continuation of a program along the lines of the highly successful GI bill. The resolution approved by the delegates is as follows:

A program along the lines of the highly successful GI bill should be renewed and its principles should be extended in workable ways to all young people, according to need and to aptitude for college level education.

As an organization of farm families, we are especially interested in the onfarm training program for veterans which H.R. 2258 and similar bills authorize. Under the authority proposed in such bills, many young people from rural farm areas will be afforded the opportunity to attend an institution of higher learning who otherwise would not be able to get a college education.

Justification for H.R. 2258 is reflected in the interest of colleges and universities in student loan provisions of the Defense Education Act of 1958. Student requests for loans for college training under this