The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-04-01
AGE CERTIFICATE
LAW AFFECTS MANY
Already Employers Are Re-
fusing Work to Indiana
polls Children.

INDIANAPOLIS, April Twenty
i've thousand boys and girls in India
napolis will be affected by the new
age certificate law, according to VIII
liam A. Hacker, director of the depart
ment of school attendance in the In
dianapolis schools Mr.. Hacker and
his associates rapidly are completing
plans to comply with the law, and al
ready employers are refusing age GER
tificates made out by parents.
Important features of the new law
are the provisions that compel a child
to have passed the fifth grade and to
have employment before he can leave
school before he is Is years old This
takes the place of the old straight IA
year-old law.
Another important feature is that
the new law takes the right of issuing
age certificates out Of the hands OF
parents and gives it to the school
authorities. Employers not only must
not employ persons under the age
limit without a certificate, but must
give notice to the school authorities
as soon as the employment Of the child
ceases. Parents or employers are
liable to fines of from SO to $50 each
for violation of the law and the school
authorities are given power to enter
factories to see if violations are being
made.
According to plans being made by
Mr.. Hacker, before n child less than
the fixed age can obtain employment,
he first must present to the school at
tendance department a statement by
his prospective employer setting out
that the employment will be given and
telling the nature of it.
When this Is done, a certificate Civ
ing the name, age, and description
Of the child will be made out and fled
with the employer. IS soon as the
employment ceases, the employer i'm
mediately must fill out card attach
ed to the certificate, giving the time
and reasons for the termination of the
employment and return it to the de-
partment.
In this manner the parents will have
nothing TO do with the certificates, all
transactions being between the depart
ment and the employer. Data for the
certificates will be obtained from
official records. This law Will affect
the children now employed as we'll as
those who seek employment in the
future
Mr.. Hacker, who assisted in drafting
the bill, yesterday said that its pur
pose was not to prevent child labor
nor to work a hardship upon the en-
ployer. =
cit merely contemplates keeping
children from running wild on the
streets when they ought to be in
school," he said, land / believe that if
it is carried out properly it will do
.ais. -....
Il am sure that there will be no con-
fiict with the employers, for this law
certificate is issued from our depart
ment they may depend upon it, where
as the present age certificates or many
so-called certificates may lead them
into trouble. When we get our sys-
tenn ready I intend to call upon the
employers for voluntary assistance,
and am sure they will give it. After
that we can see about the boys and
girls not in school"
Age certificates will be issued and
employment certificates will be receiv-
ed each afternoon from to o'clock
and on Saturday morning from to II
O'Clock at the office of the department
in the Hyde School No. 1, Vermont and
New Jersey streets.