Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-26
MISS JULIA LATHPoP.
DIRECTOR Or The US CHuDRENS BUREAU.

longing to the grandfather, had calved
on the day the girl was born, and he could
swear to the coincidence. The farm books
showed that the grandfather had recorded
the birth of the calf and SO the date OF
the human being was established.
but, of course" added Miss Lathrop
with a smile, ''grandfathers cannot always
be depended on TO keep COWS
..Perhaps the most immediate necessity
for birth registration in this country at
present., she continued. makes itself
felt in connection with the effort to secure
to every child his share of education ana
to protect him from premature and un-
guarded entry into working life. il laws
prohibiting the employment of children
under certain age are to be enforced,
there should be the means or obtaining
the unquestioned evidence OF age and. Of
course, this can be obtained by nothing
short of birth registration
Birth Registration Paramount.
Among the fundamental propositions
affecting every. human being in the ma
ton, the registration OF births seems to
many of us to be the most imminent To
know anything about the birth rate. We
must, of course. register the children
born. So we must, too, in order TO know
anything about the death rate. To know
how to stop the unnecessary loss of 1J0.-
600 children yearly, we must know first
why they die. and when and where. We
must register their births and deaths as
the essential element of intelligent life-
saving To know when the nations chill
dren are entitled to leave school, and
when they can work legally. We must
know their ages by legal record. Finally,
to know about the diseases of children,
we must register births and deaths.
The type of registration law which the
children's bureau advocates gives charge
of the registration of births and deaths
to the state board of health, which shall
prepare the necessary instructions ana
blanks. A central bureau OF vital status
tics is to be appointed. over which the
secretary of the state board OF health Is
to have general supervision. with phy-
sician of not less than 1--WE years practlce
In immediate direction as state registrar.
Each city and township, town, preclnct
or hundred is to be primary registrA-
ton district under the direction or local
registrars. whose term of office Is to run
four years. subject to removal by tne
state board of health for negligence or
incompetence.
Records Must Be Kept.
Nobody shall be disposed OF or removed
from any registration district until a perr
NIT is issued. ,Stillborn children are to
be registered as births and also as deaths.
The certificates of death must be OF the
standard form approved by the United
States census bureau and signed by the
physician last attending, or If there be no
medical attendance. by the undertaken.
In the latter case the registrar must
notify the health officer, unless the death
is of a suspicious character, when II Is
to go before the coroner. All births must
be filed within ten days by the attending
physician or midwife. Those in charge OF
institutions are held responsible for the
notification to the authorities of births oc-
curing there. Fines in varying amounts
are to be imposed upon those who violate
the various provisions of the proposed
model act.