The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-26
STATES ARE ASKED
 ID AID ENFORCING
 CH|LDLABOR LAWS
Uniformity in Administra- tiOn of New Federal Law Is Desired-Appeals to
 Governors
By HUGH ". ROBERTS

ny III We HhOUhAe1S
 Washington, February @.-(Special.) The three members of the cabinet in- trusted with the administration of the re- gently enacted federal child labor laws, have Issued an appeal for assistance in such administration to the governor of Alabama, and the governors of all other states of the union.
 The federal statutes require that each child forced to engage in work be its age. Some of the states have simi- lar requirements. Others endeavor by diff ferent methods to enforce their particu- lar le9fslation. On account of the de- sirability that there be no duplicate cer- tification. Mr Gregory. MT. Redfield and MT. Wilson are urging the governors to secure legislative enactment in the several states.
 The formal letter urges that by law the requirements of states be made to conform with the requirements of the fed- eral government. In the event such con- formity is judged by the states to be undesirable, alternative suggestions are made. These are set forth in detail as follows:
 l. That the legislatures of the several states consider the advisability of con- to the federal child labor board, or Of designating an appropriate state official with general power to make rules and regulations respecting proofs of age under the state child labor laws, in order to secure conformity to the federal child la- bor law and the rules and regulations hereunder; or
 2. If any state does not desire to grant the administrative power recommended above, that It's legislature be asked to enact in lieu thereof the following re- quirements for proof of age which indi- cate the limit of probably regulatory re- quirements by the board:
 The person authorized by the board to issue the certificate of age shall issue such certificate only upon the application in person of the child desiring employ dian or custodian and after having re- ceived, examined. and approved documen- tary evidence of age showing that the child is 14 years of age or over, which evidence shall consist of one of the fol- lowing named proofs of age, duly attested and the proof accepted shall be specified in the certificate issued to the child; the proof specified in subdivision (a) shall be required first, but if this be not avail able then one of the proofs specified in the succeeding subdivisions shall be re- quired and in the order designated until the age of the child be established as follows:
 (a) A birth certificate or transcript thereof issued by a registrar of vital sta- tistics or other officer charged with the duty of recording births, which certifi- cate or transcript thereof shall be prima facie evidence of the age of the child:
 (b) A certificate of baptism or tran script thereof, showing the date of birth and place of baptism of the child; Co A bona fide record of the date and place of the child's birth kept in the Bible in which the records of the births, marriages and deaths in the family of the child are preserved; or a certificate of confirmation or other church ceremony at least one year old showing the age of the child and date and place of such SOAIirindlioH UT ScfcHioHy, Or passport showing the age of the child: or a certif- cate of arrival in the United States, is- sued by United States immigration off, cers and showing the age of the child; or life insurance policy at least one year old showing the age of the child; (d) A certificate signed by two phy- sicians, at least one of whom shall be a public health officer public school medical inspector stating that they have kaJx oy,ip bn nI tI,a% g,, their opinion the child is at least 14 years of age; such certificate shall show the height and weight of the child, the con dition of its teeth, and any other facts concerning its physical development re- vealed by such examination and upon which their opinion as to its age is based.