New-York tribune., 1907-09-05
CROWDS FOR SCHOOLS.
Despite Ne1o Buildings, Increase in
Part Time Pupils Expected.

The Health Department officials had their hands
full yesterday in looking up the birth records of
the thousands of children who apply daily for
school certificates For the last ten days chill
dren have besieged the department to get school
certificates for this year
Dr William II. Guifoy, chief register of records.
said there would be fully fifty thousand school GER
tfcates issued this year. increase of ten thou
sand over last year, for all five boroughs Yester-
day being only few days from the opening of the
school term, nearly three thousand children,
companed by their parents applied for certificates.
The line stretched from the office of the assistant
register the second floor of the building down
into the street, and around the corner in 55th
street almost to Broadway.
Nearly one-half of them had to be turned away
until tomorrow, there IS only limited number
of clerks 10 accommodate the applicants. Extra
police have been detailed at the department to
keep the youngsters in order. In speaking of the
4Fual rush for certificates DR.. Guilfoy said no
outside of the department realized how much
work there is in Issuing single crtifcate.
This is the busiest season which have yet
met" said DR.. Guilfoy yesterday 'The parents
flock here with their children, of them bring
ing many three four. My men have been
working hard day and night, so as to have every
thing cleaned up before school opens.
when we issue certificate to child. We have
to look up our books and find it's birth record. In
many cases we are compelled to turn the child
away. because the physician had failed to make a
go TO school, unless the parent find its family
physician and have him to send in a delayed
certificate The child IN this has to wait
until October before issue 1t a certificate
When he gets 1t. If the school should hap
pen to be full the child may not get into school
that year We can't prosecute these physicians for
not complying with the birth law for after two
years 1t Is outlawed- In all my experience as
register of this department have never seen such
an increase Of new school children. From the re-
ports Of my assistants in the four other boroughs
find the condition is about the same That the
schools will be able to accommodate these children
is by certain
We issued between 5000 and 10000 certificates
10 children last year. Judging from the way they
are coming IN now the figures will probably reach
close to 10000. We issue only about 1.50o TO
100 a day as there is considerable time consumed
in looking up the record of each applicant We
have also found many cases where children have
been born in Russia Germany and have no rec
ord of their births. In these cases they are sent
to the Custom House TO get birth certificate be-
fore we issue a school certificate
Commissioner Darlington said that the unusual
crowd of children applying for school certificates
shows an increasingly large percentage or increase
in population. It was said by an official OF the
Board of Education yesterday that these extra
children Will make the congestion in the schools
this year worse than ever. For the last two years
thousands of children have been going 10 school on
half time Although several new schools have been
completed and are expected to be open this year. 1t
will not relieve the congestion by 30 per cent, II was
said by this education official yesterday.
we hoped TO put full time all the children
who were on half time last year" said the Official
but the number of certificates already Issued
shows that conditions will be worse this year
than last. Schools cannot be built fast enough 10
accommodate the children. especially in Manhattan
and Brooklyn The result will be that more schools
will have TO be put half time. Then there will
be thousands of children who will have to be turned
away